American Laundry News - December 2022

Late News

CITY Laundering acquires Spruce Linen Supply

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — CITY Laundering Co. reports it acquired Spruce Linen Supply, effective Aug. 1.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

CITY, which is celebrating 116 years in business, plans to build upon Spruce’s 57 years of servicing the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan area.

“We are excited to partner with a multi-generational family business like Spruce,” says Colin Wetlaufer, president of CITY.

“CITY has a long history and great reputation for providing outstanding customer service,” say Mike Russel and Gail Gust, Spruce’s former owners. “It is important to us to transition our business to a company that would take good care of our employees and customers.

“We are confident that the customers are in good hands with CITY. In fact, we think they will be excited about some of the products, programs and people that they will discover with CITY.”

Headquartered in Oelwein, Iowa, CITY says it continues to grow organically and through strategic acquisitions in the region.

Secrets to laundry/linen services longevity

COMPILED BY MATT POE, EDITOR

CHICAGO — It seems like a lot of the news in the laundry and linen services industry today involves acquisitions.

Larger companies and private investment firms are buying laundry operations for many reasons: financial concerns, growth, getting out of the family business, etc.

However, there are still laundry businesses in the industry that have stood the test of time. How have these companies achieved decades of being in business?

And how do they plan on continuing to do so?

American Laundry News heard from 10 companies that shared how they have neared (and gone well past in some cases) the century mark in the industry.

AMERICAN TEXTILE MAINTENANCE CO.

In 1932, there were only five trucks and five

towels, but it was enough for Sam Snookal to acquire a laundry and begin a linen service in Los Angeles the same year his daughter was born. Its proud heritage of quality service was also born that year, and the operation has remained in the family ever since.

“Sam always strived for a service with

attention to the customer’s needs with quality products,” says Brad Shames, president.

“Today, we have distinct brands: Republic Master Chefs Textile Rental Service and Medico Healthcare Linen Service.”

Transporting clean, hygienic linens today

BY MATT POE

CHICAGO — Laundry and linen service has always been about providing customers with clean linens.

But the past few years have put a spotlight on ensuring goods stay clean and hygienic.

That means keeping linens clean from the plant to the delivery trucks to the customer.

American Laundry News reached out to the Association for Linen Management (ALM) and TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services, to learn more about how linen transport has changed and how opera-

Columnist at Large

Panel of Experts

How was 2022? What’s coming in 2023? The Panel looks back and ahead in this issue.

The Newspaper of Record for Laundry & Linen Management

Laundry associations, operators share their thoughts on transporting clean linen—and keeping it clean

In this issue, Tommy Cocanougher shares ways to prepare for disaster in calm times.

10 companies that have been in business for decades share how they have lasted, and succeeded, over the years

(Image licensed by Ingram Image) (Image licensed by Ingram Image)

Your Views Survey:

2023 laundry outlook trending positive

CHICAGO — After the past few years, it isn’t easy to maintain a positive attitude.

However, the laundry and linen services industry has a more positive attitude, overall, about business going into 2023.

That’s what the most recent American Laundry News Your Views survey indicates.

When asked, “What is your outlook for your laundry operation in 2023,” 50% of respondents indicate “good.” Just over 9% say “excellent,” while 31.8% are neutral. Only 9.1% of survey takers don’t have a good outlook for 2023.

Some of the reasons given for these outlooks include:

• Improving productivity and customer retention has been a focus for the last 12 months, starting to pay dividends.

• After a (local) high point from COVID, and post-COVID vacations, the new normal is more challenging than times past.

• Volume has been increasing from the hospital organizations that we service.

• Rising input costs, including energy and textiles, plus the lack of available labor and the need to increase payroll costs to keep and retain employees, paves a path to compressed margins and resulting financial hardship. Our client hospitals continue to resist non-contract price indexing to help mitigate or even share in the cost increases.

• Adaptation to inflationary influences and forecasting of expenses now with appropriate implementation of cost controls.

• Increased hospital census/expansions to licensed patient rooms and expanding clinical sites will drive demand for linen and challenge both my COG (customer-owned goods) vendor and laundry services.

• I’m more nervous for restaurants making it.

• Lots of demand for commercial.

• We will continue to work with our provider/processor for operational efficiency and product distribution. The biggest challenge has been trying to bring in any custom items that are somewhat reasonable in cost and that don’t have very long lead times.

When asked about their laundry’s No. 1 priority for the coming year, 26.1% of respondents say both “retain/improve staff” and “maintain present level of business.” More than 21% want to increase productivity, and 17.4% are looking to attract more business.

Almost 9% want to try to accomplish all those goals.

Overall, respondents believe their operations have a “good chance” (52.2%) of achieving the No. 1 goal. More than 30% say their laundry “will accomplish it, without a doubt,” and 13% give a 50-50 chance. Only 4.3% indicate their operations have a “slim chance” to achieve their No. 1 goal.

When asked about the overall industry outlook for 2023, respondents offered mixed thoughts, including:

• It will depend on what part of the industry you are involved in.

Healthcare should stay steady; hospitality may see a drop due to inflationary pressure on the consumer.

• This “impossible to outsource or fail” industry will have challenges that will make it stronger and more responsive.

• I am concerned broadly for our industry. Start with inflation and rising input costs, add on labor shortages and outsized increases to payroll costs, and many laundries will face financial hardship. The challenging labor dynamics for our industry are resulting in a loss of institutional knowledge and skills. As laundry operators cut corners to save money and live within their means, many will have to defer maintenance and capital reinvestments as they cope with a turnstile of low or untrained new employees.

• Hospitals are not going away for the most part and patients are becoming sicker and which will require longer LOS (length of stay).

• Turnover is killing efficiency with a lack of well-trained individuals. Without stability, it’s difficult to improve.

• Guarded.

• Positive $$$

• I’m very excited!

• It will be a flat to slightly down year.

• Will retain average work out.

• Building commercial aspect, which adds profit.

Inflation/rising costs are top-of-mind for many respondents (47.8%) when it comes to the issues that they think will affect the industry in 2023.

Labor issues come in second, as 30.4% of survey takers indicate. Customer confidence and supply-chain issues were both selected by 4.3% of respondents.

“The industry is still responding too slowly to changes like inflation and changing labor practices,” a survey taker writes. “It’s still an unattractive, manual job that pays too little.”

“I think it’s actually a combination of at least a few of the items above,” shares another. “We continue to see supply-chain issues as well as a marked increase in rising costs.

“Labor continues to affect all of us in trying to find staff that wants to work and will stay.”

One respondent believes, “There will be ups and down due to various factors, none of them dominating predominantly.”

“It’s definitely on the right track, with a positive outlook,” shares another. While the Your Views survey presents a snapshot of readers’ viewpoints at a particular moment, it should not be considered scientific. Due to rounding, percentages may not add up to 100%.

Subscribers to American Laundry News e-mails are invited to take the industry survey anonymously online each quarter. All managers and administrators of institutional/OPL, cooperative, commercial and industrial laundries are encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define operator opinions and identify industry trends.

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

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

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

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. Single copies: U.S. $10.00. 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 12. 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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Success today, tomorrow

M ost years in the December issue of American Laundry News, I try to include some kind of “look behind, look ahead” content.

This year, I used the quarterly Your Views survey (page 2) and the Panel of Experts (page 12) to ask what folks in the industry thought about 2022 heading into 2023.

As would be expected many who work in or with laundry and linen services are cautious. It only makes sense after the past couple of years … and current economic and political uncer tainties.

Alliant

The Editor’s Desk MATT POE

Still, the industry has a posi tive attitude. More than that, folks are seeing positive signs to

keep recovering and maybe even grow.

A positive attitude and the mindset to do what needs to be done are key to success and lon gevity in the industry.

How do operations that have lasted decades, more than a cen tury, keep going? Turn back to the cover and read about how 10 companies have overcome challenges through the decades to still be in business, to still be growing, after all these years.

Signing off, I wish you a pleas ant holiday season, and I look forward to helping everyone keep it clean in 2023!

draws

IRVING, Texas — Alliant Systems, a provider of business management systems for textile rental companies, says that more than 115 operators representing 55 companies from the United States and Canada gathered in Fort Worth for two days of networking, education and fun.

The company says its annual conference, called “AlliantCon,” is a forum for operators to discuss new technologies, learn new ideas and strategies from one another, and provide education on how operators can grow and manage their businesses.

Highlights included:

• Representatives of Sitex Corporation of Henderson, Kentucky, were honored dur ing the event as being the first company to help coordinate the very first Alliant customer con

ference held in Dallas in 1975.

• LinkedIn Learning customer service trainer and author, Jeff Toister, served as the keynote speaker for the event and dis cussed how textile rental oper ators can win and retain cus tomers by promising a guar anteed customer experience for them, and then executing that promise every time. He illustrated the power of this concept by talking about Buccees, a chain of travel cen ters that has built its entire business and a loyal customer base on the simple concept of promising clean bathrooms for travelers—every time.

• Mayron Herrera, CEO of Alliant Systems, provided attendees with an update on what’s com ing from Alliant Systems.

• Nancy Henriquez of Synetek

Solutions discussed why cybercrime is on the rise and why small- to medium-sized companies are now being tar geted. She reviewed best prac tices that operators can follow to prepare and defend them selves against cybercrime.

• Alliant Systems and Global Payments provided updates on new features and func tions related to credit card and ACH payment updates, customer-driven payments online, as well as an interac tive Q&A called Ask Alliant.

The conference concluded with a group dinner at the Reata res taurant in downtown Fort Worth.

The company says that plans for AlliantCon23 are currently under way for an even bigger and more collaborative event in 2023 with expanded training classes.

Life’s a dance, you learn as you go: Crisis management

There’s a country song that says, “Life’s a dance, you learn as you go; sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow.”

While those lyrics make for a great country song, we need to assure that we are leading our employees and customers when it comes to planning for a crisis that affects our business. That dance of making it up as we go is not going to work well.

As David Griggs wrote recently in this column, the massive flood that affected his business impacted many employees, customers and assets.

Recently, businesses along the Florida Coast were impacted by Hurricane Ian. Fires in California, tornadoes in Oklahoma, polar vortex freeze-outs across the Plains—at some time or another, your business is going to be impacted by a crisis. Even if it’s only on a minimal level, you should have a plan for how to protect your people, assets and business.

We learned a lot during the Great Pandemic of COVID, and in a way, it was a dance—just not a dance we prefer to repeat—and we learned as we went.

Now during this quieter and more peaceful time, with COVID seem ingly behind us, I would encourage you to sit with your team and start to shore up your defenses in preparation for the next time something unex pected hits. A few areas of attention that will help include:

Employee Records: How long has it been since you updated employee emergency contact information? Numbers change, people change and the info they provided for emergency contacts when they hired in 15 years ago is likely different.

Set a date each year when you collect updated emergency contact information from each employee for the files.

Records Security: Those files with the contact information are no good to you if they are under 6 feet of water, burned in a fire or blown away by a tornado.

Consider updating your storage systems for important employee and customer records (service contracts, communications, etc.) to an elec tronic format with cloud storage accessible from anywhere. Many cloudbased HR services are available to choose from for these records.

Emergency Supplies: Remember the scramble in 2020 to find supplies for cleaning, sanitation, face masks and gloves? That run on the world supply could impact you again, so take stock and manage your supplies and inventory accordingly.

Same goes for winter weather supplies (salt, ice melt, snow shovels)— don’t wait until the afternoon before a big snowstorm to run to the local big box store for this stuff!

Cross-training: Plan for employees to be impacted and maybe not at work when the next crisis comes around. Take the time now to formalize, and reward, a cross-training plan so you can cover essential and important jobs in the plant and on route. Certify, recognize and reward employees who complete formal qualifications for multiple jobs throughout your operation.

Communications: When certain disasters hit your plant, communica tions may be down as well. Consider a service utilizing a toll-free call-in number where your employees can get updated messages on work status so they and you can communicate when plant phone services are impacted.

Building & Asset Security: Refresh your building access and security practices. Learn to limit access and provide more secure working condi tions for your team.

Gone are the days, unfortunately, when we could run a building that is wide open to anyone coming down the street. Too many tragic instances occur every year where simple building security practices could have helped prevent access.

The Bottom Line: Planning ahead and being prepared takes time and a focused effort. But when that plan is needed, it gives you relief that you have a guide for getting through the crisis, no matter what level it is on. You will find the stress is considerably relieved by having a plan to work to, instead of trying to dance through it as you go.

Tommy Cocanougher is director-operations engineering solutions for Cintas Corp. Western North America and vendor relations rep for European suppliers. He directs engineering, reliability, quality and safety initiatives across 200-plus industrial sites across North America. He has more than 28 years of experience in the industrial laundry industry.

From

COLUMNIST AT LARGE Tommy Cocanougher

As the company has grown, he says its employees, especially man agement, were dedicated to grow ing the company with excellent service.

“We have many employees with many years of service,” points out Shames. “Still today, we are for tunate to have low turnover in management. We still look from within when we add headcount. But, as we grew/grow, we do look to the outside for some manage ment help.

“We always have invested in training and teaching manage ment business skills to our staff. We always have tried our best to fill openings from our current staff when possible.”

Over the years, American Textile Maintenance Co. has acquired more than 10 family-owned busi nesses in Southern California, according to Shames. It has also acquired a food and beverage busi ness from Angelica and a health care business from ARA.

“In my 43-plus years in this business in California, besides the environmental, we have been chal lenged with earthquakes, riots, fires and floods,” he shares.

Shames says, “It takes tenacity every day to succeed in the indus try. You cannot ‘practice’ linen/ uniform service. You have to play hard every day in order to succeed in this industry.

“If you want to continue to grow in this business, all management and staff have to understand the goals and be on the same page.”

WW UNIFORMS

Since WW Uniforms started back in 1924, the company says it has had one mission: to grow and be the strongest service-orientated company in the industry.

After three generations in business in the Wallingford, Connecticut, area, it has learned that customers dislike surprises as much as they appreciate quality service.

With that in mind, WW Uniforms says it has built longstanding relationships by con sistently delivering more than expected, without any fine print or “gotcha” moments.

The company began as a drycleaning business, but after watch ing the market change over the years, it expanded into uniform rental, using its detailed business approach to succeed.

The company says that success has continued thanks to the fam ily’s and the team’s passion for building a company that everyone can be proud of.

“We stay ahead of the curve when it comes to safety, employee wages and overall employee ben efits,” WW Uniforms shares. “Our team is strong and supportive, with an average tenure of just about 100

employees of 10-plus years.

“By treating everyone like fam ily and engaging our employees to reach new goals, they have the ability to move up throughout the company.”

The company says it works to keep up with business innovations, always incorporating the latest technology whenever possible.

WW Uniforms says all com panies share similar challenges, from inflationary repercussions to employee challenges, but what’s important is how you handle them.

The company says it faces prob lems head-on and approaches them with care and consideration, making strong alliances with the community and industry leaders.

“We are a growth-driven com pany, and between a strong sales team, service team and owners’ involvement, we have had consis tent year-over-year growth,” the company shares.

“With the help of a professional growth coach, we partnered with many years ago, we are all kept accountable and aligned toward the same goals.”

For WW Uniforms, the keys to success are simple: capital invest ments, keeping up with new tech nology, adapting sales techniques, engaging and motivating employ ees, and as the owner, having strong involvement and dedication to your team.

“Be completely vested in your goals,” says the third-generation owner. “Do not just ask or set a goal for your team, be a part of achieving the goal. Be completely involved, build up your employ ees, and your achievements, and re-investment of your time as an owner!

“All of this will inspire loyalty and the ability to sustain for many years to come.”

ACE IMAGEWEAR

For 90 years, Ace ImageWear says it has brought the personal

touch and high-quality service of a family-owned business to its cus tomers in Kansas City, Missouri.

In 1932, founder Ed Heilman did everything possible to make ends meet during the Great Depression, including taking up boxing under the name “Ace,” the company shares.

Together with his wife, Clara, they took their $1,800 in savings, and “Ace Linen Service” was estab lished in Kansas City. Their first customers were local businesses nearby, like the neighborhood gro cer.

Things have changed since they opened their first “production floor,” which was just a washing machine, sewing machine and hand iron in the couple’s base ment, but Ed’s motto and vision have stayed the same: Always do business on a first name basis.

The business has successfully grown and expanded outside of Kansas City into other markets including Houston and Beaumont, Texas, but Ace ImageWear has faced its share of challenges.

“We bought the business from the second generation right as we entered the recession of 2009, incurring a substantial amount of debt, followed by a significant decline in top-line revenue,” say company owners.

“It was scary, but we hunkered down, cut expenses, implement ed a growth strategy (and didn’t sleep much), but we survived 2009, entering a new era where we felt equipped to survive anything.”

Through decades of changes in the uniform rental industry, the COVID-19 pandemic and national competitor buyouts (including a recent Houston acquisition that leaves Ace the last local uniform rental provider in that area), the company says it has worked to stay consistent for its customers.

“As a family-owned business, we treat our employees as part of our family,” the company says. “We

pride ourselves on making sure every member of our team is able to bring their thoughts and ideas to the table.

“Since everyone on our team is either out in the field or in the facility every day, they know first hand what does or doesn’t work, and we always make sure to utilize their valuable input.”

Ace ImageWear believes the key to success and longevity in the laundry industry is establishing a personal relationship with cus tomers and the community—and doing what it says it’s going to do, whether it’s a follow-up with a prospect, a deadline for a customer or a commitment to an Ace team member.

“You’re not on an island,” the company points out. “Take advan tage of peers, vendors and con sultants so you avoid some of the issues they may have.

“The best idea doesn’t have to come from you, you just have to be smart enough to listen, find it and implement it.”

SPIN LINEN

Spin Linen Services says it has been trusted locally in Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; and the surrounding areas for more than 90 years.

Founded as Spic & Span Linen in 1932 by Gus and Vic Shiro, the business was originally a dry clean ing and shirt laundry company in downtown Omaha.

The two owners responded to popular demand by expanding their services to include linen sup ply, and by the time the new own ers, Del Ringling and his father-inlaw Mike Nisker, took ownership of Spin in 1979, they were provid ing linen rental services to the hos pitality and healthcare industries in the area.

Today, Del’s daughter, Angie, is the owner of Spin Linen and has continued to grow her family’s business to more than 800 custom

ers by serving the community with one mindset: Don’t give customers a reason to look elsewhere.

Spin says its success comes from simply offering more: more diverse products, more services, and more committed and hard-working team members who truly care.

Over 90 years, Spin has faced its share of challenges, including major fires, recessions, equipment failures, staffing challenges and financial stressors.

The one thing that has gotten it through those tough times? Pure grit. The ability to do the hard work that needs to be done. Spin says it hasn’t allowed itself to not come through for its customers.

During these rough patches, the company says it did everything to make sure the customer got what they needed.

Efforts to continuously improve its processes, technology and com munication, as well as dedication and passion for its customers and community, have allowed Spin to succeed.

The company adds that one of its strengths is focus—focusing on what it is good at and staying away from what it is not.

Spin says it follows its core val ues and hires staff that aligns with that: Integrity, Customer Service, Teamwork, Accountability and Innovation. The company also wants partner customers that fit within its core values and culture.

Clearly defined roles and pro cesses ensure everyone on the team has what they need to succeed.

“Prepare to work really hard,” says Angie. “You have to be all in and committed. You have to put your customers and your staff first. And you have to be curious. Curious about how to do things better and then be able to imple ment when you know there is a better way.

“Competition is healthy in this

Leadership needs to be fully invested to increase the longevity of a linen service company. (Image licensed by Ingram Image)

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PRUDENTIAL OVERALL SUPPLY

Founded by John D. Clark in 1932, Prudential Overall Supply, a provider of reusable image work apparel and related textiles, has grown from a one-man opera tion in Southern California to a national brand serving customers throughout North America.

While working as a gas station attendant and a salesman for a company that catered to laundry needs for the medical profession in the area, Clark got the idea to open a laundry that picked up, cleaned and delivered uniforms to workers who didn’t have the time to clean their workwear.

He called the company Prudential Laundry because he saw a sign for Prudential Van & Storage in Los Angeles and liked the strength and character of the name. He started work in a small tin shed behind a laundry, and the company grew from there.

“It was a lot of hard work,” says Jerry Martin, vice president of sales and marketing. “The first week’s revenue was $4.84, and now, we’re at about $250 million a year.”

He says that many laundry oper ations that started years ago have been acquired by other compa nies, but Prudential has remained an independent business over the decades.

“I think Prudential has a very unique way of developing talent from a generational standpoint, and when one generation is retir ing from the business, the next generation of leadership has already been developed to the point where they can then step in and help bring the business to the next plateau,” Martin shares.

“And that’s really the thing that I’ve always been very impressed with, that the company has been able to do that. Ultimately, it stems from the ownership from the Clark family, their commitment to the business, to the employees and, of course, to the customers that make all that possible.”

Until about the 1980s, Prudential mainly grew its business through its routes.

“We did have some outside sales representatives,” Martin says. “It was limited, and we just gained a lot of business by referral and then through our route sales and that type of thing.

“The ’80s brought more com petition into the marketplace, and then we had to outfit a professional sales organization.”

However, he says the main fac tor for the company has been cus tomer retention. Prudential has a goal to retain 95% or more of its customers every year.

The company also works to

retain its employees. One way is through its year-long manage ment potential training program to develop leadership in college graduates or people coming out of the military.

“And we’re always looking for route representatives, production employees, salespeople to help bring them on and run the busi ness,” Martin shares.

“The Clark family is committed to the employees. They’re really into helping develop our people through training through different programs that we have.”

Besides training programs, Prudential helps its employees by providing benefits such as profit sharing, tuition reimbursement and health benefit programs.

“When we add up all of those programs as an employee, you say, this company cares about its employees, cares about his cus tomers,” Martin points out. “This could be the kind of place that I see myself making a career.”

CEO John Clark, the third gen eration of the family in the com pany, has launched a century ini tiative. As the company celebrates its 90th anniversary, it’s thinking about the next 90 to 100 years.

“What’s that going to look like? What types of things do we need to think about investing in to push us along?” Martin says.

“There’s a budget for these ini tiatives, and we’re listening to our employees, listening to our lead ership team about the types of things we may need to think about to help position us to be competi tive and be a good option for our customers.”

GALLAGHER UNIFORM

Gallagher Uniform has been in business for nearly 130 years, evolving over the years by adding

products, services and innovative technology to best serve a wide range of customers.

John C. Gallagher started the business in 1893 as Detroit Waste Works to clean and recycle rags for local businesses. As the company continued to grow, not only pro viding shop towels but laundering and maintaining them as well, they were able to move to a larger facil ity in 1924.

In the late 1930s, Norman Gallagher, John’s son, expanded the company to Battle Creek, Michigan, where it is still based today.

The Gallagher story includes five generations of the Gallagher family, facilities in Detroit through the early 1900s and even a cotton mill in Florida where they spun cotton for shop and bath towels.

The 1960s and ’70s brought change as the company began laundering work uniforms to serve the growing Michigan manufac turing industry. The company also changed the name to Gallagher Industrial Laundry and in 1975 decided to sell the Detroit facility to focus and expand in Battle Creek.

Throughout the last several decades, Gallagher Uniform says it has focused on technology and innovation with bar codes on gar ments and now UHF chips to track garment lifecycle, location within the facility, and ensure complete deliveries to their customers.

Like many industrial laundries, the makeup of manufacturing in Michigan has meant serving a variety of industries from food manufacturing and automotive to pharmaceutical production and agriculture. Michigan’s economy has been a challenge over time, the company points out.

Another challenge is always the family dynamics of working with family and ownership succession.

Gallagher says it has always held company culture, transparency and innovation as core attributes of its leadership team and its asso ciates. Company leadership has always been involved in the com munity and local organizations, and it encourages associates to do the same.

Leadership is on a first-name basis and makes it a point to be accessible to associates, according to Gallagher.

“We post our company num bers in our break room areas and share success with the company,” it says. “An overall relentless pur suit of continuous improvement in growth, innovation, and being a good employer and corporate citi zen are at the heart of our culture.”

Like how transparency, accessi bility to leadership and investing in technology have helped Gallagher grow as a company, the company says these aspects have also helped in generating new business.

“We have stayed focused on the industrial uniform rental business,” according to the company. “Our growth has not come through any acquisition, just keeping customers and partnering with new ones.”

Gallagher Uniform continues to add new technology to make com munication faster and more effi cient with web-based and mobile applications for customers and their employees.

The company says the apps and CRM (customer relation ship management) utilization also help empower its sales and service teams to make decisions and help customers the first time they need it.

“We invest in our associates through cross-training and offer flexibility and creativity in order to help them learn and grow,” says Gallagher. “We also celebrate them

throughout the year with our St. Patrick’s Day celebration, Kids Christmas Party and our company Christmas party for associates.

Gallagher points out that integ rity, honesty, a passion for great customer service, and involvement in industry associations and local organizations have all been key parts of its longevity. It also includes devo tion to the tradition of the family business and maintaining it for the next generation—a healthy respect for the Gallagher who passed it on to honor going forward.

“Be innovative, always looking for ways to improve efficiency, pro cesses, tools, etc.,” the company says. “Invest in technology to support making jobs faster, easier and more productive. Build a trusting and sup portive culture, work alongside your associates, have a hand in building your legacy, and most importantly, deliver on your promises.

“Get good professional help to navigate family succession plan ning and working out the differ ences of opinion. Get good coach es (consultants) who can help you grow your business and develop a strong strategic plan. You can’t do everything on your own.”

PLYMATE

Plymate is a fourth-generation family business that was founded in 1930 in Shelbyville, Indiana by Glenn Plymate. Today it provides work uniforms, facility service programs, floor mat programs and direct purchase logo apparel throughout Central, South Central and North Central Indiana.

Glenn started by purchas ing a small dry-cleaning opera tion. Soon he added hospitality, healthcare and home laundry. The company says he focused on the customer above all else—not only outside laundry customers but also

industry, and you have to always strive to improve.”

Long-lasting laundry operations invest in their employees. (Photo: © Photographer Lopolo/Depositphotos)

internal employee customers.

Plymate says taking care of the customer was and still is the cor nerstone of its operation.

After adding commercial laun dry, Jim Plymate, the second gen eration in the business, focused on developing industrial rental pro grams with work uniforms and floor mat programs.

The company says its most dif ficult challenges were surviving a fire in 1968 and again in 1988. The 1968 fire destroyed the facility, shortly after a major remodel, and forced it to find a new property.

Plymate says its employees were loyal and worked tirelessly to help recovery efforts in both instances.

The company says its mindset has been to provide a quality prod uct. In addition, it has created a work culture where it embraces open communication. All opin ions and ideas matter.

Its philosophy for acquiring business is to do what it says it is going to do.

“We are honest in what we can offer and open when we cannot offer or solve a problem,” Plymate shares. “We take pride in our com mitment to investing in advanced technology and also hiring the most talented co-workers possible.

“Hire and train well, pay fairly, offer competitive benefits, recog nize hard work, don’t over commit and show appreciation.

“Communicate, communicate and communicate both internally and externally!”

KLEEN KRAFT SERVICES

Kleen Kraft Services was founded in Los Angeles by Albert Antman in 1952, and it wasn’t long before Kleen Kraft became a family business with Albert’s son, Seymour, joining the company in 1956. Today, Seymour’s son, Fred, serves as president and CEO.

Kleen Kraft started as a small retail laundry business, and over the years its dedication to highquality service allowed it to grow.

In the 1970s, Kleen Kraft’s ser vices had expanded to include commercial laundering and uni form rental to other small local businesses. This growth also meant acquisitions were possible, and by purchasing Supreme Laundry and Pride Uniform Rental, key per sonnel joined the team, including VP and General Manager Boris Zaidman and Director of Sales and Service Bob Halstead.

The company’s success has not come without challenges, and like most small independent business es, national competitors are always a concern.

With Kleen Kraft’s focus entirely on uniform rental and facility sup plies services today, hundreds of similar companies have fallen by the wayside or been bought up by national providers.

However, through strong family values and careful management, Kleen Kraft says it has maintained a steady trajectory of growth and profitability, consistently provid ing each client with a high level of service.

By treating its customers and employees with respect and pro fessionalism, leadership created a company culture that people don’t want to leave. Kleen Kraft says its employees enjoy fair pay, advance ment opportunities and a variety of benefits that have resulted in something rare in most businesses today—workforce longevity.

Some of its employees have worked for Kleen Kraft for 10, 20 and even 40 years. Leadership believes that if you hire the best and take care of your employees, you can offer the best in service.

For Kleen Kraft, strategic invest ments in equipment, industry education, continuous innovation, patience and persistence are the keys to longevity and success.

“Take care of your customers— be accessible, fair and honest,” says Zaidman. “When your customers are happy, your business will con sistently grow and thrive.”

GENERAL LINEN SERVICE

General Linen started busi ness in 1938, and it’s been familyowned and -operated ever since as one of the largest linen manage ment companies in New England.

“It’s been a pleasure, and con tinues to be a pleasure, providing our dedicated uniform and linen management services to our com munity,” the company says.

Lucien Drolet started the com pany in 1938 with two customers. He made 50 cents during his first two weeks in business, laundering three aprons and a coat.

From the start, the business says it demonstrated a strong work ethic and a desire to provide qual ity service and customer satisfac tion. It was a niche market to start and clients were happy being able to spend more time on their busi ness and less time on their laundry.

“We strive to be innovative and on top of all the latest industry trends and guidelines,” General Linen says. “This has made us con tinually evolve with new facilities, top-of-the-line technology and a commitment to sustainability.

“Most recently, we went through a brand refresh and the launch of our new division–GenMed.”

In 1980, a fire destroyed the building that housed the business, along with all of the machinery and linen inventory.

The fire not only forced the fam ily to react quickly to save the business, but it was also a spring board to new growth. Starting in the 1980s, the company grew by acquiring several other linen ser vices.

The Drolets also realized that their customer base had changed from small butcher shops, gas sta tions, and barbershops to hotels, restaurant chains, and large cor porations.

General Linen says it has many long-term, experienced employees who put the “service” in General Linen Service for its clients.

“Staying true to our mission and

creating the best experience for our customers is how we’ve stayed successful,” it says.

“Every time we call on a prospect or a client, we have an opportunity to stand in their shoes and really understand how we can improve their business. That is what drives our innovation and growth, lead ing to the longevity and success of our company.”

General Linen says its local mindset and ability to outperform many national providers have been key to its long-lasting success.

“We have an experienced team that is dedicated to serving our customers to the highest standard,” says the company. “Treating our clients like they are part of the team is how we create business partners for life.”

General Linen’s advice for lon gevity?

“Create a foundation that you and your future employees are proud to be a part of. Then adapt and innovate so you don’t get left behind but stay true to your core values.”

DIVISION LAUNDRY & CLEANERS

Division Laundry & Cleaners opened for business in 1939 as Division Tailors & Cleaners. It was founded by Peter Garcia in a modest 1,200-square-foot building located inside Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, according to Patrick Garcia, the current presi dent and son of Peter.

The business laundered uni forms on scrub boards, drying on a clothesline and hand-ironing and sewing on stripes for troops from the 2nd Infantry Division.

A second plant was built around 1953 on West Commerce Street in San Antonio called El Capitan, which processed military uni forms. It was converted into a food and beverage linen supply plant called American Linen Service, which was sold to a large Texas family chain linen supplier.

In 1964, Peter constructed a new facility on westside San Antonio, designed by the National Institute of Laundering and the National Dry Cleaning Institute—the first of its kind in the Southwest United States.

“Division Laundry grew add ing many new customers while expanding the plant three times,” Patrick says.

In 1978, it diversified into becoming one of the major blue jean pre-wash plants in Texas, pro cessing more than 50,000 pairs of blue jeans per week.

When Levi Straus moved all of its laundering to Mexico, Division Laundry turned its operation into a 100% hospitality and healthcare plant, processing linens for San Antonio’s major hotels and hos pitals.

In February, the company announced that it had acquired the Texas assets of Angelica. The trans action included two facilities and their depots and allowed Division to expand into the Dallas, Houston and Oklahoma markets.

“Division Laundry is the embodiment of the American Dream,” shares Patrick. “It is very rare anywhere in the world for a business to be around for 30 or more years, especially overcoming great adversity, but Division has served its community for 83 years.”

Some of that adversity came in the form of Peter being an immi grant from Mexico.

Then, in 2001, a fire destroyed a plant. The company worked to keep servicing customers and hold onto as many employees as possible.

A new plant was built in 2003, providing jobs to more than 356 full-time employees as of 2020.

Patricia Garcia Luna, chief administrative officer, and Theresa Garcia, chief operating officer, believe that being women in the laundry industry presents chal lenges. Their perspective is that they are passionate and have lead ership skills, and they will continue to fight these gender stereotypes.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic presented opportunities and chal lenges for Division Laundry. The company lost all its hotel business and 40% of its healthcare volumes during the peak of the pandemic.

However, Division Laundry set up unique COVID-19 control guidelines that enabled it to work with acute care hospitals in Texas and testing and makeshift facilities from as far away as 350 miles away. The company also found ways to help manufacture face masks and plastic face shields.

“My father instilled in me the pillars of his success: deliver on your promises and you have to be better than everyone else—your quality has to stand alone and above all others,” says Patrick.

“As my three children and son-in-law learned how to work together, they understood the strong moral character that their grandfather and grandmother stood for and that it would soon be their driving force to succeed in bringing the family business to greater heights.”

Patrick shares four things that have been key to the company enduring and succeeding:

1. Preserving our reputation for sincerity, fairness, dedication and a strong work ethic built over decades of excellent service in our industry and community.

2. Working together to exceed the expectations of those we serve.

3. Taking pride in our work.

4. Providing the care and profes sionalism that results in excellence.

“Deliver on your promises with your employees, vendors and cus tomers,” Patrick adds. “Building strong partnerships is key to lon gevity. Your partnerships are built on trust. Excel in confidence build ing in all your partnerships.

“When your service fails in qual ity, delivery and fill rates, always tell the truth of why these things happen within your organization. Never tell your customers a false story.

“This is how you develop your relationships for longevity.”

Laundries that strive to improve customer service/satisfaction are better equipped to stay in business for years. (Image licensed by Ingram Image)

tions can better ensure goods stay clean throughout the facility and through the transportation cycle.

First, Mitchell Trom, route super visor for Textile Care Services (part of the Healthcare Linen Services Group) in Rochester, Minnesota, and Sarah Brobek, the new executive director of ALM, and former E.D. Linda Fairbanks, answer ques tions about transporting hygienic linens.

Then, Ken Koepper from TRSA shares what Greg Shames, operations vice presi dent for Los Angeles-based American Textile Maintenance, says about how his company handles linen transportation.

TEXTILE CARE SERVICES, ALM Q&A

How has the pandemic influenced how the industry thinks about transporting hygienically clean linens in-plant and to customers?

TROM: There’s a lot more emphasis on PPE (personal protective equipment) and additional disinfectants for people and equipment. Plus, more diligence in main taining existing hygiene standards.

For example, drivers have always worn gloves. Before the pandemic, they weren’t as conscious about changing those fre quently. Once the pandemic hit, everyone started thinking more about protection, and that’s here to stay.

BROBECK and FAIRBANKS: Mostly increased awareness. There have been recent concerns about transport that increase awareness for addressing potential problems such as where are clean textiles delivered at the hospital (is it off-loaded in an area for clean receiving?), how long are the textiles left on the dock, and are they in an appropriate environment at the hospital?

We’ve always received questions, primar ily from hospitals, about the “correct way” to protect linen during delivery.

The greatest misunderstanding from the hospital is that there is only one correct way. We talk them through their concerns, help them to understand the various ways to protect the textiles and utilize guidance from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that addresses their concerns.

Sometimes it takes referring them to their laundry contract for validation. Everyone just wants what’s best for the patient.

How have customer expectations/ demands changed in terms of clean linen transport?

TROM: It’s been a moving target with constantly changing rules from customer to customer.

Some days we can go in the customer’s buildings. Some days we need a mask and gloves or maybe eye protection.

The rules are still changing, and it’s up to our drivers to get to know what their customers want. We just keep adjusting as best we can.

BROBECK and FAIRBANKS: During COVID, of course, there were changes in demand and an intense flu season may continue those concerns.

What changes have resulted from the pandemic in transporting clean goods in a plant (carts, conveyors, bags, etc.)? Has equipment changed in the past few years to help ensure clean linen transportation?

TROM: These areas haven’t changed a lot. We have always had strict standards and guidelines to maintain for our custom ers—especially our biggest customer, Mayo Clinic.

We’ve worked closely with them and their infection control people for years to ensure everything is up to standard.

We have newer sprayers on our loading

Maintained carts can prevent tears and tipping in the plant. (Image licensed by Ingram Image)

docks for inside the trucks, and we spray a little more often than we used to. We’ve always documented that we’ve sprayed the whole inside of the truck, so we already had a pretty high standard

BROBECK and FAIRBANKS: Efficiencies and innovations that improve the ability to protect the integrity of the clean textiles will always be a strong consideration.

We have heard of concerns over the use of plastic film/shrink-wrap from hospitals focusing on green initiatives and expect to see some options on that front.

What changes in delivery transporta tion of clean goods have taken place? What has changed in terms of the equip ment drivers use, from carts to delivery trucks?

TROM: Just minor adjustments, put ting more emphasis on wiping down the interior of the cab every day. Using some improved spray disinfectants for the cart wash and truck boxes.

BROBECK and FAIRBANKS: During COVID, many hospitals limited outside contractors from entering the facilities. Soiled linen was left on the docks and hos pital personnel came outside to meet the clean linen delivery personnel and shep herded the carts inside.

Route drivers are wiping down truck cabs more these days. (Image licensed by Ingram Image)

What has changed regarding employee knowledge and practice/processes, first in laundry facilities?

TROM: Everyone is more aware of good practices for not transferring germs. We use a lot more hand sanitizer and masks when needed.

How about with route drivers?

TROM: The drivers are more aware of the hazards associated with the soiled laun dry and how to avoid contamination of themselves and the trucks.

We’re doing more wiping out of the truck at the end of shifts. Historically we’ve instructed all drivers to wipe down the truck at the beginning of the shift, recog nizing that when their shift is complete, they’re ready to go home.

How can an operation best train its employees on the handling/transport of hygienically clean textiles?

TROM: That’s an ongoing process that never ends. Once you’ve established a stan dard you have to be a little creative in trying to find new ways to remind people of good practices, so they don’t become complacent.

It’s very easy to start taking shortcuts to try to get your job done sooner. It’s human nature.

For new drivers, our veteran employees get them going in the right direction, teach ing them all the good practices of working around a laundry.

It’s an ongoing process even for drivers who have been here forever. You have to keep reminding them and find new ways to tell them the same thing again and again.

BROBECK and FAIRBANKS: No regu latory change that we are aware of, but a heightened need for education as the best

means for ensuring staff is following best practices and current guidelines for han dling and transporting clean linens.

Managements’ knowledge of unique and specific regulations for their state is essen tial here.

What steps can a laundry operation take to evaluate its linen transport process to help ensure the cleanliness of goods?

TROM: Once a standard has been set and everyone understands it, you need to make sure the standards are enforced.

Use periodic spot checks, and ridealongs, to make sure we’re not cutting corners.

BROBECK and FAIRBANKS: Talk with their customers—maintaining hygienically clean linen for patients is a marathon.

The laundry hands off to the driver, the driver hands off to the linen department, the linen department hands off to clinical services, and clinical services delivers to the patient …. They all play a role, and it takes everyone to be successful—educate and cooperate.

OPERATOR LINEN TRANSPORT EXAMPLE

Los Angeles-based American Textile Maintenance (ATM) serves Southern California medical facilities from its Medico Healthcare Linen Service opera tions and restaurants and hotels with its Republic Master Chefs service.

Having been highly infection-prevention conscious on the healthcare side before the pandemic, the company was accustomed to taking precautions to protect employees and customers.

Management was determined to go a step above as COVID-19 settled in.

UV lighting was purchased to disinfect

trucks and electronic logging of disin fection procedures began. Drivers were offered more PPE, the same they would use if they worked in the soil department, not just to meet customer requirements, but to maximize their comfort.

While they may not be required to wear masks today, they are encouraged to take whatever additional precautions they want, Greg Shames, operations vice president, says.

For example, Medico runs operations seven days a week, and drivers often don’t use the same truck each day. This encourages sanitizing before and after running a route.

Post-route cleaning has always been required; COVID has persuaded more presanitizing.

“Although the previous driver is respon sible for disinfection, there’s no better way to be satisfied with a truck’s cleanliness than to sanitize it yourself before you start your route,” Shames observes.

Ultimately ATM wants to ensure “our team members want to do the job day in and day out,” he says, which requires man agement to listen to their hygiene concerns as well as their customers’ concerns.

Such concerns are often aligned. If a driver is particularly cautious, customers don’t mind. Some had requested isolation gowns or additional PPE, so they were provided with extra sets to maximize their comfort with transporting soil.

Throughout ATM’s laundry and service operations, for all healthcare and hospital

ity industries served, “we’re in a better place in terms of additional emphasis on ensur ing we don’t let our guard down.”

The company has long scrutinized its procedures that affect how well clean items reach end users, “from machine to cus tomer,” says Shames.

The decision to brand Medico separately from Republic in the 1970s reflected the company’s recognition that hygiene stan dards are integral to customer confidence and employee protection.

In 2020, COVID gave everyone a scare and reminded ATM that dedication to its rules for cleanliness could never be devi ated from, only improved.

FINAL THOUGHTS

“It’s important to make sure all your equipment is clean and in good working order,” Trom shares. “No sharp edges on the carts that might cause a cut. No bad wheels that might cause a tip-over.

“It’s important to make sure the custom ers are using the carts for laundry, and not using the laundry carts for hauling garbage or construction debris. It’s all about good training and good maintenance.”

Finally, Brobeck and Fairbanks say, “This is an excellent opportunity for laundries and hospitals to work together to ensure that the hygienically clean textiles pro cessed at the laundry are received, stored and delivered in that same manner to the patient bedside.”

Laundry personnel are using more hand sanitizer and gloves to maintain clean linens in the plant. (Image licensed by Ingram Image)

PANEL OF EXPERTS

Reflecting on 2022, looking toward 2023

F irst, I want to say Happy Holidays! Cheers to surviving another year of abnormal opera tions!

Looking toward 2023, I am hopeful that we will continue to see a return to “normal.” That said, we have seen many chal lenges this year such as supplychain interruptions, labor avail ability issues, rapidly increasing wages and a changing economy.

This has been apparent in the conversations that have been occurring with customers who are all making changes to their operational plans now that COVID has reached its antici pated state of equilibrium.

Planning for a new year, I am most concerned about the continuous changes occurring in the labor market, which goes hand-in-hand with the state of the economy.

This year, we have seen high levels of inflation, and there have been rumblings of a recession for months now. Should this come true, it will certainly have an impact on our customers, our suppliers and our workforce across the industry.

On the other hand, I am look ing forward to a year of growth, expansion and more of the “nor mal” operations we have come to know and expect pre-COVID.

I am optimistic that we are at the point where we can soon remove COVID from our nor mal everyday conversation and instead talk about business and what truly matters to us across the industry—growth, sustain ability and relationships with customers, vendors and suppli ers alike!

It has been a pleasure shar ing some of my knowledge and insight with you this year, and I hope 2023 makes for a great year for you and your organization.

to understand if they are having any difficulties sourcing prod ucts for you and work with them on solutions, for example, alter native products or ordering an extra supply.

Finally, inflation will require that you be very careful with your spending and cash flow.

We have made great strides since the onset of COVID and all the problems that brought us.

shutdown machine, and, sud denly, we began emerging from it, building back volume and celebrating the customers that survived it (both figuratively and literally).

For the plant I work in, our product mix has changed, and labor challenges are a constant source of frustration.

We continue to have struggles with labor, supply-chain issues and inflation. Those would be my main concerns.

So, I would prepare myself to keep my good employees—look for ways to make them happy and productive (we’ve discussed this previously) and continue to look for good employees.

Make sure you are in com munication with your vendors

What an interesting and excit ing year 2022 has been.

Seemed like the pandemic would never quit being a restrictive

To deal with these challenges (or motivational opportunities to improve and change), my owners have committed to sig nificant equipment investments that will improve throughput and reduce the number of opera tors necessary to get our goods back to the customer in an effi cient and high-quality fashion.

With the equipment ordered, and tentative delivery dates made, there will be many internal infra structure changes in the plant.

Additionally, we have had to adjust plant-wide, already, to effectively address changes to our mix this year. A new mind set is being established, and this

“The end of the year is a time for reflection and planning for me. What concerns do you have for the industry going into 2023? And what are you looking forward to?”

Healthcare Laundry

William Muse

Hospital Services, Indianapolis, Ind.

(Image licensed by Ingram Image)

is when good leaders shine.

Ownership has been very open about how we need to embrace and attack things. Change and all the aches that come with it are being tempered with light being shed on the upside at the finish line.

I am excited about our new projects and processes. I think the changes coming ahead for 2023 will be welcomed by every one in the company.

It is good for the morale of all involved to see forward thinking and investment. You appreciate the efforts made in a company you can hope to finish your career in.

As for concerns … recession, crime, labor, war … these things do happen, have happened, and will always be a potential prob lem in business, and our per sonal lives. You can’t bury your head in the sand and pretend these things don’t exist, but it isn’t the boogeyman either.

Plan for success. Strategize with colleagues. Embrace oppor tunity and be flexible enough to change again.

I think we got this! Thanks for letting me share my thoughts for 2022. Best wishes and success to all!

question, “How big will it be?”

F or 2023 and sooner, talk of a recession persists. Conventional wisdom says that it is inevitable, but still asks the

Recession affects all individu als and industries, and, although laundry is here to stay, revenues are certainly reduced during times when consumers are apprehensive and therefore pull back on travel, dining and the other activities that drive busi ness to our industry’s users.

Added to that are concerns about margins and profitability, considering the rising costs of labor, utilities and other neces sary operating expenses.

However, looking back on 2022 (which may as well include 2021 and 2020—a lot of time has run together …), I think of the success es that this industry has achieved.

We’ve battled through a global crisis and already survived its economic and social effects. This has surely given us the skills to better handle what comes next.

Although this month’s question references “planning,” our future best-laid plans will no doubt require frequent modification, and recent history has forced everyone

to be able to adapt.

Whatever the coming year holds, I look forward to building business and personal relation ships, increasing my own knowl edge and abilities, and encourag ing others to do the same.

On that note, I wish you all the best for a joyful and prosper ous 2023!

Consulting Services

Jon Witschy Spindle, Woodridge, Ill.

Leadership + culture = laundry operation greatness

BY MATT POE, EDITOR

ATLANTA — The laundry and linen services industry is in a race right now.

A race to “return to greatness,” according to Jay Juffre, executive vice president of ImageFIRST, a healthcare linen and laundry ser vices provider headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

After the past couple of years, the industry is in a “time of tre mendous opportunity.”

“It’s a race right now with a very limited window, and com panies that were great prior to COVID who may have slipped a little have the opportunity to return to greatness,” Juffre says.

“Companies organizations that were just good or even poor have the opportunity to become the industry leaders.”

How can laundry operations win this race?

“The companies and organiza tions that reconnect with their employees, their customers and their cultures the quickest are going to win,” he says. “The oth ers may not even place, and they may be left far behind.

“A winning culture not only makes a place a great place to work, but we know it fuels suc cess, it fuels growth and drives results.

“Now more than ever, culture matters, and leadership and cul ture go hand-in-hand.”

Juffre shared how ImageFIRST’s culture and purpose have driven business development during the educational session “Building a Business on Culture” at The Clean Show here this summer.

THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

When Juffre first interviewed at ImageFIRST, the company was rolling out new operating prin ciples. In the middle of a circle, the company’s purpose was why the team went to work every day.

Around that core purpose were the company’s values (how they work), goals (how it “wins”) and service vision (how it connects with customers).

He saw that something was missing: no mention of linen, washing and drying, delivery, etc.

“If ImageFIRST could build a company and maintain these operating principles, they could be pretty special,” Juffre says.

About two years before he interviewed with the company, Juffre read “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek, which highlights a concept called The Golden Circle.

“Every single organization or company in the world can tell you what they do,” he shares about the concept. “They can tell you what they do. They can probably

tell you how they do it. Very few can clearly articulate why they do what they do.

“What Simon figured out is for great organizations, almost every great organization, almost every great company, every great social or political movement, typically, starts from the middle and work their way up. They start with the why; they start with why they do what they do. Then they work with the how. And then finally the what.”

Juffre asks if laundry opera tors know their companies’ “why.” Can they define it, and does every member of the team know the “why” they go to work and have it top of mind every day?

THE IMAGEFIRST EXAMPLE

“ImageFIRST is not a perfect company,” Juffre admits. “We don’t have a perfect culture, but I will submit to you that our approach has delivered a good culture and some remarkable results that has fueled growth.”

He says that ImageFIRST does start with the why, the company’s purpose. The reason every single employee goes to work each day is to build a great company with positive impact on the lives of its associates, its community, its cus tomers and their patients.

“What a great reason to go to work every day,” Juffre points out, “and we teach this at every level in the organization.

“To give you an example of how this can have an impact on our industry, take a production asso ciate who’s focused on our plan. What am I doing? Feeding gowns into a small-piece folder. That’s a much different perspective than a production associate focused on why they are doing what they are doing.

“Why am I doing this? Soon patient will be wearing this gown. They’ll probably be in a doctor’s office or surgery center. They might receive good news or bad news while wearing it. Therefore, I’m going to take a little bit more time to inspect it. Big difference.”

Juffre then used the company’s customer advocates, who deliv er goods, to show the difference between focusing on “why” rather than “what.”

“What are they doing?” he says. “They’re driving the truck, pick ing up soiled linen and deliver ing clean linen. As opposed to the why: I’m managing a win ning program for my customers to make life easier for their staff so they can take great care of their patients.

“I could go on and on, but aligning your team around the why they go to work as opposed to what they’re doing can have a huge impact on how much pride they take in what they do.”

Juffre says that once the “why” is set, the company moves on to the “how.”

“One easy way to build a cul ture is to define the behaviors that you want people to act and then teach and reinforce those behaviors every single day,” he points out.

Then, the company focuses on its goals.

“This is how we win,” says Juffre. “Our goals, in order, are associates, customers, growth and then profit. Our No. 1 goal, it ties to our purpose, is for our associ ates to take pride in achieving their best.

“Followed by our customer goal; we want to create part nerships. We can’t live without our customers. Followed by our growth goal; we want to increase organic growth 12% or greater

every year. Followed by our profit growth; we want to increase our profit year over year by 18%.”

Juffre admits that he does get “pushback” from others in the industry about the order of the company’s goals.

“They’ll say without prof its, you can’t pay the associates,” he shares. “Without customers, there’s nothing for the associates to do. Without growth, you can’t sustain the other three goals. All I can say is we respectfully disagree.

“The customer will never be happier than the person taking care of them. If you don’t believe me, go to a coffee shop, and I’ll show you what I mean. If the server’s miserable, the customer’s miserable.

“Associates take great care of the customer. Then you build loyalty and loyalty leads to more custom ers and referrals. Our approach is simple: take great care of your people. Create an environment where they love coming to work each day. They, in turn, will take great care of the customer, and you will grow profit.”

ImageFIRST’s final “how” was added about five years after Juffre joined the company: how the com pany interacts with customers.

“Create a positive moment with every action,” he says. “We wanted a ‘how’ that can really support our values, our purpose and our goals.

“This is not only how we inter act with customers; this is how we interact with everyone—our cus tomers, their staff, their patients, each other, folks we meet out in our community, our vendors.

“And think about this, if every interaction you have with some one is positive, it’s nearly impos sible not to have a positive impact on that person.”

IMPLEMENTATION

When Juffre first started work ing for ImageFIRST, it was in the Miami plant as general manager, Southeast Florida. Were the new operating principles that attracted him in action when he arrived?

“No, of course not,” he shares. “That plant was so full of excuses. They were by far the worst mar keting the company, but I had faith that if we implemented the new ImageFIRST operating prin ciples, results would turn.

“The rollout of the ImageFIRST operating principles for the team in Miami was simply putting them up on a wall and then going on throughout their day.”

Juffre quickly worked to imple ment the principles.

“So, every decision we made as a leadership team was based on the operating principles, and the results quickly turned.”

He says that in a short time,

Miami went from the least profit able market to one of the most profitable. After being flat for years, it had a 20% growth rate.

There was a 25% increase in pounds per operating hour, a 10% increase in revenue per pound, and a net promoter score that went from 25, which is the worst, to 75, which was more respect able.

Being in Miami, the plant is hot, and the 90-day survival rate for new associates went from 5% to 95%. Turnovers went from 90% to 10%.

A more recent example of how ImageFIRST’s operating princi ples helped the company, Juffre shares, comes out of the pandem ic. The company was focused on outpatient surgical markets, and states were canceling elective sur geries, and people were afraid to go to the doctor for routine care.

“This had the potential to dev astate our company,” he says. “So, we looked around at what other companies were doing, but we also looked at the operating prin ciples for guidance.

“What we did, without know ing how it would turn out, is we used the operating principles for guidance, and we came up with a simple plan. We came up with three simple rules for coping at ImageFIRST: Keep everybody safe. Keep everybody employed. And take great care of our cus tomers, no matter what it took.

“We based the plan on our oper ating principles. We based it on our values. We felt being respectful and being honest with our associ ates was the best approach. We wanted to keep everybody safe. And we felt that if we took great care of our associates and our cus tomers, as always the growth and profit would follow.”

Juffre says that when leadership rolled out the plan to the team, they went from very nervous that the company would abandon the operating principles at a time of crisis to extremely enthusiastic.

“2020 was our best year ever, followed by 2021, which was even better,” he shares. “ImageFIRST is now the fastest growing, largest provider of medical linens in the U.S., and we attribute this growth to our business approach and the culture we have created.”

In conclusion, Juffre offers some advice. A laundry service’s operat ing principles, mission statement, values, objectives, etc., can be complete, organized and have the potential to add value to the orga nization and fuel growth—but they need to be used.

“Take them down off the wall and use them,” he says. “And if you start using them every day, you’ll be amazed at what can happen.”

ImageFIRST executive vice president shares how company has created a service-focused culture to drive business

(Image licensed by Ingram Image)

Biela, Fernandes to replace Nield at JENSEN USA

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Equipment manufacturer JENSEN USA reports that Tony Biela is to take up the position of president and Carlos Fernandes has been promot ed to senior vice president of sales.

Biela and Fernandes will replace Simon Nield, effective January 1, 2023.

Biela started working for JENSEN USA in 2019 as vice president of finance. Thanks to his cross-cultural expertise and his experience in execu tive roles with former employ ers, the company says he has added a lot of value to its U.S. business operations.

His main focus will be on leading the transformation of operations here.

The representation of JENSEN

Track Career

USA toward esteemed clients will be attended by Fernandes, who was appointed as senior vice presi dent of sales. The company says he offers a vast knowledge of the JENSEN product line combined with an excellent understanding of customer service and relationships.

Fernandes has been serving the laundry industry for more than 37 years.

These changes are a direct result of Nield’s decision to step back from his current role as president of JENSEN USA. Recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he has cho sen to focus more of his energy on his personal well-being.

A career span ning nearly four decades in the laundry industry is now slowly phas ing out. The com pany says Nield will continue to support the man agement team as president emeritus.

The company says Nield’s pas sion for the laundry industry, its clients and the team in Florida

are beyond exceptional, and it thanks him for all that he has done and wishes him all the best for the future.

Brown named Ecolab president, COO

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Chemicals company Ecolab announced that Darrell R. Brown, formerly executive vice president and pres ident, global industrial, became president and chief operating officer (COO) effective Oct. 1.

“As Ecolab continues to grow and expand how we deliver on our purpose to protect what’s vital, this enhancement to our management structure will help us maximize our future growth

opportunities and is a reflection of our strong leadership team,” says Christophe Beck, Ecolab chairman and CEO.

“Darrell’s winning track record, knowledge of our com pany, focus on talent develop ment and tremendous leadership abilities will provide exceptional execution support and additional focus on the company’s longterm growth and performance.

“I am fortunate to have Darrell as a partner for the years ahead as we continue to enhance profit ability by capitalizing on Ecolab’s significant global growth opportunities.”

Brown, 59, has served as executive vice president and president of the global indus trial group since 2019. Earlier, he was executive vice president and president of Ecolab’s energy services division.

He joined Ecolab in 2002 and has held several leadership posi tions within the company, includ ing executive vice president and president, Europe; executive vice president, Asia Pacific; and vice president and general manager for Australia and New Zealand.

FOLTEX USA hires customer development assistant

COLUMBIA, S.C. — FOLTEX USA, a provider of folders, feed ers, and stackers, reports it has hired Catherine Paquin as cus tomer development assistant.

The company says she has more than 20 years of experience in administrative work, customer ser vice, marketing and graphic design.

Her passion for simplicity and organization combined with her earnest dedication to customer care drives her efforts to streamline pro cesses, improve communication and boost effi ciency for the benefit of Foltex and its custom ers, the company adds.

Foltex says Paquin’s top prior ity will be to ensure that every customer stays informed from the time they place their order until the equipment arrives on their doorstep.

Biela

Fernandes

Brown

Paquin

Detergents, Chemicals and Injection Systems

efficient wash program that reduces alkali, wash temperatures, water consumption and time, according to the company.

This helps reduce a plant’s environmental footprint through water and energy savings and wastewater compliance.

BRIGHTWELL

Brightwell says its laundry dosing systems are durable and reliable, and its BrightLogic On-Premise Laundry dosing systems (OPL) allow users to deliver from two to 10 chemicals with a flow rate of up to 10 fluid ounces per minute.

The space-saving patented double pump head is easy to install and maintain thanks to the quick-tube-change configuration, according to the company. The laundry dosing systems are available in two, four, six, eight and 10 pump versions and can be easily upgraded with plug-and-play pump modules.

Suitable for both intelligent and non-intelligent washing machines that take loads of between 10 and 75 pounds, the BrightLogic can be used in relay mode or with a formula select programmer.

A levels mode is also available and the new BrightLogic 2 software, with direct Bluetooth communication, supports all configurations, providing a quick and simple setup.

www.brightwell-inc.com 913-956-4909

ECOLAB

Water is a critical component of commercial laundry operations, and Ecolab says it provides innovative solutions to help commercial laundry businesses reduce, reuse and recycle water.

Utilizing leading-edge surfactant and enzyme technology, ProTEX PLUS delivers a highly

www.ecolab.com 800-553-8683

PARISER INDUSTRIES INC.

Pariser Industries says its Aqua-Velvet is a breakthrough innovation in wet-cleaning chemistry.

aisle chemicals for more than 40 years, and the company says its detergent programs are formulated with three main objectives: fabric longevity, utility conservation, and most importantly, product quality.

All detergent programs are delivered with Norchem’s Chemical Injection System to ensure consistent delivery and results.

CFS Technologies is the 5 Washer-5 Chemical Panel developed by Lavo. Basic features are that up to five washers and five chemicals can be controlled and monitored with a single panel, allowing faster installation/setup time. No squeeze tube maintenance is required, cutting other maintenance costs. The panel is available with an electric or pneumatic pump and an optional air-assisted flush.

UNX-CHRISTEYNS

UNX-Christeyns says it understands industrial laundry operations across the United States are being challenged today like at no other time.

From ongoing issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic to the current labor shortage of finding and retaining qualified workers, it’s a relief to know the company has several innovative and proprietary chemical solutions that can help.

The company says AquaVelvet is a unique, one-shot wet-cleaning product that combines an acid-based detergent that inhibits dye loss on what were historically considered dry-clean-only fabrics, safe and effective stain and oil removers, and state-of-the-art fabric reconditioners.

This carefully formulated product also provides garments with a fresh and clean-smelling fragrance.

Pariser says Aqua-Velvet is compatible with all serviceable fabrics including leathers and suedes. Its comprehensive oneshot nature virtually eliminates the need for liquid injection equipment and the inventory concerns associated with the multiple products typical of most wet-cleaning applications.

The company says the product is effective in a wide range of water temperatures and ranges of mineral hardness and allows for shorter cleaning cycles and reduced water usage.

www.pariser.net 800-370-7627

NORCHEM CORP.

Norchem Corp. has been developing wash

The company says its NorFlow-WIN® Automated Chemical Injection System is engineered to be the most reliable liquid dosing system for plant operators that is held to the highest quality standard and smallest margin of error.

By partnering with conventional and tunnel washer manufacturers, Norchem engineers say they have optimized the production process by designing injection configurations to reduce water, energy and chemical usage for laundry operators. www.norchemcorp.com 800-442-4360

LAVO SOLUTIONS/CFS TECHNOLOGIES

Laundries increasingly are looking to technology to gain efficiencies and better control of business processes, which leads many businesses to engage with Lavo Solutions for connected dosing solutions that use webenabled technology to control essential data, efficiency and real-time information, according to the company.

“Laundries using the Lavo technology can decrease servicerelated costs by up to 30% and increase linen life by up to 10% while increasing wash quality and reducing rewash,” notes Campbell Dodson, CCO of CFS Technologies, parent company to Lavo Solutions.

One example of the growing line of connected systems from

These systems also feature cellular connectivity—instead of WiFi—for uninterrupted service and the safest data transmission via high-quality data encryption. An interactive dashboard provides 24/7 remote monitoring and programming access that includes remote calibration capabilities and diagnostic tools.

Proactive e-mail alerts and automated reports detailing usage, consumption, flow rates and more keep the customer fully informed.

The Compact Max (for tunnel washers) and Compact One (for washer-extractors) wash systems are designed to help healthcare and hospitality operators overcome these challenges. These extremely mild wash formulas feature an EPA-approved oxidizer and highly concentrated liquid detergents, allowing customers to achieve some of the highest efficiency standards in the industry.

The key to this optimized wash process is a combination of oxidizing and sanitizing disinfecting agents. Based on innovative peracetic acid technology, it delivers a powerful disinfectant, extends linen life and provides significant water and energy savings. UNX-Christeyns experts provide a full audit of the customer’s operation, including suggested improvements to production flow and water and equipment usage.

The result is operators can reduce their equipment operation time by a significant margin. This translates into additional labor and utility savings, reduced production time, and less wear and tear on the equipment.

CFS Technologies (Lavo Solutions) says it is the industry leader in connected dosing solutions, offering more metereddosing options for a wider array of applications than any other supplier in the industry, with 10,000-plus installations of connected devices installed globally.

CFS Technologies systems are used in commercial and OPL laundries, commercial warewashing, food manufacturing, industrial facilities, food retail and food service applications.

www.cfstech.com 800-999-2820

www.unxchristeyns.com 800-869-6171

OMNI SOLUTIONS

OMNI Solutions says it is an EPA-registered leader in UV laundry technology. Its LUX™ UV Laundry Program combines

Brightwell

Lavo Solutions/CFS Technologies

Norchem Corp.

Pariser Industries Inc.

COMPILED BY MATT POE, EDITOR

(Image licensed by Ingram Image)

patented technology and pre mium chemistry for best-in-class cleaning and disinfection.

The company says the pat ented LUX UV Laundry System creates an advanced oxidation reaction that:

• Improves cleaning and stain removal.

• Eliminates odor and odorcausing bacteria. Brightens whites and leaves more vibrant colors.

• Extends life of linen while leaving it noticeably softer.

• Effectively kills SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID19), MRSA, C. diff, Human Coronavirus OC43, and E. coli.

Designed and formulated for LUX UV Systems, the company says its chemistry ensures linen comes out cleaner and brighter after just one wash to reduce rewash and produce exceptional results at the lowest operational costs to a business.

The LUX UV Laundry Program provides significant reductions in water and energy usage while ultra-concentrated chemistry in smaller packaging reduces waste and your carbon footprint.

As a result, OMNI Solutions says this program can:

• Lower hot water usage by 85%.

• Reduce energy usage by up to 55%.

• Reduce water consumption by up to 20%.

• Decrease linen replacement by 10-20%.

OMNI Solutions says it is part nering together to ensure a clean er, brighter, safer world through sustainable solutions powered by innovative UV technologies and world-class chemistry. www.omnisaves.com 844-400-6664

acid in water treatment, the company says.

In addition, TRUpath™ signif icantly reduces energy and water consumption for each wash load.

Besides TRUpath™, WSI offers TRU-UV™, specifically designed for tunnel washers.

The company says TRU-UV™ saves valuable resources and decreases the impact on the envi ronment. TRU-UV™ uses a photo chemical wash process that greatly extends the life of fabrics and provides optimum stain and soil removal producing whiter whites with less water and energy.

With verified Log-7 reduc tion results, TRU-UV™ produces hygienically clean goods without the use of sanitizers or disinfectants.

www.washingsystem.com 800-272-1974

SIMONIZ USA INC.

Simoniz says its OPL Laundry system and support ing laundry products create the most effective laundry system available, saving time, labor and energy with this quality effec tive and efficient system.

Simoniz manufactures more

than 3,000 cleaning products for the widest spectrum of work place environments. It says its formulas use the most innovative

cleaning solutions that are better for laundries, their cus tomers and the environment.

The company says its prod ucts are manufactured and supported by three state-ofthe-art manufacturing facilities and eight distribution centers throughout the United States totaling over 500,000 square feet, including high-speed fill ing lines, bulk storage tanks and quality engineered mate rial handling systems.

www.simoniz.com 800-227-5536

WSI

Hygienically clean laundry is about safety. It is also about peace of mind, and WSI says it is leading the way with the EPA award-winning innovation that ensures both.

Since its inception, TRUpath™ has maintained a proven reputa tion of being the safest, most efficient, and smartest way to wash. TRUpath™, the patentpending wash process that is free of alkali.

TRUpath™ produces hygieni cally clean textiles while extend ing textile life and saving hours of production time. By removing alkali from the wash process, TRUpath™ created a true inno vation in safety by minimizing the risk of exposure to caustic soda and the need for sulfuric

Simoniz USA Inc.

TRSA institutes, attendees achieve success in 2022

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The pro fessional institutes conducted by TRSA, the association for linen, uni form and facility services, honored graduates and developed attendee skills during their 2022 sessions.

The Roger F. Cocivera Professional Management Institute (PMI) completed its 32nd pro gram while the Ehrlich-Stempler Executive Management Institute (EMI) completed its 57th yearly edition in August.

In October, after a two-year hiatus, TRSA’s 29th Annual Maintenance Management Institute (MMI) returned with 40 attendees.

PMI

PMI completed its yearly pro gram with a commencement ceremony that drew nearly 200 attendees to the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center just off the University of Maryland campus.

Fourteen laundry and supplier professionals received their twoyear PMI certificates.

TRSA’s 32nd edition of PMI ran from Aug. 7-12, with new and returning students participating in classes focused on teaching them best practices for improving their company’s efficiency, as well as their development as industry leaders.

“I really liked the program,” says Adriana Reyes of ImageFIRST, a first-year PMI student. “It was a lot of learning, and I received a lot of great feedback from the instructors and other students. Now I can go back and help my plant and be more successful.”

The week culminated with the Aug. 11 ceremony during which PMI graduates received their certifi cates for completing the program. Year I students also received certifi cates for completing their classwork.

The ceremony opened with remarks by TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci, who com mended the students for their work and thanked the faculty for helping them achieve their educa tional goals.

Jon Witschy of Spindle, who serves as the dean of PMI, also addressed the crowd. He posed the following rhetorical question to attendees: “Who in this room has a college, trade school or even a high-school level textile laundry management degree?” When no one responded, he quipped. “Well, I don’t either.”

Witschy followed up by saying, “The reason I ask that is because this (PMI) is that opportunity. I am sure that everyone in this room has had a trial-by-fire experience in their plant. But PMI gives you the opportunity to perfect the details on top of what you’ve experienced in your plants.”

Witschy then invited a PMI stu dent, Chris Thompson of G.A. Braun Inc., to offer attendees his

perspective on the program.

“When we arrived here, we were 24 individuals representing 16 different companies,” Thompson says. “We had experience levels from 27 years to two months … We’re leaving as one class that plans on returning next year for session two.”

A key lesson was that operators and suppliers often confront simi lar challenges in plant operations.

“We learned so much about the industry as a whole, but the most important lesson we learned was on a macro level,” Thompson says. “We were 24 individuals who entered the program, but the problems we face are not unique.”

He adds that while companies at PMI are competitors, they can collaborate on common concerns, such as the need to save energy and water.

Sponsors of this year’s PMI program included Kannegiesser ETECH, Brim Laundry Machinery Co. Inc., G.A. Braun Inc., JENSEN, Lavatec Laundry Technology Inc., Pellerin Milnor Corp. and Unitex International Inc.

Members of the PMI graduat ing class included:

• Michael Congdon, G.A. Braun Inc.

• Chase Dudley, Servall Uniform & Linen Supply

• Michael Fabiano, Falvey Linen Supply Inc.

• Michael Gaines, U.S. Linen & Uniform

• Chuck Hackenberg, Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply

• Dave Heath, Plymate Inc.

• Tryce Huntington, U.S. Linen & Uniform

• Guillermo Merlos, Morgan Services Inc.

• Ryon Okelberry, Alsco Uniforms

Adrian Orta, Alsco Uniforms

• Eric Rehfield, G.A. Braun Inc.

• Timothy Ricker, Vogue Laundry & Cleaners Inc.

• Emiliano Sanchez, Crothall Laundry Services, Northern California

• Darrin Smith, Kannegiesser ETECH

EMI

At the commencement pro gram, 11 leaders of laundry and supplier partner companies graduated from the association’s four-year EMI educational pro gram that’s designed to take their careers to new heights.

“It’s just been absolutely fan tastic,” says Cory Rosenberger, HCSC-Laundry, Allentown, Pennsylvania. “I would absolutely recommend it to everybody. It’s invaluable for your growth.”

Rosenberger’s remarks were part of a longstanding tradition at EMI. Each class selects a speaker

for an “open mic” opportunity to address the attendees.

Another EMI tradition is for classes to stage skits, often with a focus on poking fun at EMI instructors and fellow students. Perhaps due to COVID-19 and the ongoing challenges of labor and supply-chain shortages, this year’s commencement program was more subdued than in past years.

There was a strong theme of expressions of gratitude dur ing the Aug. 11 commencement. Rosenberger and others thanked the faculty, fellow students, family members, and TRSA’s Director of Education and Events Salita Jones, plus staff at the host facility.

Year III speaker Mike Miller of Thermopatch Corp. emphasized the value of peer-based learning with guidance from skilled fac ulty members, such as EMI’s Joe Currier.

“What we’ve done in the past couple of years has been one of the most rewarding weeks of our careers,” Miller says. “We learned a lot about who we are as individu als and as a team.”

Miller commended Currier for building strong ties with the Year III class.

“Joe, you took eight people who just worked together and turned them into people who really know each other,” he shares. “I think that we will all take away a piece of this week, regardless of which steps we go down from here on out.”

The Year II attendees injected some levity into the program with their skit, a takeoff on the 1960s sitcom, The Newlywed Game. Two student “contestants” posed as newlyweds and separate ly answered a question, such as “Where did you meet each other?”

One contestant said at an Alsco Uniforms conference. The other said EMI. The cleverly devised skit drew several laughs.

With nearly 40 students, EMI’s Year I class was among its larg est ever, according to EMI Dean Kent Baker, who’s served on the EMI faculty since 1976. He sum moned the Year I students to the stage, noting, “If I’m not mistaken and somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that this is the

largest class that we’ve ever had.”

He added that size hadn’t inhib ited the lively discussions that had taken place during the week.

TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci closed the program, thanking students, faculty, staff and the pro gram sponsors for helping to make this year’s EMI program possible.

Ricci had opened the pro gram noting that students, fac ulty and TRSA staff had earned “two thumbs up” for their efforts throughout the week of EMI. He urged the students to remain active in TRSA and the industry.

“Most of you sitting here will be the future leaders of the indus try five,10 or 20 years from now,” Ricci shares. “I encourage you to stay engaged.”

A closing message on a video screen next to the stage summed up the evening’s mood quite well. It read, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” The quote was from Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss.

Members of the 2022 EMI graduating class included:

• Michael Bonn, Alsco Uniforms

• Davis Curtin, Alsco Uniforms

Andreas Frey, Alsco Uniforms, Denver Industrial

• John Jaggi, Alsco Uniforms

• Edwards Jimenez, New York Laundry

• Greg Kimmel, Kimmel Corp.

• Ruel Lunar, Alliant Systems

• Sergio Pena, Roscoe Co.

• Kerry Roberts, Alsco Uniforms

• Cory Rosenberger, Hospital Central Services, HCSCLaundry Kasey Wahl, WSI

MMI

After a 2-year hiatus, TRSA’s 29th Annual MMI returned Oct. 12-14. Forty attendees convened in Rosemont, Illinois, for the industry’s longest-running and most-recognized maintenance management and technology development program.

Steve Rowell, president of Accelerated Ventures, a seasoned keynote speaker and training con sultant kicked off with an interac

tive session showing engineering leaders exactly how they must adapt to succeed. He included a helium stick group exercise that demonstrated the importance of teamwork.

Joel Bell, senior manager of reli ability and maintenance, UniFirst Corp., led a general plant safety session on the topic of Lock Out/ Tag Out. The day rounded out with a facilitated discussion on protecting your equipment and parts sourcing.

Paula Brown, production man ager at Shasta Linen Supply says, “I really gained a lot of informa tion to help me learn and work with the engineers and protecting equipment for the company.”

Beal returned on day two to lead a workshop entitled “Results Oriented Reliability and Maintenance Management” pro viding tools on how to extend the life of your equipment.

Deanna Griffin, The Griffin Group, offered her human resource experience in propos ing ideas on how to accelerate the hiring process. Paul Jewison, VP and general manager, Textile Care Services included a session on roof safety and fall protection. Chuck Rossmiller, director laundry programs, Medline industries dis cussed general guidance for how to properly disinfect your plant.

Peer-to-peer roundtables facili tated by Ian Bigelow, executive offi cer, Simple Management Solutions, rounded out the afternoon.

The final day started with a plant tour of Superior Health Linens. The Portage plant location process es 40,000 pounds of laundry per day. The 50,000-square-foot plant is new to Superior Health Linens, as it was purchased in early 2022.

Post plant tour, Matt Lewis, Laundry Market Manager, Kemco Systems, presented to the group key energy management and per formance strategy ideas. Bigelow returned to discuss how to devel op a defensible capital budget.

The three-day event featured multiple networking opportuni ties for both information sharing, through facilitated open discus sions and peer-to-peer round tables and the opportunity to mix and mingle socially to foster stronger relationships with peers and the industry’s engineering and technology experts.

For Keith Fisher, maintenance manager, Dempsey Uniform, “Each time I attend, I gain so much valu able information and knowledge for myself to take back to teach mainte nance and production.”

First-time attendee, Teresa Avery, maintenance director, West Michigan Shared Hospital Laundry, adds, “This has been very informative, and I am thankful that TRSA hosts a maintenancefocused program.”

Attendees of TRSA’s 29th Annual Maintenance Management Institute gathered in Rosemont, Illinois, in October. (Photo: TRSA)

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

MAT ROLLERS

TUNNEL WASHER SYSTEMS

Pellerin Milnor Corp.

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

28233 Ph.: (704)372-3890; Fax: (704)342-0758 www.gardnermachinery.com

P.O. Box 33818,

SMALL-PIECE FOLDERS

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

Milliken & Co. commits to net-zero future

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Manufacturer Milliken & Co., which provides textiles among other products, reports its science-based net-zero targets have been approved by the U.N.-backed Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

SBTi is a collective of international organizations dedicated to helping companies set emission reduction tar gets consistent with climate science and the Paris Agreement.

“At Milliken, sustainability is a core value,” shares Halsey Cook, president and CEO of Milliken & Co. “Climate change is placing pressure on com munities, on companies and on our planet. The time to take meaningful action is now.”

SBTi calculates that companies committed to cutting emissions in line with climate science now represent $38 trillion—one-third—of the global economy.

Milliken says it is one of the first 50 companies glob ally to achieve approved science-based net-zero targets and joins a group of more than 1,300 companies that have made net-zero commitments using the 2021 SBTi Corporate NetZero Standard.

Milliken is the first company to be approved in South Carolina, where Milliken’s global headquarters is located.

“Not all net-zero is the same, which is why Milliken com mits to reaching real net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050 from a 2018 base year,” says Kasel Knight, general counsel and head of sustainability at Milliken.

“By working with SBTi, our net-zero commitment, along with our approved near-term and long-term targets, has been fully vetted by the best available science on a global scale.”

“We’re proud Milliken is leading this work,” concludes Cook. “Our targets empower our team of more than 8,000 to reduce risk, minimize impacts, work efficiently, control costs and identify new ways to deliver products.”

R.W. Martin grows capacity, enhances capabilities

KENT, Ohio — Laundry equipment distributor R.W. Martin Company, located here, reports it is expanding its capacity to better fulfill its mission of being the partner on which its customers rely.

President Chip Ottman and other members of the R.W. Martin management team recently completed Scalerator NEO, an intensive program for entrepreneurs who are com mitted to the rapid and aggressive growth of their businesses.

The company says a key element of R.W. Martin’s expan sion is the addition of high-level team members.

Michael Rager joins the company as the new acquisitions/ inventory manager. He brings 17 years of facility operations experience to the position with a special focus on process improvement, ERP systems and inventory control.

The company’s new operations manager, Stephen Keba, is an experienced project/operations manager, having spent more than 25 years planning and managing the construction of commercial, residential and manufacturing facilities.

The company says he is particularly adept at determin ing the scope of major projects and assuring efficient team mobilization.

Matt West, the previous operations manager, has moved into the role of senior technical manager, enabling the com pany to better utilize the extensive technical knowledge he has gained during his 26 years in the industry.

In this new position, he will focus his knowledge and expertise to serve R.W. Martin’s customers more effec tively with technical support, ensuring the company better achieves its mission.

In addition, Curtis Lanzer is joining R.W. Martin as a technical project manager who will focus on plant design and layout for government contracting projects. He has served in the aerospace, oil and gas, green ener

gy, and manufacturing sectors, gaining more than two decades of business experience in account and project management, design and consulting, plus practical experience in elec trical engineering.

The company says this background makes him an invaluable resource and asset to R.W. Martin as it continues to plan for future expansion and growth.

In memoriam: Juergen Baumann, JENSEN

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Equipment manufacturer JENSEN reports that Juergen Baumann died on Nov. 4 after a brief illness.

Baumann began his career in the laundry industry in 1982, working as a freelance programmer for Senkingwerk GMBh.

Juergen’s career took him to ELX GROUP (both in Germany and USA) and Washex (Texas) before he found his home with JENSEN in 2008, where he became an integral part of JENSEN USA’s service department.

“Juergen was a true legend in our industry and will be sorely missed by the many people that were fortunate enough to have known him and who benefited from his wisdom and kindness,” the company says.

Prudential Overall Supply acquires Delta Uniform customer and linen accounts

IRVINE, Calif. — Prudential Overall Supply, a provider of reusable image work apparel and related textiles, reports it has acquired the customer accounts from Delta Uniform & Linen in New Mexico.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We chose Prudential Overall Supply to carry on the cus tomer service experience that Delta Uniform & Linen custom ers have come to expect,” says Vice President Shelly Snyder.

“Prudential Overall Supply is a family-owned and -oper ated business, which helps connect them to the local com munity and puts their service team in the best possible position to offer the highest quality service experience.”

John Clark, Prudential Overall Supply’s third-generation CEO says, “We are excited to offer Delta Uniform & Linen customers the best possible service experience. The depth and experience of our service team along with our product and service offering will help us meet this goal.

“We have invested significant resources to position Prudential to be a best-in-class uniform rental service provider, and this acquisition helps strengthen our market position for clients in New Mexico.”

CLS celebrates 123 years serving Michigan

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — CLS, a supplier of linen, uni forms, and facility products throughout Michigan’s lower peninsula, reports that it is celebrating its 123rd anniversary.

“We are thrilled that the communities we serve have worked with us to make this happen,” the company says.

“Our 123rd anniversary is a celebration of you as much as it is about CLS. It’s also an opportunity to look back on how we got here and why our service works for our clients.”

CLS started as Kalamazoo Laundry Company in 1899. Originally, it operated with horse-drawn carriages and individual ironing boards and hand irons.

“The roads around us weren’t paved, our loads were much smaller and we sorted everything by hand,” shares CLS. “We even used to provide personal laundry services to households.”

Ted Vander Meer, who used to work in several capacities at Kalamazoo Laundry Company, purchased it outright in 1963.

The name was changed shortly thereafter to Continental

Linen Service and later CLS in 1999 as it expanded its uni form rental service. Ted has since passed the company on to his children and granddaughter.

Now, CLS has three owners: CEO Ron Vander Meer and President Kurt Vander Meer are Ted’s sons while Senior Vice President Sarah Vander Meer is Ron’s daughter.

The company says it has survived pandemics, wars, depressions and many other challenges due to the support of its customers.

While CLS is celebrating 123 years, it is also preparing for the future.

The company began 2022 by making additions to its Manchester Road plant in Kalamazoo, increasing its size by 11,000 square feet.

Washroom capacity will increase by 50% thanks to a monorail and some new equipment, speeding up and enhancing CLS’s laundry processes.

Texcare Asia & China Laundry Expo Delayed to 2023

HONG KONG — Organizers of Texcare Asia & China Laundry Expo (TXCA & CLE) report they have decided to postpone the event until 2023.

TXCA & CLE was scheduled for Nov. 17-19 in Ningbo but rising COVID-19 cases in the country caused organiz ers to defer the fair to 2023 in Shanghai.

The event was originally scheduled to take place in September 2021 and moved to August 2022 before being delayed to November.

The decision was made to prioritize the safety of fairgo ers and to support the government’s pandemic contain ment measures.

Organizers say that despite their best efforts throughout the year to hold TXCA & CLE 2022, after discussions with stakeholders, they determined that postponing the fair was the necessary course of action.

The organizers add that they are looking forward to pro viding a platform for the industry to safely gather next year at the Shanghai New International Expo Center.

Dates of the 2023 fair will be announced when they are made available.

TXCA & CLE is an annual event organized by the Laundry Committee of China General Chamber of Commerce and the China Light Industry Machinery Association, as well as Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd and Unifair Exhibition Service Co Ltd.

SanMar has carbon reduction target approved by SBTi

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — SanMar Corp., a supplier of wholesale accessories and apparel, reports it has gained the approval of its science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with climate science.

In partnership with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), SanMar has set a company-wide target to meet the SBTi’s most ambitious temperature pathway to limit warming to 1.5 C and prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

SanMar’s approved target sets carbon emission reduction goals for both its scope 1 and 2 and scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. SanMar commits to reduce scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 50% per pound of product by 2030 from a 2019 base year.

Cook

Baumann

CLS started as the Kalamazoo Laundry Company in 1899 in Michigan. (Image: CLS)