American Coin-Op - December 2018

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TWIN SPRAY

GOIN’ WITH COHEN: HIT-N-RUN: THE ULTIMATE COIN-OP CONVENIENCE

This decades-old convenience store chain backed by self-service laundries and car washes is synonymous with fueling up and cleaning up.

TRENDS IN LAUNDRY FURNISHINGS

Today’s store owners are challenged with providing a comfortable yet durable environment for their self-service laundry guests. Chairs and tables made specifically for such surroundings are built tough, plus store designers can choose from a broad palette of colors and textures.

COIN-OP 101: UNIQUE STORE SITES

REQUIRE THOUGHTFUL APPROACH

While they may challenge a distributor to come up with a layout that makes sense, even buildings with unique former lives—fast food joint, aircraft hangar, mini-storage—can often work as a laundry, says Martin-Ray’s Craig McKinley.

NEWCOMER SOAK LAUNDRY CENTER OFFERS MULTIPLE SERVICES

Owner Michael Shaffer says he loves technology and is always looking for ways to do things more efficiently.

WITH

Laundromats are for cleaning laundry, therefore a mat must be clean, in and of itself, says retired store owner Paul Russo. You want to wow a customer when they walk in, not just visually with a clean, beautiful, welllaid-out store, but with what they can smell as well.

A CLOSER LOOK

Hit-N-Run convenience store staffer Sean Knight fulfills a request for a pair of drinks and delivers them curbside with a smile.

SEASON’S GREETINGS

ANOTHER ONE IN THE BOOKS

With this issue of American Coin-Op being our final edition for 2018, let me take this opportunity to wish you and your family season’s greetings.

It’s that time of year when holiday celebrations and observances dot the calendar. We arrive decked out in our finest as friends and family hosting the event welcome us in and make us comfortable.

The main features at the heart of this issue share some similarities with “dressing up” and “feeling at home.”

In Profitability by Design starting on page 8, we examine the need to balance form and function in store design—”dressing up”—to offer a fulfilling customer experience.

In Trends in Laundry Furnishings on page 22, we analyze the state of today’s self-service laundry seating, tables and other furnishings, and how retail or home furnishings trends—”feeling at home”—may or may not be influencing their design.

Beyond those stories, Laurance Cohen visits a south-central Illinois convenience store chain tied to self-service laundries and car washes, Paul Russo discusses dealing with odors in your store, and distributor rep Craig McKinley talks unique store sites in this month’s Coin-Op 101 column.

Plenty of goodies for you to unwrap this month, so get to it!

CASTING A LINE

The response to our American Coin-Op Podcast—with a new episode released every month—has been outstanding. At press time, my newest cast featured multi-store owner Brian Brunckhorst in Finding and Keeping Good Laundromat Employees. I’m working hard to secure great guests to discuss laundry ownership and operations topics that matter to you, but I could use your help.

What topics should American Coin-Op tackle in future podcasts? Drop me a line at bbeggs@atmags.com and tell me what industry-specific issues you’d like to hear featured.

I look forward to receiving your suggestions—and to seeing you back here next year.

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

Main: 312-361-1700

SUBSCRIPTIONS

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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, 650 West Lake Street, Suite 320, 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 12. Editorial, executive and advertising offices are at 650 West Lake Street, Suite 320, 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

YEAR-OVER-YEAR SELF-SERVICE LAUNDRY SALES UP FOR MANY

The U.S. economy appears strong, unemployment is at its lowest point in decades, and consumer confidence recently hit an 18-year high. But what do these positive economic indicators and the current business climate mean for self-service laundries?

This quarter’s Your Views survey was focused on year-over-year business. The opening question: Is your self-service laundry business generating more sales today that at this same time last year?

More than two-thirds of respondents—68.4%—say, “Yes, slightly more,” and another 10.5% say, “Absolutely, much more.” Approximately 11% say their business is generating the same amount of sales today as it did this time last year. The remaining 10.5% say their laundry is generating less in sales.

Those who are seeing greater sales this year overwhelmingly attribute it to an increased customer base (88.2%). Other factors seen as being responsible by sizable shares include increasing prices (35.3%), boosting marketing efforts (23.5%), offering additional services or extra-profit centers (17.7%) and decreasing competition (11.8%).

Attendees were asked about the “best thing that happened to [their] business in 2018.” Here are some of the responses:

• “Word of mouth is getting out.”

• “A very good staff that customers love to visit with!”

• “Pipeline construction and fracking efforts.”

• “Started wash/dry/fold for a couple of hotels.”

Respondents whose sales hadn’t improved since this time last year blamed it on things like a new store opening nearby, late-arriving snowbirds, and more people buying home washers and dryers.

Looking ahead to 2019, 79.0% of respondents are confident their business will keep improving, and the remaining 21.0% think their business will stay about the same.

And the reasons behind those beliefs are quite varied, as these responses attest:

• “Attention to detail and a happy workforce will help us achieve new records.”

• “Increased marketing efforts to attract customers, and equipment upgrades.”

• “Donald Trump economy.”

• “Every two years I raise prices by 25 cents to keep up with increased cost of taxes, utilities, insurance, repairs, etc.”

• “There is more housing units being built. More potential customers.”

• “It’s increased four years in a row. I see no reason it won’t become five.”

While the Your Views survey presents a snapshot of the trade audience’s viewpoints, its findings should not be considered scientific. Qualified subscribers to American Coin-Op e-mails are invited to participate anonymously in an industry survey.

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PROFITABILITY

Balance form and function to offer fulfilling customer experience

by Bruce Beggs, Editorial Director

V BY DESIGN

yet

isibility, workflow and security are just some of the variables that impact self-service laundry design. Your store should be comfortable for customers to move around in, yet highly functional so they can readily wash, dry and fold their clothes and get on with their day.

While the physical dimensions of a building and other factors can limit the layout when it comes to equipment positioning, the look and feel of the space is largely open to interpretation. Walls can be painted a stark white, for example, or be home to a colorful, whimsical mural.

American Coin-Op spoke with three store owners and/or operators about their approach to store layout and décor, with an eye on creating profitability by design.

CARRYING OUT A VISION

Sally Klingler, with husband Doug, runs Your Laundry, a 3,000-square-foot, fully attended store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The full-service, coin/card Laundromat offers a wash-and-fold service, including commercial accounts. It features 26 washers and 27 dryers of various sizes.

“We chose to have them stainless steel, which is more expensive but gives the store a modern, sleek look,” she says.

As an interior designer specializing in commercial design, Klingler says she “had a vision and carried it through from start to finish.”

“We have a fairly typical layout with security cameras throughout the store for safety. … I made sure there was ample space between the dryers and washers for crowded days, but not all spaces are perfect. You just have to do your best to create good traffic flow.”

Lighting is one of the most important features of design, she advises, and creating a bright, non-yellow spectrum of light allows customers to truly see whites and colors for what they are.

As an interior designer specializing in commercial design, co-owner Sally Klingler had a vision in mind while designing Your Laundry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The stainless steel look is prominent throughout the 3,000-square-foot store. At right, blue glass tile around the change machines not only looks great, it’s easy to wash without having to repaint. (Photos: Your Laundry)

“We have direct, non-direct and ambient lighting for different areas of the store,” Klingler says. “We did go beyond the white drop ceiling and bought a stainless-looking square pattern to go in the existing grid to get away from the industrial, ‘big box store’ look, and hung several decorative pendant lights to create a warm, inviting look.”

Blue glass tile around the change machines not only looks great, it’s easy to wash without having to repaint, she says.

Klingler says the nicest feature of the Your Laundry entry is its automatic door, so people don’t have to open a door while their hands are filled with a laundry basket: “If you can afford this, do it!”

She says there were a few layouts considered before a final choice was made.

“You want to maximize the number of washers and dryers but also keep in mind

the space around for folding tables, tables and chairs, and traffic flow,” Klingler says. “Really, the space dictates where you need to put the machines. Keep in mind, you don’t want to create ‘hidden’ areas in your store.”

What’s the secret to striking the proper balance between aesthetics and functionality?

“You can always make a space look sharp and clean within anyone’s budget,” Klingler says. “It might help to hire a designer to achieve your goals but your store’s function is to wash and dry clothes, and space planning is important. So the old adage that ‘Form follows function’ applies here. Budget dictates how far you can

(Background image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

This Bubbles aRe Us store in Elizabeth, N.J., covers 10,000 square feet. A unique feature is a set of automatic garage doors (below) on one side of the store, facing a public park across the street. People packed the store for hours during a free laundry day recently, yet things ran smoothly. Owner Alaa El-Banna says his store passed this “true test” of its design. (Photos: Bubbles aRe Us)

go to make your store stand out, and people can get very creative with limited budgets.”

WITH THE CLICK OF A MOUSE

Brian Henderson owns Wash-Dry-Fold POS and is technology consultant for Liberty Laundry, the chain of three stores owned by his family in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area.

His father, John, had designed Liberty’s first two stores, often using graph paper to scratch out the equipment layout. Soon, the Hendersons were ready to build store No. 3 on South Delaware Avenue in Tulsa.

“Since this was our third store, we knew what brand equipment we wanted, we knew the exact dimensions, we knew what furniture we wanted,” Brian Henderson says.

But he suggested replacing graph paper with an online 3D model he could build using a computer program called SketchUp (he points out that there are many good, free 3D modeling programs available).

“I drew the equipment that we wanted to scale, and that allowed Dad and I to very quickly come up with a layout that we liked, because we could just drag and drop everything,” he says.

Constructing the building while also trying to determine equipment mix was the main drive behind using the 3D modeling software, he says.

The 4,400-square-foot steel building has parking on three sides and automatic doors. Large windows afford an easy view of the rows of washers perpendicular to the wall of dryers at the rear of the building. Aisles are 8 feet wide or more.

“It’s a good thing we left it spacious because that Laundromat is within walking distance of almost a thousand apartment units,” he says. “On weekends, even though the store is extremely spacious, it is packed.”

Henderson wanted to share his 3D modeling experience with other laundry owners, so he recorded a three-part, stepby-step YouTube video still available for viewing: “The reason I made the video was to demonstrate that anybody could do it.”

OPEN UP THE SPACE

With wife Amie and father Abraheem, Alaa El-Banna owns the Bubbles aRe Us franchise, currently with five attended locations throughout the state of New Jersey, including three in Elizabeth. The newest is a 10,000-square-foot store that opened in 2017.

It features 80 washers and 43 stack dryers (86 pockets in total). Machine size ranges from 20 to 80 pounds, and Alaa says the store’s 40-pounders are the most highly used. He chooses to position mixes of machine by size throughout a store to improve flow and cut down on customers moving carts back and forth between machines.

The Bubbles aRe Us stores range in size from 3,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet, and this newest store is the chain’s largest.

“As we started to gain more and more experience, we saw kind of a shift,” Alaa says. “From a design perspective, what we started to notice is the more space you give people, the more people are willing to come and use your services. They leave with a smile on their face. … [Doing laundry is] no longer that dreadful of an act anymore because the atmosphere where they’re going to do it makes it a lot more appealing.”

If you study the Bubbles aRe Us stores across the board, you may notice a standardized look and feel.

“We kind of used the same colors, the same tile, the same layout, to a certain

extent. Obviously, there are differences in size and shape of each location. With this store, I’m not sure what sparked it but I went to Amie and said, ‘I want you to design it. We’re not doing it the same. Just let me know what we need to get and I’ll talk to my contractors.’”

“Alaa really put together the layout,” says Amie, who also runs a hair salon. “I just wanted it to be bright, more modern, more open so people are more comfortable.”

Gleaming white tile is prevalent throughout, and vibrant murals cover some of the walls. A unique feature of this store is a set of automatic garage doors on one side, facing a public park across the street.

“The building was newly renovated, so we had the option to do what we wanted,” Amie says. “Since the park is right across the street, it’s always full, they’re always playing soccer, kids go there for school recess, we just thought it’d be nice to open it up.”

“You travel the United States and look at the Laundromats, there’s a common theme to them,” Alaa says. “The ones that really stick out in your mind are the ones who did something unique. … We wanted that trendy West Coast vibe or urban-type feel to it.”

Bubbles aRe Us recently hosted a free laundry day for the LaundryCares Foundation. People filled the newest Elizabeth store while others lined up to wait for their turn. Despite the size of the crowd, everything ran smoothly, Alaa says.

“That was really a true test of our design,” he adds, “and in my mind, it definitely passed with flying colors.” ACO

WITH COHEN

Hit-N-Run:

The Ultimate Coin-Op Convenience

South-central Illinois c-store chain hums along

by Laurance Cohen

Hit-N-Run might not conjure up a place to wash ’n dry. And all those cars stacking up in a drivethru by the door surely doesn’t fit the typical coin-op traffic pattern.

But across the mighty Mississippi River from St. Louis in south-central Illinois, this decades-old convenience store chain backed by self-service laundries and car washes is synonymous with fueling up and cleaning up.

GAS AND WATER DO MIX

At Hit-N-Run, gas and water do mix. Thousands of gallons of regular and premium pump out under the canopy while hot and cold flows through hoses at the washer aisles and bays. But the real action is by the c-store’s drink fountain, where success is measured in ounces and business hums along thanks in large part to creative marketing of its super-sized beverages to go. Pull up curbside and leave the legwork to one of Hit-N-Run’s carhops to hand-deliver your favorite beverage concoction in its bestselling “HummDinger” 32-ounce Styrofoam cup.

“Where else can you drive through a place and get a nice-tasting soda for $1.27 and have it brought to you?” co-owner Dwight Fowler asks as we drink in the scene on a Saturday morning.

For those thirsting for

more, there’s the Care Cup, coming in at a whopping 44 ounces. Have it filled to the brim and a portion of the purchase is donated to charity. Sales of the enormous sugary drinks are sweet indeed, with Fowler reporting approximately a cool thousand units sold on an average day throughout the six stores and contributing to his chain’s $13 million annual gross.

Most of the foot traffic inside the minimart is generated by uniformed staff runners like Sean Knight, who has been doing the circuits between cars and shelves for five years. He tells me his daily workout of ferrying pop, cigs and chips to motorists keeps him in shape, but not out of the gym. Regulars bring a smile to his face, especially those who remember the day he donned a fisherman’s outfit for a Pepsi promo.

As the line of vehicles snakes its way to the side of the flagship Bethalto operation, my focus shifts to the coin-op housed in the attached strip center. It’s where Fowler met Teresa, his wife of 41 years.

Back in their teens, she tended to the laundry while he bussed tables at the

Teresa and Dwight Fowler cut the ribbon during a ceremony last year celebrating their acquisition of the Hit-N-Run convenience gas and laundry chain. (Photo courtesy of Dwight Fowler)

A 22-washer, 18-dryer laundry is paired with Hit-N-Run’s signature c-store drive-thru lane in downtown Alton, Illinois. (Photos by Laurance Cohen unless otherwise noted)

GOIN’ WITH COHEN

Pancake Ranch diner next door. One night, the two punched out at the shared time clock after a shift and have been together ever since.

Their rise from clean-up staff to operators is a classic story of the American Dream — one that would be related to me this day by Fowler while his bride was out nursing an injury.

MAKING DECISION TO GO ALL IN

Walking through the laundry — a widescale version of the homestyle laundry motif — takes one back to Hit-N-Run’s infancy, albeit modernized with two dozen front loaders and 18 30-pound tumblers configured in single and stack pockets. The long-shuttered restaurant, where flapjacks once flipped and romance blossomed, remains vacant, awaiting a carve out for a reconfigured dryer bank and a new food tenant.

Spread over five Illinois communities within a 15-minute drive of the riverside city of Alton, Hit-N-Run’s core convenience store operations are complemented by three gas stations and coin-ops, as well as two car washes and slot gaming facilities.

From a humble beginning sweeping floors and emptying lint bins, Teresa worked her way up the organization’s ladder into supervisory positions and, eventu-

ally, upper management over a 41-year tenure. Her husband honed his skills overseeing operations at a Clark Oil gas station before two decades on the road as a route driver and merchandising manager for regional soda and beer distributors.

“She knows the inside and I know the outside,” Dwight Fowler says, summing up the couple’s graduation from the school of hard knocks. Walking in the shoes of both employee and manager gave each a unique perspective on the challenges of retail and service businesses — an insight that would prepare them to fulfill their dream to head up a multimillion-dollar enterprise.

Hit-N-Run’s ownership changed hands midway through its half-century of operations and shifted course twice — once to hang up the aprons at two Pancake Ranch eateries, and later to spin the wheels opening a pair of slot machine parlors. But while the business mix and trademark curbside service drew steady traffic, time was taking

its toll on the chain’s curb appeal.

With no family succession plan in place, the aging owners broke the news to Teresa that the stores were being put on the block. Offers from potential buyers cherry-picking the best locations quickly filtered in. She conferred with her husband, whose legs were bearing the brunt of thousands of route stops, and the decision was made to go all in.

“We approached them with the [buyout] idea and they loved it,” he recalls, adding the couple’s expertise and offer to package all six locations sealed the deal.

They made a pitch to the bank on their intimate knowledge of the inner workings of Hit-N-Run and the region’s competition, and secured financing for both the acquisition and real estate parcels in July 2017.

Addressing deferred maintenance items and pumping over $200,000 into the gas canopies to remain in compliance were top priorities. Fowler points to government regulations on fuel dispensing and food handling as the biggest challenge to their multi-pronged business — an area, he says, where Teresa excels.

DO-IT-YOURSELF ENTERPRISE

With upgrading at the core sectors nearly complete, attention is turning to the three laundries. In addition to an anticipated revamp of the Bethalto venue, the two other coin-ops — located in Alton and Wood River — are slated to be remodeled.

Boasting 22 front loaders up to 40 pounds capacity and 18 single-pocket 30-pound tumblers, the Alton Hit-N-Run laundry is paired up with the signature c-store drive-thru lane and interior passageway. The 1,800-square-foot coin-op is laid out in a 36-foot-deep footprint,

Co-owner Dwight Fowler provides the ultimate convenience store experience with a drive-thru lane where 75% of sales are transacted by staffers ferrying goods from the drink fountain and shelves to drivers behind the wheel.

GOIN’ WITH COHEN

(continued from page 14)

minimizing steps for basket-toting patrons pulling into the ample storefront parking stalls. Fowler estimates half of his wash patrons pass through the glass doorway to satisfy their craving for snacks or drinks during a visit.

A 10-minute drive south, the Wood River coin-op is nestled between the ministop and a five-bay, self-service car and truck wash. At 2,000 square feet, the laundry is the chain’s largest, with 18 front loaders, 12 top loaders and 20 singlepocket 30-pound tumblers. Carhops racing to deliver drinks and packaged goods is a constant reminder of the goings-on next door.

Those looking to play the slots won’t find them near the washers and dryers. The two gaming rooms, dubbed Big D’s — a tongue-in-cheek reference to Fowler’s stature — occupy an area next to c-stores in East Alton and Granite City. The five slot machines on the floor permitted by law generate the highest profit per square foot of any sector, the co-owner reports.

While laundry revenues are surpassed at the fuel pumps and convenience stores, the division outperforms car wash bays and remains a solid anchor.

“Teresa has a real passion for the Laundromats because that’s where she began,” Fowler smiles. Cleaning duties may not be part of her repertoire, but she shares in the oversight of staffers responsible for maintaining, repairing and collecting.

The company’s payroll of 115 includes employees who served under the two prior owners, some of whom rose to supervisory posts and now team up with second-generation family members. Fowler says both he and his wife never forget their roots and acknowledge staff as their greatest asset: “If we take care of our people, then our people will take care of our customers.”

Months after assuming ownership, the couple brought back a cherished tradition of gift sacks handed out to employees at Christmas time filled with goodies donated by the company and its suppliers.

“They were thrilled to death,” Fowler says of the gesture to help spread some holiday cheer.

The communities that Hit-N-Run serves also receive support, most notably donations to three local charities and seven police department outreach programs. Checks totaling approximately $24,000 — equating to 6 cents from each of the 400,000 annual consumer purchases of the 44-ounce Care Cup — were presented to the organizations recently. The c-store’s support of the projects is prominently displayed on each container.

Beverage marketing dominates the footprint of the Bethalto flagship store

where the fountain area stretches from the coin-op passageway to the c-store’s entry. Customers can select any of the six styrofoam cups ranging from 12 to 44 ounces and tap traditional Pepsi-branded products along with a lineup of exotic “mix-emup” frozen treats or flavored ice teas. The store’s perimeter offers a tantalizing array of canned and bottled energy and sport drinks inside the LED-illuminated reach-in coolers.

Everything at this enterprise is do-ityourself in nature: self-service laundry, car wash, gas and fountain dispensing. Yet, the luxury of pulling up, rolling down the window, and letting a runner serve as your personal valet is what puts the “hit” in Hit-N-Run. Three out of four dollars in convenience sales are rung up in the drivethru lanes, Fowler reports.

You’d think all this curbside pampering would make those toiling away in the laundry a bit envious. When I query a customer if leaving her wash to a runner would be welcomed, she waves it off, saying the chore’s easy … but she did plan to swing around and pick up a HummDinger to slurp on the drive home. 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 Bethalto coin-op retains its original homestyle layout of washer and dryer islands, but was updated with an equipment mix of front load washers and multi-load tumblers.

C-store staffer Sean Knight fulfills a request for a pair of drinks and delivers them curbside with a smile. Hit-N-Run’s specials are promoted in the drive-thru lane on signage and an overhead monitor.

DEALING WITH ODORS IN YOUR STORE

Laundromats are for cleaning laundry, therefore a mat must be clean, in and of itself.

You want to wow a customer when they walk in, not just visually with a clean, beautiful, well-laid-out store, but with what they can smell as well.

Some mats smell terrible. The smell of rotting, wet lint and debris creating sewer gas in the drain lines is usually the primary cause. Basically, there is a linear “compost pile” that is lining the bottoms of the drain lines.

You don’t want your customers to think like the guy pictured at right when they walk in.

It’s all about routine maintenance. To correct this, you must make sure your drain lines are snaked periodically with a “blade” on the snake head, to scrape up decaying matter sticking to your drain lines, and wash it away. Obviously, snaking your lines on a schedule also greatly lowers the chances of a backup.

You may also have wet, rotting lint behind your bulkheads, underneath washers that have leaks, and in any drain line collection tanks.

In short, do not allow wet lint to accumulate in your mat! Dry lint doesn’t smell. Therefore, not only should you remove as much wet lint as possible, you should fix any leaks inside, under, and behind your washers.

You don’t really want any leaks anyhow. A leak inside your washer will accelerate rust on any ferrous metal in the machine such as screws, steel panels, washer frames, clamps, mounting bolts, steel bases, etc.

Note that your plumbing should have traps and vents exiting out to the roof installed according to code. Nearly all codes require this, so most likely you are OK there.

Ridding your mat of wet lint should greatly reduce your negative smells.

If you still have trouble with smells you can’t seem to control, you could buy a commercial ozone generator online for a couple hundred bucks and run it every night. Your mat will smell fresh in the morning. These generators have timers on them to allow you to custom-

ize them to your needs. Just make sure the one you buy can handle your specific cubic footage. I consider this a last resort, though, since you are not really fixing the cause of the odor.

THE NEIGHBORS

Some mats have problems with negative odors coming from neighboring businesses. If you’re located in a building that contains foul-smelling stores such as fish stores, certain types of food stores, certain restaurants, gas stations, car repair shops, etc., you need to address this.

The nature of Laundromat dryers is to draw a great deal of makeup air into the equipment from outside your mat. The negative air pressure created by your dryers can even draw air in through openings in building walls and can be a problem if your mat is in the same building with a foul-smelling neighboring business.

Unfortunately, these smells are drawn right into the dryer, causing a customer’s newly washed laundry to possibly pick up the smell.

Even odors that are normally pleasant can be a turnoff for customers. For example, who wants their laundry to smell like a barbecued steak? This can badly impact your business. Many restaurants will locate their kitchen exhausts on their roof. If your makeup air vents are downwind from their exhausts, you may need to find a way to relocate your vents as far away as possible.

I’ve seen mats that will run their makeup vents along their roof and then turned halfway down the back of their building to get them away from restaurant exhausts as well as their own dryer exhausts!

If you’re lucky, you may be able to convince your neighbor to redirect their exhaust away from your business, or to work with you to clean up and disinfect their basements, back rooms, trash receptacles, etc.

Most will not want or care to spend money to fix your odor problem, even though they know that they are the cause of it. Sometimes they have to be pushed. I recommend approaching your landlord to compel the offending business to do what’s necessary to fix the problem. You may have to chip in some money yourself to get this done, because it must be done. You’ll get your money back in more business if you can solve this odor problem.

Paul Russo

(Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

(By the way, you know how to tell if your mat has negative air pressure? While most of your dryers are operating, open a perimeter door that does not have a door closer on it (or disconnect the door closer). Open it 6 to 10 inches. If it slams shut, your mat needs more makeup air vents.)

Other possible causes of repellent odors:

• Vagrants with body odor.

You simply have to keep them out of your mat (refer to my August column, How to Deal with Loiterers, for tips).

• Customers with body odor and/or badsmelling laundry.

No easy answer here. In my stores, we opened the doors and turned on the fans when these customers showed up. Luckily, the really bad ones are few and far between. Ceiling fans come in handy to help dissipate these localized odors.

• Pungent smells coming from dumpsters and garbage cans, especially during the summer.

These odors are caused mostly by bacteria consuming food-laden garage, and can be a big turnoff! I found that you can control these odors by pouring a generous half bleach/half water solution into these garbage receptacles. Bleach kills the bacteria and therefore the odors they emit. The odor should go away for about a week.

Now, once you’ve rid your mat of the stink, turn this negative into a positive!

THE ‘CINNABON EFFECT’

I have a theory. Call it the “Cinnabon Effect,” or the “Bakery Effect.” Have you ever walked into a bakery or a flower shop and it smelled so nice? As people walk through a mall, they are literally lured over to the Cinnabon counter by the smell

of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls.

Well, I believe our mats should smell great, too!

You can install some automatic fragrance dispensers along your mat walls like some commercial buildings use in their restrooms, but why bother?

Here’s what to do. After receiving comments on how my mats spelled, I realized that customers were smelling the fabric softener fragrance when we were processing dropoffs with wet or damp hang-ups. They smelled great because they weren’t being put in the dryers where most of the fragrance gets burned out. Instead, they were evaporating the water from the last rinse that had softener in it, and this fragrance literally spread throughout the store!

You can take a 450 ml. (15 oz.) bottle of softener, add it to a couple of wet rags and strategically place them around your mat. I also kept one wet rag soaked in softener behind my counter, right near the scale, to ensure that customers got a good whiff. Change the rags, or presoak them as needed, because the fragrance does eventually dissipate.

I’d also open a small bottle of softener every day and literally pour it into your clean garbage pails.

Some customers, not all, will remark how “nice it smells in here.” That’s exactly what you want them to do. Make the experience of coming to your store as pleasant as possible in every way. It’s another edge you’ll enjoy over your competitors.

And what’s your cost for a small bottle of softener? Around a buck a day. Chalk it up to advertising.

Plus, your mat will be smelling the way it’s supposed to: like clean, fragrant laundry.

The softener companies all have fragrance added to their products for a reason. They know that pleasant fragrances sell products, and they are always coming out

Trends in Laundry Furnishings

Plenty of color and texture options available for store-tough tables, chairs

by Bruce Beggs, Editorial Director

From the folding tables to the seating, today’s store owners are challenged with providing a comfortable yet durable environment for their self-service laundry guests. Chairs and tables made specifically for such surroundings are built tough, plus store designers can choose from a broad palette of colors and textures, according to some manufacturers of such furnishings.

Have laundry furnishings really changed much in the last five years?

“Yes, they have changed,” believes Peter Valconesi, president of High Mark Manufacturing. His Colorado-based company makes heavy-duty steel seating units and commercial-grade laundry tables in hundreds of color options.

“The laundry investor of today has an interest in developing a modern, up-todate store with furnishings that will not only last the test of time but will reflect the look of a modern laundry,” he says, “and not one of yesterday’s cheap-looking, just-get-by stores.”

Caco Mfg. has been making commercial-grade Solomatic® fiberglass and laminate folding tables, as well as custom bulkheads, for coin laundries since 1960.

“Yeah, it has (changed) in a design function,” Caco CEO Randall Chaffee says of today’s laundry furnishings. “Colors are really important nowadays.

Some of these chains, where people are trying to build a brand around their one, two, three stores, they’re trying to go for themes and colors. Heck, we’ve even had guys who have hired interior decorators to absolutely color-match the whole store as an environment. That’s really prevalent right now.”

What about retail or home furnishing trends? Have they influenced the products that your company makes for coin laundries?

“They have not,” says Valconesi. “We are shooting for the commercial industrial look that goes right along with today’s washers and dryers. The home furnishing look is usually just that—a home furnish-

ing. We want our product to fit in with the heavy-duty look of today’s store.”

“Laundromats, they’re getting bigger and more comfortable for the patrons,” Chaffee remarks. “We designed a line of children’s furniture, a line of homework station tables … those are killer popular right now.

“The attitude prior to this … was get in, get out as fast as you can and definitely leave the kids at home. That’s changing … kids want to come (to the laundry) now because there’s something for them to do.”

If you’re in the market for store furniture and are thinking about going down to your local big box store to buy, Chaffee and Valconesi suggest rethinking your decision.

“On a one-on-one, personal level, I would tell them flat out that that store is going to thank you every year, because you’re going to be back there buying it again,” Chaffee says.

“Without sounding like an old wise man, the old phrase is still alive: You get what you pay for,” says Valconesi. “If you purchase a mass-market chair or table now, you will have to replace it in a very short period of time. Not to mention that after spending a lot of money to build a beautiful store, you are going to top it off with a cheap furnishing with no or little color options.”

This photo of the Huebsch Laundry in Houston, Texas, shows examples of today’s modern Laundromat seating and folding tables. The fiberglass clouds seen hanging from the ceiling house lighting while adding touches of color. (Photo: Caco Manufacturing)

High Mark Manufacturing offers a fresh take on an old favorite with this radius table, available with or without a backsplash or upper shelves. (Photo: High Mark)

POINTERS FROM PAULIE B

with new fragrances hoping to get an edge on their own competitors.

Yes, there are some people who don’t want any fragrance at all. Some may even be allergic, but the vast majority enjoy a pleasant fragrance, and certainly not the sewer smell of methane gas.

So, all you need to do is pick the bestselling softener for your mat’s new aroma, to maximize the number of people who love that fragrance. The primary reason that the most popular softeners are big sellers isn’t necessarily because they soften the laundry the best, but because they smell the best to the largest percentage of the population.

STINKY DROP-OFFS

We’ve all taken in stinky drop-off orders from time to time. It’s usually the same customers who commit this “foul” deed.

There are several chemicals you can add to neutralize laundry odors, such as white vinegar, enzymes from your pet store, or just washing the goods twice.

From my experience, the best way to neutralize laundry odors is to use an oxygen bleach. It’s harmless to all fabrics, and does a great job killing odors. I used OxiClean for years on fire restoration accounts to remove the smell of smokedamaged laundry in just one washing.

So, there you have it. Eliminate foul odors, create pleasant scents, and watch your business grow!

ACO

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

Clean Show Attendee Registration Opens

Attendee registration for Clean 2019, slated for June 20-23 in New Orleans, Louisiana, is now open, reports show manager Riddle & Associates.

The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center will host Clean, the world’s largest exhibition of equipment, products and services for commercial laundry, drycleaning and textile services, Riddle says. Attendees can see and compare working equipment in live demonstrations, and can learn from more than 25 hours of classroom education covering all segments of the textile care industry.

People planning to attend Clean are encouraged to pre-register by June 10, 2019.

Members of the show’s five sponsoring associations—the Association for Linen Management (ALM), Coin Laundry Association (CLA), Drycleaning and Laundry Institute (DLI), Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA), and TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services—can register for $119 per person. The non-member fee is $149.

After the June 10 cutoff, all member and non-member registration must be done on-site at a cost of $169 per person.

Those wishing to attend Clean can visit the show’s website, www.cleanshow. com, to register online or to download a printable form for registering by mail or fax; click on “Attendee Information,” then scroll down to “Register Now.”

Registration includes entrance to all four show days, as well as access to all educational sessions.

“Clean 2017 in Las Vegas drew more than 12,500 people from around the world and featured 481 exhibiting companies,” says John Riddle, president of Riddle & Associates. “We hope all textile care professionals will take advantage of this great opportunity to work together, learn together and succeed together.” ACO

UNIQUE STORE SITES REQUIRE THOUGHTFUL APPROACH

As a distributor, I love what I do. It’s rewarding to work with new investors and help them realize their dreams of becoming vended laundry owners. I also like that, while there is a formula for success — the right location, quality equipment, solid management — little nuances keep things fresh. For instance, buildings can challenge a distributor to come up with a layout that makes sense (flows) and can accommodate enough equipment without cramming the space full.

Even buildings with unique former lives can often work for a coin laundry. I’ve heard of former fast food restaurants and “quick oil change” structures as having enough open space for a laundry. Our company has converted hangars and even mini-storage buildings into laundries.

While I like to be receptive to outside-the-box ideas, I did have one location in El Paso that, at first glance, I thought could never work. But it’s proof that if you employ a thoughtful approach and do things the right way, unique buildings can work.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The building my investor wanted to show me was most recently used as a daycare. My assessment that I didn’t think it would work was pretty quick, but the investor was pretty adamant that it would be the site of their laundry.

So the challenge was fully laid out. Upon further investigation, the site, before being home to a daycare, was a gas station. So picture a long, narrow canopied area where pumps once stood that was later enclosed, with a wall separating that area from a couple service bays. Basically, the design resembled a T.

As investors investigate buildings that might not exactly fit the vended laundry mold, their first question should be the same one I had: Can you open up the space? You have to be able to pull enough open space to make it make sense. Absent that, the unique building just may not be worth the trouble. Many owners make the mistake of filling their entire store with equipment (wall to wall and then throwing a bench in the corner) and don’t take into account having additional space for a seating area and other amenities.

NEXT STEPS

While the investor was committed to making the building work, we still needed to see what we were up against. We needed to measure the rooms and establish if the wall separating the two spaces could be demoed to open things as much as possible. If you are going to move forward on a unique project, make sure you and your distributor are engaging with a qualified engineer who can accurately determine the options.

In this case, we were able to add load-bearing beams and remove the wall. This enabled us to move on to the additional questions on what utilities existed and what we might uncover during the demolition process. Make no mistake; the demo work on this building was incredible as we ran into 8-inch concrete block and significant amounts of concrete flooring that complicated things.

Investors/distributors want to do all they can to identify what the build-out costs will be, because surprises during build-out can quickly raise costs higher than estimated, in addition to sending the project off schedule.

UTILITIES REVIEW

Equally important is having an understanding of the utilities feeding in and out of the location. Obviously, a vended laundry’s requirements may be quite different from what the previous business occupant needed.

So a review of utilities is as important as determining the available square footage. Is there enough power? Does it have three-phase? If it has just 100-amp service, it could be a red flag. If you wanted 600-amp, could it be delivered efficiently or would it be cost-prohibitive?

Does it have 6-inch sewer? How about water? What is the cost to upgrade from a ¾-inch line to 1½-inch? What is the gas service? You want to cover as many bases as possible before even thinking about equipment.

In this example, it was going to be problematic and costly to run a 6-inch sewer line out to the main line. Our workaround was to add an 18-inch drain trough that would allow the store to dump all machines and let the water drain as the 4-inch line allowed.

BASELINE REVIEW

Once you have a handle on all the elements and costs of the described, and can take a look at store design and

Craig McKinley

Martin-Ray Laundry Systems)

equipment mix, this is where the real work begins. It’s important to work with your distributor to identify how much equipment and what capacities are necessary to make the revenue-per-square-foot numbers work. This will vary by market.

There are plenty of equipment salesmen out there who will sell you equipment … and a lot of it to fill up every square foot of that space. A respected distributor is far more consultative — they don’t sell equipment; they help investors develop strong, profitable

businesses. They also know the value of open spaces to enhance the customer experience.

We were able to equip the long, narrow section of this store with 60-, 40- and 30-pound washer-extractors, along with front-load Horizons. And with the separating wall removed, we were able to turn the “service bay” area into a drying section with 45-pound stacks and folding tables.

The result was Northeast Laundry, and the owner has built a successful business that has garnered 4.7 stars on Google.

IN CLOSING

Not every vended laundry needs a strip mall to call home. Given the right location, unique or outside-the-norm stand-alone buildings can be perfect uses for this business. The key is not to fall in love with the building, even if it seems like a good deal and the demographics work.

Plenty of hurdles can come up in the build-out process that can quickly send costs to the out-of-control realm. It’s paramount to work with a skilled and experienced distributor who knows the right questions to ask, as well as what store layouts will balance open space with profit per square foot, based on the specific market.

With a thoughtful approach and the right experts in your corner, unique locations can deliver strong performance. ACO

Craig McKinley is a territory sales manager for Martin-Ray Laundry Systems, a Speed Queen distributor based in Colorado. McKinley has more than 11 years of laundry industry experience and can be reached at craig@martinray.com.

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PROTECTED IN THE FACE OF THE UNEXPECTED

Having previously been a gas station and most recently a daycare center (above), this building was transformed into a successful vended laundry (below). (Photos courtesy

Newcomer Soak Laundry Center Offers Multiple Services

Michael Shaffer, owner of the new Soak Laundry Center in Dorchester, Massachusetts, says he loves technology and is always looking for ways to do things more efficiently.

“Efficiency is what this laundry represents,” he says.

In just a few months, the 1,200-squarefoot laundry has doubled business, significantly grown its customer base, and launched services that include drop and lock, wash/dry/fold (WDF) and concierge pickup and delivery, according to equipment manufacturer Continental Girbau.

It’s a far cry from the worn-out ’80s-style laundry it replaced.

“Now it’s a state-of-the-art laundry center that allows self-service customers to complete their laundry in less than 60 minutes,” says Shaffer. “Customers like the quick turnaround.”

Designed and equipped with assistance from Daniels Equipment Co. Inc., in Auburn, N.H., Soak Laundry Center features an equipment mix of Continental ExpressWash® Soft-Mount Washers (six 20-pounders, six 40-pounders and four 60-pounders) and ExpressDry® Dryers (three 30-pound stacks, five 45-pound stacks, and two 75-pound single pockets).

The laundry space, which sits above a basement, wasn’t configured to support the new design; concrete support columns were not located in the right places. That

is one of the reasons why Shaffer chose to install soft-mount equipment rather than traditional hard-mount laundry equipment.

By choosing the soft-mounts, Shaffer says he avoided the expense of added building preparation, plus gained greater efficiency and customer turnover.

“The price for the soft-mount equipment is more, but I thought it would be offset with faster turnaround time and accommodating more volume,” he says. “I made the right decision.”

Thanks to high-speed extract reaching 400 G-force, Continental soft-mount ExpressWash Washers remove more moisture from each load when compared to typical hard-mount washers that produce extract speeds of 75-200 G-force, Continental says. And because the ExpressWash Washers extract more water, they also slash dry time by as much as 50%. This results in more potential turns per day, plus utility bills are lower.

“The equipment is super-efficient and Daniels Equipment did a great job finetuning the wash program,” says Shaffer.

Meanwhile, customers enjoy more control over how they launder. The washers feature the ProfitPlus Control®, which allows customers to add an extra wash, rinse or spin to the standard cycle selections. And each “extra” selected means 25 to 75 cents more added to the vend price.

Customers utilize the laundry’s FasCard payment system to operate the machines.

They can also use the FasCard app on their smartphone.

Shaffer says he easily tracks machine turns, store revenue and more: “I have the ability to look at turn statistics anytime during the day. I like knowing how many customers use the laundry, as well.”

While Soak Laundry Center’s self-service business is “booming,” its WDF business is also gaining strength and makes up 10% of revenue.

A unique drop-and-lock service makes drop-off WDF convenient, he adds. Customers are assigned storage lockers and an access code. They leave their laundry in their locker anytime during business hours. When attendants complete the order, it’s placed back in the locker and the customer is alerted that it’s ready.

The laundry also serves commercial accounts, such as nail salons, fitness centers and medical clinics, with complete pickup and delivery services.

And not wanting to turn anyone away, Soak Laundry Center also provides sameday rush WDF, according to Shaffer. ACO

Michael Shaffer, owner of Soak Laundry Center, says he chose Continental soft-mount ExpressWash® Washers for his new store for several reasons, including efficiency, customer convenience and simpler installation. (Photos: Continental Girbau)

The laundry offers quick drying times using ExpressDry® Dryers, Shaffer says. Soak Laundry Center has three 30-pound stacks, five 45-pound stacks and two 75-pound single pockets.

The 1,200-square-foot Soak Laundry Center in Dorchester, Mass., offers amenities that include free Wi-Fi, cable TV, vending machines, and storage lockers.

SPEED QUEEN TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM AIMS TO TRANSFORM OPERATIONS, ENHANCE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE «

Speed Queen® has launched Speed Queen Insights, a next-generation technology platform and mobile payment app.

“Speed Queen Insights brings features and functionalities to the industry that will change how laundries are managed and how customers interact with them,” says Steve Bowie, North American sales manager for Speed Queen commercial.

A cloud-based laundry management platform, Speed Queen Insights gives laundry owners access to “unparalleled” data on operations (for single, multiple or all locations) and integrates payment transactions into one unified portal.

Owners can see store performance data; accept mobile, cash and coin payments; offer remote mobile-wallet refunds; provide store loyalty programs; receive machine error alerts; program machines; set time-of-day pricing; and adjust water levels.

With the Speed Queen mobile app, customers can pay using their mobile wallet, monitor load status, check machine availability and, in the event of an issue,

request support.

The app, which is available via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, also offers the option for Speed Queen Rewards to promote store loyalty.

Speed Queen Insights comes factoryinstalled, is updated automatically and is easily configured, so no more drilling into machines to install third-party equipment (at additional expense to the owner).

“Today’s vended laundry customers expect a higher-level customer experience and greater payment flexibility,” Bowie says. “Speed Queen Insights delivers that modern experience and flexibility, while offering owners userfriendly management tools and the efficiency of one management system for operations and revenue.”

https://speedqueencommercial.com/en-us/insights

«

NEW HUEBSCH SYSTEM OFFERS MACHINE NETWORKING, MOBILE PAYMENT AND CUSTOMER REWARDS

Huebsch has introduced Huebsch Command™, a cutting-edge network and payment technology designed to help vended laundry owners make smarter business decisions. The technology is now available to order for vend models with the Galaxy 600 control.

“The vended laundry business has changed and owners need a more streamlined, data-driven approach to

managing their business,” says Kathryn Rowen, North American sales manager for Huebsch.

Huebsch Command wirelessly networks washer-extractors and tumble dryers and makes all operations data accessible from the cloud. The userfriendly dashboard enables owners to see store performance data, receive error alerts, configure machines, set time-of-day pricing, adjust water levels, offer refunds remotely, see comprehensive revenue and machine error reports, and offer a flexible rewards program.

In addition, the payment system enables owners to provide additional convenience to customers through mobile payments, machine cycle modifications and store loyalty incentives.

For cash-based customers, the

Huebsch Value Center lets them access the convenience of the mobile app while paying with cash.

The integrated system is factoryinstalled and -supported, with no drilling and only minimal hardware; no more juggling separate systems for equipment and payment to get a full view of operations, Huebsch says.

Huebsch Command enables owners to set key performance indicators goals and track their progress through quick-view dashboards. Multi-store owners will appreciate the ability to drill down into turns and revenue data by location, or display all locations. Customizable date ranges and export capabilities (PDF or Excel) make the information even more user-friendly and actionable, Huebsch says.

http://huebsch.com/command | 800-553-5120

As your appetite for knowledge to improve your business grows, give our American Coin-Op Podcast a listen. Join Editor Bruce Beggs as he engages a special guest in one-on-one conversation about the topic of the day. This free channel provides another convenient way for you to gain self-service laundry information and insight from industry peers and other experts—no muss, no fuss.

CHECK OUT WHAT YOU’VE MISSED:

NEW! PRODUCT NEWS

When There is History There

A building’s historic makeup led Christy Davis to focus on preservation while also creating the Wash-O-Rama Laundromat for her small Kansas community.

What 40 Years

in

Business Teaches You Retired NYC store owner Paul Russo shares lessons learned from four decades in business and previews his new “Pointers from Paulie B” column for the magazine.

Listen in at: americancoinop.com/podcasts

and Keeping Good Laundromat Employees

Finding

Curbside Laundries provides point of sale software specifically designed to manage the wash-and-fold process from beginning to end for both in-store and pickup/delivery orders.

Its software will be updated to version 3.7, which features a highly requested machine and quarter tracking module, the company says. Laundry owners will know exactly which machines were used on each wash-and-fold older and how much money was inserted. The amount spent by the attendant can be automatically deducted from the register. At the end of each shift, the owner is automatically e-mailed if the cash drawer does not reconcile, providing accountability that helps prevent problems from happening.

Instead of having employees manually record how much they spent on each order in a spiral notebook, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, an operator using Curbside Laundries

POS can quickly collect and view this information in real time from any smartphone, the company says. Quarter tracking is one of the most demanded POS features among coin-operated Laundromats, Curbside adds, and owners using card systems can also benefit from knowing the appropriate machine mix used for each order.

New promotion and discount features have been added, too. Laundry owners can now set up one-time promo codes, wash-and-fold discounts, and customerspecific discounts.

The Express Pay is now available for commercial clients and residential clients alike. It allows clients to keep their credit card on file, and Curbside says its research has shown customers who keep their cards on file come by more often and spend more. Commercial accounts value Express Pay because they do not need to give the company credit card to their employees, the company adds.

New features are tested at several Laundromats, feedback is given and modifications are made before being released to all Curbside Laundries software clients. Because the software is cloud-based, customers are automatically updated to the latest version the next time they log in.

Instructional e-mails and videos describing the new features and how to use them are distributed to clients before the update is released.

www.curbsidelaundries.com | 562-533-0053

CURBSIDE LAUNDRIES WASH AND FOLD POS INTRODUCES TRACKING MODULE

preceding

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

PAYMENT FOR CLASSIFIED ADS: Must accompany order.

THE UPS STORE 204-17 HILLSIDE AVE. # 394 HOLLIS NEW YORK 11423

1-888-532-6677 (888-JECON77) Local: 718-525-3733 • Fax: 212-656-1913 718-525-2266 Visit: JECONINC.COM

CONTINENTAL GIRBAU PROMOTES KILGORE TO DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES

Continental Girbau Inc. has promoted company veteran Laurie Kilgore to the newly created position of director of customer experiences. She spearheads the manufacturer’s development and evaluation of strategic, tactical and operational customer engagement plans, programs and initiatives.

Continental President Mike Floyd says that with this promotion, Kilgore leads the organization in its ongoing commitment to the customer and nurtures the company’s customer-centered culture.

“Continental takes pride in developing lifelong distributor and customer relationships,” Floyd says. “We’re a company that’s quickly expanding our product and brand offering. By moving Laurie into this new position, our goal is to continue that growth while maintaining and enhancing our company culture and our customers’ positive experiences.”

Kilgore joined Continental in 1995, shortly after it was formed. She has managed its customer care department since 2006.

GRADLE JOINS LAUNDRY CONCEPTS SALES TEAM

Equipment distributor Laundry Concepts reports it has added David Gradle to its sales team, describing him as a “well-rounded, creative professional in the commercial laundry solutions industry who values building successful customer partnerships.”

A bachelor of fine arts degree in electronic media from Northern Illinois University helped Gradle jump-start his career at a design firm as a multimedia designer. Over the course of eight years, his programming, video production, animation and motion design skills helped his B2B corporate communications team create unique marketing and sales presentations as well as website content for clients.

Prior to joining Laundry Concepts, Gradle spent 10 years enhancing his construction aptitude and detailed product knowledge for an automatic pedestrian door company. He compiled bids utilizing architectural plans, met with prospects, presented to architects, and negotiated contracts.

His new sales role will complement Gradle’s proven record of working with customers as a partner in their business, Laundry Concepts says.

TLC TRI-STATE LAUNDRY

OPENS HUGE DISTRIBUTION FACILITY

TLC Tri-State Laundry Companies reports it has opened a new state-of-the-art, 101,000-square-foot distribution facility at 1560 Old Clyattville Road in Valdosta, Georgia.

The commercial laundry equipment distributor recently moved

from its previous headquarters, occupying a series of smaller buildings totaling approximately 15,000 square feet, in Waycross, Georgia.

The Valdosta distribution facility is one of the world’s largest, TLC Tri-State says, and is fully stocked with new and pre-owned commercial laundry equipment and parts.

The Valdosta facility also includes more than 1,000 square feet of conference center space to be used for service training classes, vended investment seminars, factory service schools and divisional sales meetings.

Matthew Stephenson founded the company some two decades ago when he was literally “one man and a van,” the company says. Today, TLC Tri-State Laundry Companies has a support team of more than 80 dedicated professionals, with four locations in six states.

The distributor represents Maytag, Speed Queen, Milnor, ADC and Chicago Dryer equipment lines in the region.

LAUNDRY LOCKER ACQUIRED BY MULBERRYS GARMENT CARE

Laundry Locker, a popular San Francisco laundry and drycleaning company with 350 locker locations throughout the Bay Area, has been acquired by Mulberrys Garment Care, the latter reports. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

The acquisition will make Mulberrys the largest garment care provider in northern California, it says, and further its stated mission of becoming the first truly national garment care brand.

Laundry Locker’s lockers are located in residential and commercial buildings throughout San Francisco and Oakland and allow customers to quickly and conveniently drop off and pick up their clothing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The company offers a variety of services, including wash and fold.

The existing Laundry Lockers will be rebranded as Mulberrys. Laundry Locker’s 40 employees will remain in their positions and become Mulberry employees, effective immediately. ACO

Laurie Kilgore

David Gradle

TLC Tri-State Laundry Companies says its new Valdosta, Georgia, distribution facility is one of the world’s largest, adding that the building is fully stocked with new and pre-owned commercial laundry equipment and parts. (Photo: TLC Tri-State)