American Coin-Op - June 2013

Visit us at the Clean Show. Booth #2234

sights and sounds

new orleans hosts clean ’13 this month

There’s always so much to do to prepare for the Clean Show, which will convene this month in New Orleans.

And I know that once I’m there, I’ll spend each day on the move. It’s always enjoyable to take a break when the convention day has ended.

If you feel the same, then you’ll want to read Carlo Calma’s NOLA Know-How, beginning on page 22. He’s researched some of the Crescent City’s leading hot spots, including attractions, shopping and dining.

It’ll give you a good idea of just some of the diversions you can find beyond the convention center doors.

sUccess stories

The Clean Show is, of course, about finding solutions to improve your business. But if you’re not going to make it to New Orleans this year, this issue still has plenty of content aimed at boosting your bottom line.

In Write Your Own Success Story (page 8), several equipment manufacturer and distributor representatives identify common coin laundry pitfalls to be avoided on your way to profit and peace of mind.

Columnist Howard Scott poses the question, How Are Your Sales ... and Why? (page 30). If you’re seeing signs that your business is slowing, Scott offers some countermeasures to try.

While online banking has grown increasingly more popular, it has also created a greater potential for becoming a victim of fraud. In Fending Off Hack Attacks (page 34), business writer Phillip Perry offers cyberfraud prevention tips for all businesses large or small.

Yes, there’s still more in this issue, but like the Clean Show, you’ll need to get a move on to find it. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Bruce Beggs Editorial Director

editorial

Charles Thompson, Publisher

E-mail: cthompson@ americantrademagazines.com Phone: 312-361-1680

Bruce Beggs, Editorial Director E-mail: bbeggs@ americantrademagazines.com Phone: 312-361-1683

Roger Napiwocki, Production Manager

Jean Teller, Contributing Editor

Carlo Calma, Editorial Assistant

Nathan Frerichs, Digital Media Director

E-mail: nfrerichs@ americantrademagazines.com Phone: 312-361-1681

advertising

Donald Feinstein, Natl. Sales Director E-mail: dfeinstein@ americantrademagazines.com Phone: 312-361-1682

office information

Main: 312-361-1700 Fax: 312-361-1685 sUbscriptions 630-739-0600 www.AmericanCoinOp.com

American Coin-Op (ISSN 0092-2811) is published monthly. Subscription prices, payment in advance: U.S. and Possessions, 1 year $39.00; 2 years $73.00. Foreign, 1 year $89.00; 2 years $166.00. Single copies $7.00 for U.S. and Possessions, $14.00 for all other countries. Published by American Trade Magazines LLC, 566 West Lake Street, Suite 420, Chicago, IL 60661. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER, Send changes of address and form 3579 to American Coin-Op, Subscription Dept., 440 Quadrangle Drive, Suite E, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. Volume 54, number 6. Editorial, executive and advertising offices are at 566 West Lake Street, Suite 420, Chicago, IL 60661. Charles Thompson, President and Publisher. American Coin-Op is distributed selectively to owners, operators and managers of chain and individually owned coin-operated laundry establishments in the United States. No material appearing in American Coin-Op may be reprinted without written permission. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising for any reason.

© Copyright AMERICAN TRADE MAGAZINES LLC, 2013. Printed in U.S.A.

Bruce Beggs

CLEANLINESS IS FUNDAMENTAL TO COIN LAUNDRY SUCCESS

Many factors can contribute to a coin-op laundry’s success, but a majority of operators (54.5%) surveyed in May’s American Coin-Op Wire survey say that store cleanliness is the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to having a “great laundry.”

While other factors such as equipment mix/number and customer comfort received equal shares of respondents’ votes (9.1%), a store’s size (4.5%) and aesthetics/decor (0%) garnered little to no support for being the dominant aspect of a “great laundry.”

Next to cleanliness, operators attribute the friendliness of the owner/employee(s) (13.6%) to store success, while the remaining 9.1% believe that all aforementioned qualities were important in judging a store’s greatness.

Roughly 60% of those surveyed believe that an unattended store cannot be considered a “great” laundry, while 36.4% say that it can be and 4.5% are unsure.

When asked what factor is most “overrated” when judging a store, the top three features cited by store owners were store size (36.4%), equipment mix/number (27.3%), and aesthetics/décor (22.7%). Roughly 5% chose “other.” No one taking the survey singled out customer comfort or cleanliness.

In terms of what they believe is their store’s best feature, operators responded with a mixed bag. While some gave themselves credit for their employees’ customer service and their store’s cleanliness and atmosphere, one operator highlighted that his/her machines were never out of order.

How do you think the industry’s image has changed since you first opened your store? Roughly 45% of respondents thought positively, saying the image is either “somewhat better” (31.8%) or “far better” (13.6%). Half of respondents said it is unchanged, and 4.5% believe it is “somewhat worse.” No one who took the survey sees the industry’s image as being “much worse.”

While American Coin-Op’s Wire survey presents a snapshot of the audience’s viewpoints at a particular moment, it should not be considered scientific.

Subscribers to Wire e-mails—distributed twice weekly—are invited to participate in an industry survey each month. The survey is conducted online via a partner website, and is developed so it can be completed in less than 10 minutes.

The entire American Coin-Op audience is encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define owner/operator opinions and industry trends.

60% of store owners believe unattended store cannot be considered ‘great’ laundry

Introducing Maytag® equipped Laundry. Imagine starting a business with the prep work and professional planning already done. The wall color, floor tiles, signage, marketing materials—all pre-planned for you. When you own a Maytag® equipped Laundry, it’s a reality. Your store is easy to start, easy to run, and easy to grow. And best of all, you’ll have the support of Maytag—America’s #1 preferred laundry brand.* Learn more at maytagequippedlaundry.com.

Come see our full-size Maytag® equipped Laundry at Clean Show 2013, Booth #3405, June 20–22.

Write Your Own Story

Sidestep Common Pitfalls on Way to Profit and Peace of Mind

By Bruce Beggs, Editorial Director

We all make mistakes. We’re human, after all. And there are some errors that coin laundry store owners are prone to make, especially at times of store conception or the early stages of operation, that could cost them dearly if not avoided or at least addressed.

This month, American Coin-Op sought the counsel of several industry experts to identify the pitfalls to sidestep amongst the components of a typical vended laundry operation.

What’s more, they offer valuable suggestions for how store owners can remain on the path to profit and peace of mind. By following these guidelines, you can write your own success story.

Store Site Selection

Pitfalls: Not adequately researching a

potential location’s demographics; choosing a site based on its rent instead of its quality; choosing a location that is not viable for a laundry business; choosing a site that is not located amongst a good mix of co-tenants.

“I’ve seen too many prospective investors fall ‘in love’ with a particular site or neighborhood, even when the demographics indicate that the location is not ideal for a vended laundry,” says Gary Gauthier, national sales manager of vended laundries for Milnor. “I usually recommend that a careful review of demos for that site be compared to data for successful vended laundries. That’s usually enough to move the investor toward a better direction.”

Location is everything in business, says Chris Brick, national sales manager for Maytag® Commercial Laundry, but it’s not just the physical location of your business that’s important.

Brick encourages investors to evaluate

1) the physical location, 2) the building and/or building site, and 3) the proximity to competitors and to customer base. “When a potential store owner evaluates these three components and ranks them individually on a scale from 1 to 10, a good rule of thumb is that each one should score between an 8 and 10 to make this a viable location for a coin store.”

“Accessibility, visibility and parking are for me, I think, the top three in terms of items (desired) around the site,” says John Sabino, chief operating officer, Laundrylux, and former president of Laundry Capital LLC, a company that developed more than 150 Clean Rite Center superstores in 10 states across the country.

“I also think being close to certain other retailers is not really a good idea.” He mentioned bars, nightclubs and drug rehabilitation centers as examples of facilities that attract a clientele who would potentially be in conflict with your customers. “All of

Photo: © iStockphoto/abu

Offering Complete Laundromat Solutions

those uses wouldn’t link up nicely with a family trying to do its laundry.”

Choosing low rent over the best location available is a mistake that Speed Queen’s Dan Bowe tries to help people avoid. “Rent is important, but it’s a percentage of your gross sales,” says Bowe, national sales manager for the Alliance Laundry Systems brand. “Sometimes, finding (a site that has) the lowest rent that doesn’t have the best visibility, the best ingress/egress, ample parking … you just have to be careful. You want to make sure you have all those ingredients.”

And there are times that a site isn’t suitable for a coin laundry, Bowe says. “Sometimes, the utilities may be too costly to bring in. Sometimes, the sewer may be too far away.”

Craig Kirchner, vice president of sales,

It’s here where an experienced distributor can prove invaluable, he adds. “Unless you’ve lived through seeing those Saturday and Sunday rushes when people can’t move in the store, you really don’t have a good appreciation for that.”

Brick says one of the most important design aspects to consider is safety.

“Patrons, the bulk of which are female, want to feel safe in every part of the store. That being said, store owners should incorporate numerous, large windows into the store’s design. Also, all aisles should run parallel to the front entrance, allowing for an unobstructed view from the front to the back of the store.”

“I’ve always been a firm believer in high ceilings, a great retail experience, tons of windows in the front, and really giving that feeling of space and freedom while you’re

be located toward the front, Bowe says.

Whatever specific design choices are made, they must be in compliance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations, Kirchner says. “Make sure that they have products that are ADAcompliant, restrooms, access into the store, that type of thing.”

Parking and Access

Pitfalls: Not providing enough parking spaces in your lot; not providing parking near your store; making it difficult for customers to transport clothes into and out of the store; not meeting ADA requirements.

Speed Queen uses one parking spot for every 300 square feet in its store designs. “And you want (your parking) close to the entrance,” Bowe says. “You don’t want to have parking across the street. You don’t want to have it far away. … You don’t want to have any steps or obstructions.”

marketing, and customer service for Dexter Laundry, says prospective store owners can rely on the advice of distributors or others, but ultimately it’s up to them to “do their homework.”

“Once a site or multiple sites have been picked out to choose from, it’s up to the owner to literally confirm for himself or herself that it’s the right selection,” Kirchner says. “I would recommend that they go at different times of day to look at different traffic patterns to ensure that the people are able to get in and out of the store when they need to.”

Store Design/Layout

Pitfalls: Thinking that the layout is unimportant; obstructing the view into and out of the store; not providing adequate drying capacity based on number of washers; not meeting ADA requirements.

Failing to anticipate and accommodate common customer movements—loading and unloading machines, rolling carts, and folding clean laundry—in a store’s design is “definitely a big miss in terms of providing a good customer experience,” Sabino says.

inside, and giving the feeling of action and safety from the outside,” says Sabino.

Any location within the store that sees two-way traffic should have a minimum of 7-foot walkways to ensure uninterrupted traffic flow, according to Brick. And keeping the folding tables out of high-traffic areas will help eliminate bottlenecks.

“The most neglected area that I see with layout and design is folding space, with adequate seating coming in as a close second,” Gauthier says. “These are customer convenience issues that can usually be reconsidered after a review of a variety of store layouts.”

Larger-capacity washers provide more profit per square foot, so you want to encourage more use of your larger machines, Bowe says. “You want to have good consideration of where you’re putting those, as far as visibility and ease of use vs. a lower-profit machine like a top loader.”

A ratio of 1.2 dryer pockets per washer pocket should be the minimum, he adds. “If someone has to wait to dry their clothes, they’re going to remember that.”

If the store is attended, the station should

Ample parking with easy access to laundry carts is imperative to keep customers happy, says Brick. “Ideally, a store has more than one point of entry and is equipped with automatic doors. In addition to parking, a clean storefront should be free of trash and wide enough for laundry carts and baskets to easily enter and exit. This simplifies a customer’s experience and helps reiterate the owner’s focus on customer satisfaction.”

Bowe prefers having just the one main entrance, for increased security.

Should a customer pull up to the store and find no parking available, they may just continue on their way, says Kirchner.

Equipment Acquisition

Pitfalls: Focusing on upfront cost rather than long-term benefits; not taking advantage of long-term amortization.

Operators often focus on the initial capital cost of equipment instead of their longterm cash flow and profitability potential. “I think that’s a big mistake for a lot of people,” Bowe says. “Machines are going to last 10-plus years, hopefully, and you need to look at reducing expenses, features on equipment that do that, and also features that increase revenue.”

Kirchner favors working with a distributor to learn what makes sense in the store owner’s specific financial situation, whether it be purchase or lease, to finance or pay cash, “whatever it might be.”

“If I had to give one comment to someone, clearly I would look to amortize the

Failing to anticipate and accommodate common customer movements in a store’s design is “definitely a big miss...” —John Sabino, Laundrylux

Photo: © iStockphoto/Julie Macpherson

loan over the longest period,” says Sabino. “From a cash flow standpoint, to increase the length of the loan gives you a lot more freedom to invest into the store, do additional marketing and, frankly, take more cash home to your family.”

Wash/Dry Pricing

Pitfalls: Setting prices at or below the level of nearby competitors, even though your store is more modern in every way.

“The one mistake that I do see is people look at the competition and then they price their store according to the competition,” Sabino says. “If you’re providing more value and a better experience than the competition, I’m not sure why you would benchmark against them.”

“The lowest price doesn’t always win! Price sensitivity is a part of our business, but low prices don’t always keep the machines turning,” Gauthier says. “I encourage store owners to offer a range of prices. Make their stores attractive places to their customers and communicate with customers in a positive manner.”

“Trying to be a low-price leader, you’re just leaving money on the table that you’re never going to get back,” Bowe says. The appropriate revenue stream should be 65% from washers, 35% from dryers, he adds.

Days and Hours of Operation

Pitfalls: Setting your store’s schedule to fit personal needs instead of customers’ needs; keeping an unattended store open around the clock.

“What you will typically see is they close earlier on Saturdays and Sundays,” Sabino says. “Sixty percent of the business is done on the weekend, between Friday night and Sunday. … It always amazes me when you see ‘Last Wash 7:30’ on a Sunday. Someone is choosing their personal life over what’s good for their business.”

“Some new store owners want to offer 24/7 hours for added profits in areas that aren’t ideal for these times,” says Gauthier. “Reminding them that a single vandal in one night can seriously impact their new investment is usually enough to approach this idea more cautiously.”

“If you’re in an area that is highly populated with students, for example, their patterns are different than a demographic with older, established apartment-type complexes,” Kirchner says. “You need to make sure that you’re looking at the market you’re in, the demographics that you’re trying to cater to, and then adapt your hours to fit the needs.”

Collection Practices

Pitfalls: Visiting your store at routine

intervals to empty coin drops and collect money for bank deposits; visiting your store only when it’s time to make collections.

Don’t make the mistake of falling into a pattern of visiting your store on the same day at the same time each week. And be sure that you visit your store at times other than those when you collect money, Sabino says.

“Vary your collection times,” Bowe says. “Be aware of your surroundings before you do it. Don’t key all your machines alike; if you acquire a store, change the locks on the money boxes.”

“Especially for a new store owner, I don’t know that they want to be walking in during the day, at the busiest time of the day, opening up coin boxes and collecting the money,” Kirchner says. “They need to pick a time when they’re closed, and there’s no traffic. … It’s going to happen at 3 in the morning, 5 in the morning, before they open, when there’s fewer people around.”

Equipment Maintenance

Pitfalls: Assuming your customers know the proper way to operate equipment; not posting warnings about overloading equipment; not ensuring equipment is maintained properly or frequently enough.

“I would absolutely use the distributor as leverage to learn and understand what general, regular maintenance means for washers, dryers, and the other equipment,” Kirchner says. “Read as much as you can. Attend as many of the distributor maintenance/service schools as you can.”

“Someone on staff should understand basic maintenance and troubleshooting,” Brick says. “This will reduce the number of service calls and therefore increase the store’s bottom line. When a technician is called to service a machine, a store owner should glean as much knowledge and technical experience as possible.”

There are parts on top loaders that, no matter whose equipment you use, are going to wear out, Bowe says. “You want to clean clogged pumps as soon as you know about it. We always suggest that the store owners keep some belts and pumps on hand, instead of having to wait for someone to go get it or have it delivered.”

Clean lint screens on your dryers at least twice daily, he adds, and vacuum the motors and fans every two to three months.

On larger machines (75 pounds and

above), many store owners make the mistake of not greasing bearings annually at a minimum. This should be done more frequently if it’s a high-turn location, Bowe says.

“By having machines down, it’s just not a good example of how a customer would perceive you running your operation, your store,” he says. “Having machines down for a long time probably makes it seem like you don’t care. The stat we always throw out is for every customer that bothers to complain about maintenance issues or machines not working, there are 26 who do not bother to complain.”

Store Cleanliness

Pitfalls: Not devoting enough time or attention to keeping your entire store clean, from floor to ceiling.

“It’s just a matter of doing it, keeping up on it, and training your staff,” Sabino says. “Personally, I think it’s a matter of not missing the details. Everybody sweeps the floor but not everybody uses a toothbrush to clean the frame of the machine, the door gasket. Customers do inspect those machines before they use them.

“If all you’re doing is wiping the top and sweeping the floor, your store may look clean on the surface but there’s a lot of other detailed work that can be done.”

“As a potential customer, if you had the choice between a clean store and a dirty store, it’s obvious that 100% of the people would go to the clean store,” adds Kirchner.

Store Security

Pitfalls: Failing to provide adequate exterior and/or interior lighting; placing machines at the front of the store, thus blocking sight lines.

“You want to have your big machines in the front, but you don’t want to create a wall so that no one can see in or out,” Bowe says.

“If they can afford it and it fits in the budget, cameras would be top of the list to be able to monitor the store remotely, not just for security reasons but liability reasons,” according to Kirchner. “Anything you can do to give the perception that the store is secure and safe, the better off you’re going to be.”

“We have a lot of customers that, right

“Vary your collection times. Be aware of your surroundings before you do it. Don’t key all your machines alike...”

—Dan Bowe, Speed Queen

How

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on their smartphone, can view the store and get a good feel for what’s going on at their location without even stepping out of their home,” says Sabino.

Extra Profit Centers

Pitfalls: Using machines for your wash/ dry/fold service when walk-in customers are waiting for a machine; offering arcade games that appeal to youth but not necessarily your customers.

“When you develop a site and store plan, you like to think that everywhere a customer turns inside the store would be an extra opportunity to have them put a quarter in something, or to purchase something,” Bowe says. “I just think when you set the store up, you want to think about that, because there are a lot of opportunities just through vending, games, phone cards, selling soap.”

But you have to be careful to choose extra profit centers that benefit your operation, not create problems for you, Sabino says.

“The right vending machines are a plus. The wrong vending machines are a huge negative,” he says. “You see store after store that wants to put in machines to attract some of the local kids, and they may make a lot of money on that machine, but

it definitely detracts from their business. People don’t want to see four kids screaming and hanging onto a video machine.”

Advertising or Marketing

Pitfalls: Believing that if you build/open your store and do nothing more, customers will come; failing to use the range of marketing and social media channels now available.

Bowe offers a staggering statistic: his company believes that 95% of coin laundries do no marketing whatsoever.

“You have an internal marketing plan and an external marketing plan, and you budget for it,” he recommends. “On the pro forma, we recommend 1-2% of monthly gross should be spent on internal marketing and 2-3% of monthly gross should be spent on external marketing.”

“There are more tools today, with smartphones and social media, beyond just the print and door hanger where they can reach out to potential customers and promote their particular business,” says Kirchner, who favors trying different media types in an effort to identify what works best for a particular business.

Laundrylux offers creative design services to store owners free of charge. “I can tell you, the quicker you market the store, the

quicker the store will ramp,” Sabino says. “The cost almost pays for itself.”

A common mistake, Bowe says, is that a laundry owner puts out one piece of marketing collateral such as a newspaper ad or a direct mail offer, then stops marketing altogether because the first try didn’t garner enough business. “A rule of marketing is that a consumer needs to see something seven times on average before they act on it, so marketing needs to be a consistent message.”

It’s easy to set unrealistic marketing goals, such as trying to market to “everyone,” according to Brick. “As a matter of fact, targeting a specific segment of the population is a preferred way to start. Begin by targeting a group of customers (e.g. people within a certain radius of the store, families with small children if your facility has a play area, etc.). Once you’ve secured your customer base, determine the best way to reach them, such as word of mouth, door hangers or a community newspaper.”

Bowe is a believer in marketing available services both inside the store and out. “I’ve seen stores that have wash/dry/fold service but you’d never know it.”

The bottom line of all of this seems to be that inaction is the biggest pitfall of all. n

uality Linen Makes the Leap from Coin GOING INDUSTRIAL: Q

By Haley Jorgensen

By successfully serving small commercial accounts from one of his two coin-operated laundries, Mitch Wyatt nurtured a reputation that today has him handling the laundry needs of major hospitality, healthcare and food and beverage clients. Recently, to meet increasing production needs, Wyatt moved his commercial business into a newly constructed industrial laundry facility here.

The Quality Linen Services building turns out 1,700 laundry pounds per hour, using minimal labor, water and energy — giving Wyatt the opportunity to draw new clients and boost profits.

DEVELOPING COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS

“I serviced five hotels, two assisted-living facilities, one university, and two restaurants out of one washer at my coin laundry,” says Wyatt. “We used a 55-poundcapacity Continental E-Series Washer that would maintain a temperature of 140 degrees and stay at that temp. I was getting stuff so clean, my clients were amazed.”

Once cleaned, tablecloths, linens and napkins were pressed and finished using a Continental Flatwork Ironer. Wyatt’s staff then folded, stacked and delivered the items to clients.

All went smoothly until Wyatt secured a five-year contract with a local hospital. “I knew I needed significant industrial equipment to fulfill growing production requirements,” he says.

So, he sought help from Operations Manager Doug Colonna, who holds 15 years of industrial laundry experience; Deke Sheller of Fowler Equipment, a laun-

dry equipment distributor in Baltimore; and Joel Jorgensen, vice president of laundry equipment manufacturer Continental Girbau.

The 10,000-square-foot industrial facility required careful planning, a partnership of experts, and a mix of highly efficient industrial laundry equipment engineered for bolstered productivity, according to Wyatt.

INDUSTRIAL LAUNDRY FROM SCRATCH

“We worked with the engineer constructing Quality Linen’s building and all elements of laundry design, construction and utilities,” says Jorgensen of the project. “We went on to define specific laundry production needs, the equipment mix, and solidified financing over an eight-month period.”

In the end, the new building featured a Girbau Industrial Continuous Batch Washing system capable of processing 13,600 pounds in an eight-hour shift.

The facility’s powerhouse is its sevenmodule Girbau Industrial TBS-50 EcoTunnel with four-stage water reclamation, water filtration and drain-water heat recovery. Complementary equipment includes a Girbau Industrial ICP3 Incline Loading Conveyor, SPR-50 Press, Dualcake Delivery Shuttle, three ST-100 Dryers, a PSN 80 single-roll gas thermal ironer, FT-LITE Folder, AP LITE Stacker and an FT-MAXI triple-sort dry goods folder.

Two Continental Girbau CG-120 Dryers, and two Continental E-Series washer-extractors (55 pounds and 90 pounds, respectively) round out the lineup.

CONTINUOUS BATCH WASHING

The system not only boosts laundry productivity to 95,200 pounds per week using a single shift, according to Wyatt, it takes just one employee to operate and manage, is stingy on water, and produces high-quality results.

The Quality Linen Services building. (Photos: Continental Girbau)

Key to Wyatt’s equipment decision was his need to properly manage and process laundry for a variety of accounts. “Unlike most of our competitors, we provide rental service, as well as service for clients with customer-owned goods,” he says. “We required equipment programmable by customer, so items would be properly cleaned according to each client’s unique needs.”

Each of the Eco-Tunnel’s seven modules is programmable for duration of the wash cycle, water temperature and levels, bath partitions, rapid draining, chemical injec-

tion, mechanical action, closing parameters and more.

“We’ve preprogrammed the computer by customer and all of the items they use,” says Wyatt. “This is vital with customerowned goods because we can separate each customer’s linens by color code in the system and track them throughout. They don’t want to lose their linens.”

One of Wyatt’s hospital clients, for example, has 20 items, including bed pads, sheets, gowns, scrubs, blankets and towels. “Each item, one through 20, is pro-

grammed differently,” he says. Similarly, hotel items—sheets, pillowcases, towels and mats—are each programmed differently. At any time, the Quality Linen staff can see where items are in the cleaning process: the Eco-Tunnel, conveyor, press or dryer.

HOW IT all WORKS

From a touch-screen station, one employee runs the Continuous Washing System. He or she selects a customer number and program on the Eco-Tunnel’s central computer screen and loads the tunnel conveyor, which automatically weighs each 110-pound load.

Every load travels through seven modules, each of which is programmed to perform a function for four to six minutes, such as pre-wash, wash, rinse, etc. After the programmed duration, the load is automatically transferred to the next module.

The Eco-Tunnel uses less than a gallon of water per laundry pound and completes even the dirtiest 110-pound load in 42 minutes, according to Wyatt.

“I like everything about it,” he says. “It operates off of steam, has a drain-water heat reclaim system, filters, and then reuses 60 to 70% of the water.”

From the tunnel, a load enters the press, where it’s pressed—and water is extracted—until linens resemble a condensed “cake.” Via another conveyor system, each cake is loaded into an open dryer. Sheets are quickly separated there and run through the ironing line still damp, while towels are completely dried and subsequently run through the laundry’s automated folding and sorting systems.

IROnInG lIne

Two attendants feed the ironer, processing 80 feet of linen per minute. Ninety percent efficient, the gas ironer is also programmable to meet specific needs, according to Wyatt, and automatically adapts cylinder speed according to linen type and moisture content.

“We can finish 400 sheets per hour using this ironer,” he says. Once ironed, the various napkins, tablecloths, sheets and pillowcases are automatically folded.

Meanwhile, dry goods, such as towels, gowns, robes and bath mats, are fully dried

put through an automatic folder, which processes 1,200

per hour. A

after another, where they are automatically folded according to pre-programmed specifications, sorted and stacked. “The folder allows us to wash and dry different items, like hospital gowns, towels and bath mats, in one load,” says Wyatt.

PRODuCTIVITY, eFFICIenCY, SeRVICe

Thus far, Quality Linen is processing 100 pounds of laundry per operator hour (PPOH), but Wyatt hopes to improve that

number by 20%. “Quality and productivity are so much greater,” he says. “We were getting good quality before from our Continental washer, but from the EcoTunnel, we are getting superior quality.”

The facility is capable of processing 95,000 pounds of laundry per week using one shift, or, using two, processing 190,000 pounds. Wyatt maintains he’s able to properly serve a variety of customers.

“We have clients with customer-owned

goods who rely on us to provide superior service,” he says. “Because of our advanced technologies and equipment, we can clean, finish, and track virtually any item, according to our clients’ specific needs.” And that, Wyatt says, is what sets Quality Linen apart. n

Haley Jorgensen is president of Public Image, a public relations firm based in Ripon, Wis.

Two attendants feed the PSN 80 flatwork ironer, processing 80 feet of linen per minute. Quality Linen’s seven-module Eco-Tunnel.

Peter Herbein,

NOLA Know-How

WHAT TO SEE AND DO WHILE IN NEW ORLEANS FOR THE CLEAN SHOW

By Carlo Calma, Editorial Assistant

The Clean Show—officially the World Educational Congress for Laundering and Drycleaning—will settle once again in the Crescent City this month for the fifth time in the show’s 36-year history.

At press time, more than 400 companies from the laundry and dry cleaning industry were registered to exhibit their products and services at this year’s event, encompassing approximately 200,000 net square feet of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Though the show has a shorter schedule than years past—beginning Thursday, June 20, and wrapping Saturday, June 22— plenty has been packed into the three-day convention.

With all the hustle and bustle that the show can bring, however, New Orleans does have plenty to offer visitors for relaxation and ways for people to take it easy in the city known as the Big Easy.

With a world of culture right outside the Convention Center doors, visitors at the end of each convention day have every

opportunity to do as the locals do: “Laissez les bons temps rouler,” or let the good times roll.

GETTING AROUND

Before taking to the streets of New Orleans, have a plan for navigation. Upon

■ Shopping

■ Riverwalk Marketplace. Home to more than 100 shops, Riverwalk Marketplace combines the joys of retail therapy set along the Mississippi River. 500 Port of New Orleans Pl., 504-522-1555.

■ Lakeside Shopping Center. Featuring more than 120 retail shops, Lakeside Shopping Center is perfect for those looking for a onestop shopping destination. 3301 Veterans Memorial Blvd., 504-835-8000.

■ French Market’s Flea Market. Browse and bargain over clothing, jewelry, antiques and other wares from merchants from all over the world in this open-air market. 1008 N. Peters St., 504-522-2621.

■ Frenchmen Art Market. Night owls look-

arrival, the cheapest way to get from Louis Armstrong International Airport to New Orleans’ Central Business District (CBD) is via the Jefferson Transit (JeT) bus line. The Airport-Downtown Express (E-2) Bus, which picks up passengers outside the airport’s upper level at Entrance 7, costs

ing to spot a deal on handmade art and goods made by local and regional artists can flock here Thursday through Saturday night, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. 619 Frenchmen St., 504-941-1149.

■ NOLA Merchandise. Want to bring the celebratory culture of New Orleans back home? NOLA Merchandise’s stock of Mardi Gras beads, boas, Venetian masks and other souvenir items will help you relive your NOLA experience. 425 Decatur St., 985236-9560.

■ Perlis. Considered to be uptown New Orleans’ “premier clothing store” for more than 70 years, Perlis sells men’s, women’s and children’s clothing emblazoned with the

company’s trademark crawfish insignia. 6070 Magazine St., 504-895-8661.

■ Louisiana Music Factory. Developed an ear for New Orleans jazz during your stay? Boasting a wide selection of New Orleans jazz, Zydeco and Cajun records, Louisiana Music Factory offers a one-stop shop for you to bring the soundtrack of the city back home. 210 Decatur St., 504-586-1094.

■ Southern Candymakers. This family-owned candy store has a bevvy of chocolates and sweets to bring back home, including

their award-winning pralines. 334 Decatur St., 800-344-9773.

■ Vintage 329. Featuring authentic autographed memorabilia, barware and other rare collectibles, Vintage 329 is the perfect shop for those looking to snag a piece of history. 329 Royal St., 504-525-2262.

■ Fleur D’Orleans. Inspired by the architecture of New Orleans, Fleur D’Orleans sells jewelry featuring the historical designs of the city, such as the iconic Fleurde-lis. 3701A Magazine St., 504-899-5585.

Entrance to the French Market. (Photo: New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Photo: Alex Demyan and NewOrleansOnline.com

$2 and takes about 35 minutes to get to the city.

The E-2 bus then makes stops outside the CBD, circling Tulane Avenue, Elk Place, Pydras Street and Lasalle Street.

In terms of taxi service, a cab ride will cost up to two passengers about $33 to get to the CBD, according to Armstrong International Airport’s website. For those who want to arrive in style, Airport Limousine provides service at rates starting at $58.

Once in the city, the Clean Show will provide complimentary shuttle bus service to and from the Morial Convention Center during show hours at all headquarter hotels, and within two blocks of all other Clean 2013 official hotels. Bus pick-up will be every 15 to 20 minutes.

Three shuttle bus routes are planned to run from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from

3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 20. Buses will get started a little later, 7:30 a.m., on Friday and Saturday, June 21-22, but will otherwise follow the established schedule.

Cab fare around the CBD, according to Taxi Fare Finder, costs a flat $3.50 plus $2 for each additional mile.

But to get the authentic NOLA experience, hop on a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) streetcar, which provides service to various points of interest around the greater New Orleans area. The oldest line, the St. Charles Streetcar, has been in operation since 1835, and “remains the oldest continuously operating street railway in the world,” the RTA says.

Managing the streetcar lines is fairly simple. Head to Julia Station on Julia Street and Port of New Orleans Place, for example, and hop on the Riverfront Streetcar to

n Attractions & Entertainment

n The National WWII Museum. In addition to its many exhibits memorializing the “war that changed the world,” The National WWII Museum also hosts special performances in its Stage Door Canteen auditorium. Playing during Clean will be Two on Tap, featuring tap dancers Melissa Giattino and Ron DeStefano. 945 Magazine St., 504-528-1944.

n The Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Settled in the campus of University of New Orleans, The Ogden Museum of Southern Art boasts the “largest collection of Southern art in the world.” Be sure to check out its regular Ogden After Hours music series Thursday, June 20. 925 Camp St., 504-539-9600.

n Royal Carriages. Tour the Big Easy aboard its signature mule-drawn carriage rides. Tour guides will escort visitors past NOLA landmarks, courtyards and famous eateries. Half-hour tours for four people start at $90. 1824 North Rampart St., 504-943-8820.

n Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours.

Venture out of the city to marvel at the unique Louisiana bayous aboard the Jean Lafitte Airboat Tour. Airboats navigate through the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, where many local wildlife, including alligators, lurk in its murky waters. 6604 Leo Kerner Lafitte Parkway, Marrero, LA. 504-689-4186.

n The Steamboat Natchez. Touted as the “last authentic Steamboat” on the Mississippi River, the Steamboat Natchez provides tours of the city on the Mississippi amid live jazz music and optional dinner and lunch packages. 400 N. Peters St.,

the Jackson Park area and disembark at the world-famous French Market.

For those who prefer to travel on a more local route, the RTA also has 32 bus routes that operate throughout the city. Standard fare for both buses and streetcars are $1.25 one-way, but the RTA does offer day passes (“Jazzy Passes”) that start at $3 for a one-day pass, $9 for a three-day pass.

THE FRENCH QUARTER

Ask anyone what comes to mind when they think of New Orleans, and its worldfamous French Quarter will likely be the answer.

The oldest neighborhood in the city, the French Quarter—or Vieux Carre as it was originally called—was established by the French colonists who settled in the area in 1718. Canal Street, Decatur Street, Esplanade Avenue and Rampart

nightly from this former art gallery. 726 St. Peter St., 504522-2841.

n Harrah’s New Orleans Hotel and Casino. Lady Luck on your side during Clean? Live up to the motto of the city and let the good times roll at Harrah’s casino, which features more than 2,000 slots and 200 table games. 8 Canal St., 504-5336000.

Ste. 203, 504-586-8777.

n Creole Queen Paddlewheeler. In addition to providing picturesque tours of the Mississippi River, the Creole Queen Paddlewheeler also throws in a side trip to the Chalmette Battlefield, site of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans; the Malus-Beauregard House; and Chalmette Monument. #1 Poydras St., Riverwalk Marketplace, 504-529-4567.

n Preservation Hall. Visit this “sanctuary” where New Orleans jazz is protected and honored. Live New Orleans jazz emanates from 8 to 11

n Audubon Zoo/Aquarium. Witness the Audubon Zoo’s exotic mix of animals set upon unique natural habitat exhibits, such as the Louisiana Swamp and Jaguar Jungle. Those looking for aquatic animals can find refuge at the Audubon Aquarium’s 400,000-gallon Gulf of Mexico Exhibit. 6500 Magazine St./1 Canal St., 504-581-4629.

n Southern Food & Beverage Museum. Food enthusiasts looking to learn more about the culinary heritage of the South will enjoy the museum’s exhibits, demonstrations and tastings. 500 Port of New Orleans Pl., 504-569-0405.

Aerial display at The National WWII Museum. (Photo: Richard Nowitz/New Orleans CVB)

Street square off the Quarter, which showcases influences from the French, Spanish, Italian, Sicilian, African and Irish, amongst other cultures.

One street that many associate with the French Quarter is the colorful Bourbon Street, where many of the city’s street festivals, including Mardi Gras, take place.

Named after the French royal family who ruled France during the 1700s, Bourbon Street is turned into a pedestrian mall each evening, allowing visitors to walk freely. Every night, the “party” starts at the intersection of Canal Street and Bourbon, and stretches 13 blocks toward Esplanade Avenue.

Though Mardi Gras occurs only once a year, the party and events never stop in the French Quarter, where many of its bars, restaurants and music halls along

other streets continue to celebrate life on a nightly basis. One such locale rests right in the heart of the Quarter off St. Peter Street, where true New Orleans jazz still plays on. Originally built as a residence in the 1750s, Preservation Hall touts itself as a “sanctuary to protect and honor New Orleans jazz.”

If the rhythm of the city still has you captivated, just hop over to Royal Street, where it not only presents some of New Orleans’ well-preserved architecture, but is also home to many street performers.

If Bourbon Street’s nighttime festivities are a bit too raucous for your liking, Royal Street’s daytime events may be up your alley. Like Bourbon, Royal is closed off to vehicular traffic for pedestrians. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, Dixieland jazz bands, puppeteers, magicians and vaude-

ville showmen overtake the street to provide live entertainment to passersby.

For those that feel that Lady Luck is on their side during Clean, venture over to Harrah’s New Orleans Casino on Canal Street. Featuring more than 2,000 slots, 200 table games, comedy shows and a myriad of dining options under one roof, Harrah’s is just minutes away from the French Quarter area and provides the perfect outlet for those who want to keep the good times rolling.

SEE THE SIGHTS

While the Big Easy has plenty of lively entertainment, those looking for a more relaxing experience can find solace in the myriad of tours the city has to offer. For an Old World-style tour of New Orleans, try Royal Carriages’ distinct mule-drawn

carriage rides, where tour guides highlight various landmarks around the city, including courtyards, iron-laced balconies, Bourbon Street and the Mississippi River, amongst others, according to its website.

Tours start at 8:30 a.m. through midnight daily, and embark at the corner of St. Louis and Royal Streets. A half-hour tour of the French Quarter for four people starts at $90.

With the Mississippi River running through the city, a different way to experience New Orleans is on tours aboard the Steamboat Natchez, or the paddle-wheeler Creole Queen. Both offer a variety of daytime or dinner cruise options, while the Creole Queen also offers a unique 21/2hour tour of the Chalmette Battlefield from the 1815 Battle of New Orleans.

For a truly rare experience, there are other

A brass band plays in front of St. Louis Cathedral. (Photo: Jen Amato/New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau)

tours that highlight the culture and natural surroundings exclusive to Louisiana.

Although a little out of the greater New Orleans area, swamp boat tours offer a unique perspective of the sights and sounds of the Louisiana bayous.

A 25-minute drive south to Marrero, La., for example, will give tourists a chance to see the Jean Laffitte National Historical Park and Preserve through the Jean Laffitte Swamp Airboat Tour.

Airboats accommodating up to 98 passengers travel along the park’s meandering bayous filled with local wildlife, like alligators.

For those who want to venture out on their own, the city also has the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas; The Cabildo, the site of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase; and The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, which boasts the “premier collection of Southern art in the United States,” according to travel advisor site Frommer’s.

n Food & Dining

n Cafe Du Monde. This NOLA staple has been located in the French Quarter since 1862. Enjoy its famous beignets, while sipping down some chicory coffee au lait. It’s open 24 hours. 800 Decatur St., 504-5870833.

n Brennan’s. Touted as the home of the decadent dessert Bananas Foster, Brennan’s also serves up a bevvy of classy breakfast options such as sauteed baby veal topped with poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce. 417 Royal St., 504-5259713.

n Praline Connection. What started as a home delivery service in 1990 has become a local favorite for Cajun-Creole cuisine. Sample soul food favorites, as well as delicacies, such as fried alligator sausage. 542 Frenchmen St., 504-943-3934.

n Meltdown. This “artisinal ice pop” shop began as an ice cream truck in 2008. A year

SHOP AND DINE

Considering the eclectic aura that thrives here, this melting pot of cultures shines when it comes to food and dining.

A quick hop back on the Riverfront Streetcar to the French Market will lead hungry hounds to the Cafe du Monde, famous for its French-inspired beignets (square fried pieces of dough covered in powdered sugar) and chicory coffee au laits.

If you’re looking for a taste of savory Creole cuisine, The Praline Connection, located at 542 Frenchmen Street just off the French Quarter, serves up crawfish or shrimp etouffee, alligator sausage, barbecue oysters, as well as other favorites.

For those looking for a sweet fix, Brennan’s has the cure with its famous Bananas Foster, served since 1951. A marriage of butter, sugar, cinnamon, rum, banana liqueur and bananas is flambéed in a pan, creating a caramelized concoction, served with a side of vanilla ice cream.

If shopping is on your agenda, Magazine Street’s six miles of shops run the gamut from clothing boutiques to art galleries.

The lower part of the street was initially used as a commercial and industrial storage area. Centuries later, Magazine Street is now teeming with more than 150 stores, according to Frommer’s. Retail shops begin at the intersection of Magazine Street and Felicity Street, or “Lower Magazine,” pick up at Washington Avenue, and again at Jefferson.

During your shopping excursion, set aside some time to veer off course and stroll around the Garden District around Washington Avenue. The city’s historic antebellum mansions can be found here, and up toward the intersection of Prytania Street and Washington Avenue lies another area for shopping enthusiasts.

Of course, another shopping destination is the French Market, where you can buy local produce at the farmers market, and practice your bargaining skills at

pizza. 534 St. Louis St., 504522-6652.

n Cafe Amelie. If its menu items that include muffaletta, jumbo shrimp and grits, or chicken and andouille gumbo don’t draw you in, let its lush courtyard setting be the reason you stop by. 912 Royal St., 504-412-8965.

later, the owners opened their shop in the French Quarter, serving ice cream bars made of seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. 508 Dumaine St., 504-301-0905.

n Acme Oyster House. Opened in 1910, Acme Oyster House is a New Orleans staple, serving chargrilled oysters and oyster shooters. 724 Iberville St., 504522-5973.

n Mr. B’s Bistro. Chef Michelle McRaney dishes up authentic

Creole food at this restaurant top-rated amongst Yelp users. Menu items include fresh takes on Southern favorites such as signature barbequed shrimp and pasta jambalaya. 201 Royal St., 504-523-2078.

n NOLA Restaurant. Owned by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, NOLA is housed in a renovated warehouse and features Southern favorites that include gumbo, remoulade and po’boys, alongside rarities such as duck confit and fried egg

n Commander’s Palace. Chef Tory McPhail dishes up unique, sophisticated takes on Creole favorites, as well as delicacies (such as grilled wild Texas antelope) worth dressing up for. 1403 Washington Ave., 504899-8221.

n Red Fish Grill. This eatery serves up a bevvy of surf ’n turf options from crispy Mississippi catfish to grilled filet mignon. Unsure of what to eat? Order the Seafood Sampler, featuring BBQ blue crab claws; chili pepper crusted oyster lettuce wraps; and Creole marinated gulf shrimp. 115 Bourbon St., 504-598-1200.

Po’boy sandwich. (Photo: Sara Essex Bradley/New Orleans CVB)

its flea market.

Purveyors of various goods from all over the world flock here to sell crafts, fashions, New Orleans memorabilia and more. Hours vary by vendor, according to the French Market’s site, but vendors are usually open between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Word to the wise for international visitors flying in for Clean—save your shopping receipts. Louisiana offers international visitors a sales tax refund at nearly 900 of its stores, including most of the major shopping centers in the city.

Simply present an international passport or an official picture identification upon your purchase, and you’ll receive a voucher to obtain your refunds at the Refund Center at Armstrong International Airport, or the Downtown Refund Center in the Riverwalk Marketplace.

don’t want to compromise fashion for the extreme heat, lightweight fabrics such as cotton, linen or madras provide style not only during the day, but when dressing up

schedule.

The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau at 2020 St. Charles Ave. can also help you navigate

WEATHER THE WEATHER

In the words of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city has a “subtropical climate with pleasant year-round temperatures.” It sees sunshine an average of 67% of the time in June, but with the rays comes the summer heat. Average June temperatures can top 90 F.

To stay up-to-date on local weather, many smartphone apps can deliver concise weather forecasts. But for those who truly want to dress according to the weather, Swackett provides fun, visual outfit recommendations for you to consider.

Frommer’s explains that T-shirts and shorts are acceptable attire at most establishments (the exceptions being fine restaurants), so loose, light clothing is the way to go when sightseeing.

But for fashion-conscious travelers who

for the nighttime. A linen blazer and linen dress pant can make up a perfect outfit for a more formal dinner, without feeling too stuffy.

Those who are unable to bear the New Orleans humidity can take comfort in indoor activities, as many establishments are air-conditioned. Those who absolutely can’t stand the heat can wait to go out until the evening, as June lows average around 70 F.

ENJOY THE BIG EASY

Still undecided about what to do, or which sights to see?

Trying to fit some sightseeing into a three-day show schedule can be challenging, but online resources such as Frommer’s and TripAdvisor have multiple listings and ideas of attractions to visit on a limited

your way throughout the city, and even make trip recommendations around your specific interests, according to Frommer’s.

The Visitor Information Center at 529 St. Ann St. in the French Quarter can also make recommendations. Open Tuesday through Saturday between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the center has walking and driving tour maps and booklets on local sights.

One other resource: the locals. Don’t be shy to ask the grocer at the farmers market which restaurant he recommends for authentic Cajun cuisine, or the shopkeeper at the antique store which museums to check out. Not only can they direct you to local attractions, but they can also point you toward some hidden gems.

With many things to see and do in New Orleans, make sure you relish in the local flavor during Clean 2013.

A Regional Transit Authority streetcar. (Photo: Jeff Anding/New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau)

view

Howard Scott

How are Your sales … and wHY?

Are my sales up or down? It’s a question you must ask yourself frequently. Then your answer will lead to another question. Why are my sales up or down?

Sit down at your desk—with all of your laundry’s business information at your fingertips—and come up with your best guess for a detailed explanation.

Losing to the Competition

Are you losing business to a competitor? This is serious. It means you have disappointed customers enough that they sought other alternatives. Customers tend to stick to patterns, so forcing someone to say, “I don’t like this Laundromat. I can do better elsewhere,” means you haven’t worked to keep customers satisfied.

Can you remember specific incidents? Did a customer complain about a dryer breaking down and

walk out? Have you heard grumbles about high prices? Did a mother say to her child, “Don’t sit on the floor, it’s dirty”?

Did you lose customers when a brand-spanking-new store opened up in town? If so, it is not surprising; everyone likes to try a new shop. But then you must ask yourself why you enabled a new shop to move in.

Has the neighborhood changed? Subtle changes could be signaling increasing violence, less public-sector maintenance (poor garbage pickup, lack of parking policing), middle-class migration to other neighborhoods, and loss of magnet stores.

empLoyee turnover; popuLation Changes

Has a long-time employee, who knew everyone who walked through the door, quit and joined a rival operation? Have you had a revolving door of night staffers,

AN OUTSIDER’S VIEW

making that time slot less inefficient?

Are you having difficulty maintaining your part of your management obligations? Are you getting in at 5 every night to collect the revenue, to respond to customers, and to handle any problems? Are you withdrawing from your customers, preferring to remain anonymous? Do you have the energy to monitor your employees so

they are doing their jobs as thoroughly as possible? Are you keeping up with machine maintenance, so there’s a low breakdown rate, or are you letting things slide?

Has traffic flow—both vehicle and pedestrian—changed? Has a new roadway altered the traffic by your store? Are fewer people walking by because an incident of violence on the street has given the area

a bad name? Has sidewalk construction obscured your store? All of these are reasonable possibilities for seeing less traffic.

Of course, populations are always evolving. People die, move away, change their situations. A trickle of lost business is to be expected every year. But it should be replaced by new residents, new users. If it hasn’t, is the trickle going somewhere else?

CoUNtErmEasUrEs

Is there anything you can do to counteract these conditions? In the case of customer complaints, you could come up with a procedure to respond immediately to complaints and to offer a coupon to sooth sensitive nerves.

In the case of a competing store opening, you can create a blitz of promotionals to maintain your customer base and win new patronage. You might be operating at a lower margin for a while, but it will be worth it if you achieve a net increase in business.

Think of other approaches, such as starting pickup and delivery service. Investigate and discover what a competitor cannot do as well as you and use that information to regain customers.

In the case of a changing neighborhood, one thought is to move. If the neighborhood is deteriorating quickly, you may have no other choice.

Another alternative is to install more exterior and interior lighting and to staff your store every hour that it is open. Put up a sandwich board sign in front of your store that reads, “This Area is Safe Because We Patrol It.” Find extra parking spaces for customers.

In the case of a member of the staff slacking off, can you rekindle their old fire?

Changing traffic patterns are more difficult to combat. You could periodically hire a clown to stand out front with a sign that reads, “We Clean Your Clothes to Look Like New.” Or, you could insert circulars under windshields in the local supermarket parking lot to advertise your service.

Do you see how asking how your sales are can really make you stop and think? n

Howard Scott is a long-time business writer and small-business consultant. He has published four books.

Huebsch has expanded its washer-extractor product line to include the HCN100, a 100-pound front-load model with eBoost™ technology for vended laundry owners. This machine will allow Laundromat owners to command a higher vend price than smaller-capacity machines, Huebsch says, while taking up the same amount of space as an 80-pound machine.

The eBoost technology use 33% less electrical energy and 11% less water than twospeed models, and also includes patented Water Guardian leak detection.

With a Galaxy™ 600 control, multilevel vend pricing enables store owners to increase revenue per cycle, while timeof-day pricing helps owners increase turns during slow times.

When combined with a card payment system, the control allows customers to ease into vend increases pennies at a time, helping to eliminate sticker shock, according to Huebsch.

Easy programming and information retrieval gives laundry owners the tools to manage multiple Laundromats and maximize profits, the company says.

All single-pocket ExpressDry Drying Tumblers from Continental Girbau are now available with a reversing option, the company says. The feature continuously unbinds and untangles laundry items—notably sheets, large blankets and comforters—throughout the course of the dry cycle.

“It delivers better drying quality because items are untangled and thus dried more evenly without wet areas,” says Continental Vice President Joel Jorgensen.

“The reversing also ensures items come out of the dryer with fewer wrinkles in less time, ensuring valuable drying capacity is available for the next paying customer.”

Single-pocket ExpressDry Dryers are available in 30-, 55- and 75-pound capacities. “Dryers with reversing options are common at hotel and commercial laundries, but not in vended laundries,” Jorgensen says. “Now, vended laundries can provide a more efficient dry with considerably less tangling and wrinkling. Your customers will value it for large, bulky loads, and your staff will be more efficient with commercial accounts.”

ExpressDry Dryers offer superior programmability, durability, efficiency and ease of use, Continental says, and are compatible with coin, token or any card vending system on the market.

Now available for its traditional line coin dryers, American Dryer Corp. (ADC) has introduced customized dryer doors. Two options are the laundry name etched into the door handles, as well as colored door rings.

ADC can laser-cut the laundry’s name into a metal bar across the door glass. This gives the store owner

the opportunity to promote and help build branding, the company says. Additionally, ADC is making available various color options for the door rings to further enhance the look and feel of individual laundries.

REBUILT MACHINES

WASCO 185’s 220/1 & 220/3 $3,500

WASCO 184’s 220/1 & 220/3 $2,700

WASCO 125’s 220/1 & 220/3 $2,400

WASCO 124’s 220/1 & 220/3 $1,850

WASCO 74’s 110 v & 220/3 $ 975

WASCO 75’s 110 v & 220/3 $1,200

WASCO 620’s 110V $1,600

PARTS

Our Parts Department has thousands of products on over an acre lot.

If we don’t have what you want, ask us, and we’ll find it for you.

FACILITY DESIGN

From initial site inspections and recommendations to equipment purchase and installation, we are here to help with every aspect of your project.

We can help you with specifications, dimensions, illustrations of commercial and on-premise laundry equipment.

FINANCING

We are able to offer competitive rates and low, affordable monthly payments for financing coin laundry and laundromat facilities.

We have a coin laundry financing solution to meet the needs of new store owners, and veterans alike.

ACRES OF HARD TO FIND USED WASHER & DRYER PARTS WASHER & DRYER FRONT & SIDE PANELS ALL MAKES AND MODELS STARTING @ $50

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CALL FOR SPECIAL NEEDS

Fending Hack Attacks Off

By Phillip M. Perry

Quick. Easy. Efficient. Who doesn’t love online banking? Be aware, though, of the danger: Hackers can access your account, drain your funds and threaten the survival of your coin laundry business.

The risk is growing. Cyber attacks increased some 24% in the first half of 2012 over the same period the previous year, according to a new report from security firm Symantec. Reason? “Any time the economy goes down, white-collar crime goes up,” says Bill McDermott, CEO of Atlanta-based McDermott Financial Solutions. “We’re seeing an increase in corporate account takeovers. It’s a huge problem.”

Banks commonly refuse to indemnify companies for funds stolen from commercial accounts. “A lot of people have the misunderstanding that banks offer to business accounts the protection offered to consumers,” says McDermott. “In fact, banks will not hold business account holders harmless for losses from cyber-fraud.”

TARGET: YOU

Think fraudsters only go after big corporations? Not so. “There seems to be a trend toward hackers targeting smaller businesses,” says Brian Krebs, a cyber-

fraud investigative reporter in suburban Washington, D.C. “Perhaps that’s because larger businesses tend to have protective systems in place so the bad guys have to jump through more hoops.”

The numbers tell the tale: Some 36% of attacks during the first half of 2012 were directed at businesses with 250 or fewer employees, according to Symantec. That’s a big spike from the 18% of the same period previous year.

“There appears to be a direct correlation between the rise in attacks against smaller businesses and a drop in attacks against larger ones,” says Paul Wood, Symantec’s cyber security intelligence manager. “It almost seems attackers are diverting their resources directly from one group to the other.”

SECURE SYSTEMS

Why won’t banks protect business accounts? One reason is legislative: Only consumers are protected by the Federal Electronic Funds Transfer Act, also known as “Regulation E.” If timely notice is given by the victimized consumer, almost all of the stolen money is reimbursed. Here’s another reason: Banks expect business owners to perform due diligence.

“In the area of cybersecurity, banks

expect businesses to possess a level of expertise higher than that of consumers,” says McDermott. “For example, businesses are expected to maintain protection against malware and to train employees to avoid Internet sites where they can pick up viruses.”

A cyber attack most often begins when a hacker installs a rogue program on the computer of a targeted business. Called “malware,” this program captures usernames and passwords for the company’s online bank accounts. From there, it is an easy step for the hacker to access the account and wire funds to other financial institutions.

And here’s the really bad news: Computers give little indication they are infected with malware. Programs designed to detect rogue programs are often unable to identify the code written to hack financial data. “Once on your system, sophisticated malware may keep itself patched faster than your antivirus software updates itself,” says Krebs. As a result, the only way to really cure a sick computer is to reinstall the operating system.

What to do? “Make sure your computers have virus protection and the appropriate firewalls,” suggests McDermott. “From the business practice standpoint, if you send out ACH [Automated Clearing House] transactions, set up a system of dual control

Photo: © iStockphoto/PN_Photo

so that one person initiates the transaction and a second person approves it before the bank accepts it. And look at accounts on a daily basis to spot unauthorized transactions quickly.”

Some experts suggest dedicating a computer solely to the task of online banking. Keep infections off the computer by prohibiting its use for e-mail or for web surfing other than bank-related sites. “Strip down the computer to whatever software you need and nothing else,” says Krebs. “And keep it up to date with the latest patches every day; don’t fall behind.”

That last bit of advice, adds Krebs, applies to all your computers. Hackers constantly write new programs that exploit vulnerabilities in software such as the Windows operating system, Java, and the Adobe Acrobat reader of PDF files.

One final thing: Install the most up-todate computer operating system, because each iteration provides better security. “According to recent reports, 43% of the market is still on Windows XP,” says Stephen Sims, senior instructor at Bethesda, Md.,-based SANS Institute, a security training organization. “We all have to move off these outdated operating systems to take advantage of the much better security features of modern releases.”

GOOD HABITS

Modern operating systems, with their native security features, can only do so much. Follow good computing habits. Here are some of the best: Avoid e-mail attachments — “Three out of four malware attacks come from e-mails with links that are clicked on by recipients,” says Krebs. “If the browser is not fully patched, one click can do it: The computer is infected, and there is no warning.”

Surf safely — Undisciplined surfing can also be dangerous, points out Krebs. “Visit certain web pages with a browser that is not fully patched and you can get infected by code in an ad banner or elsewhere on the page.”

Bank securely — When visiting your bank’s website, use a bookmark that points to the institution’s secure “https” page. In other words, go directly to “https://www. bankname.com.” In contrast, going to “www.bankname.com” can allow attackers to exploit your unencrypted connection, making your data easier to capture.

Review bank statements — Monitor your monthly bank statement closely for unexplained financial activity. “Many attacks involve scraping small amounts from many accounts vs. large amounts from a few accounts,” notes Sims.

Go offline — When finished with a com-

puter for the day, shut it down completely rather than put it in sleep mode. “While a computer is in sleep mode, the encryption keys used for anything from web sessions to hard-disk encryption are likely to be resident in memory,” cautions Sims. “An attacker can use special tools to dump the memory from a system that is not completely shut down and potentially steal this information to gain unauthorized access.”

STRONG PASSWORDS

Security experts have long championed the virtues of strong passwords. A

mix of letters and numbers is much safer than using an easily guessed word such as “qwerty” or even “password.” Too often, though, employees complain about the difficulty of remembering complicated strings of characters.

Help is at hand. It’s not really necessary to commit passwords to memory. “There is a lot of good software to help you manage your passwords,” says Michael Spadaro, president of Help with a Smile, a New York City-based technology support firm serving small businesses. “One of my favorites is LastPass (lastpass.com). But you could also

use something as simple as keeping your passwords in a notebook locked in your desk.”

Be careful how you distribute passwords to employees, adds Spadaro. “Many banks will allow multiple log-ins, so assign different passwords to different users,” he suggests. “Then you can disable a departing person’s password without disabling everyone’s.”

VET YOUR BANK

Businesses are not always to blame when cyberfraud hits. Sometimes, banks drop the ball. There is some motivation for financial institutions to maintain a minimal level of security: Good internal practices are encouraged by government agencies charged with overseeing bank activities. “The bright side of enforcement is that financial institutions are having to architect and deploy solutions that hopefully increase the security of customer accounts,” Sims says.

Even so, you will want to subject your own bank to some due diligence. “Perform risk assessments when evaluating potential banks,” suggests Sims. “Draft a list of questions with your biggest concerns and run them by each organization.”

How do the bank’s practices, and the security features it offers business accounts, compare with other institutions? For example, does it offer a two-step validation, in which an ACH transfer must be approved by a second representative at your company? There are other forms of what is called “multifactor authentication,” in which the bank must receive a backup confirmation from your business, in the form of a voice phone call or e-mail, before honoring a wire transfer.

Sims suggests researching each prospective bank using publicly available tools such as Google, the Securities & Exchange Commission, Dun & Bradstreet, and others. “Analyze each bank’s stock performance if publicly traded,” he says. “Read through some of the comments in public message boards.”

Sims suggests visiting websites such as darkreading.com to see if there are any reports regarding incidents at your prospective bank.

While all financial institutions are required to abide by federal regulations, larger banks may have more security resources and experience. However, smaller banks may have fewer accounts to monitor and may give each one more attention.

into getting your own coverage. Ask your broker for information about fraud insurance that has a rider for fraudulent bank transfers.

WHEN HACKERS STRIKE

Suppose, despite your best efforts and smart practices, a hacker siphons money from your account. Can you get any back? While it’s highly unlikely that a victimized business will recover all of its stolen money, portions can often be saved. “Fraudulent transactions frequently are reversed, so most victims get some money back,” says Krebs.

But act fast. “Time is your enemy,” he says. “The longer the time that elapses since a breach, the more money you are likely to lose.” Don’t wait until the last minute to figure out whom to call in the event of a money loss.

Quick action on your part, though, must be matched by your financial institution. “You have to have a cooperative bank that pulls things together quickly,” says Krebs. Once your funds have been withdrawn as cash—often at overseas money transfer offices—they are gone for good. ■

How good is the bank’s Internet defenses?

Standard_half_horz 2/14/12 4:51 PM Page 1

Since no banks of any size indemnify business accounts, you may want to look

Phillip M. Perry is a freelance writer based in New York City.

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Continental Girbau adds rJ Kool Co. to distributor networK Continental Girbau Inc. recently partnered with RJ Kool Co., a full-service laundry distributor headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. As a result, RJ Kool now provides Continental products to vended laundries throughout Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois.

“We were looking for a top-level manufacturer that shared our same values and commitment to quality,” says RJ Kool’s Tiffanni Sanstra, marketing coordinator. “Continental products have filled some voids for us in the vended market. We are blown away with the quality of these products.”

Established in 1961, RJ Kool provides a full gamut of products and services tailored to the vended, on-premise, dry cleaning and industrial laundry markets. The customer-focused company offers large parts and service departments, as well as equipment rental and financing solutions.

Partnering with RJ Kool further strengthens Continental’s professional distributor network, according to Joel Jorgensen, Continental vice president.

“Without a doubt, RJ Kool is a top-tier distributorship sharing the same customer-focused values as Continental. They deliver much more than just product sales, they provide customers with real laundry solutions and support before and after the sale.”

PiCniC events at Pws loCations draw Hundreds of store owners

Picnic sales/service school events hosted by PWS - The Laundry Co. at its facilities in Los Angeles, South San Francisco and San Diego, Calif., on the weekend of April 5-6 drew hundreds of store owners who took advantage of equipment displays, parts specials, and service classes conducted by PWS and Alliance Laundry Systems personnel, the distributor reports.

Special sales events have been standard among California distributors during the fall, PWS says, but the marketing strategy is now being employed to entice customers in the springtime, too.

Even so, laundry owners show no signs of growing weary of the gatherings.

“Maybe this attendance phenomenon is because there have been many new operators entering the business who have not had the time to become bored with shows and picnics, or maybe it can be attributed to the fact that the current population of laundry owners is taking a more professional approach toward running their business,” the distributor says.

PWS claims that more than $100,000 in parts were sold at the Los Angeles site during its event.

Mountain eleCtroniCs owners Honored as 2013 entrePreneur of Year

The Economic Development Commission (EDC) of Yancey County, N.C., recently presented Whitney and George Brasington with its 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year award. The Brasingtons own and operate Mountain Electronics, Burnsville, N.C., an electronics repair business that specializes in repairing circuit boards for the coin laundry industry.

The Brasingtons bought the business from a friend in 2005 after both had worked for Mountain Electronics for several years. Since then, the company has grown to 12 employees, expanded its team of skilled technicians and customer service representatives, and moved to a larger facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.

“We attribute the success of our business to the support that we have received from the local community over the years,” says Whitney Brasington. For example, she has taken advantage of many classes offered through Mayland Community College’s Small Business Program, and the Brasingtons have found Mayland’s Electronics Program to be an invaluable resource for finding and hiring well-trained technicians.

“These technicians, along with our skilled office employees, have helped build Mountain Electronics into one of the country’s top commercial laundry repair centers – a niche we never knew existed 10 years ago!” says George Brasington.

Whitney Brasington (left) and George Brasington, owners of Mountain Electronics, receive the Yancey County (N.C.) Economic Development Commission’s 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year award from Executive Director Wanda Proffitt (right).