American Laundry News - January 2022

Late

Laundry facility in Kentucky goes solar

Texcare International to return in 2024

FRANKFURT, Germany — Trade fair organizer Messe Frankfurt reports that the next Texcare International will take place here Nov. 9-13, 2024.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trade fair, held every four years, had to be suspended in 2020/2021. Messe Frankfurt and its partners, VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies, and the German Textile Cleaning Association, jointly agreed on the new date.

“There were two decisive reasons for choosing the new date,” says Johannes Schmid-Wiedersheim, director of Texcare International.

“On the one hand, it fits very well into the international trade fair calendar. On the other hand, it was favored by exhibitors and visitors because it is during the low season for the tourism industry when most investments are made.

“We are already looking forward to the next Texcare International, to real business encounters and live presentations in 2024, and are working with full energy toward the success of the event.”

In the United States, preparations are already in full swing for the Clean Show from July 30-Aug. 2, 2022. ALN

SITEX continues sustainability, laundry quality efforts with Solar Energy Project Initiative

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

HENDERSON, Ky. — Jan. 1, 1961, is an important date for the Sights family.

That’s the day they founded Industrial Uniform Services Inc. here.

The family set out with no business, a shallow line of credit, some very used laundry equipment and one delivery truck to establish a customer base in uniform rental service within a 25-five-mile radius of its plant.

“With a small but aggressive sales force and a commitment to providing its customers with exceptional service, we grew to five routes and expanded our territory to a 75-mile radius within five years,” says Wes Sights, president and CEO, part of the third generation of the family involved with the business.

Expansion continued as the uniform service steadily acquired volume and services

Laundry operations in ‘new abnormal’

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

CHICAGO — Without a doubt, COVID-19 was a major disrupter in the laundry and linen services industry.

From lockdowns to supply-chain and labor issues, what was normal before 2020 isn’t normal anymore.

So, how can a laundry operation operate what could be described as the “new abnormal?”

American Laundry News posed this question to the industry, and what follows are the responses from five laundry leaders around the country.

Columnist at Large

In this issue, Eric Frederick shares about the need for good people management skills.

Panel of Experts

Get to know our new panelists as they introduce themselves, their operations and more.

Supply-Chain Issues

During a CSCNetwork webinar, experts shared thoughts, advice on challenges.

The Newspaper of Record for Laundry & Linen Management

COMPILED

Several laundry representatives share how they see the industry ‘flexing’ to maintain business and quality

SITEX recently installed 572 solar panels at its Henderson, Kentucky, plant. (Image: SITEX Corp.)

(Image licensed by Ingram Image)

Texcare Asia & China Laundry Expo moved to 2022

HONG KONG — The organizers of Texcare Asia & China Laundry Expo (TXC & CLE) report that the event was pushed from late December to 2021 August 2022.

The trade show had previously been postponed from September 2021 and was scheduled to take place in December.

According to the statement issued by organizers, the event, to be held Aug. 11-13, 2022, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, was postponed in support of the Chinese government’s pandemic control measures.

“Following the recent emergence of local COVID-19 cases in Shanghai and its surrounding areas, several Chinese provinces have stepped up their pandemic control efforts,” the organizers

said in the announcement.

“Uncertainty surrounding the ability of participants to travel safely, as well as the government’s

guidance on large scale events were therefore decisive factors in the postponement of TXC & CLE, with the decision taken after

extensive consultations with the fair’s stakeholders, and in close contact with the exhibition venue.”

TXCA & CLE is organized by the China Laundry Association and the China Light Industry Machinery Association, as well as Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd and Unifair Exhibition Service Co Ltd.

By moving the event to August, TXC & CLE returns to its usual Q3 time slot. The trade show highlights businesses in the fabricare supply chain, including machinery, cleaning systems, chemicals, leather care products, tools, peripheries, rental services and more.

For more details about the show, please e-mail txcacle@china. messefrankfurt.com or txcacle@ unifair.com, or visit www.texcare. com/brand ALN

Publisher

Charles Thompson

Phone: 312-361-1680

E-Mail: cthompson@ ATMags.com

Associate Publisher/ National Sales Director

Donald Feinstein

Phone: 312-361-1682

E-Mail: dfeinstein@ ATMags.com

Editorial Director

Bruce Beggs

Phone: 312-361-1683

E-Mail: bbeggs@ ATMags.com

Editor

Matt Poe

Phone: 866-942-5694

E-Mail: mpoe@ ATMags.com

Production Manager

Mathew Pawlak

Digital Media Director

Nathan Frerichs Phone: 312-361-1681

E-Mail: nfrerichs@ ATMags.com

Advisory Board

David Barbe

ST. CHARLES, Ill. — Healthcare

Linen Services Group (HLSG), a provider of healthcare laundry services in the Midwest and central United States, reports it has acquired the Angelica facility in Batavia, New York.

The acquisition adds the 10th laundry facility and 20 million pounds of processing capacity, serving customers in the Ohio and New York markets.

“The acquisition of the New York facility aligns with our growth and

expansion plans in the Ohio and New York markets,” says Joseph LaPorta, HLSG’s president and CEO.

“We are excited to bring additional capacity, redundancy and linen management expertise to the New York and Ohio markets,”

The New York location aligns with HLSG’s Logan’s Healthcare Linen Division’s footprint in the upper Midwest market and will be rebranded as Logan’s Healthcare Linen, a member of Healthcare Linen Services Group. ALN

to the Twin Cities

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. — ImageFIRST, a provider of linen and laundry services for the healthcare industry, reports it has acquired Elite Healthcare Laundry in Minneapolis.

The acquisition marks ImageFIRST’s first facility in the state of Minnesota. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Elite Healthcare Laundry was originally established in 2007 as an ImageFIRST franchise and transitioned to a standalone company in 2017. The healthcare-only laundry provider operates in Minnesota with its service coverage currently extending from Minneapolis to St. Paul.

“As we continue to explore opportunities nationally, we recognized the blue-ribbon medi-

cal facilities in Minnesota were clearly missing a linen provider of the same caliber,” says Jim Cashman, president and CEO of ImageFIRST. “We look forward to bringing our world-class service to these healthcare facilities.”

ImageFIRST says this latest acquisition in Minnesota serves as a vital step in its geographic expansion, providing the laundry specialists with increasing opportunities to insource processing and enhance service capabilities nationwide.

This strengthened national coverage also supports ImageFIRST’s expanding national account division as it seeks to grow its service offerings to more multilocation accounts. ALN

Janice Ayers Davis • Nick Fertig Deana Griffin • Cecil Lee Edward McCauley Jim Slatcher

Main Phone: 312-361-1700 Fax: 312-361-1685

Subscriptions 847-504-8175 ALN@Omeda.com www.americanlaundrynews.com

American Laundry News (ISSN 1091-9201) is published monthly. Subscription prices, payment in advance: U.S. 1 year $50.00; 2 years $100.00. Foreign, 1 year $120.00; 2 years $240.00. Single copies: U.S. $10.00; Foreign $20.00. 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 Laundry News, Subscription Dept., 125 Schelter Rd., #350, Lincolnshire, IL 60069-3666. Volume 48, number 1. Editorial, executive and advertising offices are at 650 West Lake Street, Suite 320, Chicago, IL 60661. Charles Thompson, President and Publisher. American Laundry News is distributed selectively to qualified laundry and linen management and distributors in the United States.

© Copyright AMERICAN TRADE MAGAZINES LLC, 2022. 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 Laundry News 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 Laundry News 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.

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Goodbye ... and hello

A s the calendar page turns, it’s time to say “goodbye” and “hello.”

First, and most obvious, it’s goodbye to 2021.

From my desk, it seems like it is a more cordial goodbye than the good riddance the industry had for the year 2020.

Is COVID-19 gone? No. Are there still supply-chain, labor and other issues we’re facing because of the pandemic? Yes, but at least it seems like we’re doing better.

At the very least, we’re living, moving forward, and not stuck in place by fear of the unknown.

That means it’s hello to 2022.

Another year removed from 2020 and a little bit brighter on the horizon.

A new year in which to put the lessons we’ve learned over the past two years to good use. You’ll

The Editor’s Desk MATT POE

find some of those lessons in the “new abnormal” feature that starts on page 1 and in the report from the supply-chain webinar CSCNetwork hosted, starting on page 14.

The new year also means say ing goodbye to some of the folks who have written for and advised

American Laundry News

First, goodbye, and sincer est thanks, to the 2021 Panel of Experts. You’ve been a source of knowledge and inspiration over the past 12 months.

And hello to the 2022 Panel (see page 12). I’m sure we all look forward to your insights this year.

Finally, it’s goodbye to two Editorial Advisory Board mem bers. Steve Kallenbach from American Dawn and David Carter from Pellerin Milnor Corp.— thank you for your input, advice and guidance over the past few years.

And it’s hello to Cecil Lee of Standard Textile and Jim Slatcher from Lavatec Laundry Technology.

I can’t wait to get started work ing with you to help everybody keep it clean! ALN

Consistent challenge: Effective management

Five years ago in late December, I retired from active laundry management after a 44-year career. I have watched the industry with great interest from the side lines ever since.

I saw many changes during my work ing years, so it came as no surprise that changes continued to hit the industry.

In many ways, I am very glad to sit on the sideline and watch and not have to deal with supply-chain problems and the need to adapt to COVID-19. But one challenge has remained constant throughout my 44 years of active management and into my five years of retirement.

That constant is the effective management of our most crucial resource, our people.

During the past five years, I have gotten to travel the world and get involved as a part-time worker in the car rental business. I have watched as COVID shut down for a while and then fun damentally changed that industry. I have watched as supervisors and managers struggled with handling the challenges of working with a smaller work crew.

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas — Bobby Floyd, CEO of HHS LLC, a privately-held support services company, reports the company has acquired Foussard Montague Associates Inc. (FMA), a laundry and linen management company.

“We believe our two respective organizations share a similar cul ture and mission in our dedica tion to our people and the quality of the services we provide,” says Floyd. “We have developed a deep respect and admiration for the FMA team and its reputation in the industry, and we are excited to welcome them into our company.”

Terms of the deal were not dis closed.

FMA founding owners Phil Foussard and Tim Montague will remain in their current roles as key leaders of the FMA organi zation, which will operate as an autonomous division under the

HHS umbrella.

HHS and FMA are private, family-owned companies that have been in business for several decades. HHS was established in Austin, Texas, in 1975 and cur rently services more than 400 hospitals. FMA, founded in 1989 in St. Paul, Minnesota, currently operates seven laundry plants ser vicing more than 170 hospitals nationwide.

Both companies have a large presence in the healthcare indus try and have worked together in the past serving mutual custom ers.

The acquisition of FMA will add laundry plant management to HHS’s current suite of healthcare offerings that include environ mental services, food and nutri tion services, facilities manage ment, patient transport, valet, and linen utilization management.

“This acquisition launches HHS into a new market, with expanded capabilities and resources available to serve our healthcare customers, and brings new opportunities for our people to grow,” Floyd says.

“Tim Montague and I have known the principals of HHS for over 25 years and have always had great respect for their employee focus and the way they approach their business,” adds Foussard.

“As we looked at the possible alternatives for the future of our firm, we found HHS to be the best possible partner for our team and customers. The depth of HHS in the areas of training, staff devel opment and technology will allow our firm to enhance our current services and grow in the future.

“We are very excited about the opportunities that this transaction will provide our staff and custom ers.”

ALN

Suddenly, effective personnel and productivity manage ment became a key concern for these companies. The need for improved interview skills, employee training, employee guidance and effective discipline became increasingly more important.

The industry transformed, suddenly, from employing retired workers as part-time drivers to having to change to younger employees because of the health concerns of their elder employ ees.

Trying to attract new employees while competing against gen erous unemployment benefits was a very real challenge.

Needing to hire the right person for the job instead of just anyone became more important. Effectively managing your employee group to attain good productivity with a minimum of turnover became even more important.

Understanding the value your company brings to each employ ee helps in hiring correctly and in lowering employee turnover.

Many of these challenges also exist in the laundry industry. Both are entry-level jobs, and there are many parallels between the needs of both industries.

So, what are you doing to meet these needs? Do all your super visors and lead workers utilize good people management skills? Most importantly, is everyone treated the same and held to the same standards?

Nothing causes problems faster than giving special privileges to a small number of employees. Employees expect fair treatment and expect everyone to play by the same set of rules. They expect their raises to either be across the board equal or fairly based on some measurable criteria.

If based on measurable criteria, they expect to be given updates throughout the year on how they are doing. Evaluation time should never come as a surprise.

With the start of 2022, it is time to do an organizational assess ment and review how you are doing in the people department.

During a recent employee feedback session at my part-time job, the human resources representative asked a group of my fel low employees what we liked most about our current job.

The answer given most frequently was that we all really enjoyed working together both as a team and on a social basis. That feeling can easily be destroyed by a poor hire or poor per sonnel management.

Over the past 49 years, I have seen many challenges come and go, but the need for good personnel management never changes.

Eric Frederick served 44 years in laundry management before retir ing and remains active in the industry as a laundry operations con sultant. You can contact him by e-mail at elfrederick@cox.net, or by phone at 540-520-6288.

From

COLUMNIST AT LARGE Eric L. Frederick, RLLD

from other area companies, and in 1995, Industrial Uniform Service Inc., d/b/a Sani-Clean Services, officially changed its corporate and operating name to SITEX Corp.

The company says the name SITEX, short for Sights Textiles, provided it not only with a new name, but also a new image—one that was clean, attractive and in touch with the times.

It’s also a name the company says will be known throughout its market area as the leader in the textile rental industry.

But SITEX hasn’t been standing still since 1995. It has continued to grow and expand, and its most recent acquisition happened in October with the uniform, linen and textile rental business from New Day Uniforms and Linens Inc. in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Despite the continual growth, SITEX says it maintains a local, small-town feel with the “best team members in the industry” to serve its customers—all while remaining “in touch with the times.”

The company says it uses stateof-the-art technology and is con tinually increasing the sustainabil ity and green nature of its products and services.

In November, the company announced that the Henderson laundry processing facility went solar, installing a massive new solar PV system through AmerLight Energy.

“SITEX has long been an active participant in the global efforts toward making the commercial laundry industry cleaner, green er, and more sustainable,” Sights shares. “This new solar initiative is in line with our pre-existing sus tainability efforts.”

SOLAR ENERGY PROJECT INITIATIVE

SITEX says its Solar Energy Project Initiative is part of the com pany’s continuous effort and com mitment toward providing every

customer with cleaner, greener and more sustainable services.

What exactly does the compa ny’s switch to solar energy mean?

To understand more about the impact of its Solar Energy Project Initiative, SITEX looks to the num bers:

• SITEX installed 572 ZNShine Solar ZXM6-NHLD144445/M solar panels and three Growatt MAC 70KTL3-X MV inverters.

• The new solar power system can produce 338,593 kWh of energy, powering 38.48% of the facility’s energy needs.

• The solar panels have a lifes pan of more than 30 years, while the inverters have a 10-year lifespan.

• With the power that its solar power system can produce, the company looking at pre venting 311,506 pounds of carbon emissions, significant ly lowering the carbon foot print of processing customers’ laundry.

• SITEX’s Solar Energy Project Initiative reduces carbon emissions equivalent to the work of 6,490 trees.

SUSTAINABLE LAUNDRY

Alongside reducing its energy consumption, SITEX says it has also been following several sustain ability practices that have been in place for years:

• Using green detergent and laundry chemicals in its facili ties, in partnership with EPA Award-winning chemical partner, Washing Systems Inc.

• Strict wastewater monitoring to ensure that the company is not dumping pollutants into the water.

• Charter involvement in the Laundry Environmental Stewardship Program (Laundry ESP).

• Choosing Green Seal-certified products for its restroom sup ply services.

• Reduced paper usage in its financial transactions (e.g., billing, payroll, banking, etc.). Reduced fuel consumption through efficient delivery

route systems.

• Hanger recycling to reduce waste.

• Environmentally conscious laundry procedures while ensuring clean, hygienic laun dry results.

Locker-, rack- and bin-refur bishing efforts for more sus tainable uniform and linen storage.

• Reduced water consumption for its laundry processes.

• Conscious effort to use prod ucts and materials that align with the company’s sustain ability efforts.

• With the addition of its new Solar Energy Project Initiative, SITEX says it can guarantee a significant reduc tion in the amount of energy used to process customers’ linens and uniforms.

“SITEX continues to commit to and seek out new and better opportunities to bring eco-friend lier uniform and linen services,” says Sights. “Customers can trust that our continued effort towards greener operations will, in no way, reduce the quality and cleanliness of their items.

“In fact, these new efforts align with and empower our aim at achieving the best quality results for your linens and uniforms.”

OPERATION TODAY

Achieving “best quality results” takes 150 team members working a single shift (for the most part) Monday-Friday in a highly auto mated laundry plant, producing approximately 12 million pounds of clean goods annually.

Besides the main plant in Henderson, SITEX has branches in Louisville and Paducah, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee; and Jasper, Indiana. It’s service area covers Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee

SITEX’s “service footprint” spans an approximately 200-mile radius from the corporate office in Henderson. Products and services offered by the company include uniform service, kitchen apparel, linen service, restroom and mat service, and first aid service.

“Our services are not only for uniforms but also for many other types of linens that a business may need,” shares Sights. “We have medical apparel as well as restau

rant and kitchen linen services, restroom and first aid services available to businesses in many different industries.”

SITEX likes to say it has every thing from “the shop floor to the top floor.” The company says its uniforms, workwear and custom apparel promote pride and team work in the workforce as well as customer security and profession alism since employees can be easily recognized in their uniforms.

The company has state-of-theart customization and embroidery equipment with colors, styles and fits that influence customer per ception of quality and service.

“Our technology is the leading technology in the industry and pro vides customers with 100% accura cy through our automated tracking system, SITRAX,” points out Sights.

“Our team members, our tech nology, and our products and ser vices are what make the difference. We have the best, most skilled and well-trained team members in the industry.

“Our customers are the best and we strive to continually provide them with the best products and services possible.” ALN

Jon Sights (left), executive VP and COO, and Wes Sights, president and CEO, are the third generation of the Sights family involved with SITEX. (Photos: SITEX Corp.)

SITEX says it uses leading industry technology and provides customers with 100% accuracy through its automated tracking system, SITRAX.

Tools f the Trade

Microfiber mop dispenser box developed

Uses:

• Used for both wet mopping and dry dusting, SmartPads clean all types of hard floors.

• In highly contagious “danger” zones such as hospital wards, restrooms, gyms and locker rooms, SmartPads are ideal for mopping and tossing.

• In low-traffic “safe” zones, or areas that do not warrant strict cleaning protocols, such as offices, living spaces and retail stores, SmartPads should be used, washed and reused.

Features:

• An innovative dispensing box distributes one pad while priming the next pad for use.

• Universally fits 18-inch commercial frames (e.g., Rubbermaid) and home mops (e.g., Swiffer).

• The attractive retail packaging pops off the shelf and is compact to fit any POP display, janitorial closet or cart.

Benefits:

Monarch Brands reports it has invented the SmartPads microfiber mop dispenser box to fulfill multiple floor cleaning scenarios, taking its lead from the success of its SmartRags microfiber cloth dispenser box.

Priced to be used as a disposable mop pad, SmartPads may be washed and reused several times due to the woven microfiber polyester construction. The company says SmartPads pick up more dirt than non-woven disposable pads, are more economical and keep mop pads out of landfills.

• Available in blue and green to mitigate crosscontamination when reusing pads.

• SmartPads drive the cost of mopping down. They are priced similarly to most commercial disposable pads but can be washed several times before replacing.

• One box of SmartPads replaces several boxes of dry disposable pads for the home.

• SmartPads dispenser box neatly keeps mops fresh and ready for use.

www.monarchbrands.com 215-482-6100

Hospital-grade microfiber used to develop infection prevention materials

tion prevention in hospitals, hotels, cruise lines, long-term care and many other industries.

Micrillon is a rechargeable polymer additive that can be incorporated into manmade fibers, films and plastics and then charged with chlorine molecules. The Micrillon chemistry recharges for the life of the product and will not leach into the environment.

When microbes come into contact with a Micrillon surface, they are eliminated; viruses are inactivated.

Standard Textile Co. Inc., a textile manufacturer for the healthcare and hospitality markets, has launched its latest innovation, the VersaValet™, a washable and reusable laundry bag designed to function as both a hotel laundry collection bag as well as a clean return garment bag.

Eliminating the need for single-use plastic laundry and dry-cleaning bags, VersaValet™ provides hoteliers with a sustainable and simple solution to support their green initiatives and the environment, according to the company.

Made from 100% recycled yarns, the VersaValet™ is sustainably manufactured and features an antimicrobial finish for added protection and peace of mind. The hybrid laundry/garment bag solution allows hoteliers to support their sustainability goals while improving operational efficiencies.

Standard Textile says VersaValet™ is simple for hotels to employ as part of their normal guest housekeeping services. Housekeeping places a fresh VersaValet™ laundry bag in the hotel room closet, guests fill it with soiled garments, the bag is laundered with the other garments and then returned to the guest as a garment bag containing the freshly laundered apparel.

www.standardtextile.com 800-323-5246

Medical scrubs with EPA-registered textile kills 99.99% of bacteria

UMF Corp. says its Micrillon® microfiber, made in the United States, is the first hospital-grade microfiber that can be converted into a wide range of long-lasting, reusable products, including towels, cubicle curtains, socks, gloves, walk-off mats, reusable N95-rated facemasks and color-coded microfiber cleaning products.

The company says manufacturers are using the microfiber yarns to develop a new standard for materials targeting infec-

UMF says its series of highperformance Micrillon yarns, including sheath and core, bicomponent segmented pie and hollow-core segmented pie, demonstrate significant antiviral properties against the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, and human influenza A (H1N1) virus in just minutes.

The company says Micrillon also demonstrates 100% antibacterial elimination of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and E. coli 0157:H7.

www.perfectclean.com 888-920-0370

Livinguard, the Swiss-based manufacturer of self-disinfecting hygiene technology, reports it has launched an apparel line of permanent self-disinfecting scrubs, underscrubs and lab coats utilizing its EPAregistered bacteria-killing textile.

The company says scrubs buyers, who have been limited to comfort and fashion features, can today add the third and most important dimension, self-disinfection. Now, and in a post-pandemic world, healthcare professionals are looking for advanced hygienic solutions to keep themselves, their

families and their patients more protected.

Livinguard EPA registration was announced earlier this year with a promise to transform categories.

Livinguard scrubs are also feature-packed with comfort and fit. These competitively priced scrubs offer super soft and sensible fashion for healthcare environments. They come in a wide range of sizes and colors and have numerous pockets (some hidden) for medical tools, equipment, and personal items. www.livinguard.com support.usa@livinguard.com

Manufacturers: Have you introduced a new product? Revamped your system? Released a new catalog? E-mail your product news, along with a high-resolution image, to mpoe@atmags.com and we’ll consider publishing your news free in Tools of the Trade.

Hybrid solution created to help eliminate two sources of plastic waste for hotels

July 30 – August 2, 2022

World Congress Center

CHRIS WELCH, PRUDENTIAL OVERALL SUPPLY

Having your head on a swivel is more important now than ever.

With ongoing evolving chal lenges to the business—govern ment regulation, supply-chain disruption, tight labor markets, etc.—it is critical that leaders be principled but flexible in their approach to whatever comes next. What is working today may not work three months from now.

Being sharply focused on your core competency is imperative in today’s marketplace, but at the same time, you have to be actively listening to what the street wants or may want in the near future.

Taking some well-educated risks may pay off, but you have to make sure that your financial model has the resiliency to survive the bets that you lose.

Having the business on a solid footing from both talent and finance perspectives has been the foundation of every thing else we have done.

With the feet of our busi ness firmly on the ground, it has enabled us to successfully move from issue to issue, looking for opportunities where they pres ent themselves and continuing to properly service our customers and support our employees.

Knowing who you are and hav ing a strong foundation makes all the difference. When you aren’t overly worried about the day-today and your leadership knows what the direction is, it becomes much easier to rally the team around what needs to be accom plished and go to work.

A healthy balance sheet and well-trained talent at the local level allow for more boots-onthe-ground decision-making that takes full advantage of opportuni ties as they arise while still allow ing for some overarching strategy to drive other pieces of the busi ness forward.

Upper management needs to listen aggressively and commu nicate aggressively. Silence breeds paranoia. Make sure your team mates know things are really okay and what you hope to accomplish not just now but at the end of this cycle of tumult.

Well-trained, goal-aligned employees can be much more self-directed and fulfill the com pany strategy with limited need for corporate oversight.

I think laundries will return to pre-COVID operating statuses. None of these things last forever.

In five years (or less), we will all be overcoming new crises that arise (no water in the Western U.S., for example).

WILLIAM MUSE, UNITED HOSPITAL SERVICES

As a healthcare rental provid er, we have been fortunate that COVID-19 hasn’t changed how we do business and serve our cus tomers. It has, however, brought about a greater level of commu nication between customer and provider.

The fact that we were able to provide service without interrup tion to our customers in a world of supply-chain challenges, labor challenges and product shortages has elevated the level of trust and improved satisfaction across our accounts. I am optimistic that the challenges hospitals face today can have a positive impact on driving change and increasing the adoption rate of reusable goods over the traditional disposable options currently used.

As a provider that serves only the healthcare industry, I don’t believe there has been some large shift within our market making operating successfully any more or less challenging. That said, the importance of building and maintaining good relationships with both customers and vendors alike is even more important in today’s environment as customers will remember how their vendors withstood the challenges present ed during this time.

We have found customers to be extremely understanding of the challenges presented so long as the communication is present, and they are kept in the know.

As with any crisis, there is noth ing more important than plan ning. We, of course, didn’t plan for a global lockdown, but in my experience, laundry operators are great at rolling with the punches.

Looking back on the last almost two years, the one word that comes to mind is communication.

Early on when COVID was a new topic and before mask rec ommendations etc., we found that there was a lot of fear and misin formation being shared throughout the work force. To combat this, we held weekly town hall meetings with staff enabling us to keep everyone informed. This helped to really enhance the employee relationship as they knew we had their wellbeing at our focus.

Customers were also facing their own challenges in trying to stay safe with this new, unknown virus. We will all likely not forget the images of nurses and care givers wearing trash bags and dishpan gloves to care for sick

patients. That said, by establishing and maintaining a much greater level of communication with our customers, we were able to reduce the panic and ensure calm as our customers elevated us in their eyes from vendor to partner.

I think going forward, com munication will continue to be key as we work to overcome labor shortages, supply-chain interrup tions, etc.

I think that laundries will return to pre-COVID operations, as many have already recovered and seen growth in their local markets. That said, as we continue to look beyond COVID at what comes next, what’s more impor tant is to identify what we learned, where we excelled and where we failed. These are the lessons we can learn from to improve our product, our service and our relationships with customers and employees alike.

The best way to maintain operations is to control and per fect what is within your control. Ensure you maintain great rela tionships with your customers, and remain competitive in the areas of price, quality and service.

PHOEBE ELLIS, LACE HOUSE LINEN SUPPLY

This is a relevant question for all of us in our “essential” indus try, and I am a bit uncertain how to respond in these “unprecedent ed and challenging times”—but I am giving it my best effort!

It is interesting how the “new normal” from 2020 has now become the “new abnormal” in 2021. I’m not sure what the man tra will be in 2022—the “new normal abnormal?”

We have all made many chang es, quick decisions and continue to try to predict/project what will happen next week, next month and next year, and I think we can all agree that the only certain response is that we cannot predict much more than what is happen ing each day.

We have learned that the best way to operate in this “new abnormal” is to be flexible, agile and grateful for each employee, each delivery and each customer.

After laying off nearly 50% of our employees in March of 2020, some of them 20-plus-year employees, and having more than 80% of our custom ers close, we were not sure what Lace House would look like in the future or would we even be able to keep our doors open.

Fortunately, we received a PPP loan, which allowed us to get through the first six months of the pandemic and to keep a key group of employees on board. As we started to rebuild when busi nesses reopened in the summer of 2020, we had seasoned employees to get the work done as we were only operating three days a week.

Although we have always val ued our employees, it is even more evident now how much we need committed employees who care and are engaged at their work at Lace House. We are increasingly mindful of their personal lives, second jobs and family demands, so we are being very strategic in staffing our production and deliv ery schedules to avoid burnout, injuries and complacency at work.

We are focused on our key employees with training, educa tion about our industry and what our customers need—and as a result, we have fewer employees who are working more efficiently. We notice a remarkable difference in the mood, vibe and energy in our plant when people are not working overtime each day and extra shifts.

Knowing that we have fewer employees and have a reduced

production schedule, we have realized that being a mixed plant is essential and we are grateful to be serving food and beverage, hospitality, uniforms, and dustcontrol customers. We are very aware that this product diversity creates production challenges, but our mixed customer base was critical to maintaining some vol ume during the past 18 months.

We have spent a great deal of time analyzing our customer base and have terminated some customers because they were not solid partners, either because they did not manage adequate linen inventories, did not pay their bill or did not appreciate our service.

As we start to think about growth again in 2022 after nearly two years of no growth, we are very focused on markets and locations where we are confident that we can manage the product and delivery demands while offering quality goods and customer service.

We are excited to be open and thriving and continue to focus on a healthy work environment, positive employee engagement and close customer relationships. Our management team maintains flexibility and agility, and we are working to improve communica tions with employees and cus tomers so that all are aware of daily concerns.

We have all learned a ton dur ing this time and now realize that not even the best operator could have prepared and planned for such a time in our business.

As our director of operations, Rodrigo Patron, tells us, “It is not daily increase, but daily decrease, hack away the unessential.” (Bruce Lee). We have all embraced this mantra as we realize how essential we all are in this industry and that our customers expect excellent, honest, quality linen service.

For us at Lace House, navigat ing the “new abnormal” includes focusing on the essential, neces sary services to meet customer daily demands while ensuring that our employees and owners are healthy, happy and hopeful and celebrating our accomplishments daily. Cheers to our industry!

RICK SNYDER, U.S. LINEN & UNIFORM

I don’t know that COVID has changed very much. We observed universal precautions prior to the pandemic and have continued to follow them.

We had any customer affected by COVID sign a suspension of service. We have kept in contact with all those customers and were ready to serve them again when they needed it.

The pandemic, plus the labor and supply-chain issues, have made us look at all the markets we are in. We are re-focusing on the markets that we prefer to be in. We have determined that some of the high labor and high servicetime accounts, such as catering customers and sheet accounts, are

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Muse

Welch

Ellis

not markets that we want to be in.

It was very tough for some focused linen companies that lost 95% of their revenue overnight. We are in a rural area, so we have been able to focus on one market. In the long run, the more focused you are, the better your business should be. It may also be good to branch out into similar markets. If you are all linen maybe you want to branch out into medical or food processing.

It is not easy for companies in our industry to move into a new market quickly. The sales process is long. It takes quite a while to get any economies of scale. If you can find something that you could move into quickly, that would be a big help when revenue drops off.

If you need new equipment to service a new market, that is going to slow you down and be expensive. Do you have room for it? What hap pens when the rest of the business comes back? Does that new equipment get in the way of your old processes? If there is a market, like janitorial supplies, that doesn’t require new equip ment, then it is easier to move into that market.

If the company is going to move into new markets, they need to make sure the people can perform the required tasks for the new market. Do the sales people understand the new sales techniques they need? Can pro duction process the new items? Employees need training if they are going to enter new markets.

I think we will eventually return to pre-COVID levels. This is just taking longer than expected, but at some point, it will not be that deadly. It will most likely be like the flu.

Do everything you can to main tain your operating levels. That might include taking on some temporary work. I wouldn’t take on new markets just for the sake of increasing revenue. If you don’t do it right, it won’t be good for you in the long run.

GREGORY

therapy or massage clinics, have seen big volume losses. Lost vol ume ultimately must be replaced, and this can be a challenge in our new COVID-19 world.

As with most areas, laundry agility has taken on additional importance in our new COVID19 world. As business opportuni ties dry up, the agile laundry will find even better opportunities to add value elsewhere.

tenance, infrastructure, purchas ing, pricing and more.

Therefore, we must evolve our processes around agility in order to stay competitive. Agility is the ability to think, understand and react quickly. This is easier said than done but here are some examples:

to new markets during a down turn inspires the team, demon strating to them that they are in good hands.

GICEWICZ,

STERILE SURGICAL SYSTEMS

COVID-19 has exaggerated the things we already should be doing as a healthcare laun dry. Everything from personal protective equipment (PPE) to functional separation to surface disinfection to proper wash for mulas to inventory management to hiring has taken on amplified importance.

COVID-19 has forced us to bring our “A” game every day in the “blocking and tackling” of operating a healthcare laundry. The consequences of bringing your “B” or “C” game are more severe than before.

For a laundry focused on one market to stay in business today, it depends on the market. In the healthcare world, business has grown in certain areas and decreased in others. Reusable PPE (e.g., reusable isolation gowns) demand has increased consid erably due to supply-chain and quality issues with single-use PPE.

On the other hand, surgery vol ume is down in most hospitals, so overall processed poundage has taken a hit. Certain healthcarerelated areas, such as physical

While bulk linen poundage has decreased in many instances due to canceled elective surgeries, we have found additional business demand for specialty services, such as cubicle curtain processing, linen distribution services, gait belt processing and sterile surgical textile pack processing services. These spe cialty servic es not only add value to our custom ers but they help move us up the value chain from vendors to strategic partners.

Our operation did not require much change in order to navi gate COVID-19 and continue in business today. As I already men tioned, as a healthcare laundry, COVID-19 exaggerated the things we already should be doing.

Also as previously mentioned, in a COVID-19 world, tolerances for poor performances are much smaller and consequences more severe. I am sure I am not alone in stating that these are the most difficult times we as an industry have faced in years. The difficul ties span all areas of the business including hiring, training, main

• Equipment—Idle equipment costs money. Have a plan to offline equipment not need ed in order to save on main tenance, utilities and space. Have a plan to quickly bring it back online when needed.

• Chemicals—If you are like most laundries, your prod uct mix has changed with COVID-19. New product lines require different wash formulas and different chemistry. Have the ability to quickly pivot your wash for mulas to these new wash for mulas. Some of these prod ucts may not process well in conventional dryers. Have a plan for alternative drying solutions.

• Processes—Processes must be agile to support an agile business. Streamline your standard operating proce dure (SOP) change process or, better yet, automate parts of this. Remember, any SOP change requires an update to training and other col lateral. Streamline this pro cess through off-the-shelf or internally built workflow automation.

The most important task of upper management is to inspire confidence and trust in employ ees and customers both in good times and in challenging times. An upper manager proactively and confidently pivoting business

An upper manager wearing a flat panic on his/her face because of pandemic-related lost busi ness will make a challenging situ ation that much worse for the employees looking to him/her for strength and conviction.

In the laundry world, there will never be a return to yesteryear. COVID operating statuses are with us for good. We can only move forward.

We, and “the experts,” can try to predict the future but there are too many moving parts. We will always be wrong. Nonetheless, we can and should take lessons learned during extraordinary times and make ourselves better prepared for the next extraordi nary times! What have we learned in the COVID world that we can take forward? A few examples:

1. Always have a backup stock and plan for supply-chain disruptions.

2. Ensure your contracts have verbiage allowing off-sched ule price increases under cer tain conditions.

3. Make sure you have a pan demic plan as part of your standard operating proce dures.

4. We are and always will be a people resource first busi ness. As such, we must put as much emphasis on hiring, training and retaining as any part of our plant

I would tell colleagues to keep lean, strong and positive (even if you are not on the inside). You will get through this challenging time and emerge stronger and smarter than before.

ALN

Snyder

Gicewicz

It is my privilege to be selected to serve on the American Laundry News Panel of Experts.

I’ve been in the laundry industry for almost 30 years now, and it doesn’t seem like 1992 was that long ago.

I started as an industrial and manufacturing engineer at the UniMac Company, then a family-owned business, right out of college. After a few years, I was promoted into product engineering and began the job of integrating variable-speed drives onto our cabinet hard mounts.

In 1998, I accepted an engi neering position with Washex Machinery, then onto IPSO USA where I was on the design team that developed the first 300 G-force hard-mount washer in the industry via our SmartSpinTM patent.

In 2000, I was honored to be on the startup team for B&C Technologies, where we started with a clean sheet of paper and designed an entirely new family of commercial and industrial laundry equipment.

In 2013, I was promoted to vice president of sales and mar keting for the company and have served in this capacity since.

The year 2021 has presented many challenges to manufactur ers, including variability and unavailability of key manufac turing components, significant instability in the transportation industry, and interesting labor and personnel challenges.

This year, 2022, will likely be a continuation of 2021 well into the year, so there are plenty of challenges to solve in the upcom ing year—and great opportuni ties for learning and understand ing each other to help reduce these problems in our industry and the world at large.

Working together with kind ness, understanding and empa thy will allow us to work past the problems of 2021 and create a successful 2022.

I’m looking forward to shar ing my knowledge and helping others to solve their commercial laundry problems.

Since then, I have co-owned and operated many other ven tures, starting with my first Laundromat in 2001, which I built completely from scratch in a rental space. The Laundromat grew over the next several years and became a neighborhood success.

Fashion Seal had the foresight in early 2020 to secure additional fabric and garments that we are continuing to supply to our customers. We now have more inventory than ever to support our customers’ needs.

Fashion Seal Healthcare employees treat each other like family, and we extend that senti ment to our customers. We con tinue to invest in our business and look to support and bring innovation to the textile rental industry.

Iam honored to be chosen as part of the Panel, and I hope to contribute in a meaningful and positive way.

Growing up in a New Haven, Connecticut, suburb, I never thought about the laundry busi ness as a career path. Following my older siblings, I went to college and graduated from Quinnipiac University with a degree in health science.

After spending six years work ing in the healthcare field, I quickly realized my motivation and hands-on personality were not being satisfied. In 1999, I started a small construction business with my brother, who has remained my business part ner ever since.

As our business grew over the next few years, and I was able to see the positive impact I could make on the people close to us, as well as the entire community, I was hooked.

As its growth reached a pla teau, in the year 2004 I founded Soap to Nuts Laundry Systems, which I still run today. I was able to use my knowledge acquired from the Laundromat to help other laundries with challenges they were facing.

Soap to Nuts Laundry Systems started as a small, two-person operation focused on servicing local coin laundries. Over the next 17 years, the company grew into a multi-faceted business, with eight full-time employees, a fully-stocked plant, and opera tions on all levels of the laundry business, including coin, com mercial and industrial equipment.

Soap to Nuts Laundry Systems provides new and refurbished equipment, maintenance, as well as service and repairs in four states.

My professional goals for the future are to keep growing my laundry business, continue to provide quality employment and training for my technicians, and offer mentorship to young busi ness owners. I am also passionate about helping other businesses in the industry and seeing them succeed.

This year we celebrated our 101st year in business, an achievement the entire Fashion Seal team is extremely proud of. I am honored to serve as the senior vice president of sales and operations for Fashion Seal Healthcare, a division of Superior Group of Companies.

While COVID-19 has and con tinues to present a unique set of challenges, we have spent our 101st year in business powering forward in our tradition of providing unmatched customer experiences.

This was, and will be, made possible through continued operational support and invest ment, and while the pandemic has delayed some of our plans, we are now in a position to pro vide better service than ever.

We opened our second owned sewing factory in Haiti, along with investing in our flagship distribu tion center in Eudora, Arkansas. We are also launching a new cus tomer portal and support services to enhance the customer experi ence and give our customers more access to better information.

While the worldwide supply chain remains severely delayed,

After receiving a degree in textile engineering technology from Southern Tech, I began my career in 1993 as a vendor of industrial automation systems to the textile rental and textile manufacturing industries. I joined Spindle as sales manager in 2012.

Spindle gives operations actionable insights into how their plant is performing in realtime. Improve employee pro ductivity, maximize equipment utilization, monitor utilities and schedule preventive maintenance all in one place.

Spindle’s original produc tivity-monitoring software has delivered significant savings for our customers by helping to reduce labor costs.

The evolution to our current, more robust platform was driven by the need to address additional major cost considerations within a laundry: maximizing overall equipment effectiveness and effi cient utility consumption.

Spindle achieves these goals by providing the right information, to the right people, at the right time—from the shop floor to the head office.

In addition to engaging employ ees through the visual workplace to increase their performance, Spindle also features analysis tools and a unique Facility Health Score. Its real-time data helps laundry operations make better decisions, on their schedules.

Get to know our new panelists as they introduce themselves, their operations and more from their industry segments.

Consulting Services

Jon Witschy Spindle, Woodridge, Ill.

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Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with personnel from the produc tion floor to the corporate office and learn about the challenges facing our businesses. My goal in partnering with customers has always been to improve effi ciency, quality and safety.

In each of my professional roles, I have supported process controllers, automation systems and operations management soft ware through all stages of design, sale, installation and training.

It’s an honor to be selected to serve on ALN’s Panel of Experts. There often seems to be an end less list of concerns for the laun dry industry: operating costs, quality, customer service … and many others.

This Panel format provides an excellent opportunity to share ideas and experiences that can lead to breakthroughs. I look forward to providing informa tion for the benefit and growth of our industry.

to Quitman, Georgia, and started working large industrial laundry maintenance. From there I moved to Brunswick and signed on as a laundry maintenance engineer with the world’s premier resort.

I work as a maintenance engineer for a five-star resort in South Georgia. We average approximately 200,000 pounds of linen processed per year. We process sheets, towels, table linen and the occasional load of chair covers. We are also a backup facility for a local hospital.

Our accomplishments this year have been to replace some outdated equipment that has freed us up to make improve ments on the older equipment.

Our most challenging issues are finished linen quality and operator training.

ity costs, which are a far higher spend than their chemical cost.

When I work with a cus tomer, they are really buying three things from me: chemicals, results and service. Though they often focus on the invoice cost of the chemicals I supply them, those chemicals are used to pro duce a result, whether a clean glass, floor or towel, and the equipment used, the procedures used along with the chemicals used, affect those results.

Finally, we provide service to maintain our dispensers, provide training and program customerowned machines. The service is provided at no additional charge as part of the price the customer pays for our chemicals.

A big challenge I face is to help customers focus on their other costs associated with cleaning besides the cost of the chemi cal. Labor is a huge component of their cleaning costs, and if I can reduce their labor costs by 10%, I could charge double for my chemicals and still save them money. Most customers are hesi tant to incorporate this overall cost accounting in their analysis for choosing a chemical vendor.

American Laundry News Thanks Members of the 2021 Panel of Experts for Their Contributions

Tammy Barrett, HHS Environmental Services

Campbell Dodson, Lavo Solutions LLC

Phoebe Ellis, Lace House Linen

David Graham, Performance Matters

Cecil B. Lee, Standard Textile

Scott McClure, Pellerin Laundry Machinery

Charles Spencer, G.A. Braun Inc.

Monique C. Walker, Vi at Grayhawk

Frank Zacchigna, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

American Laundry News is still seeking 2022 Panel of Experts can didates to represent linen supply, textiles, textile/uniform rental and other institution laundry segments. If you think you would be a good fit, or can suggest someone who is, please contact Matt Poe, editor, at mpoe@atmags.com, 866-942-5694.

from those around you. I hope to be one more resource for you as you continue to learn, grow and evolve within the industry.

bered for the many challenges presented by COVID-19, labor availability and supply-chain interruptions.

Hello, my name is Kelly Reynolds. I began my light commercial laundry career in 2002 for a small hotel and cabin opera tion in Cherokee, North Carolina.

In 2006, I moved to Valdosta, Georgia, and worked for two hotels in Valdosta and Lake Park through 2011.

After a two-year hiatus from laundry maintenance, I returned

Ihave been in the chemical sup ply business for nearly 30 years having worked for Diversey, Ecolab, GOJO and Staples.

I am currently employed as a business development manager for Diversey working with hotels, res taurants, nursing homes and hos pitals for their cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting chemical needs.

My past roles include sales manager, national accounts sales manager, sales director and res taurant manager.

Though I sell chemicals, I also work with customers on their labor, equipment and util

I am excited to be a part of this Panel. I hope my experiences will provide helpful solutions to the challenges you face.

I have worked in the health care laundry sector for seven years serving many roles, includ ing information technology manager, plant manager, interim maintenance chief, and now director of service and sales, all of which have quickly broadened my knowledge and experience within the industry.

My 10 years’ prior experience in the technology sector has enabled me to bring a different perspective and an agile mental ity to the healthcare operation.

As director of service and sales for United Hospital Services, I oversee all hospital accounts across the state of Indiana for our 50 million-pound opera tion. As a co-op of over 50 years, United Hospital Services has grown into one of the largest healthcare laundry cooperatives in the United States with no plan on stopping anytime soon!

I believe 2021 will be remem

That said, we have gracefully overcome these challenges with nearly no supply-chain impact, maintained our workforce throughout COVID-19 and the great exit of 2021, and have experienced zero service impact on our customers as a result.

This is a testament to our leadership team and the plan ning in place to ensure the best service to our customers regard less of outside circumstances.

Looking toward 2022 and beyond, the challenges I face at United Hospital Services are much like the challenges you likely face within your opera tions. We must continue to find ways to overcome labor short ages and supply-chain interrup tions while we navigate the con tinued onslaught of COVID-19.

With all of this in mind, we as an industry must look beyond

There’s no better way to learn a business or an industry than by doing it yourself and learning

Continuing supply-chain challenges, solutions

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

CHICAGO — David Bernstein, executive director of CSCNetwork, a resource for independent laun dry and linen services, says that pandemic-induced challenges in the global supply chain continue as the world works to recover from COVID-19.

Entire sectors of the global economy—manufacturing, trans portation, logistics and energy, just to name a few—are being strained beyond their limits.

“Under normal circumstances, disruption in any one of these sec tors could cause temporary ripples in global markets, but when they occur simultaneously it creates a perfect storm,” Bernstein points out.

CSCNetwork hosted the webinar “The Perfect Storm: Managing Supply Chain Risks in 2021,” reviewing what caused the crisis, how long experts expect it to last, strategies and tactics to help with supply-chain planning, sourcing, and procurement, and what laundry-industry profes sionals can do in the long term to protect their businesses.

Bernstein moderated the webi

nar panel, which consisted of American Dawn’s Jeff Landry, director of global solutions, and Steve Kallenbach, director of market solutions; Jon Wynkoop, CFO of Gurtler Industries Inc.; Jeremy Lott, president of SanMar

Corp.; and Ty Acton, president of Tingue.

SUPPLY-CHAIN OVERVIEW

Landry started the webinar with an overview of some of

“Once a container arrives in the United States, we’re having tremendous inland shortages. There’s about a 140,000 truck driver shortage, and chassis shortages. So getting product off the boat, getting in and out of the port, getting it into your dock, getting it unloaded—the reliability schedule is down, the costs are up. We’ve seen over 300% cost on some containers, 8% unfinished product, and that’s grown on a daily basis.” —

the issues facing the global sup ply chain, which affects laundry operations.

“One of the largest issues we are dealing with today, and I believe every company in America is deal ing with, is transportation issues,” he says. “That becomes multi-lev el, starting with containers coming from overseas production.”

“What we’ve seen … as all of the containers that were full of COVID product arrive, some of those goods move quickly, and there are goods that are stuck in containers. So this created a great container shortage and that’s a global impact and that is from every continent.”

With the container short age, Landry says he’s seen costs go from $2,000 a container to $12,000, even $20,000. The cost increase eventually gets passed onto the customer—linen ser vices and end-users.

But the transport issue doesn’t end at the docks.

“Once a container arrives in the United States, we’re having tremendous inland shortages,” Landry says. “There’s about a 140,000 truck driver shortage, and chassis shortages. So getting product off the boat, getting in and out of the port, getting it into your dock, getting it unloaded— the reliability schedule is down, the costs are up. We’ve seen over 300% cost on some contain ers, 8% unfinished product, and that’s grown on a daily basis.”

For a textile products company like American Dawn, supply and shipping challenges for materials are problematic, but then there are increased fuel costs.

“As the world seems, politically, to want to flex to more of an elec

trical market, they start cutting off somewhat of the exploration of petrol products and the pro duction of petrol products, and that increases the price of oil,” Landry points out.

“Now people are driving again, ships are going, planes are flying, and so oil is going back up and I’m not saying they’re reaching record levels but they’ve gone from basically zero to somewhere in the high 50s and the 60s, and that affects all transportation costs but it also affects the manu facturing cost of raw supply.”

The limited raw supply is of petrochemical products used to make polyester goods. Add in cot ton shortages, and the textile side of the supply equation is very tight.

This next challenge, Landry says, is somewhat of a complicat ed issue—the monetary policy of the United States. In the past year, the United States has printed tril lions of dollars, not revenue gen erated, he points out. The govern ment printed cash and brought up the national debt.

“Now, what does that mean for us? Well, most countries, and a lot of the countries that we produce product in, base their monetary policies on the U.S. dollar, but as the U.S. dollar gets printed and exploited into large amounts of cash, trillions of dollars, not bil lions, but trillions, that all of a sudden changes the currency fac tors,” Landry says.

“What we’ve seen in some of our main countries, like Pakistan, is we’ve lost 9% value of the rupee to the dollar. So that means the U.S. dollar basically buys 10% less product. So, the cost of labor

CSCNetwork webinar panelists discuss issues, share advice pertinent to laundry and linen service operators

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Jeff Landry, American Dawn

recovery and toward growth once again!

It’s an honor to be selected as a member of this Panel. I hope that my experiences provide you with the information and tools needed to overcome challenges within your operations.

of Experts.

The organization that I work for consists of three facilities. The campus includes a skilled nursing facility, assisted living facility and an independent liv ing facility.

When I first began my career with the organization in November 2004, I was working full time on second shift in the laundry department. At the same time, I was also working another full-time job on first shift at another company, which I had been with for 10 years.

Over the next 12 months, I moved into a newly created posi

tion as director of central sup ply. This would entail creating a central supply storage location, developing and implementing procedures and policies, devel oping a purchase requisition system, a delivery system to get product to all the departments, creating contracts with vendors, and doing the annual inventory of the facility.

I facilitate between suppli ers, manufacturers and internal departments at all three facilities. I also effectively build lasting relationships with suppliers that help with sourcing the best qual ity and best-priced goods and

services.

This new opportunity was going to be a fun and exciting challenge that I looked forward to. Though accepting this new opportunity meant leaving the other full-time job that I had been at for 10 years, it has been well worth it. It has been a very satisfying career choice for me.

In less than 12 months as director of central supply, I acquired two additional depart ments to manage, laundry and housekeeping. My title then changed to director of purchas ing and support services.

After several years, the house

keeping department was trans ferred over to the maintenance department assistant manager so that I could focus more on pur chasing and the laundry depart ment.

In the middle of September 2021, the laundry department was transferred over to the housekeeping manager so that I could give more attention to purchasing, budgeting and gen eral operations. It has been and still is an exciting and challeng ing career with a great company. Thank you for this opportunity. I look forward to contributing my career skills and experience. ALN

M

y pathway to this job was one

I never thought would lead me here. I spent the better part of three decades working the con struction trades and have a tech degree in engineering. I was selfemployed until the end of 2011 as a general contractor focused on demolition and excavation work.

After enduring a three-year struggle with the economy, I decided to shift gears and answered a Craigslist ad for a maintenance management posi tion. I have not looked back since the beginning of 2012.

I had a better than aver age understanding of electrical, hydraulics, pneumatics, schedul ing, compliance, etc. What I knew little about was our industry itself. This was overcome by tenacity and a supportive family of own ers. I was, and still am, given every opportunity to learn and grow.

I am now a 10-year veteran of the industry. The company I work for is a fourth-generation family-owned independent with the fifth generation currently mastering their respective roles.

My oldest son, 26, has also been working in the industry for our production department in high school and college and is now our chemical rep working for an “unnamed company.”

I am bewildered by how large and small this industry is, and I have a lot of gratitude for being for tunate enough to stumble into it.

This company, and the indus try, have been exceptionally bene ficial to me and mine, and I hope to remain a positive influence here for another 15 years.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve on this year’s ALN Panel

in other countries, the cost of water, the cost of chemicals, the cost of fuel, with no other factor affecting any of these things, the costs have gone up 10% That’s what our dollars buy.

“In China, we’re seeing about 10% also, but you can almost go to every country around the world and the United States dollar is the gold standard, but it has been weakened as we continue to print cash. And so until the dollar starts to strengthen again, we will see a continuation of currency revaluations.”

Finally, Landry says the Consumer Price Index, a factor of inflation, has hit the industry and the supply chain hard—especially in a tight labor market.

“I hear this from the laundries because, to some extent, they’re buying extra product because they’re having such a hard time processing product because they’re having such a hard time hiring people to work,” he shares.

“We struggle to hire good peo ple, and when you get to that type of economy, the way you

have to accommodate that is you start paying a higher wage, and that’s what I think you’re seeing around the country is an increase in wages. That’s an inflationary pressure that affects the CPI, like the monetary policy, higher fuel costs, all of those started getting into everything we do.

“We live in a world with Kaizen as a manufacturing concept— everybody wants to run ‘just in time.’ Inventory is money. You don’t maintain huge amounts of inventory, so any disruptions in your supply chain will impact your cost and your delivery and … very significant impacts on every aspect of everything we do in our business.”

BIGGEST PROBLEMS, STRATEGIES

After Landry’s presentation, Bernstein allowed each panel ist an opportunity to introduce themselves and share what sup ply-chain challenges their com panies are facing.

Then he asked the participants to share their greatest challenges and solutions to help laundry operators.

BERNSTEIN: I’m curious to know briefly from each of you,

which of these challenges would you say is the biggest problem for you? And what advice and strate gies would you give to folks who own or operate laundries—Jeff?

LANDRY: I would say at this point the largest impact we

have is having supply, and it’s due mostly to the transportation issues. Our offshore products we have the ability to produce, the costs are increasing with the dif ficult challenges to transport it. The only advice, and we are doing this with our customer base, is trying to make sure that they are open to alternative prod ucts that are similar.

We produce so many products that are almost identical, but cus tomers have kind of put them selves where they want to be able to differentiate it, which is fine in normal times, but there are times where you might have to take an alternate product at basically the same cost, same performance. Maybe it has a little different look or doesn’t necessarily have the stripe you want, but it will per form the same functionality.

So, we’re trying to get our customers to be flexible, to take product we have in stock because the products that are coming in, it’s almost undefinable about when we’re going to be able to get them on a boat, off the boat, into the warehouse and shipped to a location.

BERNSTEIN: Jeremy, would you say the same thing, or is it a different issue?

LOTT: It’s very much the same thing for us. It’s our invento ry levels, and the ability to how fast we can move them back is our biggest problem. And so our customers, just like Jeff said, we encourage flexibility in terms of the product that they’re choosing.

So, if you know an end-user wants this jacket or this shirt, make sure we’re showing them multiple options. They’re going to perform well but maybe are slightly different than the one they want.

And I just think we have to really think differently about availability and really try to plan ahead, provide options on differ ent product. I think that’s going

to be the best way that we all get through this together.

BERNSTEIN: Steve, from a marketing perspective, how do you help your customers when they need this style of widget but you can only provide this other style, which is similar. How do you help them deal with that with the end-users as well?

KALLENBACH: The larg est issue is a different mode of communicating. When things are going great, we’re all rolling along—and then we’re reactive to the outliers, right? In this case, we need to, as an industry, change the way that we communicate to cus tomers. It needs to be proactive.

They should be hearing what you’re hearing today so that they don’t sit there and guess why is my stuff not showing up. Well, if they knew this information, they would probably come to you and say, what other options do I have?

So we need to educate them and be proactive about that, and then I think the journey will be much easier for all of us because they want to be partners as well. We want to be partners with our customers. Our customers have customers as well, and we just need to open up and make sure that they understand what the dynamics are.

I think most of America prob ably understands that there’s a commodity pipeline issue right now. That there’s a bottleneck and there’s going to be a bottle neck, but I’m not sure everybody really understands the total pic ture and not that they need to know as much as (we do), but I think it needs to make sense.

And to me when I’m teaching, I want to make things simple and understandable and memorable and just have it make sense. So, that would be my advice from a marketing perspective: Change the message to simple and mem orable so that they help you.

BERNSTEIN: Ty, what would

(Image licensed by Ingram Image)

“

I just think we have to really think differently about availability and really try to plan ahead, provide options on different product. I think that’s going to be the best way that we all get through this together.” — Jeremy Lott, SanMar Corp.

you say is, of these issues, your biggest issue? And again, what advice do you have?

ACTON: For us, it’s labor. Supply-chain issues and late and shortages of supplies are certainly a challenge, but for us, it’s labor. We manufacture a lot of things that we send out custom-cut and sew-and-fit, so it’s a challenge. We’ve got a sales manager going in next week to help in the belting department. We’re pulling super visors who are not really coaching, they’re actually processing work.

We paused our 401K match during the height of COVID, and we’ve reinstated that. We’re using ZipRecruiter, Indeed, LinkedIn and our local chamber of com merce is helping where they can. We’re paying thousand-dollar employee referrals, half at 30 days and the other half at 120 days— if the referral remains with the organization. In some cases, we can’t get people to apply.

As Steve alluded to, he’s so right, educating our customers and really educating our field reps to let the customer know to go ahead and order it at the first sign of fraying belts or cover wear or anything that you see that may pose a problem. Go ahead and get it on order because it may be three or four weeks before you get it. And if you wait too long, it’s

better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

BERNSTEIN: John, what would you say of these is No. 1 for you, and again, same question, what advice do you have for your customers and their end-users?

WYNKOOP: Probably the big gest thing is product availability for us, as we were just talking. It would be nice to be able to build up a lot of supply in our warehouses and therefore have it available for everybody, but just sometimes things are going in and out still.

Unfortunately, since things are on assignment, we just get dribbles and drabs, just enough to make sure that we’re providing enough products to our custom ers but difficult really to try to get ahead.

I would say probably the big gest thing that our customers could assist in is really be prudent and purchase what you need and let’s not get back into the situa tion we had where toilet paper was being hoarded and things like that. There’s no reason to do that.

The supply chain, at least from our standpoint, is going to be adequate as long as things don’t go into crisis mode trying to stock up. So what we’re doing on our end is we’re ensuring that we don’t overstock at any of our dis

tribution points. We don’t over stock in any of our consignment and inventory situations. We’re trying to really manage how we’re sending these products out.

And I think, inevitably, every one’s going to have to allow for delays in freight. And be sure to have enough for a backup because if you tell us ship in a week and we arrange for a car rier and you’re going to run out in a week, that’s kind of a recipe for disaster. The carrier may not show up at our end or may be delayed in delivering at your end.

If you’re going to be running out that day, that kind of gets that crisis-mode view in a very quick fashion. It’s better to plan ahead a little bit and don’t stock up but just make sure you have enough inventory.

I think what Steve said, the messaging is really everything, and I think it’s important to make sure that everybody understands the implications of the supply chain and how that’s going to affect them.

BERNSTEIN: I’m going to ask each of you to sort of stare into your crystal ball. How long do you foresee this going on? When will the storm clouds clear and the sky turn blue? Jeff, what are your thoughts?

LANDRY: I think we’re look

ing at early 2022 to some return of normalcy. If there are no other major impacts, you know, any major COVID outbreaks, major transportation issues, major fuel issues, so if everything remains constant, we’re probably looking at is some gradual improvement as we go through the year to whatever the new normal will be.

LOTT: I’d probably echo Jeff’s sentiment. I think it’s end of Q1 2022 to Q2, at least from what we can see it. We have to not only buy inventory to support sales but buy inventory to support getting back to a more normal ized level. Doing that in a time where there are yarn shortages and other things, it’s just going to take time.

So, I think we have another, you know, maybe not quite 12 months, but close to that. It’s going to be challenging.

KALLENBACH: I would say that COVID bit us pretty hard, but it’s not going to win. We’re better than that as a country and as a people and as a world, so I just encourage everybody to look at this adversity and just get better.

Be strong, get agile. Enjoy the new abnormal ride and believe you’ll win. We’re going to make it.

WYNKOOP: I would just say from my chemical world perspec

tive, I know that we are going to continue pretty much where we are today, and I’m hearing some rumblings that things will be starting to ease up. In other words, supply will start catching up with demand, so maybe that’s a good sign for heading into 2022. If nothing else happens, I can foresee that.

Demand is strong right now. The industry is strong, but every thing is really backed up. It’s just a matter of picking up on the backlog.

BERNSTEIN: Ty, it looks like you get the last word.

ACTON: I think a lot of the recovery is contingent upon the world being vaccinated. A lot of the supply-chain issues are com ing from other parts of the world. I know that China developed a vaccine. The data seems to show it’s not quite as effective as the U.S. vaccine. So hopefully, the world gets vaccinated and we all get back to work.

So, I would say into Q2 for sup ply-chain issues. As far as labor, I think that we will start getting a little more labor, so we’re hopeful as well.

Steve had a great message of encouragement, and, you know, we’re going to come out of this better than ever. It just may take some time.

Guest Donald Bock, principal of Seabright Safety Solutions, shares key points for laundry operators to investigate, and ways to improve shortcomings, to help ensure a facility is as safe as possible.

Susan Fahey Desmond, a principal in the New Orleans office of Jackson Lewis P.C., shares her expertise on laundry management and safety in an era of increasing

member of the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council’s

Board of Directors, provides an update on

lies ahead for the

G.A. Braun promotes Welsh to president

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — JB Werner, CEO and chairman of the Board for laundry equipment manufacturer G.A. Braun reports that David Welsh has been pro moted from director of operations to president.

He suc ceeds Rick Rudmann, who will remain on as a strategic advisor.

“Dave has done a tremendous job as director of operations and is well deserving of his new role as president,” Werner says. “I look forward to working closely with Dave as we continue to grow G. A. Braun Inc.”

Welsh held the position of director of operations for the past 18 years, responsible for managing Braun’s purchasing, assembly, fabrication, quality, logistics, safety, plant mainte nance and training.

He holds a degree in mechani cal engineering and has more than 34 years of experience in manufacturing environments.

Martinenza promoted to Penn Emblem client support director

PHILADELPHIA — Penn Emblem Co. reports it has pro moted Debbie Martinenza to the position of client support director.

In this role, she facilitates cli ent support in both the Trevose and Mira Loma locations. Some of her daily tasks include, but are not limited to, managing the daily operations of the client support areas and serving as the liaison between customer service, sales and service areas.

In addition, Martinenza over sees about 20 customer-service employees. In this role, she teaches her employees to manage customer orders, cus tomer issues and custom er opportu nities.

Her career with Penn Emblem began as a part-time employee in 1988. As a junior in high school, she applied for the position because it was within walking distance from her school, Archbishop Ryan High School. She was hired to help assemble customer literature such as color charts and flyers. After she graduated in June

Track Career

1989, Martinenza was hired as a full-time order entry clerk. Since starting with Penn Emblem full time, she has transitioned to many roles, such as production planning clerk, temporary art room supervisor, art room man ager, artist/digitizer, art room/ digitizing manager, order entry manager, customer service man ager, corporate customer service manager, and ERP manager.

Martinenza earned the 1996 President’s Award; the 2008 Chairman’s Award; and 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 Penn Award, which are all a reflection of her hard work and dedication to the company.

Throughout her tenure with Penn Emblem, Martinenza believes that it is the people that have made the journey the most rewarding.

“I have been very lucky to grow up in an environment where everyone was treated like family,” she says. “I was young and did not know anything about emblems but from the beginning, I was taken under the wings of many great mentors who believed in me and my capabilities.

“It all started with Robert Blumenthal and now the same with Randi they believed in me and continued to help me grow over my 32 years at Penn by pro viding career growth, learning and development.”

In addition, she is thoroughly grateful and proud of the team she works alongside between employees, managers, superi ors and plant team members. Martinenza says one of her favor ite parts about her job is working with the client support teams.

With so much accomplished thus far, she has even bigger goals for the coming years.

“My personal goal is to help implement a new ERP system along with a brand-new, fully e-commerce website,” says Martinenza. “Having the new platforms in place will help in so many areas but most impor tantly, it will improve our cus tomer experience which truly is my number one goal. Our CS teams will have the appropriate tools and real-time data to better service our customers and our internal sales team.”

She says her goal is to continue working alongside the executive team members and managers to improve processes, procedures, KPIs and internal systems, which will result in better team morale, better outcomes and a much more effective team.

While working to create a better internal and external environment for Penn Emblem, Martinenza foresees only one outcome “to be the best emblem and decoration company in the world.”

“Her contribution, loyalty, quest to continue learning, and

her support to her team mem bers and customers exceed the expectations,” says President Randi Blumenthal. “She is an exemplary model of a team player, hard worker and brand advocate.”

Gittard retires from JENSEN USA

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Simon Nield, president of JENSEN USA, based here, reports that long-time employee Norbert Gittard has retired.

“It is with great pleasure, yet heavy heart, that we announce the retirement of a 35-year laun dry industry veteran, Mr. Norbert

Gittard, VP of sales and marketing for JENSEN USA,” says Nield.

Gittard spent his entire 35-year laundry industry career with JENSEN, starting when JENSEN USA was named Central Finishing Systems. He began as parts manager, with promotions to parts and service manager, VP of operations, end ing his career as VP of sales and marketing.

JENSEN USA says he was an integral part of the growth of the business into one of the leading suppliers of industrial laundry equipment in North America.

Gittard has served on a variety of industry councils over the years and attended many of the industry’s major meetings and conventions, quite often with his lovely, Connie.

“On behalf of all at JENSENGROUP, we would like to express our gratitude to Norbert for the dedication and passion he exhib ited year after year,” the company says. “You will be missed.”

Meyers joins Alliance Laundry Systems

RIPON, Wis. — Alliance Laundry Systems, a manufactur er of commercial laundry equip ment, has tapped Eric Meyers to lead its North America trade/ on-premises laundry segment as general manager.

In a recent reorganization, the company combined the two seg ments under one leader.

“Eric’s track record of suc cess and communication skills make him a perfect fit for lead

ing the sales organization we are building,” says Craig Dakauskas senior vice president, North America Commercial for Alliance Laundry Systems. “I’m excited to watch him guide this team to next-level success.”

Meyers, who owns Stay and Play Delux Laundromats, most recently held the role of sales consultant at Yankee Equipment Systems. He also served 26 years in the U.S. Air Force and National Guard, piloting a vari ety of aircraft, including the A-10 Thunderbolt.

“I’m humbled to be given this opportunity … it doesn’t get any better than this,” Meyers says of joining Alliance Laundry Systems. “I’m excited to begin building relationships with our valued distributor partners and end customers.”

New chief financial officer at Ecolab

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Water, hygiene and infection preven tion solutions and services pro vider Ecolab reports that Dan Schmechel stepped down as its chief finan cial officer on Dec. 31.

Schmechel has been Ecolab’s CFO since 2012.

CEO Christophe Beck says that Scott Kirkland took over as CFO on Jan.1. Schmechel will remain with Ecolab through a transition period and retire in mid-year 2022.

“Dan has made outstanding contributions to Ecolab through out his 27 years of service with Ecolab,” Beck says. “During his tenure, Dan did exceptional work across every major finance function.

“Under his leadership, we strengthened our talent, pro cesses and technology, bringing additional value and insights that further advanced our world-class operations while also develop ing a very strong team of finance leaders. His deep knowledge and unwavering commitment to our company, its people and to improving our finance function have been essential to our growth.

“He has always acted as a business partner, consistently bringing strategic leadership to the entire management team. His

dedication and commitment to building a world-class finance team and financial excellence at Ecolab have been a hallmark of his work. We are a much better and stronger company because of his contributions.”

Kirkland joined Ecolab in 2005. Previously, he was senior vice president and corporate controller with global responsi bility for corporate planning and analysis, accounting and internal audit func tions.

During his 15-year career with Ecolab, he has shown consistently strong per formance and leader ship across a breadth of func tions, including as senior vice president of finance for Ecolab’s former energy segment, vice president of finance for global institutional, vice president of corporate planning and analy sis, vice president of finance for Asia Pacific and Latin America, and controller for textile care in North America.

“Scott has been very inten tionally prepared for the chief financial officer position and is very qualified to assist Ecolab in achieving our aggressive growth goals,” Beck says. “His outstand ing performance and contribu tions in critical finance areas across our businesses have served Ecolab and its shareholders well, and we expect that value to only increase in his new role.

“We look forward to Scott’s leadership as we further drive our aggressive growth plans in the years ahead.”

UNX hires Morgan as territory manager

GREENVILLE, N.C. —

Chemical provider UNX Industries reports that it has hired Anthony Morgan as a territory manager.

He will be serving customers in Central and Northern Indiana. The com pany says Morgan brings with him many years of experience from mul tiple indus tries, and he has a high standard when it comes to serv ing his customers.

Outside of work, UNX says one might find Morgan relaxing, preparing for a family pool party or watching a Reds baseball game.

Welsh

Martinenza

Gittard

Meyers Schmechel

Morgan

Kirkland

Laundry Equipment Services is seeking a highly motivated hard-working individual with sales experience to represent our company as a sales rep. Meet potential clients, educate, & provide them the info they need to purchase commercial laundry equipment & ancillary items.

Responsibilities:

The ideal candidate must be a loyal, honest, & ethical sales representative. You will provide solution selling techniques to a variety of different customers within the commercial laundry industry. Lead generation, lead follow up, quotation, sale closing, after sale follow up, paperwork. Candidate must be motivated, organized, tech savvy, a great communicator & able to work independently. Traveling around the DMV i95 corridor for face-to-face interactions, continuous phone, & email follow through. Company car provided; competitive salary & benefits package offered!

Requirements:

• Willing to travel

• 1-3 yrs. outside sales exp

• Valid driver’s license

• Good driving record

• Familiar with a CRM & Microsoft Office

Submit your resume to info@leslaundry.com or call 800-866-6905

Pellerin Milnor Corp.

P.O. Box 400, Kenner, LA 70063 504-467-9591, Fax: 504-468-3094 www.milnor.com

Pellerin Milnor Corp.

P.O. Box 400, Kenner, LA 70063 504-467-9591, Fax: 504-468-3094 www.milnor.com

Pellerin

Corp. P.O. Box 400, Kenner, LA 70063 504-467-9591, Fax: 504-468-3094 www.milnor.com

Pellerin

P.O. Box 400, Kenner, LA 70063 504-467-9591, Fax: 504-468-3094 www.milnor.com

Cherokee Uniforms donates 115,000 Trees to One Heart Forest

LOS ANGELES — The One Heart Movement reports it has partnered with Cherokee Uniforms, a Careismatic Brand and designer, manufacturer and distributor of medical apparel.

Cherokee Uniforms has donated 115,000 trees to the grow ing One Heart Forest to honor every healthcare worker lost to COVID-19 globally.

On an annual basis, these 115,000 trees will:

• Release 11,500 tons of oxygen, roughly the amount con sumed by 14,000 people in a year.

• Absorb 2,875 tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to taking 625 cars off the road annually.

• Reforest over 107,600 square feet of land, the size of 284 football fields.

This marks the first major collaborative effort to expand the One Heart Forest since it was announced on World Environment Day last June. The One Heart Movement is con tinuing to raise funds in support of its goal of planting over 5 million trees in honor of every life lost to the global pandemic.

“We are so grateful and excited to have Careismatic Brands and Cherokee Uniforms on board to support the One Heart Forest,” says Krista Kleiner, founder and executive director of The One Heart Movement.

“The One Heart Movement was inspired by the valiant efforts of healthcare workers who have put themselves on the line to save others over the course of the pandemic.

“As we have expanded to support additional local and global

causes, including unification, mental health, racial injustice, empowering women and caring for our environment, we are glad we can honor the sacrifices of these healthcare profession als while bridging our environmental crisis with something more relatable—human connection.”

This partnership will take place in conjunction with Careismatic Brands’ new medical apparel launch, Euphoria by Cherokee Uniforms. Euphoria is an all-new scrubs collection inspired by nature and crafted with Sorona®, a plant-based fabric that’s breathable, soft and form-flattering.

“Together with The One Heart Movement, we are literally planting the seeds of care for future generations in the One Heart Forest, while also honoring the worldwide healthcare community,” says Michael Singer, CEO of Careismatic Brands Inc.

“All of us at Careismatic Brands are deeply honored to sup port The One Heart Movement and its powerful mission.”

The One Heart Forest is an initiative of The One Heart Movement to contribute to the United Nations Trillion Tree Campaign while providing sustainable livelihoods among other benefits.

In memoriam: Kevin Minissian, Norchem Corp.

LOS ANGELES — Kevin Minissian, president and CEO of Norchem Corp., died the afternoon of Nov. 23 after being shot by a gunman in nearby Pasadena, the company reports.

Pasadena police received several calls reporting shots fired and patrol units arrived to find Minissian, 70, with several gunshot wounds. Meanwhile, the suspect—identified only as a man in his 20s—attempted to carjack a woman to evade cap ture but fled on foot as officers arrived. He later took a second woman hostage before being fatally shot during an exchange of gunfire with police a few blocks away.

Authorities don’t know what led to the fatal shooting of Minissian and are continuing to investigate the incident.

The company says that for more than four decades, Minissian dedicated himself to developing innovative chemistry solutions and advanced water systems for the textile services industry.

“Kevin’s commitment to excellence paired with his passion to serve his customers enabled him to acquire tremendous respect and positive influence amongst his customers and colleagues, many of whom have become dear friends,” shares Norchem.

As founder and CEO, the company says Minissian’s inventive genius helped shape the industry by offering state-of-the-art solutions for the betterment of the environment, including wastewater reclamation, green chemistry, automated dosing systems and other process technologies focused on sustain ability.

As an industry thought leader, he was an active member of TRSA, CSC, ITRA, ALM, WTSA, TCATA and served as a council member of the Los Angeles Sanitation Districts’ Advisory Council. He was also on the 2019 Panel of Experts for American Laundry News

Minissian’s expertise in electrical engi neering and biochemistry paired with his innovative nature enabled him to explore “what’s possible” when troubleshooting operational challenges and pragmatically applying advanced solutions to achieve sustainable and scalable outcomes.

In honor of his ongoing passion for innovation, Norchem Corp. and the families have established the Kevin Minissian Memorial Fund at CalTech (https://securelb.imodules. com/s/1709/devassoc/giving/giving.aspx?sid=1709&gid=3&pg id=1598&cid=4019).

When he was not serving customers, he could be found enthusiastically and tirelessly working in the lab to simplify the laundry cleaning process for greater efficiency.

“He will be incredibly missed and never forgotten, as he left an indelible impact with all those he knew and encountered,” the company says.

Minissian is survived by his beloved wife, four children, sib lings, and nieces and nephews. His legacy will be carried out by his family and the steadfast team of dedicated, loyal members of Norchem, the company shares.

Woodson elected, Bartsch, Sanchez re-elected to ARTA Board

MISSION, Kan. — American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA) President Gabriel Boardman reports that Shane Woodson of SourceAmerica was elected and two incumbent directors have been re-elected—Bryan Bartsch of Ecotex and Dan Sanchez of Medline—to the association’s Board of Directors.

Their terms began Jan. 1. ARTA direc tor terms are for two years.

The Board of Directors confirmed the results of this year’s election at its recent meeting. The complete roster for ARTA’s 2022-23 Board of Directors includes:

• President Boardman of MIP, Montreal, Quebec.

• 1st Vice President Jerry Martin of Prudential Overall Supply, Irvine, California.

• 2nd Vice President Duane Houvener, America Dawn, Nashville.

• Secretary Steven Tinker of Gurtler Industries, Inc., South Holland, Illinois.

• Treasurer Dave Balliet of HCSC, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

• Past President Brendan O’Neill of London Hospital Linen Service, Inc., London, Ontario.

• Director Jeff Courey of George Courey, Montreal, Quebec.

• Director Bartsch of Ecotex, Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Director Nicole Grubich of WMSHL, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

• Director Cecil Lee of Standard Textile, Cincinnati.

• Director Sanchez of Medline Industries, Inc., Mundelein, Illinois.

• Director Woodson, SourceAmerica, Jonesboro, Tennessee.

• Legislative Director Scott Delin of Superior Uniform Group, Seminole, Florida.

In addition, Nancy Jenkins of Jenkins Integrated Marketing serves as executive director and editor of ARTA.

ARTA will hold its election for the 2023-24 board in the spring, with results announced at Clean 2022 in Atlanta.

The One Heart Movement

COVID-19 globally. ( Photo: Business

Minissian

Bartsch

Woodson

Sanchez