American Coin-Op - May 2017

COVER STORY

CLEAN ’17 GUIDE

CLEAN ’17 GUIDE: EXHIBITOR LIST

More than 450 companies and organizations have reserved exhibit space in Las Vegas as of press time.

CLEAN ’17 GUIDE: EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

The Coin Laundry Association and several other industry associations will combine to offer 30 hours of education.

FROM HOMELESS TO FAMOUS: MEET QUEEN MIMI

Marie “Mimi” Haist lived out of the Fox Laundry for nearly two decades thanks to the compassion of owner Stan Fox. A documentary, Queen Mimi, celebrates her life and the turn of events of the now-91-year-old who lost it all and discovers that her coin-op home is where the heart is.

COIN-OP 101: BUILDING A BETTER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Our industry is making great strides in changing the perception of what a vended laundry is, says Jim Hohnstein, but owners often fall down when it comes to the customer experience. The veteran distributor believes the key is thinking of it as equal parts innovation and adaptation.

A CLOSER LOOK 40

Stan Fox gets a kiss from “Mimi” Haist, the homeless woman he allowed to live out of his SoCal laundry for many years.

MAYTAG® COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY HAS REINVENTED THE TOP-LOAD WASHER.

When we say it’s a whole new top-load, we don’t just mean it’s got a ½-HP PSC motor, traditional fl ex-vane agitator and heavy-duty cabinet for extra-rugged reliability—which it does. It means we started at the beginning and gave it a dedicated production line in our Clyde, Ohio manufacturing facility. And, we’ve got more service techs at the end of the line, so that downtime? It’s a thing of the past. Plus, with full programmability, your owners can squeeze the profit out of every last load. Now that’s dependability—from build to clean. May is Maytag Month, so we’re celebrating with 0% financing for 36 months.*

DISCOVER THE NEW MAT 20 AND MAY IS MAYTAG MONTH AT MAYTAGCOMMERCIALLAUNDRY.COM

PLAN YOUR CLEAN ‘SWEEP’

Next month’s Clean Show in Las Vegas will be the ninth of my career. By covering the show that many times, I’ve learned the best ways to approach the multi-day event through trial and error.

If you’ll be there all four days, by the end, you will be tired and your feet will be sore. So wear comfortable shoes. If you’ve bought a new pair, break them in before you ever get there.

Vegas will be hot in early June, so dress properly. You may see me in a coat and tie on the opening day but it’ll be a sport shirt and slacks the rest of the way.

Come to the show with a plan for which companies’ booths you want to visit and why. You can play things by ear but don’t expect to get a lot accomplished if you do.

Let’s say you want to try to visit every single Clean Show booth this year. (It’s extreme, I know, but hear me out.) We’ll use 450 as the number, although there will be slightly more than that. You have a total of 29 hours to do it, because that’s how long the show floor is open.

Divide that time in minutes by the number of exhibitors and you have less than 4 minutes to spend with each one. Not practical.

But even if your real target number is much lower, you still have to make choices. And for that, you need information.

Our Clean ’17 Guide beginning on page 6 offers a show preview, an exhibitor list complete with descriptions, and summaries of the 30 hours of educational sessions available to all attendees.

Take some time now to review it and start making a list of exhibitors you’ll visit and the classes you’ll attend.

Lastly, if you have your heart set on meeting with a specific person, make an appointment with them now. The odds of “catching them” without one during Clean can be fairly slim. Take it from someone who’s left behind a lot of business cards.

Should you forget to bring this Clean ’17 Guide issue, stop by booth 2591 to grab another copy and let the American Coin-Op staff know what you think of this year’s show. See you in June!

Bruce Beggs Editorial Director

EDITORIAL

Charles Thompson, Publisher

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

Bruce Beggs, Editorial Director

E-mail: bbeggs@ATMags.com Phone: 312-361-1683

Roger Napiwocki, Production Manager

Nathan Frerichs, Digital Media Director

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

ADVISORY BOARD

Kurt Archer Ann Hawkins

Wayne Lewis Kathryn Q. Rowen

ADVERTISING

Donald Feinstein, Natl. Sales Director

E-mail: dfeinstein@ATMags.com Phone: 312-361-1682

OFFICE INFORMATION

Main: 312-361-1700

SUBSCRIPTIONS

630-739-0900 x100 www.AmericanCoinOp.com

American Coin-Op (ISSN 0092-2811) is published monthly. Subscription prices, payment in advance: U.S., 1 year $46.00; 2 years $92.00. Foreign, 1 year $109.00; 2 years $218.00. Single copies $9.00 for U.S., $18.00 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 58, number 5. 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. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising for any reason.

© Copyright AMERICAN TRADE MAGAZINES LLC, 2017. Printed in U.S.A. No part of this publication may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher or his representative. American Coin-Op does not endorse, recommend or guarantee any article, product, service or information found within. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of American Coin-Op or its staff. While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the magazine’s contents at time of publication, neither the editors, publishers nor its agents can accept responsibility for damages or injury which may arise therefrom.

Bruce Beggs

40 YEARS

Celebrating of Coming Together

Las Vegas exhibition, networking promises jackpot of industry know-how

by Bruce Beggs, Editorial Director

Las Vegas has been a favored destination of the World Educational Congress for Laundering and Drycleaning—you probably know it as the Clean Show—since its beginning 40 years ago.

When Clean ’17 sets up shop in the Las Vegas Convention Center on June 5-8, it will mark a record sixth time that the biennial exhibition has been staged in the City of Lights.

The Clean Show has been “Where the Industry Comes Together” every other year since 1977, presenting new technology, educational sessions and networking opportunities to all segments of the drycleaning, laundry and textile care industry.

“This is a true milestone for the Clean Show,” says Mary Scalco, Clean ’17 chairman and CEO of the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute, one of the show’s sponsoring associations. “The show has grown over the years to become one of the country’s top 100 trade shows. Clean 2017 exhibit sales already are ahead of each of the last four shows, and registration is also up for the same time period as previous

shows. Las Vegas is always a fun place to visit, too.”

When the show grew large enough by the early ’90s, the sponsoring associations decided it was time to engage professional management. Riddle & Associates, an Atlanta-based management and consulting firm, was hired to produce Clean ’93 and has been managing the biennial show ever since.

President John Riddle says Clean is “starting to get back to where we were before the recession hit us.”

“We had a good show in Atlanta (in 2015), and I think we’re going to see an improvement on that in Vegas this year,” he says. “In terms of attendance, we’re up. Last numbers I looked at, we were up 6-6.5%. That changes all the time, depending on the day and week, but we’ve had a lot of interest. … From where we sit, that’s a good vibe. I think the industry is going to have a good show.”

At last check, the interactive floor plan posted at www.cleanshow.com showed very few booth spaces remaining. As this issue went to press, more than 450 compa-

nies and organizations were scheduled to be represented on the exhibit floor covering well over 200,000 net square feet (a list of exhibitors and their booth locations, as of April 10, starts on page 10).

More than 11,000 people from around the world are expected to attend to see the latest textile care products and equipment.

Some of the Clean ’17 sponsors, plus another industry association, will offer 30 hours of education (the complete schedule, along with session details, can be found on page 34). Sessions focus on technical information, trends, business management, and environmental and regulatory issues. Most of the seminars will occur in on-site meeting rooms between 8 and 10 a.m. daily, but afternoon sessions will once again be staged in a “Show Floor Classroom” at the rear of the exhibit hall.

Once the show closes each day, Las Vegas offers plenty of dining, entertainment and other attractions (as we reported in last month’s Vegas Vitals feature). It’s during these off-hours when associations gather their members for special events and exhibitors entertain customers and

When you hop on one of the complimentary shuttle buses to/from the Las Vegas Convention Center during Clean, what do you think your view will be?

(Image compilation licensed by Ingram Publishing)

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prospects in invitation-only affairs.

For example, the Coin Laundry Association (CLA) will be throwing a June 6 Clean Show party for members at its exclusive night club, FABRIQ, at the Cosmopolitan. A ticket includes cocktails, appetizers and dinner stations, networking, and music, entertainment and dancing. To learn more, visit www.coinlaundry.org or call 800-570-5629.

THE BASICS

If you’re planning to attend Clean ’17, you can pre-register online via the show website through May 31. Members of any of the five sponsoring associations—Association for Linen Management, CLA, DLI, Textile Care Allied Trades Association, and the Textile Rental Services Association of America—may pre-register for $119 per person; the non-member rate is $149.

After May 31, all registration will take place at the Convention Center only; the fee will increase to $169.

On-site registration for exhibitors only will be 1-4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 3, and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 4. Registration for all others will also be available Sunday from 1 to 4:30, and then daily on show days beginning either at 7 or 7:30 a.m.

The Clean Show has been offering special rates at certain Las Vegas hotels for several months now, and the deadline to book a room through the show’s only official housing service, Connections Housing, is May 1.

As the show gets under way on Monday, June 5, distributors will have exclusive early access to the show floor from 8 to 10 a.m. The traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony at the main entrance at 10 will officially open the exhibits to all attendees. The show closes at 5 p.m. on that day.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, June 6-7, the show will open at 9 a.m. each day and close at 5 p.m. On the show’s closing day, Thursday, June 8, exhibit hours will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Complimentary shuttle service to/from the Convention Center will be available to those staying at or near one of these official Clean 2017 hotels:

• Route 1 — MGM Grand and the Tropicana

• Route 2 — Bally’s, Cosmopolitan, Flamingo and Paris Las Vegas

• Route 3 — Caesars Palace and Wynn/Encore Las Vegas

• Route 4 — Vdara

On show days, the shuttles will run for a few hours in the mornings and a few hours in the afternoons and early evenings. They

EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS AT A GLANCE

Thirty hours of educational sessions will be offered at this year’s show, focusing on business and management trends, among other topics. For descriptions of each of the educational sessions, turn to page 34.

Time

Session Title Sponsor

MONDAY,

JUNE 5

8-9:30 a.m. The Human Mousetrap: Planning for Safe Entry into ALM Confined Spaces

8:30-9:30 a.m. Customer Contracts: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly TRSA 8:30-9:45 a.m. Business as Unusual DLI 8:45-10 a.m. Great by Design: What Laundromats Can Learn CLA from Latest Retail Trends

2-3 p.m. All Things Facebook: How to Grow Your Laundromat Sales CLA 3:30-4:30 p.m. TRSA Clean Green and Hygienically Clean Certification Programs TRSA

TUESDAY, JUNE 6

8-9 a.m Family Business Dynamics TRSA 8-9:30 a.m. How is Your Linen Handled? Lessons from ALM’s Research Project ALM 8:30-9:45 a.m. Drycleaners & Laundromat Owners: Partnering for Future Profits CLA/DLI 9-10 a.m. Laundry Marketing Secrets Revealed TRSA 9-10 a.m. Research That Proves Reusable Isolation Gowns Beat Disposable ARTA 10-11 a.m. Research That Proves Reusable Surgical Gowns Beat Disposable ARTA 2-3 p.m. TextileEd “TED” Talks ALM 3:30-4:30 p.m. Oops: Now What? DLI

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7

8-9 a.m. Doing Well by Doing Good: How Laundromat CLA Owners are Giving Back 8-9 a.m. Five Considerations for Improving Employee Retention TRSA 8-9:30 a.m. Healthcare Contingency Risks & Plan ALM 8:30-9:45 a.m. The Five Essential Steps to Growing Revenue in a Tough Market DLI 9-10 a.m. Maximizing Labor Efficiency in Your Wash-Dry-Fold Operation CLA 9-10 a.m. Tips and Lessons Learned for Entering the TRSA Commercial Laundry Industry 2-3 p.m. OSHA Compliance: Identifying Laundry’s Most Cited Violations TRSA 3:30-4:30 p.m. WiFi in Your Laundromat: Best Practices for Security & Marketing CLA

THURSDAY, JUNE 8

8:30-10 a.m. Your First Laundromat: 10 Keys to Success CLA

will begin service at 7 a.m. on opening day (7:30 a.m. on remaining show days) and run until 11:30 a.m. In the afternoons, they will run from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Attendees can expect to see buses bound for the Convention Center every 15-20 minutes and buses bound for hotels every 20-30 minutes.

After the show closes each day, visitors can take advantage of the city’s many transportation options—taxis, ride-sharing services, bus service and the local monorail—to get around.

If you will be driving to Clean, parking is available in the Silver 1 lot immediately in front of the LVCC main entrance. It’ll cost you $10 per day, which does not include in/privileges.

Las Vegas in June is hot, so dress for comfort. Wear light clothing and com-

fortable shoes—it’s easy to walk a few miles each day on the exhibit floor, not to mention outside the Convention Center. Think twice about carrying a huge purse, briefcase or backpack; it’s not unusual for exhibitors to offer bags for carrying things you’ll pick up as you walk the show floor.

There’ll be a lot to take in, so come prepared with an action plan detailing which exhibitors you wish to visit. But do take some time to browse exhibitors whose offerings may not directly appeal to your operational or management needs—you never know where your next big idea might come from.

“We want the Clean Show to be the place they can come and be confident that the experience, and what they can take home in new ideas and what they learned from all the various learning experiences available to improve their business, is truly worth the trip,” Riddle says. ACO

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The following companies and organizations have reserved exhibit space in the Las Vegas Convention Center for Clean ’17 as of April 10, according to show manager Riddle & Associates.

The list totals approximately 450 exhibitors at press time; it’s possible that more exhibitors will be added in the final weeks leading up to the June 5-8 event.

Where available, the descriptions of products and/or services provided here are general in nature and should not be considered all-inclusive.

Listings are subject to change without notice. Check www.cleanshow.com for any updates.

❏ 21st Century Dry Cleaners 1619 Route Pros

Training services: route sales/marketing; management/customer service.

❏ 3Hanger Supply Co. 304 Wide variety of drycleaning and laundry supplies.

❏

3M™ Scotchlite™ 3710 Reflective Material High-visibility and reflective clothing and materials.

❏ ABS Laundry Business Solutions 3547 Route accounting, garment tracking and linen management software and systems.

❏

❏

Ace Heaters LLC 313 Water heaters.

Adco Professional Products LLC 3500 Specialty cleaning chemicals and detergents used in drycleaning, commercial laundry, and janitorial and institutional cleaning applications.

❏ ADI American Dawn 1048 Towels; bed linens and blankets; table linens; healthcare gowns and scrubs; microfiber cleaning products; and other related textiles.

❏ Advanced Poly Packaging 337 Packaging machines and pre-opened bags on rolls; bagging systems for shop towels, bar towels, folded shirts

and other small textiles.

❏ Air World Inc. 1271 Pads and covers for dry cleaners and laundries.

❏ Albatross USA Inc. 2984 Compliant, environmentally friendly, non-chlorinated spotting chemicals.

❏ All Brands Vending 3075 New and remanufactured combo, snack, and drink vending machines.

❏ All-Flo Pump Co. 3372 Air-operated diaphragm pumps.

123❏ Alliance Laundry Systems 1691, 1961 Commercial laundry equipment and services under the Huebsch®, IPSO®, Primus®, Speed Queen® and UniMac® brand names.

❏ Alliant Systems 1590 Route automation software for the textile rental industry.

❏ A.L. Wilson Chemical Co. 1716 Stain removers and other chemicals for professional drycleaning and laundry use.

❏ American Associated 3672 Companies International linen distributor sourcing and providing healthcare, hospitality and guest care linens.

A❏ American Changer 3623 Bill/coin changers, token dispensers, ticket dispensers, card dispensers and car wash entry systems.

❏ American Chillers & 1192 Cooling Tower System Water chilling systems for industrial and commercial process cooling applications.

❏ American Coin-Op 2591 Trade magazine, website and social media for self-service laundry owners.

❏ American Drycleaner 2591 Trade magazine, website and social media for drycleaning businesses and suppliers.

❏ American Express 303 Credit card acceptance and processing.

❏ American Laundry News 2591 Trade magazine, website and social media for managers and administrators of institutional/ on-premise laundries and textile rental companies.

❏ American Laundry Products/ 3575 Clenacorp

Laundry textiles and associated items for flatwork ironers

❏

American Laundry Systems 3045 Consulting and engineering company specializing in commercial laundry consulting, plant layout/design, process mechanical systems, equipment installations, and more.

❏ American Reusable 545 Textile Association (ARTA) Member association whose mission is to create greater awareness and appreciation for reusable textiles.

❏ American Trade Magazines 2591 Publisher of American Coin-Op, American Drycleaner, and American Laundry News

❏ Ammex Corp. 3175 Imports and distributes disposable gloves and barrier protection products.

❏ AMS Products/Object Design 609

Custom-printed laundry and route bags; mesh laundry bags; barrier and impervious bags; cart covers; and other bags.

❏ Angeline Group Ltd. 1190 Operating room textile and surgical apparel, including uniforms, incontinent pads, specialized garments, surgical drapes and other technical fabrics.

❏ ANKO 3650 OEM peristaltic pumps, pump systems, tubing and valving.

❏ AquaRecycle 1626 Laundry wastewater recycling systems and dryer heat recovery system for hotels, hospitals, military/government facilities, and commercial laundries.

❏

Aquawing Ozone Laundry 3400 Systems — AWOIS Ozone laundry systems.

EXHIBITORS 2017

❏

ArbelSoft Inc. 1317

Point-of-sale computer software for dry cleaners, Laundromats, shoe repair services and tailoring services.

❏

ARCO/Murray National 2479 Construction Co. Design/build construction firm focused on the laundry industry.

❏

ArtiClean Ozone 1421 Laundry Systems Ozone laundry systems.

❏

Asiatic Fiber Corp. 527 Cleanroom and anti-static garments and textiles.

❏

Association for 960 Linen Management

SPONSOR: Nonprofit trade association dedicated to the professional development of personnel involved in the textile care industry.

❏

Association of Wedding 850 Gown Specialists

Nonprofit trade association for members specializing in wedding gown cleaning, preservation and restoration.

❏

A13 Srl 2579

Padding, covers, insulation, parts and accessories for ironing and drycleaning machines.

❏

Automated Packaging 405 Systems

Flexible-bag packaging systems for industrial laundries and textile rental services.

❏

Automation Dynamics 3631

Automated sorting, counting and weighing equipment for various laundry applications.

❏

Autovalet Systems LLC 1599

Automated uniform and scrubwear dispense-and-return systems.

❏

B&C Technologies 1018

Commercial washers, dryers, ironers, feeders and folders.

❏

B&G Lieberman Co. Inc. 1799

Sewing supplies, replacement

buttons, sewing machines, boilers, irons and vacuum pressing boards.

❏ Bahnson Mechanical Systems 459 Industrial construction services.

❏ BCC Payments LLC 3303 Vending payment and credit card processing systems.

❏ Beck’s Classic 1785

Reusable incontinence products, including underpads, clothing protectors, diapers and briefs.

❏ BeCreative 360 1827 Marketing and promotions for dry cleaners.

❏ Beijing Bartizan Technology Co. 2393 Healthcare textiles and supplies.

❏ Bissell Commercial 3370 Vacuums, power sweepers, extractors, flooring machines and other equipment.

❏ BLC Textiles 505 Wide variety of imported textiles for the textile rental industry.

❏ Bobco Systems Inc. 3553 Material-handling and garmenthandling equipment and systems.

❏ Boca Terry 651

Manufacturer/supplier of bathrobes, towels, spa wraps, lounge chair covers and slippers to hospitality, healthcare, textile/linen rental and corporate gift industries.

❏ BOWE Textile Cleaning GmbH 1793 Perc and multi-solvent drycleaning machines.

❏ Braun 2261 Washing, drying, ironing, feeding and folding equipment, as well as wash-aisle safety equipment solutions.

B❏ BridalKare Gown Preservation 640 Bridal gown cleaning and preservation.

❏ Brim Laundry 3539 Machinery Co. Inc. Large-capacity washer-extractors and dryers; touchscreen control systems; OEM replacement parts

and supplies.

❏ Brooks-Waterburn Corp. 2188 Insurance services for Laundromats.

❏ Bundle Australia Pty. Ltd. 441 Productivity software for laundry operations.

❏ Burkert Fluid Control Systems 3739 Water treatment process control, automation and filtration.

❏

CCACO Manufacturing Corp. 2871 Coin laundry furnishings, including folding tables, seating, clothes-hanging racks, and custom bulkheads.

❏ Calderon Textiles LLC 645 Distributes commercial linens to the textile rental, hospitality, cruise line and retail industries.

❏ Capital One Spark Business Card 728 Credit card.

❏ Card Concepts Inc. 2785 Automated card systems for Laundromats to handle cash collections, employee management, equipment service, and store marketing.

❏ Cardconnect 522 Payment processing/management.

❏ Cart & Supply Inc. 3068 Laundry carts.

❏ CBA Machines NV 3755 Trades industrial and commercial laundry equipment worldwide.

❏

CDF Systems 3689 Mat processing systems.

❏ Central Textile Co. 3374 Terry products for the institutional and hospitality markets.

❏

Centrex Technologies Inc. 857 Advanced laundry information systems, RFID technologies, and consulting services.

❏ Centurion Medical Products 3287 Soiled-linen collection system; recyclable bags and liners.

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EXHIBITORS 2017

❏ Chandler Machine 317 USA LLC

Industrial sewing machines for dry cleaners and laundries.

❏ Chem-Tainer Ind./Maxi-Movers 400 Laundry and linen carts, trucks, tables and hampers, and storage tanks.

❏ Chevron Phillips 655 Chemical Co. LP Specialty chemicals.

❏ Chicago Dryer Co. 2815 Flatwork linen separating, feeding, ironing and folding systems for laundries of all sizes.

❏ Chief Clean 3678 Commercial janitorial dust mops and wet mops, handles and frames.

❏

Church & Dwight Co. Inc. 3379 Laundry detergents and chemicals.

❏ Clayton Industries 1690 Steam boilers, feedwater treatment systems, boiler chemicals, and hydro steam cleaners.

❏

Clean Cycle Systems Filters 1621 Lint filters and air exhaust systems.

❏ CleanCloud 629 Point-of-sale software systems for dry cleaners and laundry services.

❏

Cleaner Business Systems 1221 Point-of-sale software systems for dry cleaners.

❏

Cleaner’s Supply® 801 Wide range of drycleaning and laundry supplies and products.

❏

CMV Sharper Finish Inc. 1117 Commercial flatwork ironers, folders and stackers.

❏

Coin Laundry Association 908

SPONSOR: Not-for-profit trade organization representing member laundry owners, prospective laundry owners, and equipment manufacturers and distributors.

❏ Colmac Industries 1931 Tunnel finishers; shirt and pant presses; vacuum transport; soil room systems; hangering systems; and other products related to the commercial

laundry, drycleaning and apparel industries.

❏ Columbia/ILSA 1149 Machines Corp. Drycleaning machines.

❏ Commercial Coils Inc. 3503 Replacement coils for laundry and drycleaning equipment.

❏ Compassmax/Maineline 511 Computer Systems Software and computer systems for dry cleaners.

❏ Computer Connections Inc. 1882 Point-of-sale/management computer systems for dry cleaners.

❏ Computer Software 3177 Architects

Software systems for managing route, healthcare, hospitality, garment, and dust control laundries, as well as linen tracking tools for hospitals, hotels and casinos.

❏ Computer Systems 421 Software systems for dry cleaning, garment tracking and uniform rental.

❏ Consolidated International 2971 Corp.

Industrial laundry machines, parts, textiles and supplies.

❏ Consolidated Laundry 3185 Machinery

Industrial dryers, shuttle conveyors, and mat rollers.

❏ Continental Girbau Inc./ 3215, 3415 Girbau Group

Vended, on-premise and industrial laundry equipment and solutions (booth 3215 focuses on on-premise and industrial laundries, booth 3415 focuses on vended and multihousing laundries).

❏ Cost-Less Parts! 3401

Replacement parts for commercial laundry and drycleaning equipment, focusing on coin laundries; ancillary equipment such as bill changers, furnitures, and carts.

❏ Covers Etc. Inc. 3191

Pads and covers for garment-finishing equipment.

❏ CryptoPay/WorldPay 521 Card payment systems.

❏ CurbsideLaundries.com 3724 Point-of-sale/process management software for Laundromat owners.

D❏ Dajisoft Inc. 724 Point-of-sale drycleaning software systems.

❏ Dante Bertoni SRL 3741 Material-handling products.

❏ Darman Manufacturing 3671 Co. Inc.

Cloth-roll towel cabinets, paper dispensers, towel-processing equipment, and microfiber products.

❏ Datamars Inc. 721 Radio frequency identification (RFID) products for textile identification markets.

❏ Davis Packaging 3685 Laundry wrapping equipment and wrapping film.

❏

DCCS (Dry Cleaning 3735 Computer Systems) Point-of-sale software systems for dry cleaners.

❏

DEKRA Insight 726 Organizational safety programs and consulting.

❏ Dexter Laundry Inc. 2015, 2020 Washers, dryers, and laundry management systems.

❏ Diamond Chemical Co. Inc. 3339 Laundry, warewash, housekeeping, sanitizing, and other institutional and industrial products.

❏ Doxon Mfg. Co. 1917 Commercial laundry equipment parts.

❏ Draco Hygienic Products Inc. 760 Towel, soap and air freshening dispensers for the away-from-home market.

❏ Drycleaning & Laundry 926 Institute SPONSOR: Trade association

EXHIBITORS 2017

representing member dry cleaners and launderers.

❏ DRYV 861

On-demand laundry and drycleaning pickup and delivery service.

❏ Duncan Fabricating 2991 Co. Inc.

Coin laundry bulkheads and commercial appliance outlet centers.

❏ Durable Superior Casters 301 Casters and wheels.

❏ Dynaric Inc. 654 Plastic strapping and strapping equipment.

❏ Empire Towels Inc. 825 Towels, bar mops, kitchen towels and shop towels.

❏ Encompass Group LLC 3439 Sheeting, blankets and terry flat goods; incontinence pads and briefs; operating room and surgical linens; and patient and staff apparel, uniforms and lab coats.

❏ Energenics Corp. 1819 Lint filters for dryer exhaust; cartwashing systems; and vacuum systems for lint collectors.

❏ Ensign Emblem 3554 Emblems, screen-print transfers and direct embroidery for industrial laundries.

Textiles for flatwork feeders, ironers and folders, including feed ribbons, padding and belts.

❏ Fashion Seal Healthcare 700 Uniforms and image apparel for the healthcare industry.

❏ Felins USA Inc. 1084 Tying, shrink-wrapping and bundling machines and systems.

❏ Felrap World Inc. 3711 Laundry wrapping equipment and supplies.

❏ FH Bonn 753 Laundry and drycleaning press pads and covers.

❏ E-Tech Inc. 3331 Monorail and belt conveyor systems; material-handling control systems; and cart dumpers.

❏ EAM-Mosca Corp. 3679 Bundlers and polypropylene strapping systems.

❏ Eastern Funding LLC 2082 Financial lending services to commercial laundry and garment care industries.

❏ Ecolab 2645

Laundry detergents and chemicals; dispensing equipment; water and energy management; and real-time data management for large-scale, commercial laundry operations.

❏ EcoTex 2279 Ozone laundry systems.

❏ EDRO 1427

Industrial washer-extractors, tumbler dryers, and ozone laundry systems.

❏

Ekostar Textiles 1277

Institutional linen company specializing in the industrial rental business.

❏ Ellis Corp. 2037

Industrial laundry equipment; industrial wastewater treatment systems; water heaters and heat reclamation systems; and flatwork and garment finishing and materialhandling equipment.

E❏ ESD 2661 Vended laundry and gaming payment systems.

❏ European Finishing 1361 Equipment Tensioning equipment.

❏ Eurotex North America Inc. 261 Reflective trims and labels.

❏ Evercare/Butler Home Products 841 Lint rollers.

❏ EXPODetergo International 543 by EXPODetergo Srl International exhibition of equipment, services, products and accessories for laundries that takes place every four years.

❏ EzProducts International Inc. 414 Permanent tagless systems for textile labeling, heat-sealing clothing text and barcode labels to fabric; rope ties; hanger stands; and hanger equipment.

❏ Fibertech Inc. 1091 Laundry trucks and utility carts.

❏ Fimas Srl 1185 Tensioning equipment and vacuum finishing boards.

❏ Firbimatic 1373 Perc, hydrocarbon and alternative solvent drycleaning equipment.

❏ Firestone Financial LLC 451 Equipment financing programs.

❏ First Film Extruding 3476 Drycleaning garment bags and film.

❏ First Preference Products 1817 Commercial laundry products and single-use laundry products.

❏ FLM — Fairfield 3756 Laundry Machinery Monorail systems, lint collection systems, coaxial duct systems, loading hoppers/chutes, conveying systems, and folding stations.

F❏ Foltex 1237 Feeding, folding and stacking equipment.

❏ F-MATIC Inc. 829 Odor-control and restroom hygiene products.

❏ Fabricare Management 537 Systems Computer software systems for dry cleaners and laundries.

❏ Fanafel (Valmet) 1491

❏ Forenta L.P. 1337 Drycleaning and laundry finishing and pressing equipment.

❏ Fortune Web Marketing 315 Online marketing services.

❏ Foster-Stephens Inc. 852 Wedding gown and garment preservation systems and supplies.

EXHIBITORS 2017

❏

F3 Fumagalli Srl 2492

Garment presses, electric boilers, and other finishing equipment.

❏ Fujitsu Frontech of NA 1090

Retail point-of-sale terminals, self checkout systems, kiosks, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and currency-handling equipment.

❏ Fulton Boiler Works 1391 Boilers and related equipment/systems.

❏ G.S. Manufacturing 3605

Aluminum material-handling systems, including baskets, bins, carts and racks.

❏ Garment Management 1321 Systems

Automated assembly systems, heat-seal machines, automated uniform-delivery systems and automated coat-check systems.

❏ Garnier-Thiebaut USA 515 Bed, terry and table linens for hotels, restaurants, casinos and other businesses.

❏ Gemu Valves 720 Valves, and measurement and control systems.

❏ George Courey Inc. 637 Bedding, linens and textiles for hospitality, healthcare and other markets.

❏ GKC Corp. 309 Importer of kitchen apparel, bar mops, aprons, napkins and more to food and beverage segment of commercial laundries.

❏ Golden Star 3563

Dust/wet mops and microfiber cleaning products.

❏ Gotli Labs AG 3774

Production management system for laundry operations.

❏ Gottcha-Covered LLC 3291

❏ GreenEarth Cleaning 1889

Patented liquid silicone-based drycleaning solvents, with marketing/branding assistance.

❏ Greenwald Industries 1585 Coin/card acceptors, metering and security products for self-service laundries.

❏ Gurtler Industries Inc. 2585 Advanced detergents and specialty chemicals for the commercial laundry industry.

❏ Gusher Pump 2869 Centrifugal pumps.

❏ Hoffman/New Yorker 1677 Drycleaning and garment/apparel equipment, laundry machines, steam boilers, remanufactured presses and other products.

❏ Hot Water Products 3676 Water heaters, hydronic boilers, steam boilers, solar thermal, combination heating applicances, tanks, pumps and accessories.

H❏ Hunt Textiles 3184 Terry towels, aprons, napkins, kitchen towels, bed linen and other textiles.

G❏ H-M Company 3145 Drain troughs, lint interceptors and related products.

❏ Haining Yikang Textile 639 Co. Ltd.

Reusable underpads, bibs, pillowcases, mattress covers and other textiles.

❏ Hamilton Engineering Inc. 3209 Commercial and light industrial water-heating systems and boilers.

❏ Hans-Joachim 3457 Schneider GmbH

❏ Harbor Linen - A Division 327 of Bed, Bath & Beyond Institutional linens, case goods and apparel for the hospitality, healthcare, cruise line and foodservice industries.

❏ Harris Pillow Supply Inc. 706 Pillows and pillow-cleaning systems.

❏ Healthcare Laundry 547 Accreditation Council

Non-profit organization formed to inspect and accredit laundries processing reusable textiles for hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities.

❏ High Mark Manufacturing Inc. 3309 Coin laundry bulkheads, drain troughs and furniture.

❏ HJLite 460

Retro-reflective materials for personal protective equipment, apparel and activewear.

❏ Hoffman Mint 3622 Laundry tokens.

❏ Hydro Systems Co. 1217 Chemical injecting, proportioning and dispensing equipment.

I❏ Imonex Services Inc. 1092 Coin acceptors and pay-by-phone systems.

❏ Independent Textile 412 Rental Association (ITRA) Network of independent textile rental companies that promote informational exchange and education.

❏ IndoorMedia 3757 Register tape advertisement services.

❏ Indy Hanger 2193 Galvanized wire hangers.

❏

Infinite Creative 3292, 3470 Enterprises Inc. Massage chairs.

❏

❏

❏

Infinite Trading Inc. 631

InnoClean Corp. 1896 Hydrocarbon drycleaning machines.

Innovative Management Designs 708 RFID tracking systems.

❏

InOne Technology LLC 3602 Vending machine technologies, and cashless payment systems.

❏ International Products Corp. 3600 Filter membrane cleaners.

❏ IPA 853 Automated surgical scrub and linen dispensing equipment for healthcare providers.

EXHIBITORS 2017

❏ Irving Weber Associates (IWA) 408 Insurance services for dry cleaners, commercial laundries, Laundromats and linen suppliers.

❏ Isuzu Commercial Truck 351 of America Trucks.

❏ Italclean Srl 1885 Drycleaning and laundry equipment.

❏ Itsumi USA Inc. 1570 Shirt finishing equipment.

❏ Keycolour Inc. 2975 Textile dyeing products.

❏ Kibler Chemical Corp. 3089 Industrial water softeners and filters.

❏ Kingsfield Inc. 445 Chemicals for laundry/cleaning applications.

❏ KioSoft Technologies LLC 858 Unattended payment solutions.

❏ Kleen-Rite Inc. 1498 Solvent filter/purifier system.

J❏ Kleen-Tex Industries Inc. 401 Commercial and industrial mats.

❏ Laundry Logic LLC 3388 Computer software and systems for textile rental.

❏ Laundry ReStart 555 Computer-based management system for self-service laundries.

❏ Laundrylux 1060 Distributor of Electrolux and Wascomat commercial laundry equipment in North America.

❏ LaundryPass 2891 Card payment/management system for Laundromats.

❏ James Gutheim & Associates 3670 Management consulting firm specializing in rental laundries.

❏ JB Industries Inc. 3777 Flatwork folding equipment.

❏ Jensen USA Inc. 2631 Washing equipment, finishing systems, material-handling systems, and system software and process technology.

❏ JiangSu Sea-lion Machinery 1191 Group (Corp.) Washer-extractors, dryers, ironers, and drycleaning, folding and finishing equipment.

❏ JLT Co. Ltd. 554 Galvanized wire and vinyl-coated hangers.

❏ JP Equipment Inc. 3385 Industrial laundry equipment sales.

❏ Kaeser Compressors Inc. 611 Compressed-air equipment.

❏

Kannegiesser USA 2231

Continuous-batch washers, extraction presses, material-handling systems, shuttles, conveyors, dryers, washerextractors, linen separators, feeders, ironers, folders and garment finishers.

❏ Kemco Systems Co. LLC 3557

Water heaters, heat reclaimers, water recovery/reuse systems and water treatment systems.

❏ Kreussler Inc. 727 Laundry, drycleaning and wetcleaning chemicals and detergents.

❏ KSE Suppliers 761

Institutional linen, including incontinent, OR/surgery, patient/ professional apparel, pediatric, pillows, sheets, towels and more.

❏ Lac-Mac Limited 3550 Reusable surgical gowns and drapes, and other healthcare apparel.

❏ Landen Strapping Corp. 3085 Plastic strapping machines, glue machines and stretch film wrappers, plus related supplies, parts and service.

❏ Lapauw USA 3647, 3749 Flatwork finishing equipment, washer-extractors, garment finishing tunnels, cart washers, and more.

K❏ Lattner Boiler Co. 3717 Steam boilers and related equipment for laundry and drycleaning industries.

❏ Laundrapp 415 Digital platform offering on-demand mobile/web technology for laundry and drycleaning services.

❏ Laundroworks Card Systems 2293 Card-based payment, control, and monitoring systems for multi-housing and vended laundries.

❏

Laundry Locker/Drop Locker 759 Locker-based delivery for dry cleaners.

❏ Lavatec Laundry 1743 Technology Inc. Continuous-batch washers, washer-extractors, dryers, flatwork feeders, ironers, folders, stackers, material-handling equipment and mat-processing equipment.

❏

Leebaw Manufacturing 2016 Material-handling carts, garment carts, shelving units, lift tables and laundry/sling bags.

L❏ Leonard Automatics 1648 Garment finishing, small-piece stacking, cart washing, and pressing equipment.

❏

❏

LG Electronics 3515 Commercial washers and dryers.

Liberty Computer Systems 642 Point-of-sale software for laundries and dry cleaners.

❏ Linen Tech 1374 Laundry management software.

❏

Lochinvar LLC 3551 High-efficiency water heaters, boilers, pool heaters and storage tanks.

❏

LowCostMfg.com 1591 Parts for commercial washers and dryers.

M❏ M&B Hangers 1327 Wire garment hangers and paper products for drycleaning and textile rental industries.

❏ Maestrelli Srl 1376

EXHIBITORS 2017

Drycleaning and laundry equipment.

❏ Magid 2974 Personal protective equipment and safety solutions.

❏ Magnus Textile 851 Manufactures, imports and distributes broad spectrum of textile products used in hospitality, healthcare and industry laundry markets.

❏ Mainetti Canada Inc. 447 Garment hangers and garment packaging products.

❏ Maruso USA Inc. 742 Plastic garment hangers.

❏ Material Flow Systems 2985

Material-handling systems, including rail systems, conveyors and trolleys.

❏ Material Imports 544 Textile products for hospitality, industrial, laundry and institutional customers.

❏ Maxi Companies 1521

Export management company specializing in commercial and industrial laundry and drycleaning equipment.

❏

MAXI-PRESS Elastomertechnik 3392 GmbH

Membranes for water extraction presses; additional spare and special parts for other laundry equipment.

❏

Maximizer 3471

Direct-fired water heaters, boiler stack economizers, wastewater heat recovery and water reuse systems.

❏

❏

Maxon Lift Corp. 411 Truck and trailer liftgates.

Mayfield Group 1598

Advertising Bureau Advertising and marketing services for dry cleaners and Laundromats.

❏

McClure Industries Inc. 3268 Laundry, linen and trash carts; motorized tuggers; cart dumpers; and cart washers.

❏ Medline Industries Inc. 2176

Broad spectrum of healthcare textiles and other healthcare products.

❏ Memories Gown Preservation 1926

Environmentally friendly wholesale gown cleaning, preservation, and pre-paid shipping.

❏ Messe Frankfurt Inc. 2394 Trade fair organizer responsible for Texcare exhibitions.

❏ Metalprogetti 1731

Automated systems for moving, handling and dispensing hanging and folded garments.

❏ Mevo Metzler GmbH 529 Wire hangers, and drycleaning and laundry products.

REBUILD, RETOOL, REFRESH AND WHATEVER ELSE YOU

EVEN THE BANKROLL TO FUND IT.

EXHIBITORS 2017

❏

Midwest Specialty Products 3677 Disposable towel and wiper products.

❏ Miele 1895 Laundry care equipment and products.

❏ Milliken & Co. 1036 Fabrics for tablecloths, napkins,

placemats, aprons and tableskirts; dust control products; industrial and specialty textiles.

❏ Million Dollar Collar 562

❏ MIP Inc. 3463 Reusable healthcare products,

including bed linens, underpads, carts, bags, etc.

❏ Miura America Co. Ltd. 311 Steam, hot water and modular boiler systems.

❏ Mobile Computing 3474 Corp. Inc. (MCC)

Linen and textile route-delivery software.

❏ MODRoto 3535 Bulk linen and laundry carts.

❏ Monarch Brands 745 Commercial linen for rental textile market, including institutional towels, hospitality linen, microfiber cleaning textiles, and wiping products.

❏ Monarch Coin & Security 3715 Coin/token chutes, money boxes, locks and keys for coin laundry machines; bathroom locks.

❏ Monarch Robe and Towel Co./ 627 Cypress Bathrobes, towels and slippers for hospitality industry.

❏ Moonsoft International 710 Microfiber products, cleaning towels, and mop pads and materials.

❏

Morgan Olson 1137 Aluminum walk-in vans for the textile rental industry.

❏

Mountville Mills Inc. 3077 Floor mats for uniform and textile rental companies.

❏ Multimatic 1285 Drycleaning machinery using conventional and environmentally friendly solvents.

❏

My Shoe Hospital 643 Boot and shoe repair services.

❏

NNaomoto Corp./Apparel 1789 Machinery & Supply Co.

Distributor for Naomoto irons, self-contained vacuum tables, and other finishing equipment; Hoffman pressing equipment; Koenig irons, mini boilers and automatic garment finishers; and Reliant fusing and laminating machines.

EXHIBITORS 2017

❏ National Cleaners 453 Association Trade association for professional garment/fabric cleaners and suppliers.

❏ National Combustion 2691 Co. Inc. (NATCO) Water-heating systems.

❏

Navien Inc. 615 Tankless water heaters and boilers.

❏ New Horizons in 827 Ozone Solutions Inc. Ozone laundry systems.

❏

Newhouse Specialty Co. 3767 Specialty products for the laundry, drycleaning, hospitality and garment manufacturing industries.

❏

NIE Insurance 837 Insurance services for dry cleaners and coin laundries.

❏

Norchem Corp. 2031

Laundry chemicals; chemical dispensing systems; wastewater treatment and recycling systems; and system controllers and software.

❏

North American Foam 3706

❏ NSF International 2889 Certification program for commercial laundering operations.

❏

NuMat Systems LLC 2590 Rubber-backed floor mats, and mat-processing equipment for the textile services industry.

❏

Olin Corp. 1886 Chlorinated organics drycleaning solvent.

❏

Omni Apparel Inc. 423 Launderable butcher coats, lab coats, smocks and aprons for the food industry.

❏

❏

OMNI Solutions 3090

Onnera Group 1761

International business group offering professional laundry equipment under its Danube, Domus and Primer brands.

❏ Othis USA 1171 Drycleaning finishing equipment.

❏ Otto Trading Inc. 1921 Electric portable massagers.

❏ P & E Products 3723 Mat-rolling and -storage equipment.

❏ PAC Strapping Products Inc. 302 Plastic strapping; plastic strapping machines and systems; steel strapping, plus tools and accessories.

❏ Parker Boiler Co. 821 Steam boilers, indirect-fired water heaters and related equipment.

❏ PayRange 2892 Mobile payment systems.

❏ Pellerin Milnor 3131

Washer-extractors, automated tunnel washing systems, apparel processing machinery, dryers, material-handling systems, and laundry computer networks.

❏ Penco Products Inc. 650 Garment lockers, hygiene products and storage products for textile and linen rental.

❏ Penn Emblem Co. 601 Image and identification products for uniform, garment and apparel industries.

O❏ Pepin Mfg. Inc. 245 Contract converting and fabrication; lint removers.

❏ Perego Tessitura 3174 Table, bed and bath linens for industrial laundries.

❏ Performance Matters 321 Consulting services for textile rental service companies.

❏ Phoenix Scale Co. 1916 Linen-processing and -tracking computer software.

❏ Phoenix Textile Corp. 420 Textile and interior design products for the healthcare marketplace.

❏ Pivot 3574

❏ Plexus Industries 3285 Commercial laundry bags, slings and cart covers.

P❏ Polypack GmbH & Co. KG 251 Full automatic bagging machines for hanging garments; single and set packing; bundling systems; labeling systems; conveyor systems.

❏ Pony SpA 1177 Garment finishing and pressing equipment.

❏ Port-a-Cool LLC 3571 Portable evaporative coolers.

❏ Poseidon Textile Care 3743 Systems LLC Wetcleaning equipment, parts and service.

❏ Positek RFID L.P. 1227 RFID-enabled sorting and tracking software and systems for the textile maintenance industry.

❏ Prime Capital Inc. 3301 Financing services.

❏ PSP Industrial 3169 Laundry Equipment Pre-owned and reconditioned industrial laundry equipment.

❏

PurClean/PurWater 314 Water treatment equipment and systems.

Q❏ Quietaire Cooling Inc. 863 Industrial fans and commercial ventilation equipment.

R❏ R&B Wire Products Inc. 3203 Industrial laundry and linen transportation equipment and products, including carts and trucks.

❏

R.L. Williams Co. 751 Restroom products for the uniform, linen rental and dust control industries.

❏ R.R. Street & Co. Inc. 3500 Solvents, additives, stain removal agents and filtration products for

EXHIBITORS 2017

laundry, wet cleaning and dry cleaning.

❏

R.W. Martin & Sons Inc. 3171

Buys, sells, reconditions and remanufactures commercial and industrial laundry equipment.

❏ Railex Corp. 3376

Garment-handling conveyors, slick rail, trolleys and related equipment.

❏ RAMCO Laundry 659 Machinery Inc. Commercial and industrial laundry systems.

❏ RealStar USA 1576

Drycleaning machines using variety of solvents.

❏ Reed Mfg. Co. 3451 Workwear and uniforms.

❏

ReflectiveStripe.com/ 607 Block Bindings & Interlinings Custom reflective striping for workwear.

❏

Rema Dri-Vac Corp. 1370

Air vacuum units, boiler feed systems, blow-off separators, boiler feed pumps, storage tanks and condensate systems.

❏

Rennco LLC 3271 Laundry bagging and packaging equipment.

❏

Renzacci SPA 1685

Drycleaning machines, washerextractors, dryers and wetcleaning machines.

❏

Riegel Div. Mount 1717 Vernon Mills Inc. Broad range of hospitality, healthcare and institutional linens.

❏

❏

❏

Rinnai America Corp. 3771 Tankless water heaters.

Rochester Midland Corp. 3274 Water management programs.

Rome Conveyors LLC 3092 Conveyors and other materialhandling systems.

❏ Rotational Molding Inc. 744 Linen and laundry trucks; materialhandling products; liquid tanks.

❏ Rowe Bill Changers 3200 Money-changing equipment.

❏ Royal Basket Trucks 437 Vinyl, canvas and molded poly carts in various styles.

❏ Royal Blue Textiles 646 Importer and manufacturer of institutional linens.

❏ Ryco Conveyors Inc. 2845 Design, sales and installation of material-handling systems.

❏ S. Thomas & Associates Inc. 1595 Replacement decals and signage for commercial laundries; repairs bill changers and bill acceptors.

❏ San-Ai Industries Inc. 3784 Laundry/drycleaning supplies and equipment.

❏ Sanitone by Fabritec 844 Professional drycleaning detergents, wetcleaning soaps and spotting chemicals as well as restoration and shirt laundry products.

❏ Sankosha USA Inc. 1347 Garment-pressing equipment.

❏ SanMar 427 Industrial workwear and wholesale imprintable apparel.

❏ ScanQ 3375 Point-of-sale software and support.

❏ ScrubTrak 3188 Automated scrub dispensing systems.

❏ SEITZ, The Fresher 3523 Company Inc. Complete line of laundry and drycleaning chemicals.

❏ SEKO Dosing Systems Corp. 3652 Solenoid valve and peristaltic pump dispensing systems.

❏ Select Risk Insurance Inc. 1617 dba Select Programs Insurance, risk management and business consulting services for the textile care industry.

❏ Setomatic Systems - SpyderWash 1977 Electronic payment acceptance

technology, and drop coin meters.

❏ Shanghai Sailstar Machinery 3585 Group Co. Ltd./Everstrong Commercial Products

Sailstar: Washing, drying, drycleaning, flatwork ironing, feeding, folding, and finishing equipment; Everstrong: Bags, aprons, towels, linens, trolleys/baskets, and stands.

❏

Shanghai Shine Young 1699 Silicone Industry Co. Ltd. Drycleaning, laundry and ironing pads.

S❏ Shanghai Weishi Fujistar 1437

❏ Sierra Hygiene Products 2945 Turnkey paper and hand soap programs for the textile rental industry.

❏ Sigma Garment Films 620 Garment film and flexible packaging.

❏ Sigmatex-Lanier Textiles 1121 Wide range of textile products for the textile rental, healthcare and hospitality industries.

❏ Silscopad USA Inc. 1787

❏ Smart Step 845 Therapeutic Flooring Anti-fatigue mats.

❏ Smith Bros. 300 Drycleaning detergents, spotters and specialty products.

❏ SNA Manufacturing LLC 839 Foam hanger covers and shoulder guards.

❏ Softrol Systems 1074 System controls and management information solutions for the automation of industrial uniform and textile laundry facilities.

❏ SonicAire 714 Cleaning and cooling fans for laundries and drycleaning plants.

❏ Southwest Laundry Equipment 3390 Supplier of industrial and commercial laundry machinery and equipment.

❏ Spartan Chemical Co. 701 Laundry detergents and chemicals.

How Many Coin Laundries Has Your Insurance Agent Handled?

One or Two? Three?

We’ve personally handled insurance for hundreds of coin laundries! We’ve already dealt with most any issue your business is likely to face.

If you have any questions about insuring coin laundries, we can and will give you a prompt, clear answer. Skeptical? Call us with a question and find out for yourself.

There’s more: We’re just three members of NIE’s team of experts. NIE has been handling fabricare insurance since 1915!

Christine Carlin

Fabricare Specialist

Carlin@NIEinsurance.com

Christine Carlin Fabricare Specialist Carlin@NIEinsurance.com

Quote Request

Coin Laundry Dryclean Plant Dryclean Drop Store

Coin Laundry Dryclean Plant Dryclean Drop Store

Coin Laundry Dryclean Plant Dryclean Drop Store NIE Insurance • 6030 Bancroft Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63109

EXHIBITORS 2017

(Continued from page 26)

❏ Spindle 3663 Operations management software for commercial laundries.

❏ SPOT Business Systems 1727 Computer software and systems for drycleaning operations management.

❏ Springboard 3778

Suite of cloud-based tools for laundry pickup/delivery services.

❏ Springpress 1495 Spring padding, waxes and cleaners for ironers.

❏ Spynr Inc. 2186 Software and online marketing services for laundries and dry cleaners.

❏ SRS Conveyors 2890 Material-handling equipment for the uniform and laundry industry.

❏ Standard Change-Makers Inc. 3071 Currency change machines and central payment systems.

❏ Standard Textile 711 Healthcare, hospitality and institutional textiles and apparel, and linen management services.

❏ Starchup Inc. 410 Digital ordering and route management software for dry cleaners and launderers.

❏ Storms Industries Inc. 3601

Flatwork ironer textiles and supplies, cleaners and belting; sling bags; cart covers; filtration and dust-control products.

❏

Strap-Rite by Master 2875 Packaging Solutions

Plastic strapping.

❏ StraPack Inc. 621 Plastic-strapping machinery.

❏ Streamline Solutions 2977

Plastic bag and plastic product supplier to the laundry industry.

❏ Stry-Lenkoff Co. 622 Stock tags, labels and business forms for the laundry/drycleaning industry.

❏ SUDSY Vending Supplies 2969 Broad range of coin laundry

products and supplies.

❏ TBR Associates 3624 Custom-tailored consulting and management coaching services.

❏ TCF Equipment Finance, 1594 a Division of TCF National Bank Equipment financing.

❏ Tecni-Quip Carts 1621 Material-handling carts.

❏ Technische Textillien 2791 Lorrach GmbH & Co. KG Ironer pads, belts, tapes and accessories.

❏ Texas Automation Products Inc. 1721 Heat-sealing machines.

❏ Textile Care Allied 918 Trades Association SPONSOR: Trade association representing manufacturers and distributors of laundry and drycleaning equipment and supplies.

❏ Textile Technologies 3475 Computer software systems for the textile rental industry.

❏ TexTrax 559 Linen management and route accounting software.

❏ The DECC Co. 3731 Abrasion-resistant release coating for dryer panels.

❏ The Green Garmento 658 Reusable bags for dry cleaners.

❏ The Huntington Co. 3371 Parent company of Martinizing Dry Cleaning and Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network franchises.

❏ TheLaundryList.com Inc. 2877 Used industrial laundry machinery; plant design and installation services; energy efficiency studies.

❏ Thermal Engineering 3447 of Arizona Inc.

Wastewater heat reclaimers, heatrecovery systems, shaker screens, water heaters, storage tanks, pumping systems, ceramic filtration systems

and other products.

T❏ Thermopatch 750 Textile and garment identification products and systems.

❏ Thomaston Mills 843 Bed and bath linens for the hospitality, healthcare and institutional markets.

❏ Tietex International Ltd. 308 Stitchbonded, now-woven fabrics.

❏ Time in a Box Preservation Co. 323 Gown preservation kits.

❏ Tingue 3531 Supplies for flatwork ironers, feeders and folders; rebuilt ironers; laundry carts; rigging and repair services; and replacement parts and accessories for laundry equipment.

❏ Tolkar Smartex 1771 Textile processing and commercial laundry machines.

❏ Totofolder Manufacturing 2384 Co. Ltd. Flatwork feeders, folders, stackers and spreaders.

❏ Trevil America Inc. 1385 Professional ironing equipment and electric steam generators.

❏ Triad Design 3708 Bill breakers.

❏ TRSA, the Association for the 968 Linen, Uniform & Facility Services Industry

SPONSOR: Trade association representing the textile services industry.

❏

Truffoire Las Vegas 540 Skin care products.

❏ Turn-Key Industrial 3244 Engineering Services Designs and improves facilities for resort, medical, hospitality and industrial laundry providers.

U❏ U.N.X. Incorporated 2185 Commercial laundry chemical products and dispensing systems for domestic and international markets.

EXHIBITORS 2017

❏

U.S. Jaclean Inc. 558

❏ Uniform Advantage 653 Corporate Solutions Uniform programs.

❏

Union Drycleaning Products 1560 Drycleaning equipment for use with perchloroetyhlene and Class III-A solvents.

❏ Unipress Corp. 1161 Shirt-finishing machines, and laundry and drycleaning equipment.

❏

UniSec Div. of 1291 New York Machinery Drycleaning machines.

❏

United Brass Works Inc. 1275 Industrial valves.

❏ United Temps Inc. 306 Services for temporary staffing.

❏

United Textile Distribution 3770

Dust control products, table linen, bed linen, towels, hangers, aprons and other products.

❏

United Wire Hanger Corp./ 813 UWH Industries Wire and plastic hangers and related paper products for the uniform rental, drycleaning and apparel industries.

❏

Unitex International Inc. 1417 Distributor of cotton, microfiber and spun table linen textiles.

❏

Universal Unilink 3074 Group purchasing organization for independent textile care companies.

❏

USTEK RFID Solutions 3759 UHF RFID tags, integrated terminals, and textile and item tracking software.

❏

Utilimaster 737 Walk-in vans, parcel delivery vans and truck bodies.

❏ Vend-Rite Supply 3611

Licensee of branded soap, fabric softener and stain removal products packaged for use in coin laundries and hospitality locations.

❏ Venus Group 1127 Tablecloths, napkins, aprons, sheets, towels, hospital linens and chef apparel.

❏ Veolia Water Technologies 3765

❏ VF Imagewear Inc. 501 Workwear, hospitality garments, corporate apparel and protective apparel; managed uniform programs.

❏ Vintex Inc. 3579 Launderable barrier fabrics.

❏ Voltea 3477 Water/wastewater treatment.

❏ Wasatch Co. 736 Textile products for institutional, hospitality, food service and healthcare industries.

❏ Wash Club NYC LLC 3378 Software supporting on-demand pickup and delivery laundry/ drycleaning services.

❏ Wash Tech 3657 Heavy-duty washers and dryers for industrial laundries and dry cleaners.

❏ Wash-Dry-Fold POS 2190 Point-of-sale system for Laundromats.

❏ Webb & Son Sewing 820 Machine Sales Inc. Industrial sewing equipment, parts, workroom supplies and custom clamping for automated machines.

❏ Wedding Gown Preservation Co. 809 Gown preservation services.

V❏ Welspun Hospitality 520 Wide range of textile products.

❏ Whirlpool Corp. 2615 Commercial Laundry Commercial washers, dryers and specialty products under the ADC, Maytag® Commercial Laundry and Whirlpool® Commercial Laundry brands.

❏ White Conveyors Inc. 1517 Automated garment-sorting, storage and retrieval systems.

❏ Williamson-Dickie Mfg. 551 Workwear.

❏ Winona Paper 625 Towel and tissue products for textile rental companies.

❏ Woodbine Products Co. 3384 Hand-care products.

W❏ World Emblem 2885 International Custom embroidered, sublimated and screen-printed emblems.

❏ WSI Washing Systems 1026 Wash-aisle chemistry, wastewater treatment, specialty chemicals, dispensing technology, and information systems.

X❏ Xeros Inc. 3507 Commercial laundry system that utilizes polymer beads.

Y❏ YAC Japan 1199, 1295 Laundry and drycleaning equipment.

❏

Yamamoto Japan Inc. 1661 Washer-extractors, combination washer/extractor/dryers, and smallpiece folders.

❏

Yancheng Yaling Clothing Co. Ltd. 461

❏

❏

Vega Systems USA 2045

Vend-Rite Mfg. Co. Inc. 3406 Soap venders, bag venders, snack/ drink venders, coin laundry signs, plastic laundry bags and drop-off bags.

❏ Wesvic Systems 550 Piece-counting and performance feedback system.

❏ wh Münzprüfer Dietmar 2988 Trenner GmbH

Z❏ Zerowaste 3202 Wastewater elimination equipment for dry cleaners.

❏ zNano LLC 463 Laundry wastewater recycling systems.

UNIQUE.

It’s standing out in a crowd of ordinary, much like the originality of the Primus® Cascade™ Drum. The patented shape of the holes and the washboard-like ridges help deliver a powerful, yet gentle, wash as contoured drum perforations optimize water evacuation and reduce dry times. Through innovative design, Primus delivers unique solutions that produce better washing results.

Primus laundry is new to North America — not to innovation. Cultivating more than 100 years of European ingenuity, we’ve been delivering products purposefully designed to help improve your business. And now with Primus Finance, you can obtain industry-leading lending solutions that are tailored to fit your business needs. Learn more about the Cascade Drum and our other innovative products at PrimusLaundry.com/CascadeDrum.

© 2017 Alliance Laundry Systems LLC

Class is in Session

23 classes open to all Clean Show attendees

by Tim Burke

Thirty hours of educational sessions—all included as part of Clean Show registration—will be spread throughout the event’s four days at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“The Clean Show sponsors are pleased to present a wide spectrum of education to Show attendees at just the cost of the low registration fee,” says Mary Scalco, chair of the Clean Executive Committee and CEO of show co-sponsor Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI).

“It gives industry professionals an opportunity to learn new techniques and trends that could cost hundreds of dollars in

MONDAY, JUNE 5

u 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. — The Human Mousetrap: Planning for Safe Entry into Confined Spaces, room N115-117, presented by Barry Spurlock, Esq., CSP, Eastern Kentucky University, and sponsored by Association for Linen Management (ALM).

If a contractor enters a permit-required confined space at your workplace, who is responsible for their safety and compliance with OSHA’s standards? Does your rescue plan involve offsite rescue services? Have you ever considered reclassifying a permitrequired confined space to a non-permit space? This session will address your legal responsibilities as well as give your company guidance on protecting your employees.

u 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. — Customer Contracts: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, room N107-108, presented by Steve Fellman, legal counsel, Textile Rental Services Association of America, and sponsored by TRSA.

Join Fellman in an interactive discussion on how to design customer contracts to maximize profitability. Learn about new contract clauses related to digital billing technology and examine how textile services companies deal with issues related to inducing breach of contract. Optimize your contract leverage, and learn how to enforce your contractual rights.

u 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. — Business as Unusual, room N255-259, presented by panelists Nick Chapleau (Starchup), Chris Moreno (Laundry Locker) and Kyle Nesbit (MW Cleaners), and sponsored by DLI. The drycleaning business today is so

independent seminars apart from the show.”

Another co-sponsor, the Coin Laundry Association, is presenting seven sessions during the event, including one it is co-hosting with DLI. Partnering for Future Profits “is in response to changes in the marketplace and appealing to today’s consumer for more wash-dry-fold services,” says Scalco.

Morning sessions will be held in designated meeting rooms away from the show floor. Afternoon sessions will be held in the “Show Floor Classroom” at the rear of the exhibit hall.

The following sessions are listed in chronological order by day, date and time, along with the presenter(s), location and description, as provided by show management firm Riddle & Associates:

much more than “suit and tie.” Your customers are changing and their expectations are changing. If you’re not changing, your business is not growing. Hear how some industry professionals meet the demands of current and future customers.

u 8:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. — Great by Design: What Laundromats Can Learn from Latest Retail Trends, room N109114, sponsored by CLA.

Today’s Laundromats strive to portray a modern and professional look to consumers. Much may be learned from the most popular trends being seen in other retail and service environments. Hear experts discuss how laundries may leverage the best design trends in retail environments.

u 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. — All Things Facebook: How to Grow Your Laundromat Sales, Show Floor Classroom, sponsored by CLA.

Social media has become a valuable tool for promoting one’s Laundromat to new customers. This session will focus specifically on the features and services available through Facebook that will help you grow sales in your laundry.

u 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. — TRSA Clean Green and Hygienically Clean Certification Programs, Show Floor Classroom, presented by Bob Corfield, president and CEO, Laundry Design Group, and Mann and Martin; and sponsored by TRSA.

Independent, quantitative, third-party certifications build customer confidence and offer your company a competitive advantage. Nearly 60 companies/163

facilities have earned TRSA’s Clean Green and more than 115 facilities have earned TRSA’s Hygienically Clean designations, making them the fastest growing, most recognized international certification programs for textile services operators, the association says. Learn how your company can meet these rigorous standards and quantifiable measurements, including inspections and testing.

TUESDAY, JUNE 6

u 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. — Family Business Dynamics, room N107-108, presented by Joshua Nacht, Ph.D., The Family Business Consulting Group, and sponsored by TRSA.

This session focuses on family human resource and governance process innovation in multi-generational family companies. Learn the generation-influenced frameworks that multi-generation family enterprise leaders are using to help facilitate communication among and education of current and future generation members to better prepare family members who have the requisite ability and willingness to contribute meaningfully to the sustainability (and legacy) of their family and business(es).

u 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. — How is Your Linen Handled? Lessons from ALM’s Research Project, room N115-117, presented by Fontaine Sands, D.Ph., MSN, CIC, RN, ALM clinical advisor, and Linda Fairbanks, executive director, ALM, and sponsored by ALM.

Healthcare textiles from quality

laundry providers are typically hygienically clean and safe for use. Is the hygienic integrity maintained during transportation, storage and distribution? ALM has completed a research study to evaluate those very concerns. Be the first to hear the results!

u 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. — Drycleaners & Laundromat Owners: Partnering for Future Profits, room N109-114, presented by panelists Jeff Gardner (The Laundry Doctor), Chris Balestracci (Super Wash Laundry) and Stephen Moore (PressBox Cleaners), and co-sponsored by CLA and DLI.

Dry cleaners and laundry owners are using each other’s expertise to increase their market share. Learn from industry members how they have made this partnership work for them.

u 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. — Laundry Marketing Secrets Revealed, room N107108, presented by Jeff Wile, president, Infinite Laundry, and sponsored by TRSA.

Top secret no more! If you want to grow your business in the digital age, you need to learn successful strategies that help you do so. Discover the top tips and tricks to succeed in B2B social and digital advertising. You’ll also hear how to incorporate conversion rate optimization to maximize your sales through new customer acquisition.

u 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. — Research That Proves Reusable Isolation Gowns Beat Disposable, room N219-220, sponsored by the American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA).

ARTA shares life-cycle assessment research that outlines how reusable isolation gowns are the environmentally sustainable choice. Researchers present an overview of research findings.

u 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. — Research That Proves Reusable Surgical Gowns Beat Disposable, room N219-220, sponsored by ARTA.

ARTA shares life-cycle assessment research that outlines how Level 3 reusable surgical gowns are the environmentally sustainable choice. Researchers present an overview of research findings.

u 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. — TextileEd “TED” Talks, Show Floor Classroom, sponsored by ALM.

“Riveting thoughts by remarkable people” is the cornerstone of the popular Ted Talks. ALM’s version, “TextileEd Talks,” brings together some of the remarkable people who have riveting thoughts about the laundry and linen industry, bringing you quick segments of valuable education.

u 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. — Oops: Now What?, Show Floor Classroom, presented by Brian Johnson, education director, DLI, and sponsored by DLI. There are nearly as many home stain-

removal tips as there are homes. DLI puts some of these home remedies to the test to see which of them actually work and which ones fail.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7

u 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. — Doing Well by Doing Good: How Laundromat Owners are Giving Back, room N109-114, sponsored by CLA.

The best Laundromats serve as critical community centers where important resources may be shared with local residents. Hear stories of how Laundromat owners are giving back to their neighborhoods and transforming their stores into community centers.

u 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. — Five Considerations for Improving Employee Retention, N107-108, presented by Brenda Stauffer, human resources director, Balfurd Inc., and sponsored by TRSA.

If you’re one of the many businesses that sees high employee turnover as a problem, you may wonder if there’s more you can do to retain your most valuable workers. In an increasingly competitive business world, top talent is in high demand. If you aren’t making your top workers happy, another company may easily recruit them. This session will offer you five key considerations for retaining your top employees that go beyond a good pay package.

u 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. — Healthcare Contingency Risks & Plan, room N115117, presented by Cindy Molko, Mayo Clinic Rochester, and sponsored by ALM. Healthcare facilities have a responsibility to ensure care is provided even when critical products such as linen are unavailable. Hear lessons learned by one health system when developing its contingency plan and learn about the process it followed in assessing the options, selecting a direction, and managing.

u 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. — The Five Essential Steps to Growing Revenue in a Tough Market, room N255-259, presented by Trudy Adams, Mt. Hood Cleaners, and sponsored by DLI.

Discover how to unlock the secrets of successful sales promotion and marketing management with ideas you can implement right away.

u 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. — Maximizing Labor Efficiency in Your Wash-Dry-Fold Operation, room N109-114, sponsored by CLA.

Like many Laundromat owners, you may be looking for ways to take your wash-dry-fold operation to the next level. For most operators, getting more productivity from your front-line workforce is a major challenge. This special presentation will focus on getting the most from those payroll dollars by incorporating the most

efficient practices into your wash-dry-fold production.

u 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. — Tips and Lessons Learned for Entering the Commercial Laundry Industry, room N107-108, presented by panelists Bob Corfield (Laundry Design Group), John “J.R.” Ryan (MODRoto) and Keith Ware (Lavatec Laundry Technology), and sponsored by TRSA.

Have you ever thought about what it would take to enter the commercial linen and uniform rental market? There are pros, but also cons that come along with tackling a market you’re unfamiliar with. Hear from industry experts on the best place to start this type of transition, how the industry works and what competition already exists to determine if it’s the right move for you.

u 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. — OSHA Compliance: Identifying Laundry’s Most Cited Violations, Show Floor Classroom, presented by Edwin G. Foulke Jr., partner, Fisher & Phillips LLP, and sponsored by TRSA.

Foulke was OSHA’s top administrator from 2006 to 2008, when workplace injury, illness and fatality rates dropped to their lowest levels in recorded history. Now an attorney in private practice, he has helped TRSA develop consensus proposals for overcoming the most difficult obstacles the industry faces in eliminating injuries and illnesses. In this session, he’ll discuss OSHA’s top 20 most frequently cited standards and the top 25 “low-hanging” fruit violations. He will also share information on TRSA’s new Safety Certification.

u 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. — WiFi in Your Laundromat: Best Practices for Security & Marketing, Show Floor Classroom, sponsored by CLA.

Thousands of Laundromat owners are now adding free WiFi as a prominent amenity for their customers. Now learn the best way to manage, support, secure and promote this indispensable feature for maximum impact.

THURSDAY, JUNE 8

u 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. — Your First Laundromat: 10 Keys to Success, room N109-114, sponsored by CLA.

No one can learn everything you need to know about an investment in a self-service laundry in one seminar but this fast-paced 90-minute session will help you identify the most important elements for success. Bring lots of questions for the experts as we share the secrets to success for your first Laundromat.

ACO

Tim Burke is the editor of American Drycleaner, a sister publication to American Coin-Op

by Laurance C ohen

It’s fitting that my interview with the “Queen of Montana Avenue” at the Fox Laundry coincides with a strong storm hitting Santa Monica, Calif. That’s how this story unfolded some 20 years ago.

On that fateful cold and rainy night, Stan Fox got a call from his attendant at closing time seeking permission for the elderly homeless woman, who had been hanging about for months during operating hours, to spend the night indoors rather than brave the elements.

“I didn’t even think about it. I just said, ‘Absolutely, let her stay,’” recalls the veteran operator. “Little did I know this was going

From Homeless to Famous:

Q

ueen Mimi Meet

Down-and-out woman finds coin-op home is where the heart is

to turn into a long-term relationship.”

With his blessing, that night turned into weeks, months, years and, eventually, nearly two decades of Marie “Mimi” Haist living out of the Fox Laundry tucked away in a plaza along a commercial strip.

There, she nested among the 52 machines and got buddy-buddy with neighborhood residents, including Hollywood actor Zach Galifianakis.

By day, Mimi would fold clothes and sweep. At night, she’d don a jacket and sleep. Two plastic chairs — one to sit on and the other to support her legs — were dragged to the second washer aisle where she dozed off away from peering eyes.

Eventually, Fox turned over a front-door key, giving her free rein to do what she

liked best at night — getting dolled up in all things pink and enjoying some lemon drop martinis while gallivanting around town with acquaintances from the laundry.

Among them was Yaniv Rokah, a neighborhood coffee barista who made the octogenarian the subject of a 77-minute documentary titled Queen Mimi (available through Amazon, iTunes and Netflix).

“Who lives in a Laundromat? What a cool story! I thought I could make a short film out of that,” Rokah says as we sit in the same front corner of the Fox Laundry where the Queen accumulated her possessions and piled fluff ’n fold orders awaiting pickup from her loyal following.

“You have a combination of a woman in her 80s, extremely sharp and funny and sexual and all by herself living in a laundry. I figured there’s a story there.”

The documentary celebrates the life and turn of events of the now-91-year-old who lost it all and discovers that her coin-op home is where the heart is. You’ll watch her go from the laundry’s tile floor to not only the red carpet premiere of Galifianakis’ sequel The Hangover 3, but her own film — all while getting a candid look at what makes her tick and what ticks her off.

A DIVERSE COMMUNITY’S EQUALIZER

To appreciate how a woman living on the street rose to prominence is to understand Fox Laundry as the great equalizer in a diverse community.

North of Montana are multimilliondollar residences. To its south, a mature stock of walk-up apartment buildings. The store is an anomaly in this chic business district yet stands the test of time, having survived escalating rents and the ’94 Northridge Earthquake — which

Yaniv Rokah’s documentary Queen Mimi turned its leading lady, Marie “Mimi” Haist, into a media darling and brought the spotlight to Fox Laundry’s supporting role within the social fabric of Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo: Laurance Cohen)

GOIN’ WITH COHEN

claimed a neighboring coin-op — and remaining a laundering hub for the haves and the have-nots.

Fox couldn’t shake off a “huge” homeless problem that he and others in this seaside community still grapple with today.

By the time the temblor hit, Mimi had already been showing up daily at the thenpartially-attended laundry for a year, arriving by bus and remaining from opening to closing to help patrons load machines, pick up after them, and chase out vagrants.

“She hated homeless people and she was herself homeless,” Fox relates. “Mimi made herself very useful and kept an eye on things and was very protective of everything. She endeared herself to us.”

Things weren’t always rosy. There were times Fox, a multi-store operator with four decades now under his belt, admits that having someone camp out in his business was more a liability than an asset.

“I’ve had plenty of fights with Mimi over the years. She’s mellowed out a whole lot now, but when she was younger and feistier, she would throw people out in not a nice way. She could be very, very nasty. A lot of customers would say, ‘I only come here for Mimi,’ while others said, ‘I’ll never come back.’”

Fast forward to 2010. The Israeli-born

Rokah was pouring latte art in a coffee shop directly across Montana, awaiting his Hollywood break. He bonded with the Fox Laundry fixture and got a go-ahead to document her life over a five-year span.

“I never thought she would open up,” the first-time filmmaker admits. “I was very respectful. I didn’t want to dig deep into her past yet I was very curious for myself. How can a woman in her 80s end up all by herself? Could that happen to all of us? Yes, it can.”

Much of the storyline is carried by those who know Mimi best — Fox, his staff, patrons, and neighboring shopkeepers — all recounting how she touched their lives.

Most notable is comedian Galifianakis, who, before he hit the big time, resided in a modest unit a few doors away from the laundry and grew close to Mimi. The two hit red-carpet events, laid in bed for a VH1 cable show, and agreed on housesitting arrangements.

While others would also occasionally put Mimi up for the night, the story takes a dramatic turn when Galifianakis quietly arranges to get her an apartment steps from the laundry, and fellow Hollywood star Renée Zellweger furnishes it.

Fox was elated for her and says the celebrities were “thoughtful to provide her

a dwelling within close walking distance.”

LIFE OF THE PARTY

While Queen Mimi puts a human face on homelessness, it also offers a rare glimpse into coin-op camaraderie, with playful banter between its star and Fox staff as they dance in the aisle and, at times, set the mood with some provocative dress.

“Mimi’s the life of the party. She would get upset if we were having a party outside the laundry and she wasn’t invited,” employee Alesandrea Araujo shares while dismissing any notion that fame has gone to Mimi’s head. “The documentary hasn’t changed her one bit.”

That sentiment is echoed by the Queen herself as she waits out the inclement weather in her apartment so she can safely maneuver her cart-cum-walker and journey to the coin-op.

“I’m not one of those people with my nose in the air. I try to blend in,” Mimi says.

Although she admits to finally hanging up her fluff ’n fold processing, which for years was offered to select patrons, the spry woman still shows up eight hours each day to back up staff.

Asked about her regiment of bending over to clear tumbler lint, captured on film and eliciting cheeky comments from the store owner and friends, Mimi insists she “still checks the dryers all the time, as nobody knows how to clean them right.” She is quick to show off a treasured heartshaped Tiffany ring she once found in one.

Rokah and Mimi remain close.

“She feels like she’s on top of the ▼

Before moving into an apartment near Fox Laundry, Mimi spent many nights sleeping in the Laundromat in a chair like the one she’s seated in here. (Photo: Jim Pease)

Stan Fox gets a kiss on the cheek from Mimi, who left the streets and lived in his Southern California coin laundry for nearly two decades. (Photo: Laurance Cohen)

GOIN’ WITH COHEN

world. She’s more proud and is noticed by all now,” Rokah says. “Before people used to judge her: ‘Who is that crazy woman on the bench?’ Now they recognize her as Queen Mimi. Her spirit is higher than it was before. I love that about her.”

STILL HOLDS COURT EVERY DAY

The filmmaker hopes viewers will have more compassion for society’s down-andout.

“Every homeless person that we’re so afraid of — guess what, at some point in their life, they were just like us, and came from a family and some social environment,” Rokah says. “There’s a million other Mimis out there.”

“One of the first things my father taught me was not to judge anyone by their appearance and treat everyone with respect,” Fox says.

And while he wasn’t advocating others

to follow his lead and allow someone to seek refuge in their laundry, the veteran operator did note his fellow store owners have probably never met someone like Mimi.

“She doesn’t fit the mold of a homeless person,” Fox says. “She’s got such a zest for life.”

He expresses concern as Mimi becomes more “fragile,” but reports she remains resilient and that the Queen “comes in every day and holds court.” His offer to pick up the tab for much-needed cataract eye surgery was turned down by

the proud woman.

The owner with a big heart admits that, at some point, there will be heartache.

“I’m sure the laundry would lose a lot of its aura without her. I don’t look forward to that day.”

ACO

Laurance Cohen crisscrosses the country seeking out the most unique vended laundries. He served as American Coin-Op editor in the early 1990s and currently operates Laundry Marketing Concepts based in Hallandale Beach, Fla. He can be reached at goinwithcohen@outlook.com.

Jim Pease)

BUILDING A BETTER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Let’s be honest. Is the coffee at Starbuck’s really that much better? If we do a blind taste test, how many of us can pick out the $4 Starbucks cup from the $1 McDonald’s cup?

Now, let’s take the blindfold off and explore that sip of coffee within the full context of the surroundings. We can all agree that the Starbucks experience is quite different than the McDonald’s. That difference is rooted in the customer experience.

I think this is a nice parallel to our business. We can all agree the root of what we present to our customers isn’t all that different from store to store.

My store offers washers and dryers for clients to launder their clothes. Likewise, competitors in my market have the same basic offering. Similar to the coffee example, what separates us is our approach to the customer experience.

Can I make money and be successful by throwing washers and dryers in a room and flipping on the “Open” sign? We can all agree, yes (and many of us can admit we have shaken our heads at the guy down the street employing that strategy, silently wondering how he stays in business). The flip side to this is, can I command a premium for my services by focusing on presenting a higher-level customer experience? Again, the answer here is yes. But how do I get there?

GETTING STARTED

I firmly believe we are making great strides in changing the perception of what a vended laundry is. However, owners often do fall down when it comes to the customer experience. We all have to view this as a business that truly emphasizes this experience. This is how you will get a leg up on the owner down the street, who thinks he basically bought an annuity and doesn’t need to do anything.

I believe the key to getting started in building a better customer experience is to always be in a growth phase. Be as pliable as when you started. Never stop

learning and growing as an owner. Seek out new ideas and ways to give your customers more than just basic tools that wash and dry. We have to get beyond just a “cleaner and brighter store” mentality. A clean store with good lighting is not enhancing the customer experience; these are basic prerequisites to being in this business.

BIGGER IS OFTEN BETTER

The vended laundry game is trending toward larger equipment. This is what customers want. It gets them in and out faster. If you don’t offer 40-, 60- and 80-pound washer-extractors, your store isn’t giving customers what they want (and you also are missing out on utility savings and profit potential). The ROI on larger capacities sometimes is quite surprising, even to veteran laundry owners. But if we are truly creating a better customer experience, bigger shouldn’t stop at machine capacity.

Let’s start at the front door. Our customers are lugging giant bags into our stores; large automatic doors definitely help simplify things for them. I have the push-button handicapped variety and don’t have any issues with children opening and closing them. Bottom line is if we are focused on a truly exemplary customer experience, it starts from the first interaction with our stores — the front door.

Likewise, what about making this task even

Jim Hohnstein

(Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

easier? Ever think about why, when we are selling larger-capacity equipment, we are using the same size laundry carts? Me, too. Upsize your laundry carts and customers will appreciate not having to bal-

ance bags and baskets overflowing with laundry on carts too small for their needs.

To take this customer experience to the next level, print stickers or implement a cart color-coding system that ties to your

machine capacity. Customers often have a tough time knowing just exactly how much they can put in a 60- or 80-pound washer-extractor. Simplify it for them by creating a system that basically says, “If this cart is filled, it’s a perfect 60-pound load.”

This certainly isn’t a bank-breaking idea, yet it greatly enhances the customer experience by taking guesswork off the table and making things easy and intuitive. I will take this a step further and say these bigger carts are an advertising opportunity.

Think about that customer with bulky things at home driving by your store and seeing a customer in the parking lot filling one of your giant laundry carts. They now have a visual connection to the scale of capacity your store has: They have equipment that can wash that much laundry? Seems like an easy way to clean all those blankets, quilts, and bedspreads I have at home.

GIVE THEM CONTROL

That guy down the street with the rundown shop and a bank of dated top loaders isn’t delivering a great customer experience in many areas, and he’s definitely falling short in wash cycle options.

So you think your store’s 27 cycle options are overkill? Well, I have machine operations reports that show me just how much customers like having the ability to tailor their wash to what they want. They want to choose how they care for their clothes. To me, having a variety of cycle options and modifiers is a must in delivering a great customer experience. Why not utilize all the technology that is available?

DRY-SIDE THOUGHTS

If we are offering greater wash capacity, a better customer experience obviously requires more dryer capacity as well. Big, 45-pound stacks are the way to go. But again, a better

experience sometimes is about the little things.

over to load and unload that bottom pocket, so think about installing stacks on platform to make loading and unloading easier on the back. Raising the stacks up by as little as 4 inches can actually make a difference. I have done this in one location and usage is pretty balanced between the top and bottom pockets.

I think the drying side is an opportunity to further enhance customers’ experiences and resulting perceptions of our stores by trending to one-price starts of 50 or 75 cents. It gives the maximum amount of heat versus forcing clients to keep going through cool-down cycles with 25-cent prices.

HAVE A SNACK

People often come to your laundry hungry and thirsty. Adding soda and snack machines ensures you are meeting more than their laundry needs — that’s being customer-friendly. It also opens the door to additional revenue; some laundries are pulling north of 10% of gross monthly revenue from soda and snack offerings.

You can reinforce your commitment to a better customer experience by surveying them on their likes. The message here is that we care about your needs and want to create an atmosphere of comfort.

Comfort also applies to space. While larger-capacity machines are the trend, don’t eat up every extra square foot. Larger equipment plus larger carts should equal more space overall, so make sure the store is airy and easy to navigate for customers. Stores that are crammed full of equipment and make it hard to move around are not customer-friendly.

PARTING THOUGHTS

Obviously, it’s up to individual owners and new investors to determine what will improve the experience for their own customers. Think of it as equal parts innovation and adaptation.

In exploring the adaptation theme, look outside your business for inspiration. Franchises such as Wendy’s and Panda Express are doing things in store designs that we may want to consider replicating. Even my McDonald’s observation at the start of this column may not be persuasive, as its store décor is rapidly changing, including elements such as fireplaces.

As consumers ourselves, ideas are all around us. Look at your grocery store, car dealership, restaurant, etc., and identify little things that make your task easier or make you feel more valued as a customer. Then bring these ideas to your store and adapt them.

Often, small investments in improving the customer experience can have returns.

ACO

Jim Hohnstein owns Martin-Ray Laundry Systems, a Speed Queen® distributorship, based in Denver, Colo. He has more than 40 years of commercial laundry equipment experience.

CONTINENTAL GIRBAU BEGINS TWO-PHASE EXPANSION

Laundry equipment manufacturer Continental Girbau Inc. recently broke ground on its third facility expansion since 2000, according to President Mike Floyd. The twophase project in Oshkosh, Wis., comes as a result of “catapulting sales, product offerings and staff.”

“Business is so strong that we need more space for our team members and product inventory,” says Floyd. “We are projecting aggressive expansion through the next four years.”

Phase one, which was expected to be completed by May 1, encompasses a 24,000-square-foot warehouse addition.

“This extra space will allow Continental to inventory more product and quickly and efficiently turn around customer product orders,” says Floyd.

Phase two, to be finished by the end of the year, will provide even more warehouse and office space, although exact square footage isn’t yet finalized.

Additional offices and conference rooms will be created to

At press time, Continental Girbau’s 24,000-square-foot warehouse addition was slated to be completed by May 1. (Photo: Continental Girbau)

accommodate Continental’s growing team.

“This year, we’ll increase our labor force by 12%,” adds Floyd.

The additions will complement Continental’s current building, which serves as the company’s headquarters for marketing, sales, training, service, warehousing and customer support.

ACO

The calendar remains full of opportunities to attend distributor open houses, service schools and other special events in May and beyond.

Here is a brief rundown of events from the American Coin-Op calendar through this month.

Call, e-mail, or visit the website listed for registration information. In many cases, space is limited.

MAY

May 2 — Commercial Laundry Sales Open House and Service Schools, Green Bay, Wis.; www.claundrysales.com

May 2 — Great Lakes Commercial Sales Product Expo & Service School, Lansing, Mich.; 800-821-8846; mishow@greatlakes laundry.com.

May 3 — Aaxon Laundry Systems Service School, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; www. aaxon.com/service-schools.

May 3 — Summit Laundry Equipment Spring Open House, East Elmhurst, N.Y.; 855-786-6489; sales@summitlaundry.com.

May 3-4 — Equipment Marketers 24th Annual Trade Show and Service Seminar, Cherry Hill, N.J.; 800-223-1376; kweitzman@equipmentmarketers.net.

May 3 — Century Laundry Service Seminar, Hiawatha, Iowa; www.century laundry.com

May 4 — Century Laundry Service Seminar, Bloomington, Minn.; www.century

laundry.com

May 6 — Great Lakes Commercial Sales Product Expo & Service School, Wauwatosa, Wis.; 800-236-5599; wishow@ greatlakeslaundry.com.

May 13 — Coin-O-Matic Service School: Single & Stack Tumbler Dryers, Alsip, Ill.; http://coinomatic.com

May 17 — Commercial & Coin Laundry Equipment Co. Distributor Show, Baton Rouge, La.; 800-366-4168.

May 20 — Alco Washer Center Open House, New Castle, Pa.; 724-658-8808; alco.washer@verizon.net.

May 24 — Commercial Equipment Co. Open House, Service School and Equipment Showcase, Farmers Branch, Texas; www. washerdryer1.com.

Check the AmericanCoinOp.com calendar periodically for updates/additions.

Distributors, e-mail Editor Bruce Beggs (bbeggs@atmags.com) to have your company events added to our calendar. ACO

(Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

SPEED QUEEN SELECTS WALLNERS AS $100,000 CONTEST WINNERS

Speed Queen® has named multi-store owners Bob and Donna Wallner the winners of its 2016 Art of the Journey contest.

Representatives from the equipment manufacturer and from the Wallners’ distributor, Statewide Laundry Equipment, surprised the brother-and-sister team with the $100,000 grand prize paying off the Wallners’ equipment loan through Speed Queen Financial Services (SQFS).

“Bob and Donna Wallner have been in the industry for many years and understand the importance of reinvesting in their business,” says Jeff Harvey, brand manager, SQFS. “Over the years, as they have expanded their business to multiple stores, the Wallners have seen the benefits purchasing new equipment provides their Laundromats, including attracting new customers, increasing profitability and decreasing utility expenses.”

Joining Harvey in surprising the siblings with their check at Crystal Clean Coin Laundry in Orlando, Fla., were Speed Queen Commercial North American Sales Manager Jim Rosenthal and Brittany Pettineo, Rusty Parks and Jim Rogers of Statewide Laundry Equipment.

(continued on page 56)

Laundromat owners who reinvested in their store with at least $2,500 of new, state-of-the-art Speed Queen equipment financed through SQFS were eligible to enter the contest by uploading an

(From left) Siblings Donna and Bob Wallner are the winners of Speed Queen’s 2016 Art of the Journey contest. Donna Wallner created the winning artwork, a framed collage of their first store made entirely of dryer lint. (Photo: Speed Queen)

original piece of art — photo collage/montage, video, poem, drawing or painting — that showcased their unique journey into the industry.

Donna Wallner created the winning artwork, a collage of the Wallners’ first store made entirely of dryer lint.

“This portrait represents the beginning of our journey in the laundry business, one which we continue to travel with our partners from Statewide and Speed Queen,” she says.

Besides Crystal Clean, the Wallners own Sunny Bubbles in Kissimmee, Soap Opera in Ruskin, and Bright ’n Clean in North Fort Myers.

“Installing new, efficient equipment that provides our customers with more options to customize their laundry cycles has helped make our stores successful,” says Bob Wallner. “Speed Queen Financial Services has made it possible to continue to replace equipment and improve our stores in an easy and manageable way.”

MC ALLISTER JOINS CONTINENTAL GIRBAU STAFF

Dave “Mac” Mc Allister, of Berlin, Wis., recently joined the staff of equipment manufacturer Continental Girbau Inc. as its director of services and product management, the company reports.

Mc Allister, who fills a newly created position, oversees customer and technical service areas for all Continental subsidiaries. He is also a member of Continental’s seven-person Executive Committee.

“Mac comes to us with a wide breadth of experience in technical service, business and product development,” says Continental President Mike Floyd. “We look forward to him bringing a fresh vision to the company and, simultaneously, contributing streamlined solutions geared toward an enhanced customer experience.”

Mc Allister manages the customer service and technical service departments; innovates strategies to help the company meet strategic goals; implements tactical operations plans for enhanced customer experiences; and monitors Girbau Industrial work procedures and schedules.

Mc Allister has an associate’s degree in automotive technologies from Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, Wis.

STANDARD CHANGE-MAKERS WELCOMES KOZLIK AS WESTERN SALES REP

Standard Change-Makers, a manufacturer of currency change machines and car wash entry systems, has hired Tom Kozlik as its new regional sales representative for the Western United States.

Kozlik is responsible for working with distributors in the laundry, car wash, vending, amusement and specialty markets in states west of the Mississippi River, plus Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.

He spent 22 years serving change machine manufacturer Rowe

International in various leadership positions, including project management, engineering and sales capacities. He was active in developing new products and product launches for Rowe, as well as overseeing new employee training, distributor relationships, and developing new sales opportunities in all coin-op market segments.

“Tom Kozlik is a recognized leader in the currency change machine industry,” says Standard Change-Makers President/CEO James McNutt Jr. “I’m sure our customers have heard of him, worked with him, or are familiar with him and his work over the past 20 years.

“We are excited to have a person with his outstanding reputation join our sales team, and help us provide that knowledge and experience in the Western U.S. territory.”

Kozlik will be covering his territory from his office in Grand Rapids, Mich.

DISTRIBUTOR STATEWIDE LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT ADDS GARCIA Statewide Laundry Equipment’s Miami branch has a new addition to its management team.

Elia Garcia, a laundry industry veteran of nearly 15 years, is office manager. She is responsible for daily equipment orders, overall inventory of Statewide’s Hialeah, Fla., office, accounts receivable, and other day-to-day accounting and customer service tasks.

“Elia has extensive experience in the commercial laundry industry,” says Noel Orozco, Statewide’s vice president. “She is precise and accurate with equipment ordering and possesses working knowledge of equipment changes and new model releases.

“We’re happy she’s on our team. Customers truly enjoy working with her.”

Statewide distributes Speed Queen laundry equipment, and also exports Speed Queen and UniMac equipment to South and Central America as well as the Caribbean.

COST-LESS PARTS UNVEILS NEW, IMPROVED WEBSITE Cost-Less Parts (CLP) recently unveiled a new website — www. costlessparts.com — for quickly ordering commercial laundry equipment parts, accessories and an ever-growing list of free, machine-specific parts manuals for download, the company reports.

The user-friendly site offers ease of navigation; an enhanced search tool; the ability to create and save custom shopping lists; and the opportunity to place and save recurring orders, among other features. It also supports multi-user and multi-location customers and generates purchasing reports by location. ACO

Elia Garcia

Dave Mc Allister

Tom Kozlik