American Coin-Op - September 2018

Steve Cardis, Engineering Manager Employee Owner Since 1996

GOIN’ WITH COHEN: SO CAL: SO COLORFUL

One can’t spend time in Southern California without giving thought to the wall. No, not the border wall—the laundry wall. Columnist Laurance Cohen says SoCal’s coin-op scene is awash in murals. The displays are dazzling, with many meticulously hand-painted while others employ custom-printed wallpaper as the medium.

COIN-OP 101: PARTS ON HAND, REPAIR ABILITY KEEPS ’EM TURNING

Being able to diagnose machinery issues and make light repairs will keep the profits high, writes PWS Parts Manager Ruben Garcia, as will knowing when a repair is over your head and a call to a service professional is the best course of action.

A CLOSER LOOK

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SERVICE IS YOUR IDENTITY

COIN-OP & COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: MAINTAINING A DUAL IDENTITY

This month’s cover story is about establishing and maintaining a dual identity when you choose to offer both self-service (walk-in) laundry and commercial laundry services.

While the two service types have their similarities, they also have some distinct differences that could give your customers fits if not managed properly.

If, after opening your store, you decide to take on commercial laundry work for clients such as doctors, gyms, salons and others, how and where you choose to process those goods will have an impact on your business.

Turn to page 6 to learn how three store owners approach welcoming walk-ins and caring for commercial customers.

From my seat, providing high-quality service is your identity, no matter how you slice it.

MORE ABOUT MAINTENANCE

Speaking of maintaining, our new columnist, Paul Russo, discusses The Importance of Routine Maintenance when it comes to your equipment and store. Laundromat veterans like Russo know that the majority of headaches occur because of a lack of maintenance. So, this month’s Pointers from Paulie B starting on page 18 is filled with tips for taking a proactive approach to preventative maintenance.

And that is immediately followed by our Coin-Op 101 column, Parts on Hand, Repair Ability Keeps ’Em Turning. As parts manager for distributor PWS - The Laundry Company, author Ruben Garcia has more than 22 years of service and parts experience.

There are some key parts and supplies you should keep on hand at all times to make replacement a cinch, Garcia says, plus having the ability to diagnose machine issues and decide if you can perform the repair yourself or you should have a professional take care of it will keep profits high and problems low.

Bruce Beggs Editorial Director

Charles Thompson, Publisher

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

Donald Feinstein, Associate Publisher/ National Sales Director

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

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

OFFICE INFORMATION

Main: 312-361-1700

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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 59, number 9. 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, 2018. 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

Maintaining a Dual Identity

by Bruce Beggs, Editorial Director

The concept of adding commercial account work after opening your selfservice laundry is well established in our industry, and many owners maintain such multi-faceted operations that boost their collective bottom lines.

But it’s important to understand how these two similar operations differ and how to best coordinate them when offering both so that one doesn’t impede the other. Whether it’s the walk-in customers standing in the next aisle over or the commercial accounts whose representatives you may rarely see face to face, whichever side of the line you’re on, your goal should be to best serve your customers—all of them.

In a way, it’s about creating and maintaining a dual identity.

GETTING STARTED

Michael “Stucky” Szczotka co-owns New Wave Laundromat in Sterling Heights, Mich., just north of Detroit. He says the business has been doing laundry work for commercial accounts for roughly 14 years.

His staff of three full-time employees and three part-time employees processes a few thousand pounds of commercial work each week for the likes of cosmetic surgeons, party rental companies, spas, dental offices, massage therapists and dry cleaners to keep his wash wheels turning when walk-in business slows. But it’s done under a separate

banner: New Wave Laundry Services.

“The store wasn’t ramping up as quickly as I thought,” recalls Szczotka, who also owns retail and commercial drycleaning operations and a textile restoration company. “With my background on the drycleaning side, I figured I could very easily just bring some accounts in.

“I realized very quickly if I had a 50-pound washer that I had vended for $6.30, if I could load up 30 pounds in there for $2 a pound, turning those wheels for $60 rather than $6.30, even though I had to pay some payroll, was worthwhile.”

The facility housing both measures just shy of 3,500 square feet and boasts 38 washers (ranging in capacity from 20 to 75 pounds), 22 dryers (16 are stacks, the remainder are 75-pounders), and a flatwork ironer, all from Continental Girbau (Szczotka is also president of Eagle Star Equipment, a Continental distributor).

In Norwalk, Conn., roughly an hour northeast of New York City, Bjorn Wisecup is a co-owner of The Laundry Basket (self-service Laundromat) and LBN Linens (commercial laundry). Here, the two operations are in adjacent, connected buildings, with 2,800 square feet of space dedicated to the Laundromat and approximately 1,400 square feet dedicated to commercial linen processing.

The Dexter brand washers used in the Laundromat include five 20-pounders,

eight 30s, eight 40s, two 60s and two 80s. There are 14 30-pound stack dryers, two stack 50s and two 80-pound standalone machines.

LBN Linens uses larger OPL (on-premise laundry) equipment, including Milnor 140and 160-pound washer-extractors, a 180pound ADC dryer, and a Chicago® Comet flatwork ironer.

The Laundromat turns 7 in March, and LBN Linens has been operating nearly six years.

“We started that pretty quickly after we started hiring attendants for the Laundromat, just to fill the void when they weren’t doing wash-dry-fold,” Wisecup says. “It was a great revenue-producing source because the employees were on salary and they weren’t always busy for 40 hours a week. The labor, which is one of the biggest expenses in the commercial (side), was already in place and built into the revenue model of the Laundromat itself.”

Wisecup says LBN Linens started small with gyms, salons, physical therapy centers, and a nursing home: “Very simple, easy stuff to do. It doesn’t really take a lot of chemicals to get sweat out of towels.”

Since expanding and dedicating space to commercial accounts, LBN nows also serves 50 restaurants.

He employs a staff of 10, including

(Photo: © iStockphoto/PeopleImages)

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TWIN SPRAY

It’s a good time to be in the self-service laundry business as the strength of the economy continues to push the industry in a positive direction. 2018 has seen store owners taking advantage of this forward momentum. In a recent survey, 38% of respondents either planned on or had already added some type of equipment to their mix, with 38.9% of those purchasing some type of front-load machine.*

While upgrades are being considered, owners are taking an interest in remote laundry management technology. Increasing operational efficiency is an area consistently identified as an opportunity for growth. High utility costs and maintenance are two of the biggest challenges owners face, and can have a noticeable impact on the bottom line, which is why many owners are including machines with advanced capabilities in their revamped store setup.

New machines provide better water and energy efficiency, delivering utility savings; those with advanced WiFi capabilities also allow owners to see realtime data on machines to help keep their business running at optimal capacity. The positive effect on potential profit opportunities makes the initial investment to upgrade worth it.

The increasing diversity of the target audience is driving demand for additional

payment alternatives as well. Cash continues to be the preferred method in coin stores; however, the desire for card alternatives is rising. A 20172018 survey indicated that 65% of respondents currently operate coin-only stores, with 6.9% running card-only stores, but 27.8% providing both options. These stores, known as hybrid stores, as well as those with only card readers both saw an increase from the previous year.* This increase derives from the demographic of users continuing to lean towards going cashless.

LISTENING TO THE DEMAND

Industry growth provides big benefits to self-service laundry store owners, but expanding customer demands have left manufacturers with additional expectations to fulfill.

Those expectations are driving many manufacturers to invest in product advancements to address the current industry needs. For instance, the recent acquisition of the Fall River manufacturing facility by Whirlpool Corporation gave Maytag® Commercial Laundry the opportunity to “allow for flexibility and nimble product offerings,” according to Raul Rincon, Fall River plant director.

This includes a state-of-the-art production line to produce their new customizable, rigid- and soft-mount multi-load washers. Leaning into the more sophisticated manufacturing capabilities, they approached the advanced design with both the store owner and end user in mind, developing a durable line with advanced features and programmability capability.

A cloud-based, wireless management system was designed to let owners manage their laundry facilities remotely and receive real-time machine data and insight** “to help business owners focus on increasing operational efficiency

and profitability,” says Nick Koukourakis, Senior Product Development Manager of Whirlpool Corporation Commercial Laundry. That data also allows store owners to know how the machines are performing, giving them the ability to more quickly schedule any needed maintenance and keep their business running at full capacity.

Extending efficiency beyond laundry management, Maytag tackled improving usability by incorporating a 4.5-inch intuitive LCD screen into their multi-load machine. Designed to guide users through various settings, the LCD interface encourages a more seamless laundry process to help with customer satisfaction.

The new multi-load design has also made it clear that Maytag® Commercial Laundry understands

optimizing profitability is always at the forefront of self-service laundry business decisions. Offering customizable controls, owners can set cycle pricing and utilize several other revenue-generating options to help them get the most out of their machines. Paired with the power of 200or 400-G forces which sets the load up for quicker drying and faster turnaround, the Maytag® Multi-Load Washer is crafted to help maximize revenue with every turn. In addition, the new configure-to-order machine provides payment options for the increasingly varied customer base. Coin-operated machines satisfy traditional customers while card readerready machines provide an alternative for those who don’t carry cash. Card readerready machines aren’t tied to quarter denominations, providing an opportunity for variable pricing which could lead to increases in profit margin as well.

MORE THAN MULTI-LOAD

Even though 2018 has seen a focus on the front-load machine, there’s still a strong need for other laundry solutions. The Maytag® Commercial Laundry lineup is a testament to this. With decades of experience, Maytag has been able to “…focus on designing and engineering equipment which address today’s coin laundry needs for operational efficiency, reliability, and advanced technology,” says Koukourakis. That’s clearly showcased by the full line of washer and dryer offerings. Whether top-, front-, or multi-load, they’re all designed to deliver what’s come to be expected of Maytag® Commercial Laundry – dependable, powerful results.

To learn more about the full line of Maytag® Commercial Laundry solutions, visit maytagcommerciallaundry.com.

THE LCD INTERFACE ENCOURAGES A MORE SEAMLESS LAUNDRY PROCESS.

three part-timers. There is a plant manager responsible for processing and handling the commercial accounts, two attendants doing wash-dry-fold work, and everyone else works on the commercial side.

As his company embarked on handling commercial accounts, Wisecup says it was important to decide which accounts to take on based on their processing needs.

“They’re good, small accounts. If you do wash-dry-fold, you can squeeze a couple in and not fall behind too bad. Handling the medical stuff, we’ll leave that to the 100% dedicated linen companies that are properly set up and have the staff safeguards.”

Liz Snowdon is director of operations for Get Fresh Laundry, a 1,200-squarefoot facility in Vancouver, B.C., that offers walk-in, commercial and other laundry services. For a decade, the company has processed goods for hotels, sports teams, massage clinics, shelters, bakeries, churches and other commercial accounts. The selfservice and the commercial aspects of the business are “viewed and treated as separate entities,” she says.

Huebsch equipment utilized by Get Fresh’s walk-in customers includes 10 front-load washers (six 20s, two 30s and two 40s) and 10 dryers (six 30s and four 45s). A 75-pound Milnor washer-extractor and 55-pound Wascomat dryer are exclusive to the commercial business.

The pursuit of commercial accounts was done “for the consistency of workflow,” adds Snowdon, who employs a staff of 12.

“It helps keep everybody busy and buzzing with things to do. (It) helps the customers feel more comfortable when they are dropping off their laundry, seeing all the work going on, which gives them a feeling that we know what we are doing. We then don’t just rely on walk-in customers, we have something to fall back on.”

DEGREES OF SEPARATION

Szczotka says he made the decision to brand New Wave’s commercial laundry portion separately from the Laundromat “right out of the box.”

“We actually created a different logo (for New Wave Laundry Services). We also wrapped our van with that logo, and we made up business cards that were completely different from our Laundromat, that made it look more sterile and professional. … That’s how we were able to brand it. Even though it was still ‘New Wave,’ it actually had the appearance of being more of an industrial-type laundry rather than us actually taking it to a Laundromat.”

There is some physical separation between the two operations, but it is not complete.

“The flatwork ironer, as well as one of the 30-pound washers, are in an area where (Laundromat) customers do not have access,” Szczotka says. “The washer is for anything that comes in that has body fluids on it. We actually increase the water temperature—I run my Laundromat at 128 degrees but going into that machine, I can go up to 165 degrees. With temperature as well as chemistry, I can satisfy anything that I need to as far as the body fluids go.”

The flatwork ironer is used primarily for party rental (tablecloths and chair covers), including wholesale work for several dry cleaners.

“I believe I was one of the first, if not the first, to put a flatwork ironer in my Laundromat,” he says. “I thought it could stimulate some extra opportunities, and it turned out to be correct. I could never get party rental (work), never cash in, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas with all of the fancy tablecloths and that.”

The commercial laundry operates during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Szczotka says, while the store remains open for self-service customers until 9:30 each night.

“My (commercial) accounts are done toward the back of the store, where I have an aisle that has five 50-pounders and four 20s, then six stack dryers. It’s very easy for us to block off that portion of the store [using retractable rails]. During the day, I don’t have as much activity as I do late afternoon, evening and weekend hours. It’s never created a conflict with any of my walk-in business, customers not having access to empty machines during normal working hours Monday through Friday.”

In Wisecup’s case, walk-in customers may not even be wise to the LBN Linens commercial side.

“If you would look at it (from the outside), you would not see any signage for the commercial. There is a garage door. If the garage door is all the way up, you would see the OPL operation. If the door is down, you could easily not even know it exists back there.”

While there is a clear physical plant separation, he says light commercial goods received are treated like wash-dry-fold and attendants process them in the coin-op equipment. But the staff is careful to not cause problems for its walkin clientele.

“I work it into the operation as I need to. I’m infringing on the rights of my self-service customers, so they have the right to use those machines before we do,” Wisecup says. “If we get a lull, we’ll run them right through. … I don’t want somebody to come to me and say, ‘There are no dryers,’ but I’ve got six (commercial account) tickets sitting in dryers.”

He says The Laundry Basket never sections off or ropes off machines from walkin use.

At Get Fresh Laundry, commercial laundry work is handled in the back area of the store, separated by a wall.

“The equipment in the back set up for commercial work, i.e. 75-pound (washer-) extractor and the 55-pound dryer, are strictly for commercial account work and not for (walk-in) customer use,” says Snowdon. “We are in the process of upgrading and restructuring our older machines with highefficiency equipment, which will help our bottom line.”

The Get Fresh staff will use the coin-op equipment should commercial volume and deadlines warrant it, she says, working in between the customers’ rush time and slow times. “Otherwise, we use the equipment set up in the back area or stay open after the store is closed or come in earlier.”

As for the marketing of self-service and commercial operations, Szczotka, Wisecup and Snowdon each say they do so separately.

“You wouldn’t be targeting the same people,” Wisecup adds.

The three also say that taking on commercial accounts has been beneficial to their businesses in a variety of ways.

“I really believe that operators who own Laundromats and go into the commercial business, the utilization of the capital investment for the equipment, being able to turn those wheels more frequently because of commercial (work) will dramatically increase not only the profitability but the price if they ever want to sell that business,” Szczotka says.

“Embrace the small commercial accounts like you would a wash-dry-fold customer, but you’re giving them door-to-door service, so you charge a premium for that,” Wisecup says. “They can be very beneficial.” ACO

“The flatwork ironer, as well as one of the 30-pound washers, are in an area where (Laundromat) customers do not have access.”

—’Stucky’ Szczotka

GOIN’ WITH COHEN

So Colorful SoCal:

Touring a litany of Western stores awash in murals

by Laurance Cohen

when it comes to enhancing the customer experience.

Chances are you wouldn’t spend the bulk of your waking hours in Southern California visiting laundries. But if you’re “Goin’ with Cohen,” you bypass the beaches and skip the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The GPS is set for strip centers, not the Sunset Strip.

Seeking out coin-op hidden gems tucked away in the sun-drenched coastal counties of Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego is quite daunting. After all, we’re talking about a store roster that hits four digits spread across the nation’s second most populous metro area and its sprawling rival just north of the Mexican border.

Zig-zagging from Burbank to Buena Park, from Claremont to Chula Vista, I crossed the threshold of 169 stores during a one-week span. Number 170 — named No Poop Stains — was thrown out for being strictly drop-off.

Coin-ops here mirror much of the country. The washers are still washers and the dryers are still dryers. But what sets many apart is their SoCal style, where walls rule and customers chill.

PLENTY OF ONE-UPSMANSHIP

My last extended visit to Los Angeles was in 1994 to chronicle the rebirth of a coin laundry burned to the ground during the ’92 riots. Back then, L.A.’s inner-city neighborhoods were reeling. Today, they’re positively humming.

South Central and Koreatown — two areas that bore the brunt of the civil unrest — underwent a renaissance and now spoil residents with an impressive lineup of megastores that sets a new high bar

In Orange County, where the urban fabric stretches out on a grid toward mountain canyons, coin laundry appears to be in a tug of war between old school and new school. Top loaders continue to attract quarters at well-maintained unattended stores, which

vie for trade just down the street from front loader-dominated laundries outfitted with all the bells and whistles.

Across San Diego and points south, self-service laundries are responding to an ever-changing landscape by pumping water — and money — into gentrified neighborhoods and bustling corridors just north of the U.S.-Mexico border.

One can’t spend time in Southern California without giving thought to the wall. No, not the border wall—the laundry wall. SoCal’s coin-op scene is awash with murals. The displays are dazzling, with many meticulously hand-painted while others employ custom-printed wallpaper as the medium.

Decoratively framed skylights and a hand-painted mural inspired by a Parisian bistro invite customers for a relaxing fold at 8th Street Lavanderia’s dryer aisle. (Photos by Laurance Cohen)

▲

Los Angeles operator Jetsada Wee inherited walls decorated with hand-painted murals offering a taste of “Paree” at the 8th Street Lavanderia.

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GOIN’ WITH COHEN

Jazzed-up perimeters do more than add warmth and provide a visual escape from the monotony of folding baby clothes. The art appears to have a calming effect on the already laid-back clientele.

When it comes to treating customers with wall treatments, there’s plenty of oneupmanship. Just when you think you’ve seen a jaw-dropper, another stops you in your tracks.

In Buena Park, one store’s perimeter is lined with three-dimensional cutouts depicting a nighttime urban landscape of mid-rise buildings. At the competition a stone’s throw away, every bit of wall is painted up with a tribute to the marvel of transportation, taking one from the horse-drawn stagecoach to the iron horse Southern Pacific Railroad locomotive and, finally, to the horsepower of aviation.

An elephant mural takes center stage at a kids’ corner in San Diego while a floorto-ceiling undersea adventure awaits tots in Anaheim.

The off-the-wall laundry décor scheme is played up around The City of Angels as well, filling the void above dryer banks with dinosaurs in Inglewood, café life in Koreatown and a pastoral landscape in South Los Angeles.

APPRECIATING AN ARTISTIC TOUCH

Saturday morning brings both hawkers selling jeans and those needing to wash

them out to the streets of Central L.A.’s Vermont Avenue corridor, home to arguably one of the region’s greatest concentrations of self-service laundry. If you want to play ball here, you better put your money where your mouth is and plant the biggest iron on the biggest floor. Capacity along this stretch is gauged not in poundage, but in tonnage.

earth tones blend with custom-print wallpaper to deliver a sophisticated and comfortable vibe at Caffé Laundry 24 in L.A.’s Koreatown neighborhood.

hanging shirts and matching up socks as they chill out next to the hot tumblers. Just like the caricatures above, nobody below seems in a rush to bag up their clothes and head home.

Just off Vermont is the 8th Street Lavanderia, where you’re met with a cart and a smile when pulling into the lot. Ferrying loads car door-to-machine door was a creature comfort operator Jetsada Wee introduced more than a year ago as part of his quest “to provide the community with a good, clean and safe place for everyone to do their laundry.”

While the valet service treats patrons on the outside, the experience doesn’t end once indoors. Here, amid the beehive of activity on the floor, is a faux bistro serving diners as they relax amid a flowing fountain and blooming flowers — a wee taste of “Paree” captured in a hand-painted mural atop 8th Street’s stack dryers. The artisan’s work, which the owner inherited from the store developer, is capped by decoratively framed skylights softly bathing the finishing area with morning sun.

Customers leisurely go about

The stunning artwork gets a thumbsup from one regular who tells me she gravitates to the south end of the extended tabletop to fold in close proximity to her favorite white standard poodle.

Over at Caffé Laundry 24, an 8,400-square-foot goliath offering 96 washers and 112 dryer pockets just north of Koreatown’s Wilshire and Vermont crossroads, owner Jay Min’s staff keeps a watchful eye out for new arrivals with an army of carts and curbside-assisted unloading. Once whisked inside, patrons are welcomed with a rich, earth-tone scheme punctuated with custom wallpaper treatments extending from the tumbler banks to the tall deck.

“I like to give customers a comfortable, sophisticated atmosphere and make them feel well-served at a nice place,” Min says of the venue made all the more inviting by expansive storefront windows drenching the aisles with sunlight.

Min enlisted the help of his nephew to

South Los Angeles store owner Henry Kim offered up the walls of his 24 Hour Coin Laundry as a blank canvas to a local artist to create a decorative backdrop featuring a window flower box and Spanish mission.

A mural depicting iconic South Gate, Calif., institutions adds a colorful touch above the main entry to SpinCycle Laundry Lounge.

Rich

GOIN’ WITH COHEN

coordinate the process of converting highresolution art prints to wallpaper, crafting them overseas in Korea, and then having them professionally installed by local contractor Eric Sunwoo.

The wall treatments, which portray leisure-time activities like sharing coffee and bicycling, adorn wide swaths of the L-shaped store and carried a $6,000 price tag, according to the owner.

In South Los Angeles, operator Henry Kim turned the walls of his 24 Hour Coin Laundry over to a local artist as a blank canvas and gave him carte blanche to create a backdrop. The result: a serene countryside with horses and other farm animals, along with renderings of window flower boxes and a Spanish mission.

Kim says his largely Latino customer base appreciates the artistic touch: “They grew up with it and they’re very happy.”

The 92-washer, 80-dryer store on South Avalon Blvd. is in its second year of operation. Kim tells me that his other laundry in Orange County might receive strokes of the paint brush in the near future.

Bringing on local artists to enhance Southern California’s self-service scene is something not lost on legacy distributor PWS-The Laundry Company, as evidenced by the colorful displays at the SpinCycle Laundry Lounge, a working model showplace store adjacent to PWS’ main offices.

“Back when we bought the building, I was walking by the southern portion

of the property and thought that a mural would really be a cool thing to give the building some character,” remarks Brad Steinberg, one of PWS’ co-presidents.

After admiring the work of muralist Don Lampkin, who had completed a project in neighboring Downey, Steinberg put his skills to work again.

“The mural showed off the history of the city and I thought it would be nice to do the same thing in South Gate,” he says.

Lampkin painted a smaller version of his depiction of iconic local institutions before toiling six weeks to carry it through to portions of the laundry’s entry and exterior. Today, the original painting hangs inside Steinberg’s residence.

Expressing civic pride through murals was also in evidence as I journeyed south to San Diego, stopping in at The Laundry Room in the University Heights neighborhood, where veteran owner Maurice Burrell commissioned a local artist to celebrate the community and capture the rejuvenation of the west end of one of California’s classic thoroughfares — El Cajon Boulevard.

As part of his store’s own makeover six years ago, Burrell brought in Clayton Parker to add vivid color to a wall with the artist’s interpretation of the portion of El Cajon where the coin-op calls home. Occupying prime space along the rear portion of the fullservice laundry, the mural uses the modern shopping plaza as its focal point and portrays generations of vehicles motoring along the boulevard rich in history.

Burrell says the work contributes to the warm, inviting theme of the store by offering patrons

a rare perspective of where University Heights once was and where it is now: “They will often gaze at it for a few minutes, just taking it in.”

Timing my visit over a weekend affords me a front-row seat to see laundries in San Diego and points south at full throttle. The two-day, 80-store route meant getting a jump on traffic and arriving at daybreak with the early-morning regulars.

Before much of National City’s Plaza Boulevard commercial corridor served its first customers, the handful of laundries on both sides of the 805 freeway were already on their second wave of incoming wash.

The occupied parking stalls outside Euclid Laundry piqued my interest. Stepping through the doorway, I was immediately transported out of the Paradise Valley neighborhood to the Mediterranean coast. Archways framing unparalleled views along the Italian Riviera grace the perimeter of this 3,000-square-foot beauty. Owner Ed Levine sets me straight, saying the panorama was assembled with wallpaper.

My walk-through of the aisles housing 95 impeccably maintained washers and dryer pockets draws curious stares from a family tending to shirts pulled from the stainless steel tumblers. They inquire as to why I keep looking up at the walls and bumping into tables and carts.

“What, you’ve never seen people fold near the sea?” one of them cries out.

I smile and nod. “I have now.” 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.

The modern shopping plaza housing The Laundry Room in San Diego serves as the focal point of a mural portraying generations of vehicles motoring along the famed El Cajon Boulevard.

Archways framing picturesque views along the Italian Riviera grace the perimeter of Euclid Laundry in National City, Calif.

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POINTERS FROM PAULIE B

THE IMPORTANCE OF ROUTINE MAINTENANCE

Do you cringe at the sight of “Out of Order” signs hanging on your machines? Do you want to cut down on emergency service calls in your store as much as possible? Do you want your Laundromat— mat, for short—to be prosperous with as many happy customers as possible?

Then you need to be proactive and stay ahead of problems by doing preventative maintenance.

Sooner or later, every piece of equipment in your mat will eventually break down. It’s not if but when. You can dramatically slow down machine failures if you stay current on your maintenance. Mat veterans know that the majority of headaches occur because of a lack of maintenance.

It seems ironic that so many are attracted to our industry because they feel running a Laundromat is “an easy part-time business.” The reality is that a mat is a store that is packed with sophisticated equipment. If you were to add up all the functioning parts in any given mat, they would add up to thousands! Solenoids, switches, valves, gears, motors, hinges, water hoses, drain lines, air hoses…I could go on and on.

Did you know that, at any given moment, there are at

least 5,000 planes flying over the U.S. alone? How many times do you hear of a plane crash due to mechanical failure? Rarely. Why? Because the airlines perform lots of preventative maintenance!

If you commit yourself to doing some routine maintenance, it will be time well spent!

Here are some tips:

KEEP A REPAIR RECORD

If you want to emulate the excellent record of the airline industry keeping thousands of planes up in the air, then do what it does: keep a logbook of every repair. You will be able to spot trends of frequent failures and stay ahead of them. A logbook can also help you see how much money you are spending on a particular machine, and help you order the right amount of parts to keep in stock.

Your logbook can be as simple as buying a spiral notebook and devoting a page to each piece of equipment in your mat. The machine headlines the page, and the lines beneath it will occupy your repairs along with the dates. Or, you can keep it on your computer cloud. A logbook is also useful if you have repairs under warranty.

Don’t forget to list other equipment such as your boiler, A/C units, and vending equipment.

PAY ATTENTION TO UNUSUAL NOISES

After a while, we get to know exactly how our store should sound. When I would walk in to my stores, I expected to hear a generally low-level symphony of properly functioning machines. It was a thing of beauty.

If something was wrong, such as a bra wire sticking through a hole in a washer basket, I would be alerted to that issue by the telltale scraping. If I got to it right away, I could usually pull it out of the basket without even removing the front panel and before it dropped down to the drain valve to cause damage.

If you ignore the unusual noises, they will come back to haunt you with a more serious problem.

Despite there being more than 5,000 commercial airliners in the skies over the U.S. at any given time, the author attributes the low number of crashes due to mechanical failure to the airline industry’s focus on preventative maintenance.

(Graphic: © iStockphoto/ihorzigor)

CHECK EVERYTHING WHEN YOU OPEN UP A MACHINE

This may sound like common sense, but I know some

Paul Russo

POINTERS FROM PAULIE B

operators who don’t bother. They just want to get in and out of their mat as quickly as possible. A little more time spent will cause less problems down the line.

Example: If you have to fix a water valve by changing a diaphragm, why not change all of the diaphragms while you’re at it? If one diaphragm failed, the others are sure to follow a few months down the line. After all, you took the time to climb over the washer, brought your tools to the washer, and opened it up, so what does it cost to change five diaphragms instead of one? A few bucks and a few minutes more, yes, but you won’t have another water valve problem with that washer for a long time.

RECOGNIZE THAT LINT IS THE ENEMY OF ALL LAUNDROMATS

Removing lint is the most important preventative maintenance you can do to avoid calamity! Accumulated lint can cause fires and floods.

When I first started out a long time ago, I learned this lesson the hard way. I was into my second mat, plus I had just started a plastic bag business. I was too busy, so I neglected my mats.

Then one afternoon, my attendant called me in a panic. She said the store was on fire! She said she tried to stop it with the fire extinguisher, but it raged out of control. The fire department responded quickly and put it out, but it was too late.

By the time I got there, the store had water damage all over, it smelled terribly of smoke, and I could see the sky while standing inside the store! Half the store had burned down.

So what happened? Fire officials said a dryer motor gave off an electrical spark and ignited the 1/8-inch layer of lint on the dryer backs that I had allowed to accumulate! If that layer of lint hadn’t been back there, the spark would have just died out. It was a hard lesson that I’ve never forgotten!

Lint can also cause floods. Most of us know this from obstructions in washer drains that quickly accumulate into a “lint ball” that literally can stop the machine from draining. A customer opens the door and a nice waterfall spills out all over the floor, creating a shock hazard as well as a slip hazard.

So stay ahead of your drain obstructions by using a flashlight. Once a week (or more often if you wish), open all your washer doors and shine the flashlight down through the holes in the basket. You will be able to visualize the drain opening at the bottom of the tub.

I have found many credit cards, transit cards, competitor loyalty cards, bra wires, even an occasional nylon sock before they made it down into the drain valve.

You’ll also want to routinely snake your drain lines. Once I

started snaking my cast-iron drain lines once a year, the emergency floods stopped. If you do this once a year and still experience a backup, then increase the frequency.

If you have PVC drains, you may not need to do this as often. Cast-iron drain lines, with their pitted surface, require more routine snaking. However, if your horizontal drain lines have a long run with a shallow pitch, even PVC can accumulate a layer of sand, nails and coins.

Lint can also play havoc with your dryers.

Not only must you keep your lint screens clean, but lint can also accumulate quickly in dryer motors, under sail switches, or on temperature probes (risk of fire here due to lint insulating the probe, which makes the dryer think that it’s colder than it is and causes it to crank up the heat).

Most operators use vacuums, but I preferred to don a Tyvek jumpsuit, mask and goggles, and use an air compressor with a couple of 50-foot hoses attached to an air gun with a 24-inch extension.

I went behind the dryers and blasted lint out of every nook and cranny, pushing it along like a landscaper will do with leaves. This can be completely done with a whole bank of dryers in just a few minutes. I also blasted the dryer motors while I was back there, because lint is a common cause of dryer motor failure.

Obviously, this cleaning should be done when the store is closed. In the case of a 24/7 operation, close that particular bank of dryers while you do this.

Don’t forget to open, inspect and clean your dryer ductwork once a year, as needed. Airflow, or lack of it, is a common cause of dryer issues.

Make sure the backdraft dampers are functioning properly.

An example of a Metrocard transit card loitering over the drain hole in one of Russo’s washers. (Photo by Paul Russo)

POINTERS FROM PAULIE B

If your dryers are vented into a common duct, a stuck damper is a common cause of moisture on a neighboring dryer door glass.

THE ‘KISS’ PRINCIPLE

KISS, meaning “Keep it simple, stupid,” applies wonderfully to running a Laundromat.

Remember what I said about a mat being packed with sophisticated equipment? I believe the more bells and whistles you have, the more things can go wrong and sap your money, attention and time.

Technology has revolutionized our business, but it is a double-edged sword. You have to take the time to learn how to keep up, and you also can get more headaches.

I once installed a vended computer kiosk. On paper, it looked like a great customer draw, and I could make a few bucks. Reality was that kids and other “ne’er-do-wells” enjoyed pulling out the wires, turning the screen upside-down, watching porn, and other stuff. I was fixing the computer at least three times a week!

On the other hand, installing an ATM and Wi-Fi were some of my best decisions.

When thinking about adding something, try to think about what bad issues could crop up. It may or may not be worth it after you do your due diligence. It’s all about balance.

Even the ATM, which was an excellent money-maker for me, did require some of my time. Not much, but every minute adds up. After all, both ATMs and Wi-Fi routers do go down occasionally.

ADDRESS YOUR OTHER EQUIPMENT

Let’s not forget about maintaining your boiler. Depending on your system, you may need to do a few things. For instance, if you still use water heaters, you will want to flush the tank every six months. After a couple of years, you may want to replace the sacrificial anode, a zinc rod that your water will attack and decay instead of your tank lining. I’ve seen anodes pulled out of tanks that were almost completely eroded away to nothing. Once the anode is gone, the water turns its attention to eating the tank.

On gas heat exchangers, you may want to pull the exhaust off and take a peek at it (always shut the unit off first). Do you see any accumulation of ash or soot? Are the flames nice and blue, not yellow? Contrary to popular opinion, gas units can accumulate soot if the flames are way out of balance. It may need to be cleaned and/ or the manifold air/gas ratio may need adjustment.

Tankless units occasionally need to be flushed, and screens (if any) should be cleaned. Most of the country has hard water to some degree, so you may want to install a water softener to slow down the calcium and mineral deposits that can eventually clog up

a tankless unit. If your unit’s flow rate slows down, you probably have to descale it. Descaling videos can be found online.

Air conditioner condensers and HVAC units need to be cleaned if they are located on your roof near your dryer exhausts. I found I had to wrap mine with a mesh screen that was fine enough to keep the lint out. Regular window screening is not fine enough. After all, air conditioners have screens on their evaporators, so why not on their condensers.

Vending equipment may need to have their coin mechanisms cleaned once in a while. Lint gets into everything! I found that using compressed air works well. If they still reject too many coins, I’d spray a little powdered graphite in them as a last resort.

No one wants to do more work, or spend more money than they have to, but look at it this way: Taking the time to do preventative maintenance will actually save you time and money in the long run, not to mention that the number of emergency problems you deal with will drop dramatically. It’s an investment like any other.

It will keep your store humming nicely, which in turn makes your customers happy, which in turn brings you more customers, which in turn brings you more profit, which in turn raises the value of your Laundromat.

Paul Russo owned and operated multiple Laundromats in New York City for more than 40 years before retiring recently. He’s a regular on the Coin Laundry Association’s online forum, posting under the pseudonym “Paulie B.” He invites comments from readers at MyLaundromat@aol.com.

ACO

While most operators use vacuums to remove dryer lint, the author says he preferred donning a Tyvek jumpsuit, mask and goggles, and using an air compressor with a couple of 50-foot hoses attached to an air gun with a 24-inch extension to blast out every nook and cranny. (Photo courtesy Paul Russo)

PARTS ON HAND, REPAIR ABILITY KEEPS ’EM TURNING

Think for a minute about making the leap from renter to homeowner. So much upside. Your own little piece of the world; it’s all yours…free and clear…after a number of years of payments, of course. It’s awesome…until you encounter your first repair issue.

When that toilet starts leaking or the garage door opener doesn’t work, they aren’t the superintendent’s or someone else’s problem. Nope, these are all you. It’s sink or swim time. You either dig in and figure it out with a little help from the web or you grit your teeth, open the checkbook and call a professional. The latter can be pricey.

Bottom line is that homeowners either get used to shelling out for professionals to come and make repairs or they learn to identify the small repairs they can tackle and which ones require a bit more expertise.

The same holds true in the vended laundry world. Owners switch on the “Open” sign and from that point on, they can either learn to make repairs and swap out wearable parts or get used to devoting a portion of revenues to visits from service personnel.

Some stores see as many as 20 turns per day. With that kind of volume, parts will quickly wear and owners will encounter their share of user-created issues. Being able to diagnose issues and make light repairs will keep the profits high, as will knowing when a repair is over your head and a call to a service professional is the best course of action.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

I’d be remiss in a column about service if I didn’t stress the importance of performing regularly scheduled maintenance. On the drying side, alone, I’d say 20% of service calls are a direct result of a lack of maintenance. Delinting and checking venting on a regular basis (every six months) will help avoid service calls.

Second, before even putting that cordless driver up to the machine to remove a panel, always make sure to cut power to the machine. Remember, this business has plenty of water around and it’s easy to get shocked.

REPAIRS AND PARTS 101

I recommend owners of busy laundries have a variety

of parts on hand and be able to make simple repairs. Machines that are down are not making money. This is something all owners should seek to avoid.

A solid on-hand parts inventory should include belts, hoses, pumps, drain valves and water inlet valves. And I think it’s important that replacement parts also be genuine factory replacement. From my seat, it removes any uncertainty about the quality, as it is the same standard as the stock one already in the unit. On the tool side, a cordless driver with Phillips head will leave you in good position to remove most panels along with sockets (5/16 inch is pretty widely used) and crescent wrenches.

Being able to swap out these parts if there’s a failure or issue is the second half of the equation. Replacing a belt is roughly a 10-minute fix. Though I have heard of owners who encounter an issue with the basket not turning and go through a variety of other repairs before realizing the belt broke. So the point of the story is not just being able to make the repair, it’s being able to do some basic troubleshooting to zero in on the root cause.

For instance, the water inlet valve failure is a pretty simple one. If you hear water trickling into the washer when it’s off, it’s quite likely that the diaphragm is torn and the valve needs replacing. Other signs might include lower water pressure or if sections of the soap box are not getting fully rinsed out. This is a roughly 20- to 25-minute repair and something most owners can tackle.

Drain valves are similarly easy to key in on. If you notice fill times are getting longer or you hear water draining out while in a fill, the drain valve has either failed or there is an obstruction (such as a bra wire or credit card) keeping it from fully closing. If the part has failed, again, it’s about a 25-minute repair.

I recommend owners switch out hoses every year. This is a low-dollar insurance policy that will save them a call from the attendant or a customer that their store has become a pond.

The nice thing about some of today’s modern equipment is that troubleshooting is made infinitely easier, as the machine control can alert staff and owners to issues. Still, it’s important that attendants be educated on what signs to look for, so issues can be caught before they result in lost resources (leaking water) or significant downtime.

Ruben Garcia

NEVER STOP LEARNING

Equipment is constantly changing, so it never hurts to brush up on your knowledge and increase the number of repairs you can make. For example, at PWS, we offer service schools four times a year where owners can learn about service tasks such as changing out a coin drop.

Such schools are an excellent way to stay current and expand your troubleshooting and repairs knowledge base. Likewise, there is a wealth of experience and technical knowledge on coin laundry forums. However, if you find yourself out of your element, always lean on your authorized distributor’s technical service personnel to ensure the repair is made quickly and downtime is reduced.

IN CLOSING

Owners who have a solid understanding of their laundry’s

machines and can perform troubleshooting/make simple repairs can help keep their business running at maximum revenue potential. But they also need to know when they are in over their head and it’s time to call a professional.

It’s a simple cost/benefit analysis. If you can make the repair quickly and efficiently, do so. However, if the issue involves extended downtime and you can’t get to it immediately, calling a professional will get you back online faster. Your time is often better served managing and marketing the business than being chief service officer. Be handy but thoughtful in the repairs you take on. ACO

Ruben Garcia is the parts manager at PWS - The Laundry Company, a Speed Queen distributor based in Southern California. Garcia has more than 22 years of service and parts experience, and can be reached at rgarcia@pwslaundry.com.

Maytag® Commercial Laundry has introduced the newest innovation to its full lineup of solutions, the Maytag® Multi-Load Washer.

Designed to continually handle large, heavy loads of laundry turn after turn, the Maytag® Multi-Load Washer can be configured in hundreds of different ways, allowing owners and property managers to choose among different water heating, electrical connection, controls, drain, water inlet, and construction options, the manufacturer says.

“The Maytag® Multi-Load Washer represents an extraordinary addition to our product portfolio that continues to deliver compelling solutions to customers and the industry,” says Trey Northrup, general manager of commercial laundry for Whirlpool Corp. “We have listened to our customers — what they need and want from a multi-load machine — and we believe the new Maytag® Multi-Load Washer delivers on those requests and more.”

The rigid- and soft-mount washers are

assembled on a dedicated production line in Fall Rivers, Mass., and are available in 20- to 65-pound sizes. The washers are engineered to deliver G-forces of 200 for rigid-mounts and 400 for soft-mounts to achieve maximum extraction and help prevent unbalanced loads.

The Maytag® Multi-Load Washer is backed by a limited parts warranty: 10/5 years for the vended market.

Product features include:

Powerful Drive System and Wash Unit — Designed with a Variable Frequency Drive System, and commercial-grade motor, the machine is built to give the power needed to run laundry operations efficiently and consistently, cycle after cycle. The drive system and wash unit comes complete with a 304 stainless-steel drum; commercial-grade, NSK bearings; hardened-steel shaft; cast-iron cross piece and hub; and cast-aluminum pulley, all to help increase machine longevity, and give owners the durability their facility needs to operate daily.

Intelligent Revenue-Generating Controls and Customizable Cycle Settings — The machine’s flexible controls help vended store owners increase profitability, and provide a more user-friendly experience. These enhanced controls allow customized setup, and each cycle and option can be priced individually or programmed for time-of-day

pricing, helping to maximize revenue. Plus, customers have the ability to select a preferred cycle and option based on individual wash needs. Additional cycle modifiers, including hotter temperatures or additional rinses, can also be priced individually to further allow control over optimizing revenue potential.

Maytag Connect 360°™ Technology Laundry Management System — With a Wi-Fi-enabled system, Maytag® Connect 360°™ Technology gives vended store owners the ability to manage their operations in real time, even when away. The intuitively designed software provides diagnostics, notifications, and revenue reports – to keep each machine working at full capacity.

Full-Color 4.5-Inch LCD Screen — Usertested for navigation and comprehension, the LCD screen provides ease of use to customers and operators, and owners have the option to display which cycle selections to display on each machine. Washers come equipped with five default cycles pre-programmed, but the owner can change them, rename them, or create up to 12 cycles of their own per machine.

“Each aspect of this machine from the solid construction to the intuitive control system is designed to provide flexibility and efficiency while allowing us to fulfill our promise of delivering dependability with each machine,” adds Northrup.

https://maytagcommerciallaundry.com | 800-662-3587

« MAYTAG® COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY INTRODUCES NEW MULTI-LOAD WASHER

Card and card readers use contactless technology. No inserts, no wear-and-tear. Simply place or present the card.

CASHLESS PAYMENT

T COIN MECHANISMS

he DebitKey system from Coin Mechanisms Inc. is a debit/credit cashless payment system designed to be used in place of coins and/or tokens as a payment method.

The system is based on a plastic key-shaped carrier with an embedded chip card integrated circuit. Three levels of coded security have been implemented to ensure that only correctly designated keys can access a location’s equipment, the maker says.

The system also includes a key reader that can be packaged in various faceplates or enclosures. The key reader may be equipped with a display that can be used to show information such as vend price or remaining key value.

Key readers are installed in each host machine that vends a product or service, such as washers and dryers. The reader interfaces to the host using various parallel and serial communication protocols.

Other attendant terminal devices, which require the presence of an attendant, are available to check and add value to customers’ keys, the company says.

www.coinmech.com 800-323-6498

IMONEX CLEARTOKEN

monex ClearToken says it has introduced a hybrid multi-coin smartphone pay coin drop to enhance the customer experience in vended and multi-housing laundry operations.

In addition to coins and tokens, the smartphone’s built-in Bluetooth technology can now be employed to speed customers through vended transactions while providing operators a cost-efficient gateway to build and track revenue, Imonex ClearToken says.

Designed to accommodate new machines and retrofits, the hybrid model combines multiple payment formats in the simplicity of a coin drop while avoiding burdensome external devices and network infrastructure.

ClearToken’s Apple and Android app functions as a secure

SETOMATIC SYSTEMS

SpyderWash is a complete management system with all the tools necessary to give laundries a competitive edge, maker Setomatic Systems says. It also gives laundries better control over wash-dry-fold business and potentially saves them hours each week trying to keep track of attendants.

SpyderWash gives laundry customers the ability to use all payment options at the washer/dryer, including coin, loyalty cards, credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay.

There are new loyalty programs available. Customers can use their credit/debit card to participate and earn free washes, Setomatic says. If they choose to register, they can track their usage and see their progress to the next free wash.

Through the SpyderWash Web Portal, owners receive full accountability of all payments, including coin. Customers can purchase cards and add value to cards using a cost-effective kiosk, and funds can also be added to cards through a user-friendly online portal or mobile app. Otherwise, customers can simply use their credit/ debit card or Apple/Samsung/Google Pay at the washer/ dryer without purchasing a loyalty card.

www.setomaticsystems.com 516-752-8008

electronic payment system through which self-loaded or attendant-loaded virtual credits are redeemable at the machines.

The proprietary, over-the-counter, cash-to-virtual credits and credit/debit card-to-virtual credits transaction format gives operators flexibility to eliminate or control merchant fees while offering bonus incentives to cash-based smartphone customers.

The new EM3 controller boasts multi-coin and smartphone pay capabilities along with optional coin plus phone telemetry to audit all machine revenue activity in real time.

The hybrid model is designed with built-in redundancy to operate with multi-coin and phone pay functioning.

www.imonexcleartoken.com 800-446-2719

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

ESD

ESD offers the “Slim,” the newest addition to the company’s line of Value Transfer Machines. The VTM is available for all card platforms manufactured by the company, ESD says.

The unit’s small footprint makes it ideal for both new stores and as an addition to any existing store location, as it requires little wall space. There is no cash acceptance so the unit is frontaccess, flush-mount, which makes it easy to be located in any area of the store. The model brings the most forms of cashless add value to a small-profile VTM, according to ESD.

The Slim provides for the acceptance of credit, PIN-based debit, and EBT (Electronic

MITECH INTEGRATED SYSTEMS

The Laundroworks system from Mitech Integrated Systems is cashless and coinless to the extent that customers use a contactless card to easily start laundry machines. But even though its modern Value Add Center kiosk offers credit/debit card, ApplePay/GooglePay, and even EBT as cashless payment methods to reload the laundry card, the majority of customers prefer to use cold, hard cash as the payment method to reload their laundry card, the company says. Mitech believes a store owner’s goal should be to maximize a customer’s experience, while minimizing the effort to run the store. With the Laundroworks multilingual large touchscreen kiosk, customers can add money to a card in just five seconds and then use that card to instantly start a machine by tapping or presenting it to the contactless reader. It is remarkably quick and intuitive, Mitech says, so that anyone can use it. Best of all, quarters at the machine are not needed.

The Laundroworks system is fully (wirelessly) networked and controlled from the cloud. So even if a store owner is in Fiji, for example, they are able to get real-time diagnostics and reports, and to interact with the system by adding money to cards, setting time-of-day pricing, and more.

www.laundroworks.com 888-629-8620

Benefits Transfer) cards, the company says. In addition, the unit utilizes NFC technology to enable the acceptance of all mobile wallet payment methods, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

The terminal, which requires a high-speed Internet connection for all processing, is EMV hardware-ready.

Smart-card system store owners can also utilize the unit to generate Internet-based code revalue through a website hosted for the store owner.

www.esdcard.com 800-523-1510

LAUNDRYPASS

LaundryPass says the SLIM1024 is by far one of its most popular payment kiosk models. It features heavy-duty solid steel construction, a T-handle tubular lock with proprietary anti-vandal measures that protect against forced entry, and a specially designed access door with concealed hinges.

The SLIM design allows for an inconspicuous yet sleek look while being packed with many functional features.

The SLIM1024CD uses credit card as its payment method; the SLIM1024 is also available in a cashonly model.

Customer transactions are recorded on an RFID-encrypted contactless card, enabling fast and simple use. The SLIM1024 features a card dispenser with a 150-card capacity and a ribbon-free mechanism.

Each station comes outfitted with a bright two-line readout. The screen displays status, card balances and amount paid upon sensing a contactless card.

The unit is managed locally via a configuration keypad to control pricing and other features. LaundryPass’ cloud system offers a customer management portal and reporting options for a nominal monthly fee.

Add-value stations are designed to keep customers coming back using the built-in customer loyalty program. LaundryPass clients report revenue increases of 10% to as high as 50%, the company says.

www.laundrypass.com 855-870-5625

WASHCARD

WashCard says its Laundry Terminal allows operators to take cards the same day as installation.

With WashCard’s Laundry Terminal Card Reader, laundries can add card acceptance without having to lose cash and coins. In addition, they can accept mobile payments with the Pay By Phone mobile app. By scanning a QR code, customers can easily add funds to their units and start it all using their phone. With online account management, customers always know how they are spending their money.

With an average wireless install time of 15 minutes per machine, the downtime to having credit card-ready systems is “next to nothing,” the company adds.

WashCard’s software suite allows store owners to see every aspect of their business from anywhere in the world, including high-volume hours, credit/loyalty/mobile payment usage, and more. www.washcard.com 888-439-5740

CARD CONCEPTS INC. (CCI)

ard Concepts Inc. (CCI) released its FasCard system’s all-new F2 reader this year with several unique features. The full-color, 3.5-inch touchscreen display and five multi-color status LEDs allow customers to easily interact with machines and start their laundry via the easy-to-use interface.

The F2 reader can also monitor multiple coin inputs, manage two pockets of stack dryers, and is totally fieldrepairable with a completely modular design, CCI says.

Store owners can implement any number of powerful loyalty programs, manage their stores remotely and choose their own merchant processor. They will never experience service interruption with CCI’s Cellular Backup, the company says.

CCI says it doesn’t require a minimum card-reader purchase, so store owners can start with a few readers and add more over time. www.fascard.com 866-860-1660

GENESYS TECHNOLOGIES

The CryptoPay Credit Card System from Genesys Technologies is a secure, cost-effective, and easyto-install wireless credit card payment solution, the company says.

CryptoPay encrypts credit card data the moment the card is swiped and has a proven track record of secure transactions in both the Laundromat and car wash markets, Genesys says.

The system is designed to deliver low startup costs and the flexibility to equip additional machines as one’s budget allows, the company says. Transaction consolidation reduces processing fees by consolidating multiple customer credit card charges.

Data is accessed and analyzed using The MyCryptoPay Cloud-Based Site Management Tools, which allow operators to add new sites, remotely configure swipers, view Laundromat site status, and see recent credit card purchases from their home, office, or mobile device. www.getcryptopay.com 719-277-7400

BCC PAYMENTS

Built by laundry owners for laundry owners, The Laundry Boss from BCC Payments is a cloud-based payment and control system uniquely built for laundry and vending industries. The feature-rich system is convenient and efficient for customers, the company says, while providing powerful management tools to the store owner.

It will simplify business operations while improving efficiency and reducing costs, BCC says, and with no upfront costs to get started, it’s likely the most reasonable and valuable improvement one could make to their business.

The Laundry Boss’ real-time, web-based control and accounting is designed to provide complete accountability and better laundry business management, the company says. The system now comes with a new “Wash Dry Fold” application at no additional cost.

BBC Payments LLC, the parent company of The Laundry Boss system, provides setup, training and ongoing support to retail Laundromat owners and distributors.

www.bccpayments.com 888-823-6782

Distributors Gearing Up for Late Summer, Fall Shows

earing the end of summer and beginning of fall traditionally means a calendar full of opportunities for vended laundry owners and investors to attend distributor special events and open houses throughout the country.

Here is a brief rundown of events through October as reported to American Coin-Op Call, e-mail, or visit the website listed for registration information. In many cases, space is limited.

Sept. 8 — Coin-O-Matic Service School: Speed Queen Horizon Front Load Washer, Alsip, Ill.; 708-590-4925, http://coinomatic. com.

Sept. 11 — Laundrylux Service School Seminar on Crossover Only, Inwood, N.Y.; 800-645-2205, https://laundrylux.com/ event/service-school/ Sept. 12 — Laundrylux Level I Service School Seminar, Inwood, N.Y.; 800-6452205, https://laundrylux.com/event/serviceschool/

Sept. 14-15 — Gold Coin Laundry Equipment Annual Founder’s Day Sale, Jamaica, N.Y.; 888-411-0944, info@

goldcoinlaundry.com.

Sept. 15 — PWS Inc. 50th Anniversary Fall Show, Redwood City, Calif.; 650-8710300, www.pwslaundrywest.com

Sept. 18 — Western State Design Dexter Service School, Portland, Ore.; 800-6337153, ext. 301; www.westernstatedesign. com

Sept. 18-19 — Statewide Laundry Equipment Distributor Show, Kissimmee (Orlando), Fla.; 813-877-6434, www. statewidelaundry.com/expo.

Sept. 19-20 — BDS Laundry Product Show, Eagan, Minn.; 800-688-0020, info@ bdslaundry.com.

Sept. 20 — Laundry One Open House & Service School, Winchester, Ohio; 800800-0322, https://www.laundryone.com/ eventregistration.

Sept. 21 — PWS Inc. 50th Anniversary Fall Show, San Diego, Calif.; 858-560-6969, www.pwslaundrywest.com

Sept. 22 — PWS Inc. 50th Anniversary Fall Show, South Gate, Calif.; 800-4511161, www.pwslaundrywest.com Sept. 26 — Statewide Laundry

Equipment Distributor Show, Hialeah (Miami), Fla.; 305-624-5169, www. statewidelaundry.com/expo

Sept. 27 — Southeastern Laundry Equipment Open House, Marietta, Ga.; 800-522-9274.

Sept. 28-29 — Worldwide Laundry Service Seminar, Miami, Fla.; 305-4184030.

Oct. 2 — Western State Design Dexter Open House, Hayward, Calif.; 800-6337153, ext. 301; www.westernstatedesign. com

Oct. 4 — Western State Design Dexter Open House, Cerritos, Calif.; 800-6337153, ext. 301; www.westernstatedesign. com.

Oct. 23 — The Minnesota Chemical Co. Free Fall Show, Menomonee Falls, Wis.; www.minnesotachemical.com

Refer to the American Coin-Op Calendar at any time for the latest events information! Distributors may list their upcoming events there at no cost, subject to publisher approval. ACO

2018 RATES: One- to five-time rate: $2.70 per word, boldface $2.75 per word. Minimum charge: $25.00 per ad. Call or write for our three- and 12-time rates. If box number is used, add cost

of 5 words. Display classified rates are available on request. All major credit cards are accepted.

DEADLINE: Ads must be received by the 1st of the preceding month. For

example, for a June ad, the closing date is May 1st.

PAYMENT FOR CLASSIFIED ADS: Must accompany order.

Laundry Mechanic Wanted (954) 537-1643

Laundry Pro of Florida is the 2016 Dexter Distributor of the year. We are looking for new prospects to join our team. Come work where people vacation, in sunny Florida. We are seeking: • Proven Laundry Equipment Salesman Great work environment, highly competitive compensation, paid relocation expenses. Please respond in confidence to: Rjansen@laundryequipment.com

Fax: 212-656-1913 718-525-2266

PWS NAMED 2017 SPEED QUEEN DISTRIBUTOR OF YEAR

Speed Queen recently awarded its highest distributor honor, the 2017 Distributor of the Year, to PWS – The Laundry Company. The Los Angeles-based company has a rich history with Speed Queen and remains a prolific developer of vended laundries, having installed more than 16,000 Speed Queen machines in 2017.

“Co-presidents Brad Pollack and Brad Steinberg continue to be leaders not only in their market, but in the vended laundry industry as a whole,” says Steve Bowie, North American sales manager for Speed Queen. “They are committed to raising the image of Laundromats by developing stores that are not only beautiful, but also utilize advanced technology to streamline management and deliver a high-quality customer experience. This carries on a legacy that started 50 years ago.”

Companies interested in exhibiting at Clean are encouraged to contact the show manager as soon as possible to obtain an Exhibitor Prospectus. Clean 2017 exhibitors were given priority to book space, Riddle says, and more than 200 contracts already are in process. Space is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

More information is available at www.cleanshow.com

DEXTER GRADUATES SUMMER CLASS OF SALES ACADEMY

The summer 2018 class of Dexter University – Sales Academy recently graduated, says equipment maker Dexter Laundry.

“At PWS, we pride ourselves on the relationships we build with our clients by being trusted partners in their business,” says Steinberg. “This approach has truly been the strength of our company since its founding.”

“Winning the Speed Queen Distributor of the Year award the same year we celebrate our 50th anniversary is something the entire organization can be proud of,” Pollack says. “This is a company honor, and not the work of just a few.”

CLEAN 2019 EXHIBIT SALES, HOUSING OPEN

Exhibit sales are open for Clean 2019, the textile care industry’s premier trade show, scheduled for June 20-23, 2019, in New Orleans, according to show manager Riddle & Associates.

Hotel reservations can be made through Connections Housing (http://www.connections-housing.com/LandingPage/Clean2019. php), the official housing agency for Clean 2019. Clean Show management has arranged for exclusive discounts and special amenities at a variety of New Orleans hotels.

The class of distributor sales representatives representing five countries has more than 400 combined years of experience in the commercial laundry industry, the company says.

Dexter University is a week-long experience geared toward creating the best laundry sales representatives in the industry, the company says. The class spent time in both Dexter’s test lab and its factory, where craftsmen with a combined 1,800-plus years of experience build the company’s high-quality commercial washers and dryers.

WASHLAVA LAUNCHES 2ND EXCLUSIVELY APP-ENABLED LAUNDROMAT

Washlava, the mobile technology company that enables customers to reserve and pay for machines from their smartphone, reports it has opened the world’s second cashless, exclusively app-enabled Laundromat in New York’s Astoria neighborhood.

“By eliminating cash and connecting users to machines, we provide customers with a safer, faster, more convenient laundry experience,” says Todd Belveal, Washlava founder and CEO. “The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”

In addition to enabling mobile payments, the Washlava technology allows customers to find Washlava locations, see machine availability, reserve machines, get notified when their laundry is finished, get help if they need it, and more.

The first Washlava Laundromat launched in Tampa in July 2017. Today, that location is seeing revenue increases over 50% from the same time the year before, the company says.

Washlava technology can be found in Laundromats, colleges, apartments and hotels, and is available on the LG, Huebsch, Speed Queen, Maytag and Dexter brands of equipment. ACO

These distributor sales representatives comprise the summer 2018 graduating class of Dexter University – Sales Academy. (Photo: Dexter Laundry).

(From left) Jeff Bailey, senior West Region sales manager for Speed Queen Commercial; Brad Pollack, co-president of PWS; Brad Steinberg, co-president of PWS; and Steve Bowie, Speed Queen Commercial North American sales manager. (Photo: Alliance Laundry Systems)

“I came up with the location and vision. Continental and my distributor, Belson Company, partnered with me to execute the plan — making my dream reality. My Express Laundry Center is not only wildly successful, it’s extremely rewarding.”

- Steve Dietzen, Green Bay Express Laundry Center

Why did you choose an ESD system?

We obviously wanted a state-of-the-art card system that would give us a competitive advantage, but we also wanted a company that was as celebrated for their service and customer care as they are for their most successful products. ESD is the gold standard in the industry because of superior products, well-trained personnel, and outstanding customer service.

Brian Holland, Partner

In the purest sense of the word, we are “newbies” to the vended laundry arena - excited to be here, eager to play, hungry for knowledge, and humble enough to learn from anyone who is willing to offer guidance.

At the same time we have seasoned experience and battle scars from both corporate- and small business experiences in unrelated industries. While the industries are completely unrelated, the foundational business principals that they taught - Customer Service, Finance, Marketing, Sales, People Management, HR, Operations - are all directly relevant. Maybe we’re newbies with a little seasoning.

The Laundry Café is located in a fantastic destination location, but it is in a an internet challenged area of the city. ESD exceeded all our expectations by creating a wireless network even though none of the major internet providers were available. ESD has an internal team of IT professionals who customized our system to meet our needs, from design to installation.

Is there anything that surprised you about the ESD system?

I was pleasantly surprised at the managerial utilities. The reports are thorough, comprehensive,and seamlessly integrated. I can produce performance reports that track nearly everything. These are great for tracking your business and making informed adjustments for improvement.

Contact your local ESD distributor or ESD sales representative for more information.

What is your experience in the laundry industry?

Brian Holland & Tyrone Akins of

The Laundry Café

What are the unknown challenges that you faced with your new store? How has ESD’s system helped you to overcome these challenges?