Picking up where they left off last year, supporters of the Small Business Remediation Act began seeking additional cosponsors for the legislation when Congress reopened for business in late January.
The Dry Cleaners Action Fund of America, the mechanism through which supporters have been raising money for the legislative effort, had to find a new home this year following the resignation of Merry Bering as executive director of the Michigan Institute of Laundry and Drycleaning. Bering and MILD had acted as volunteer administrators of the fund since its inception in 1997.
Stepping into that role now is the MidAtlantic Cleaners Association (MAC) and its executive director, Dave Norford. Contributions should now be made payable to DCAFA and sent to Norford at the MAC office, 7430 Little Chatterton Lane, King George, VA, 22485.
All contributions to the fund go to help finance the Washington activities on behalf of Barton's Small Business Remediation Act.
As Congress got back to work in late January, so too did those working for passage of the bill. By mid-February, no new cosponsors had joined the list of 48 who put their names on Texas Rep. Joe Barton's bill last fall. That list included 36 Republicans (counting Barton) and 13 Democrats from 23 states and territories.
That represents about half the total who were cosponsors of the legislation in the previous Congress, but supporters said they still aim to have most or all of those previous backers signed on as well as bringing some new representatives on board. Sixteen of the cosponsors on the bill at the end of the year were representatives who had not cosponsored earlier versions of the bill.
Rep. Barton is expected to attend the Southwest Drycleaners Association trade show in Ft. Worth, Texas, this month, where he will be able to meet with industry members who want to discuss his legislation. SDA executive director Andy Stanley said that plans call for Barton to be available for discussions in the association lounge area of the show during the afternoon of Saturday, March 18.
The bill that Barton introduced last year (H.R. 2726) is his third attempt in Congress at helping the drycleaning industry find a solution to soil and groundwater problems caused by contamination of even minuscule amounts of solvent. He introduced the first "Barton bill" in October, 1995, in the 104th Congress. Barton bill No. 2 was introduced in the 105th Congress in May, 1997.
The current version of the bill, introduced by Barton last August, takes a somewhat different approach to the cleanup question. Earlier bills sought to modify the cleanup standard for drycleaning solvent in soil and groundwater, which currently is based on the drinking water standard of 5 parts per billion of perc, by setting it at one-tenth the maximum exposure level to drycleaning solvent that OSHA allows in the workplace. Under current OSHA regulations, that would have set a soil and groundwater maximum contaminant level of 10 parts per million.
The new version of the bill adopts cleanup levels contained in a "Soil Screening Guidance Document" developed several years ago by EPA. The aim of both versions is the same -- to set more reasonable and attainable cleanup levels for drycleaning solvent. Indeed, the ultimate cleanup level that the two versions would provide would be about the same. The key difference, which supporters hope will bring broader Congressional support, is relying on EPA's own documentation rather than borrowing a standard from another agency.
Barney Deden, a leading proponent of the Barton legislation, made the following case on behalf of the legislation in a recent posting on the industry's internet e-mail forum (fabricare@egroups.com ):
For anyone who ever plans (or hopes) to someday sell their drycleaning business I would like to point out a very important factor: I sold a multi-location chain in 1985 before the contamination issue became a front-burner item. It was not extremely difficult to get a price equal to 100 percent of annual sales. The business was half plants and half drop stores.
Good plants at that time were bringing as much as 125 percent of annual volume. Contamination was not mentioned, either in negotiations nor in the sales contract.
Jump ahead to 1998. The best price I could get was approximately 73 percent of annual volume for a chain of 10 plants and eight drop stores, and they were more profitable than the 1985 group.
The major difference was the fact that potential contamination was the primary issue throughout negotiations and a very important part of the sales contract.
I am firmly convinced that passage of the Barton bill will take most of the attention away from the contamination paranoia. Plants, whether perc, petro, or other solvents will be easier to market and will bring a higher price.
A very modest investment by this industry in working for passage of the Barton bill could increase the value of our real assets by gigantic amounts. Assume 32,000 plants average $250,000 per year each. That would be a value of $5.84 billion at 73 percent of gross sales. At 100 percent of annual sales the value would increase to $8 billion. How much is it worth to our industry to have an increase in the value of our plants of $2.16 billion? How much have you contributed?
We've spent somewhere around $500,000 on this effort over the past five or six years. That is an average of $15.63 for each of the assumed 32,000 plants. Again, how much have you contributed? I expect many in the industry are tired of my sales pitch for the Barton bill, but there are about 31,500 drycleaners who have done virtually nothing to help with the bill, nor do they have an alternative solution.
What have you done?
Barney Deden,
pdeden@yahoo.com
The annual report from the International Fabricare Institute's garment analysis laboratory offers little cause for self-congratulation by drycleaners.
A decade-long trend of declining numbers of garment failures attributed to drycleaners was spoiled in 1999. Both in raw numbers and as a percentage of the whole, IFI analysts had to lay the blame for garment failure at the feet of drycleaners more often last year while the number of problems attributed to manufacturers and consumers declined.
True, drycleaners are still deemed responsible for a relatively small share of the problems -- 14 percent of the nearly 16,000 total cases examined in 1999. Manufacturer related problems were cited in 40 percent of the cases and consumer-caused damages were noted in 36 percent. But since most of the garments sent to IFI for analysis come from cleaners, one might expect cleaner-caused difficulties to be a smaller share of the total.
The number of problems attributed to drycleaner-failure was up only slightly in 1999 -- 2, 329 compared to 2,326 the year before. But the total number of problem garments analyzed was down by more than 2,000 for the year, so cleaners' percentage of the total increased.
With effort in a few key areas, cleaners could greatly reduce the number of problems they get stuck with. In fact, half of the cleaner-caused problems that IFI found came in three areas: redeposition; failure to follow care labels; and stain removal.
Redeposition -- loose soil particles that reattach themselves to fabric during cleaning to give an overall gray or dull appearance to the garments -- topped the list in 1999, accounting for 512, or 22 percent, of all the problems attributed to drycleaners. That first-place finish was fitting to its dubious honor as the "problem of the '90s." At the beginning of the decade, redeposition was well back in the pack on the list of drycleaner problems. In about 1992, redep problems suddenly doubled leaping into the top five of cleaner problems. And there it stayed.
Redeposition can be the result of poor solvent maintenance or poor solvent flow caused by clogs in the system or malfunctioning components, overloading of the wheel or improper load classification. The exact cause may require some detective work, but preventing redeposition is easier than curing it. Procedures for fixing redep-damaged garments are time-consuming and not always successful.
The cleaners No. 2 problem is easier to fix. "Failure to follow care label instructions" continues to be a bugaboo. Last year, as in most recent years, IFI analysts had to list that as the reason for failure in one of six drycleaner-caused problems -- a total of 344 garment failures due simply to "failure to follow instructions."
While it is possible that a garment can be successfully cleaned by some other method shown on the care label, cleaners proceed at their own risk and thus should be certain that using a method other than that stipulated by the label will not result in an embarrassing claim.
Third on the list was damage to dyes or fabric resulting from stain removal -- a total of 336 of the problems IFI attributed to the drycleaner in 1999.
Those top three areas accounting for 1,192 of the problem cases IFI attributed to the drycleaner last year.
As usual, consumers and manufacturers battled it out for the dubious distinction of being the number-one source of garment failures. Sadly, the garment is often in the drycleaner's hands when the failure occurs.
Traditionally manufacturers have held a firm grip on the number-one slot, but consumers have been catching up in recent years. Last year, IFI cited manufacturer problems in 6,559 instances; consumers were to blame in 6,027 cases.
Manufacturer problems
Solvent-soluble dyes continue to be a leading problem in the manufacturer category and was cited as the culprit in 802 garment failures in 1999. When added to problems caused by solvent-soluble pigments, sizings and coatings, more than one-fifth of all the manufacturer-related problems were due to "solvent-soluble" elements.
If the care label says the garment can or must be drycleaned, it should be safe for the cleaner to assume that the no parts are solvent-soluble. In 1,377 problems reviewed by IFI last year, that was not the case. That total, however, has been declining over the years and, of course, represents a tiny percentage of all garments successfully drycleaned in a year.
The percentage of other manufacturer-caused problems, such as construction defects, gas fading water-soluble dyes, leathers, trim and fabric shrinkage, remained relatively stabled compared to the 1998 statistics, IFI said.
Defects in dye, construction, resin, weaving and other areas was second on the list of manufacturer problems with 17 percent of the total.
Problems with leathers and problems with shrinkage and distortion tied for third on the list at 13 percent, while water soluble dyes was fourth at 10 percent.
Consumers may be more readily forgiven for their faults than are drycleaners and manufacturers who are professionals in their fields. Nonetheless, consumers do inflict damage on their own garments -- a total of more than 6,000 times last year by IFI's count.
Consumer calamities
Chief among the causes are stains which can come from all kinds of sources -- inks, hair preparations, beverages, food, oil and perspiration to name a few.
Chemical damage on fabrics from consumer spillage and contact was responsible for one fourth of the problem. Color loss from bleaches and other products continued as a major source of consumer-caused damage.
In some cases, the IFI lab is called on to repair or restore damaged garments. In one such case reported by IFI, a cleaner submitted a brand new black and white striped knit shirt that was heavily stained with shoe polish that had melted in a suitcase while in a hot car.
The cleaner had removed stains from other white garments that were damaged in the same manner, but asked IFI for help on the shirt. The analyst used titanium stopper to remove the dye after applying a mineral oil barrier. The mineral oil is used to prevent the bleach of other stain removal agents from migrating to the dark colors. After the stains were removed, the garments was drycleaned to remove the soil.
IFI's lab also tries to prevent problems before they occur. Reports from the analysis lab are used to devise education programs for cleaners as well as bulletins that alert members to current problems and how to solve them. IFI also produces consumer-oriented material to help educate the public on garment care.
Work with FTC
IFI also maintains a database of manufacturing problems which it shares with the Federal Trade Commission to help track manufacturers of garments that continually have problems and to assist FTC investigations into repeat violators of the care label rule.
Several such cases were brought by the FTC in recent months. In one of the more notable cases, Tommy Hilfiger USA received the largest ever fine from the FTC for using care labels that, when followed, resulted in significant color bleeding and fading.
In addition to paying a $300,000 civil penalty, Hilfiger was ordered to place a toll-free number on its care labels so consumers who have questions about the cleaning or care of the garment may contact the company directly.
After that setback, Hilfiger approached IFI for help and joined the institute as a member in the "Textile Manufacturer" category. IFI and Hilfiger launched a program under which the company will replace garments that are damaged in processing.
IFI believes that its garment analysis service benefits members through employee training, settling claims and building customer relationships.
More information on the analysis lab and its program is available by calling the institute, (301) 622-1900.
The ongoing battle between Procter & Gamble's advertising for Dryel and the International Fabricare Institute was highlighted in a Jan. 24 article in Advertising Age magazine.
An article that described P&G's shifting marketing strategy for Dryel was illustrated with a sample of a Dryel ad over a caption that read: "In dispute: A drycleaner trade group has filed complaints about Dryel's ads."
The reference was to IFI which has complained to the Federal Trade Commission and the National Advertising Council of Better Business Bureaus about Dryel ads that lead consumers to believe the product offers "home drycleaning."
David Uchic, vice president of communications for IFI, was interviewed for the article, telling Ad Age that cleaners were offended by teaser ads for Dryel that appeared late last summer. One such ad showed a slash running across a "dryclean only" label. A billboard advertisement implied that the "dryclean-only" care label was being repealed.
Ad Age noted that IFI has offered its members a chance to throw a "marketing counterpunch" with hanger tags and ad slicks that compare Dryel performance and convenience to drycleaning.
Ad Age said P&G is moving its TV advertising to prime time from day time hoping to better reach the target demographic -- women in the 20 to 50 age group. The six Dryel ads will also be rotated more quickly so consumers see more of the spots.
One of the ads shows a women frustrated when she arrives at the drycleaners to late to pick up her laundry. Another shows a woman who is upset when her sweater shrinks in the home washer.
Cleaners aren't the only ones who have been critical of Dryel, the article noted. The product has had lukewarm reviews from some consumer reporters and has been outright panned by others.
Consumers -- the ultimate jury -- are still to render a verdict, but Ad Age said Dryel sales were slower than expected in its first six months on the market.
"We thought Dryel was going to be a really, really big item for us," a buyer for a Midwest chain was quoted as saying. "It's done OK, but not as well as we thought."
Dryel had sales of $45.7 million through December following its July launch, Ad Age reported. At that pace, it should sell $100 million in its first year.
From the cleaners' perspective, that represents a lot of garments getting home treatment. But for P&G, it is a less than stellar performance compared to other recent new products. Febreze fabric freshener sold $250 million in its first year. The Swiffer electrostatic dust mop, also introduced last year, is on pace for $200 million in global sales in its first six months.
The rumors involving the explosion of a Hanger's drycleaning plant in Rhode Island have been greatly exaggerated.
Since an accident occurred at the New England Hangers store on Jan. 26, the actual facts of the incident have been muddled.
What really happened? Bill Minty, a Hangers employee with 16 years of drycleaning experience, accidentally received a 2-inch cut on his wrist (requiring a couple of stitches) while changing the lint filter on a Micell MICO2 drycleaning machine.
According to Micell Technologies, Inc., the lint filter element was ejected out by a pocket of CO2. Minty had been performing an "unauthorized service."
Normally such an accident would never make headlines, by any means, and certainly, a scratch on the arm hardly deems worthy of an entire news article, yet the fabricare rumor mill has buzzed with exaggerations that have suggested faulty and dangerous CO2 equipment.
Micell attempted to dispel the rumors by posting a message on the fabricare forum, but many people still seem to be mislead as to what actually happened.
Questions of the safety of carbon dioxide technology were roused, but Micell is quite adamant about their safety record, which has had no other incident of hazard.
"We feel that the MICO2 machine is certainly as safe as other (drycleaning) technologies," said Gena Arthur, Communications Manager at Micell. "We are confident in the safety of our technology."
Richard Boriskin, president of Hangers of New England, reported that Minty was back to work the next day. Boriskin had no idea that rumors were spreading. He got a call three weeks after the accident. "Micell called and said they had received phone calls that one of our machines had blown up."
In an effort to extinguish erroneous reports of malfunctioning Micell equipment, Kirk Kinsell, president and CEO of Micell, posted a message on the fabricare forum, stating: "Let me be clear that there was no structural damage to the machine in this incident -- nothing broke and the machine was put back into service without any repairs needed."
Just to make sure there was no problem with the MICO2 machine at the Rhode Island plant, Micell has been constantly monitoring the machine by modem since the incident occurred and has reported that it has performed "flawlessly."
Micell's safety measures
In addition to Micell's capability of monitoring and troubleshooting its equipment by modem, the company also protects its employees from 750 psia (pounds per square inch, absolute) of operating pressure through three levels of "redundant" safety.
In some of Micell's informational literature, the company clarifies its safety procedures: "Redundant levels of safety overlap. Each level of safety should be sufficient by itself since the chance of failure is very, very small. The overlap of multiple steps gives greater safety, since all levels will not fail at the same time."
For example, changing a lint filter requires multiple precautions. First, the machine recognizes that its lint filter is filled with lint as a result of pressure difference. The computer automatically empties carbon dioxide from the filter housing and then prompts the operator (with a screen message) to change the filter.
The next level of safety occurs when the machine opens a path from the filter housing to the outside, which would release any pressure left over in the filter housing.
For the third safety level, the computer reminds the operator to open a manual valve, providing an additional escape path for pressure.
Finally, the operator is required to open another vent on the front of the filter in order to access the bolts that hold the filter cover in place.
Improving safety
Though Micell believes their safety precautions are "extensive and comprehensive," Kinsell stated on the forum: "Hangers and Micell are dedicated to employee safety and to continually improving our technology and processes, and even a single incident is unacceptable to us. We have examined the situation thoroughly and are working to improve our training in every possible way."
Part of that improvement is already on the way. "We are currently formalizing a testing procedure that will be put in place shortly," Arthur said.
Eventually, operators of Micell machinery will have to engage in a rigorous, three-level training program. In order to advance to the next level, operators will have to perform a certain number of error-free hours on the MICO2 and pass a written examination. In all, the program will take six months for trainees to reach the highest level of experience.
More information about Micell is available at their website: www.micell.com.
An early entry in the Strangest Care Label of the Millennium comes by way of the Fabric Care Research Association in England.
A white cotton pillow case turned up in the FCRA garment analysis lab with a set of care symbols as shown:
The left-most of the symbols calls for hand-washing in water at 60 degrees C, which might be a problem for the launderer since skin starts to blister at 52 degrees C. (60 degrees C equates to about 140 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale.)
The second symbol -- a triangle with an X through it, prohibits the use of chlorine bleach. Why not? FCRA wondered. After all, we are talking about care instructions for a white, 100 percent cotton pillow case.
The center symbol, an iron with a single dot, advises that the iron temperature should be no higher than 110 degrees C (230 degrees F) which would not be very effective on 100 percent cotton.
The next symbol, a circle with the letter P, indicates that drycleaning is OK for this pillow case. But beware: the right-most symbol tells us that this pillow case can not be tumble dried!
"This label leaves us with many more questions, and highlights the 'lack of care' which seems to go into care labelling," FCRA commented. "Clearly, not a lot of thought, if any, has gone into this care label.
How many drycleaners try using low priced shirts as a tool to increase sales? Did you know that by adopting this philosophy you could adversly affect your ability to control costs and make a profit?
Take a store doing 1,000 pieces of drycleaning and 1,000 shirts per week versus a store doing 1,200 pieces of drycleaning and 400 shirts per week. The dollar volume will likely be equal because most cleaners charge three times more for a drycleaned item than a laundered shirt. But, the first cleaner will have to process 400 more pieces per week than the second cleaner with the same revenue.
The 200 additional pieces of drycleaning will take an extra 13 hours of production time, but the loss of 600 shirts will reduce shirt production needs by nearly 30 hours. This results in a net savings of 17 hours per week in production wages.
The loss of 600 shirts will reduce the number of shirt orders by about 120 per week incoming and outgoing, for a total reduction of 240 trips to the counter and conveyor per week. They will be replaced by 200 pieces of drycleaning, or about 50 orders per week of incoming and outgoing orders, totaling 100 trips. That brings a net reduction of 140 trips to the counter and conveyor per week.
They would also avoid the time and expense of having to tag, assemble, inspect, bag and process 400 additional pieces per week for the same money. The net result is that plants that process three or four pieces of drycleaning for each shirt are able to operate with payrolls 20 to 25 percent less than a plant processing an equal number of shirts and drycleaning per week.
The amazing thing is that they can achieve this without speeding up production!
Think twice before you low-ball your shirt price in an effort to boost sales. In the end you may be allowing your nearest competitor to operate with 20 to 25 percent lower labor costs than you without sacrificing quality.
Bill Bohannon is the owner of Hollin Hall Cleaners in Alexandria, VA. He can be reached by phone at (703) 765-5518 or e-mail at bohannon@tidalwave.net . He is conducting seminars on this and related topics for the MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners. For more information, call MAC (800) 235-8360.Those of you who have borne with the first two articles in this series have likely formed conclusions of your own. Those picking up at this point should know that a focus group study was conducted to identify the market for suede and leather garment cleaning.
There were two groups queried: one group owned leather or suede garments but had never had cleaning performed; the second group had their garments cleaned at some time in the past.
Our goal was to try to determine methodology to increase the suede and leather garment after-care market. Our marketing consultants intended to use data drawn from these focus group studies to achieve this goal, disseminating data to our leather and suede cleaning customers for their use.
Conclusions
Study data indicated that leather and suede garment owners needed to be made aware that cleaning could be provided, and garments safely processed. Campaigns would have to be created for this purpose. Retailers, selling the garments were determined to be the best conduit vehicle through which this data could be supplied. Our successful care label referral program with J.C. Penney Co. leathers and suedes supported this concept. Where retailers also sold after-care treatment products, it was important to make them aware that these products were not intended to overcome perspiration accumulation, color fading, etc.Meeting the consumer-determined price points would mean restructuring the mark-ups cleaners added to work sent to wholesalers, often reducing the cleaner's present per-piece revenue if the target prices were to be met. Failing to modify prices to meet the market target would continue to reduce the chances for cleaning of more and more garments.
Cleaners sending their work to wholesalers would have to determine if they are willing to set their prices to market targets. Those who are offering professional quality suede and leather cleaning produced within their own organization who have advertised their service at or near the $25 price point realize that there is a volume increase.
A changing market
Beyond the focus group determinations, we continued to study the new garment market. In the mid-1990s, a great number of the garments being sold in the U.S. market were selling beneath $100. Based upon our experience those garments would be very unlikely candidates for processing, even at a $25 or lower price point.
Toward the end of the 1990s, total garment imports slowly decreased, while the value per garment increased. This bodes well for cleaning and after-care prospects for the present and near future. The contention is that if garments sell at higher prices there is a greater likelihood of their being cleaned.
Coupled with better efforts to make customers aware of the need for after-care, and continuing study of the price point customers will pay for the service, there is a strong indication that leather cleaning will flourish in the new millennium.
In conclusion, ways and means of developing more of the suede and leather aftercare market were discovered. Now it is up to us to respond to these leads.
Robert Stewart is president of Kirk's Suede-Life Inc. based in Chicago, IL. He can be reached at (312) 733-6611. The company's web site is www.suedelife.com.There is an old cliche that goes something like this: "Build a better mousetrap and customers will beat a path to your door."
That's not true and probably never was.
And today, in modern living, chances are not many persons have even seen a mouse. Those who piddle around making mousetraps and such things, not knowing their market potential and not believing in advertising, will only infuriate creditors and landlords and end up in the poor house.
Thanks to our strong economy we are enjoying an affluent life-style. There is an abundance of everything. It's hard to think of what we need, but easy to think of what we want.
People now have a strong appetite for wants. People buy more when they are exposed to more. Our high standards of living is based on wants instead of needs.
The Dryel promotion is based on wants, not by comparison with other methods of caring for clothes. "Try it; you'll like it," is the basic theme.
New and revolutionary
Television commercials can mix the real with the fake and still maintain believability. They want people to discover that conventional drycleaning is not the only method of cleaning outerwear garments.
Dryel is presented as a revolutionary new way of cleaning and freshening clothes right in the home.
Without shattering the drycleaning industry, Dryel wants to be the "in-between cleaner." But just a nibble here and a gobble there and, before you know it, there is nothing left for the drycleaner to eat.
What made Dryel promoters get into the drycleaning market? They heard and read a lot of negative reports about drycleaners. Drycleaners have been accused of being shoddy, inept and inexperienced. Customers didn't like the service they were getting.
Dryel came into the industry with good news for the users of drycleaning. They came in as saviors. Customers no longer had to be shackled to unsatisfactory cleaning service.
We're asking for it
ut if that were true, drycleaning would have been replaced a long time ago. The problem we have today is that we rely too much on our drycleaning equipment to do most all of the work. Too many of us have become button-pushers -- and this makes it easy for investors to get into our industry.
Without doubt, we are inviting more competition from the outside. It is true that we are now doing business in a more populated environment. And it is also true we have more competition, not only with the drycleaners but also with big investors who have tons of money.
If and when Proctor & Gamble succeeds, others will follow. As of this date, Dryel promotions have been successful. The Washington Post business section on January 26, 2000, reported that Procter & Gamble ended its 1999 fiscal second quarter with an 11 percent profit.
This was due to the introduction of two new products: Swiffer mops and the home-drycleaning kit (aka Dryel).
It has also been reported that Maytag, the home appliance people, are coming out with a dryer that will include a Dryel cleaning cycle. Dryel will benefit from Maytag's support.
Not too many years ago, drycleaning was a brisk and thriving business. The reason for this was that people had fewer clothes to wear, thus, frequent drycleaning was necessary.
Not anymore. People have more clothes stashed in their homes. And still they want more. The garments that people are now wearing will need cleaning. Dryel's in-between drycleaning is putting the brakes on our incoming volume.
This should be our first concern, believe it or not. Dryel is competition and should be taken as a serious competitor.
Many drycleaners are surprised that Procter & Gamble would want to get into the drycleaning industry. As long as Dryel makes a profit, Procter & Gamble will strive for more.
We will always have intrusions coming into our industry unless we make it difficult for intruders to enter through our back door.
Why dryclean at all?
To keep the back door closed, we must do better work and offer more services. This will give customers more than one reason to frequent the drycleaner.
We've got to make it clear that outer garments are exposed to pollutants that are floating around in the atmosphere. There are 20,000 species of mites up there waiting to land. They are so tiny they cannot be seen by the naked eye. The itch you are scratching could be one of those little unseen buggers.
There are mites that hibernate in rugs, soiled clothes, and outerwear hanging in closets. They feed on dandruff, flaky skin particles, fingernail clippings, and on loose hair from humans and pets. Keep in mind, pets are subjected to fleas.
What happens to insects on clothing that is drycleaned?
Once the garments are put through the drycleaning process, the insects are killed.
What we need is a confirmation of this from our institutions. This would give drycleaners a powerful selling tool.
Getting the word out
Then we could inform customers of such findings. We must tell customers the advantages of drycleaning.
Providing customers with factual information will help us educate ourselves and our counter personnel. Informed people do better work. We can reach more people by advertising.
We can do it with institutional ads locally. The drycleaning business is a very local business. Across the country there are tens of thousands of local drycleaning establishments.
Working together, drycleaners and affiliates across the country can voice a strong message, telling customers and customers-to-be that drycleaning is the best method of cleaning outer garments.
Our institutions provide such information with colorful and factual information printed on hang-tags and on the counter information literature
We should also solicit all of our drycleaning cleaning suppliers to carry a message on the merits of drycleaning on the back of their trucks.
Now is the time to do it. Success never comes by waiting.
Bill Bogus is president of Textile Restoration Services Inc. in Laurel, MD. He can be reached at (301) 776-4961.Pre- and post-convention tours are being planned in conjunction with the next International Drycleaners Congress convention, which will be in Canberra, Australia, at the Park Royal Hotel, Oct. 12-16.
Convention registration until July 31 is US$561 (approximate). The cost will increase to US$595 thereafter.
Included in the fee are all business sessions, the welcome cocktail party, breakfast, lunch and dinner each day and plant tours.
Convention rates for the Park Royal hotel range from US$150 to US$299 (approximate).
Pre-convention tour
The pre-convention tour will begin in Cairns on Oct. 3 with a welcome party gathering at the Reef Casino Hotel.
On Oct. 4 the tour group will transfer to Kuranda and take the skyrail to Kuranda Village, then by motorcoach to board the Great South Pacific Express train to begin a three-night journey to Brisbane.
Upon arriving in Prosperine on Oct. 6, there will be an excursion by seaplane or helicopter to the outer barrier reef.
Travel aboard the Great South Pacific Express will resume that afternoon with arrival the following afternoon in Brisbane.
On Oct. 8 the tour will fly to Alice Springs, then travel by motorcoach on Oct. 9 to Ayers Rock for two days of sight-seeing.
On Oct. 11 the group will depart for the IDC convention which will take place in Canberra.
Cost of the pre-convention tour is US$4,082, based on sharing one twin bedded room. The cost includes hotel accommodations for five nights with breakfast every morning and one dinner; three nights in "state" cabins on the Great South Pacific Express with three meals per day, Australian goods and services tax, transfers and sight-seeing. The cost does not include air transportation from Brisbane to Alice Springs and from Ayers Rock to Canberra. These prices will be quoted separately. Call the IDC travel office for details.
Post-convention tour
A two-part post-convention tour will be offered. The Blue Mountains and Sydney portion of the tour will commence immediately after the convention, leaving Canberra on Oct. 16 to the Blue Mountains by motorcoach.
After a day in the mountains the tour will proceed on to Sydney for a day of sight-seeing on Oct. 19. A flight from Sydney to Papeete Tahiti will arrive the night before the cruise departs.
The cost of this tour is $US1,542 per person based on sharing one twin-bedded room. The cost includes five nights hotel accommodations with breakfast each morning, goods and services taxes, all transfer and local sight-seeing. Airfare from Sydney to Papeete is not included.
The cruise portion of the post-convention tour aboard the Radisson Seven Seas MS Paul Gauguin will begin Oct. 21, sailing from Papeete, Tahiti, to Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora, and Moorea before returning to Papeete on Oct. 28.
Prices range from US$2,645 to US$5,945, which includes all gratuities, wine with lunch and dinner and soft drinks on board.
For more information and to make reservations for the tour, contact Yamato Travel Bureau, (800) 334-4982.
The deadline is April 1 for applying for the TCATA-Dean Allen Education Fund scholarships.
The fund was established in 1980 to help talented students with college expenses. Scholarships are awarded to students who are interested in pursuing a degree at any accredited U.S. university or college.
Applicants must be a full-time employee or the son or daughter of a full-time employee of a TCATA member company.
Applicants may be anticipating freshman entry or be previously accepted as a freshman or they can be an underclassman continuing education on a full-time basis.
Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, leadership qualities and courses of study. The scholarship awards are $1,000 per year and are based on four years of study.
For more information and application materials, contact TCATA, (973) 244-1790.
More than 250 exhibitors are registered for the TexCare International exhibition of drycleaning and laundry equipment to be held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, June 18-22.
Organizers expect at least 20,000 visitors to the show to see the machinery and products from leading national and international manufacturers.
More information on the show is available from the Atlanta office of Messe Frankfurt, the organizing body; phone (770) 984-8016 or fax (770) 984-8023. Information can also be located on the show's web site, www.texcare.de.
The show is part of the European trade show cycle agreed to by the European Laundry Manufacturers Organization (ELMO). Starting with the TexCare show this year there will be an international show in Europe every four years for large equipment suppliers.
Smaller national exhibitions to serve drycleaning and small laundry equipment suppliers will also be held every four years, beginning in Milan, Italy, in 2002.
The schedule was designed to not conflict with the Clean Show which is held in odd-numbered years in the United States. The next Clean Show will be in New Orleans, LA, July 19-21, 2001.
The environment in which many businesses operate today is changing at an increasing rate. Therefore, many of the decisions you make regarding your business can have a significant impact on its value, and accordingly, on your personal net worth.
Understanding the value of your business and the impact major business decisions have on its value should be a critical first step in any business planning process.
In addition, there are many situations which require you to have an accurate knowledge of your business's value:
Many business owners may depend on general rules of thumb or comparisons with competitors to estimate the value of their business.
However, many crucial financial decisions can hinge on an accurate assessment, so it makes sense to have a professional business valuation.
With it, you will have the information you need to enhance its value today and in the future.
Valuation methods
Determining the market value of a privately held business is a complex task. Many variables can affect a company's value, such as general economic conditions, public market conditions for specific industries, level of merger and acquisitions activity, a company's earning history and future earnings capacity, the balance of risk and reward and qualitative factors (reputation and goodwill).
In addition, if you are considering selling shares of your business, the value of your business equity will depend on whether you are contemplating the sale of your entire company, partial liquidation, an ESOP, or another arrangement.
Discounts or premiums may apply to the business value depending on what percentage of interest in the company is being offered, as well as the attractiveness and potential liquidity of the investment.
A professional valuation of an ongoing business is determined by using one of the following basic methods:
Market comparables. The use of market comparables estimates a business's value based on current market prices as indicated by current stock prices for similar public companies. Value is established through analyzing earnings multiples for recent stock trades of comparable businesses.
This approach provides an estimate of value by calculating average price/earnings multiples of comparable public companies. By adjusting for differences between public and private companies, a final value is computed.
The downside to this method is that a reliable comparison can be difficult to draw, because public companies in your industry may be larger than your own company, or differ in its business description.
Merger and acquisition comparables. A similar method to market comparables is to estimate a business's value based on actual merger and acquisition transactions that have occurred for similar companies.
The merger and acquisition comparables method is typically used to value majority or controlling interests in a company by analyzing purchase price multiples of recent acquisitions or mergers of similar companies
Again, differences between the company being valued and the acquired companies are taken into account by examining factors such as size, growth rates, profit margins, and depth of management.
The downside to this method is that it is often difficult to obtain data on comparable transactions, particularly with private companies where disclosure of purchase price data is not required.
Discounted cash flow. The use of discounted cash flow follows the premise that a prudent investor would pay no more for a business than the present value of its future cash flows.
Value is based on the future cash flows a business is expected to generate from operations, discounted to a present value by an appropriate risk-adjusted return rate.
A valuation professional will analyze a company, recast its financial statements, if necessary, to eliminate expenses not related to operations, project after-tax cash flow into the future and develop a discount rate that factors in the appropriate level of risk of the company
One drawback to this method is that calculations are made based on projected performance, which may be either too optimistic or too pessimistic.
A starting point
As a business owner, you should have an independent valuation performed to determine the economic impact your management decisions are having on your overall business.
Depending upon economic conditions or your individual situation, you may need to have the valuation updated on an annual basis.
A professional valuation can provide an analysis of the economic factors affecting your business, as well as a detailed comparison of your firm with others in your industry by outlining the current strengths and weaknesses of your company.
Using this information, you may decide to change aspects of your business, such as your facilities needs, employee benefits, product line, manufacturing and distribution process, or management team.
An accurate and professional valuation of your business puts you in a better position to accomplish your business's financial goals.
John Qua is senior vice president and director, business financial services, for Merrill LynchI'm writing in response to the letter to the editor from Linda Ferguson, which appeared in the February issue of National Clothesline.
Linda and I did have a lengthy conversation during the Clean Show. Personally, I found her enthusiasm and commitment refreshing and I certainly appreciated her frustration with the slow pace at which such initiatives proceed. I, too, have often felt similar frustrations.
As I have said before, both publicly and in similar one-on-one discussions: the supporters of the Barton bill have done an excellent job in raising the awareness in Congress of the problems that the existing environmental laws present to small businesses.
Dow agrees that groundwater clean up for perchloroethylene to 5 ppb, the MCL standard established for safe drinking water, is overly protective.
Dow has been on record for years that current environmental laws, which subject the drycleaning industry to retroactive liability as well as to technically and economically infeasible site remediation standards, are broken and need to be fixed. In addition:
These include, first, establishing a risk assessment-based process, which takes site-specific factors and intended use for each site into consideration in determining what level of remediation is necessary and practical.
Simply substituting one arbitrary clean up level with another is dangerous, even if the number is higher.
And second, as an industry, we must continue to proactively prevent future contamination. These additional factors would broaden the base of stakeholders who would support such legislation and address liability and property value concerns for both drycleaners and the lending institutions and property owners who work with them.
The issues facing the industry are multi-faceted and require a multi-pronged approach. Dow continues to support and help lead the industry forward through both sweat equity and financial investment in a number of programs.
For example:
At least 10 states now actually have programs in place and are making progress. Tackling the issue one state at a time seems to be the harder road, but the record shows it can be done.
I appreciated the opportunity to exchange ideas with Linda. In the long run, we have a common goal: exempting small businesses from retroactive liability for past legal practices.
Choosing one path or another does not make any of us more or less committed. Indeed, exploring multiple paths may actually increase the odds of success. The hard part is getting everyone on a path.
If Linda watched the Super Bowl, I bet she identified with the commercial about the cowboys trying to herd cats. I know I did!
Janet Hickman
The Dow Chemical Company
Chlorinated Organics TS&D
I must admit I was a little surprised at Stan Golomb's Letter to the Editor last month criticizing the "Model Plant" article published in the January issue.
In the letter, Stan stated that he had data to prove the theory wrong. I would welcome the opportunity to review that data.
The "Model Plant" was developed to represent a decent, well-run plant producing quality work. It was also published to assist in the development of your own cost model to find out what your true costs are.
The "Model Plant" is not and was never meant to the be an "Ideal Plant."
In the September 1999 issue of National Clothesline, Stan wrote the following about an average plant processing $200,000 per year:
"If the operator is really on the ball and the rent is $20,000 per year (10 percent) or less, this operator can make a net profit of 20 percent at the most."
The model plant had rent at 10 percent and showed a net profit of 20 percent which mirrors Stan's best case assertion.
Perhaps Stan misspoke when he said that if you raise prices the cost to produce an item will be reduced. This simply is not true. While a price increase will reduce the cost of production as a "percentage" of sales, it will not reduce the "dollar cost" to produce the item.
Stan stated that 40-percent labor costs were way too high. According to the 1997 Census the average drycleaner has a payroll of nearly 37 percent.
In addition, you must also take into consideration that most drycleaners work 50 hours per week or more in their plants and many don't compensate themselves fairly for their labor in order to legally avoid overpaying payroll taxes. This would suggest that the 37 percent is understated.
In mid-January, I hosted a workshop in Tyson's Corner Virginia with over 40 drycleaners in attendance.
The consensus of these 40 drycleaners was that a drycleaner charging average prices for decent quality work would have labor costs of 39.4 percent if the owner was compensated at 1.5 to 2 times the average hourly wage for each hour spent working in the plant.
Stan is correct in his assertion that some plants can operate with labor costs below 30 percent.
If you substantially raised prices in the model plant as he suggests to $4.25 per drycleaning piece and $1.75 per shirt, total labor costs would automatically drop from 40 percent to 33 percent of sales but the dollar cost would remain constant.
If the plant processed three pieces of drycleaning for every shirt instead of one piece of drycleaning for every shirt the total labor costs would drop below 29 percent at the higher prices
This is achieved while still maintaining the same rate of production.
What very few people in this industry understand is that a plant that processes three pieces of drycleaning for each shirt can operate with total labor costs substantially lower than a plant that processes one piece of drycleaning for each shirt.
To expect the same productivity in the form of a labor percentage from each of these operations places an unfair burden on the employees of the store with a 1 to 1 ratio. They are not equal.
Stan works with a group of 18 cleaners who generate sales in excess of 100 million dollars per year. With sales averaging over $5 million per operation, this is hardly an average group.
Each week I interact with hundreds of drycleaners from around the world on the industry's fabricare e-mail group. These operators range from the little store grossing under $100,000 per year to multi-million dollar operations.
My assertions are the by-product of the shared knowledge of this group.
In the end, I remain fully confident in my assertion that the average cleaner has total costs approaching or exceeding $1.60 per laundered shirt when costs are properly allocated. Those who continue to hold on to the idea that their total cost to produce a laundered shirt is in the neighborhood of $1 do so at their own risk.
Bill Bohannon
Hollin Hall Cleaners
Alexandria, VA
Rumor has it that Procter & Gamble is launching a new phase of its marketing campaign for Dryel. Working with Costco, consumers will be asked to submit "horror stories" of their dealings with drycleaners, with cash awards going to the top entrants.
If that's the case, then it is time for the industry to step up its response to the marketers of home "drycleaning" solutions. IFI led the way with the initial response by creating ad slicks and hanger tags that cleaners can use to make sure the public knows the difference between Dryel and drycleaning.
Now it's time to step up the effort. That doesn't mean slamming Dryel. In fact, Dryel shouldn't even be mentioned. What is needed is a concerted campaign to let the public know how and why professional care is the best method of caring for clothing. We can say, for example, that our stain removal expertise is a surer and safer way to remove splotches and blotches than any "spray and pray" home remedy. We can note with pride that our cleaning methods, whether solvent or water-based, are based on state-of-the-art chemistry, machinery and procedures designed to assure that garments are truly cleansed and not just fluffed and perfumed. And we should always make sure that consumers remember that we are handling one of their least favored chores -- ironing -- and in so doing our equipment and know how produces a superior result for that finished, like-new appearance.
Now how do we get this word out? IFI already has the ball rolling and in this month's issue of National Clothesline (page 70), Bill Bogus has some ideas for expanding the effort. If each cleaner and each allied trades firm takes the responsibility to spread the message in his or her trading area through the use of signs, hang tags, ads, poly bag imprints, the message will be delivered to hundreds of thousands of consumers every day. We may not have a million-dollar advertising budget, but we already have in place the mechanisms for getting the word out. All that is needed is to open our mouths and speak.
Recently, National Clothesline received a letter requesting information on the state of the drycleaning industry from an individual named David. He is considering entering the drycleaning business, but has reservations about the future of drycleaning.
He also asked some thought-provoking questions.
In the letter, David wrote:
"I realize that these are a lot of questions, but I don't know where to turn to find these answers. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer to guide me in the right direction," he concluded.
In an effort to provide this potential cleaner with a helpful, informative response, we have decided to issue a call-to-arms from our readers -- the real drycleaning experts. After all, it is you who are familiar with the day-to-day hardships of fabricare, not to mention the direction in which the industry is heading.
We would appreciate any opinions on this matter and would like to compile a summary of all your responses to David's questions for a future issue. Remember, the advice you give will directly influence a would-be investor to the industry.
National Clothesline will pass along your responses to David. Letters must be signed and should be typed or clearly handwritten and directed to The Editor, National Clothesline, P.O. Box 340, Willow Grove, PA, 19090-0340. Please use a heading that reads "My Answers to David" so that we can differentiate your replies from other Letters to the Editor.
Moscow will host its second international exhibition of machinery and equipment for laundering and drycleaning at the Manezh Central Exhibition Hall Oct. 23-26.
The first exhibition,which was held last year, drew some 5,600 visitors, according to Maxima International Exhibitions, the show's organizers. Eighty-seven companies from 12 nations displayed a wide range of drycleaning equipment, laundry machinery and chemicals and related products. U.S companies represented included Forenta, Americlean and Hoyt Corp.
The exhibition has the official support of the Ministry of the Economy of the Russian Federation, the Moscow government, and the Moscow Region Administration.
More information is available by contacting the show manager, Olga Beregovaya, by phone at (095) 124 6400 or (095) 124 7760 or by fax at (095) 1244 7060.
Pre- and post-convention tours are being planned in conjunction with the next International Drycleaners Congress convention, which will be in Canberra, Australia, at the Park Royal Hotel, Oct. 12-16.
Convention registration until July 31 is US$561 (approximate). The cost will increase to US$595 thereafter.
Included in the fee are all business sessions, the welcome cocktail party, breakfast, lunch and dinner each day and plant tours.
Convention rates for the Park Royal hotel range from US$150 to US$299 (approximate).
Pre-convention tour
The pre-convention tour will begin in Cairns on Oct. 3 with a welcome party gathering at the Reef Casino Hotel.
On Oct. 4 the tour group will transfer to Kuranda and take the skyrail to Kuranda Village, then by motorcoach to board the Great South Pacific Express train to begin a three-night journey to Brisbane.
Upon arriving in Prosperine on Oct. 6, there will be an excursion by seaplane or helicopter to the outer barrier reef.
Travel aboard the Great South Pacific Express will resume that afternoon with arrival the following afternoon in Brisbane.
On Oct. 8 the tour will fly to Alice Springs, then travel by motorcoach on Oct. 9 to Ayers Rock for two days of sight-seeing.
On Oct. 11 the group will depart for the IDC convention which will take place in Canberra.
Cost of the pre-convention tour is US$4,082, based on sharing one twin bedded room. The cost includes hotel accommodations for five nights with breakfast every morning and one dinner; three nights in "state" cabins on the Great South Pacific Express with three meals per day, Australian goods and services tax, transfers and sight-seeing. The cost does not include air transportation from Brisbane to Alice Springs and from Ayers Rock to Canberra. These prices will be quoted separately. Call the IDC travel office for details.
Post-convention tour
A two-part post-convention tour will be offered. The Blue Mountains and Sydney portion of the tour will commence immediately after the convention, leaving Canberra on Oct. 16 to the Blue Mountains by motorcoach.
After a day in the mountains the tour will proceed on to Sydney for a day of sight-seeing on Oct. 19. A flight from Sydney to Papeete Tahiti will arrive the night before the cruise departs.
The cost of this tour is $US1,542 per person based on sharing one twin-bedded room. The cost includes five nights hotel accommodations with breakfast each morning, goods and services taxes, all transfer and local sight-seeing. Airfare from Sydney to Papeete is not included.
The cruise portion of the post-convention tour aboard the Radisson Seven Seas MS Paul Gauguin will begin Oct. 21, sailing from Papeete, Tahiti, to Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora, and Moorea before returning to Papeete on Oct. 28.
Prices range from US$2,645 to US$5,945, which includes all gratuities, wine with lunch and dinner and soft drinks on board.
For more information and to make reservations for the tour, contact Yamato Travel Bureau, (800) 334-4982.
The deadline is April 1 for applying for the TCATA-Dean Allen Education Fund scholarships.
The fund was established in 1980 to help talented students with college expenses. Scholarships are awarded to students who are interested in pursuing a degree at any accredited U.S. university or college.
Applicants must be a full-time employee or the son or daughter of a full-time employee of a TCATA member company.
Applicants may be anticipating freshman entry or be previously accepted as a freshman or they can be an underclassman continuing education on a full-time basis.
Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, leadership qualities and courses of study. The scholarship awards are $1,000 per year and are based on four years of study.
For more information and application materials, contact TCATA, (973) 244-1790.
Tom Kimmel, chairman of the board of the International Fabricare Institute and recently retired president of the Kimmel Corp., died Feb. 9 of cancer. He was 66.
A life-long resident of Upper Sandusky, OH, he worked for more than 40 years in the business that was started by his parents in 1931. He joined his father in business in 1955 after leaving college.
Starting out by running the drycleaning machines, he helped the business grow to encompass five drycleaning plants, seven dry stores and one uniform rental/industrial supply store.
In addition to his on-the-job education, he attended courses at the National Institute of Drycleaning, the forerunner of IFI.
By the early 1970s, the business was grossing about $300,000, but the sales picture began to change.
Coin-op laundries had come on the scene, so Kimmel expanded into that area.
When the drycleaning business began to slide in the "Polyester Recession," Kimmel converted the family laundry to commercial operations and began dealing with hotels, motels and, later, hospitals and other institutional laundry.
Bad times and good
"Like all drycleaners, volume went down as customers found it easier to do garments at home," Kimmel recalled in a 1993 National Clothesline interview.
"We changed our drycleaning method and advertising. We also got into institutional laundry with five hospitals using two shifts. We changed according to the time."
When drycleaning began a comeback in the 1980s, Kimmel bought out a friend in one town and several plants in another.
Association activities
By the time he was elected to the IFI board, his company had grown to about $3.6 million in annual volume and employed 120 people.
"Some people who have built a large business started small, and they realize part of the reason for their success was what they learned from the national association," he said in the 1993 interview.
"My work in IFI and other associations is my way of putting back into an industry that has been very good to me and my family."
A strong believer in participation in local and state community organizations, Kimmel got involved early on with the Ohio Cleaners Association, serving on that group's board in the 1960s and, later, as its president. He was the recipient of the OCA's Clean Award in 1991 for his contributions to the industry and the association.
He was also active in the Ohio Association of Textile Services.
His sons eventually joined him in the business with Mark running the retail/shirt side and Kurt running the uniform rental/industrial supply aside. It was his confidence in their abilities that allowed him to devote much of the past decade to the volunteer posts with the national association.
Chairman of the IFI board at the time of his death, he had served as its president during the 1998-99 year. He was elected to the IFI board in 1993 to represent District 4, which includes his home state of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee.
Always an optimist
Despite the problems it faces, he remained optimistic about the industry.
"We have a lot of obstacles to overcome within the industry," he said. "We've got to unite and do something or we're not going to have anything for our kids or our grandchildren. There will be no business for them.
"But if a person is willing to take the initiative to understand the government regulations and think about the future of their business, rather than just the day to day operations, they will be able to succeed," he said.
"There's enough of us out there that are willing to do this," he added. "It takes time, but it's very interesting work. You meet a lot of wonderful people who have had some of the same opportunities as you. They know life is worth living."
In addition to his sons, Mark and Kurt, Kimmel is survived by his wife, Donna; a daughter, Pam; and seven grandchildren.
Services were held Feb. 12 in Upper Sandusky followed by burial in Old Mission Cemetery on Feb. 13.
Charitable contributions made in his name may be sent to the Lucas Funeral Home, 476 Sandusky St., Upper Sandusky, OH 43351.
Max Zimmerman, whose involvement in the drycleaning industry spanned eight decades, died Feb. 9. He was 92.
Zimmerman got his start in the industry in 1923, working as a route driver for his father's drycleaning plant in Dayton, OH. In 1928 he graduated from the second General Drycleaning Course at the National Institute of Drycleaning and, at the time of his death, was the oldest living graduate of the course.
In 1998, upon the 70th anniversary of his graduation and the occasion of the 300th General Drycleaning Course, he was honored at IFI by CEO Bill Fisher and his long-time friend, former IFI education director Ken Faig.
That was one of many honors he received over the years. He received all three major awards presented by the Textile Care Allied Trades Association -- the Young Timer Man of the Year in 1969; the Silver Circle Club Man of the Year in 1978; and the Morry Friedlander Award in 1996. He also received the National Clothesline Lifetime Industry Achievement Award in 1991.
During his career he did it all, working as a spotter and drycleaner, a plant manager, a plant owner, on-the-road salesman, and developer of his own line of cleaning products.
In his "semi-retired" years, he remained involved with the industry, offering the benefit of his decades of experience to anyone who asked and lending a helping hand wherever it was needed.
He was a witness to, as well as a participant in, many changes in the industry. In a 1987 interview with National Clothesline, he recalled that when he first began working in the industry, dyeing was a mainstay of the cleaner's craft.
"After World War I, the only coats people had were their Army coats, so they'd have them dyed and continue wearing them," he recalled.
But as Americans became more prosperous in the 1920s, interest in dyeing old clothes waned and the dyeing business fell off. Those in the cleaning business who recognized the trend and adapted survived. Those who didn't joined the blacksmiths in the "hall of lost crafts."
It was a sequence Zimmerman was to see repeated several times over the years.
After five years of working in his father's business, he set out on his own, working first in Rhode Island before returning to his native Ohio, eventually ending up back at his father's plant in Dayton
After his father sold the laundry portion of the business, Zimmerman stayed on to manage the drycleaning end for a while, then headed to Detroit in 1932 where he managed a cleaning operation that employed seven people and processed work brought in by 50 trucks. For a 60-hour work week, he earned $12.
It was a steady job and paycheck, which during the depths of the Depression was a prize to hold, but Zimmerman soon wanted something different. He had always enjoyed selling, so he jumped at the chance to go on the road when the Davies Young Soap Co. offered to pay for his gas and oil while he sold their soap and detergents.
That kept him on the road until 1941 when he bought Teasdale Cleaners, one of the oldest continuously operating cleaning firms in the nation, and settled down in Cincinnati, which became his home for the rest of his life.
Five years later, Zimmerman was ready for a new venture. He sold his interest in Teasdale Cleaners and started a fur cleaning and storage business in a 30,000-sq.-ft. facility.
A self-described "kitchen chemist," he developed a cleaning method for man-made furs, which became the first of some 60 items sold by Zimmerman Products.
Eventually he sold his company to Marlyn Chemical and embarked on his next career -- that of being friend, advisor and advocate for the industry. Much of his work was through TCATA, which he served as a board member during the 1970s.
He attended nearly every convention since 1961 and, in recent years, served as the "unofficial photographer," snapping photos of all the other attendees.
In 1990, he established the Max Zimmerman Fund, which underwrites the cost for allied trades people to attend IFI management seminars. Last year he contributed an additional $20,000 to that fund.
No matter where a person stood in life or in business, Zimmerman believed there was room for improvement. He enjoyed working with and helping other cleaners, whether in a modern, multi-plant operation or a small, family-owned business.
"Things will always change," he said in a 1987 interview. "I've seen it many times in the past. We just don't look far enough ahead."
His forward-looking thoughts in 1987 proved to be on target. He noted in that interview that many cleaners of the time were making good money, some even a lot of money. But he foresaw a return to wash and wear type fabrics that would curtail the industry's growth.
Cleaners, he said, should be ready to promote wetcleaning and to gear up for the next wave of "revolutionary" fabrics. The days of "dryclean only" fashions providing a captive consumer would be ending, he warned
People don't like to change, he acknowledged, but since change is inevitable it must be built in to business planning.
Zimmerman could be impatient with industry veterans -- some only half his age -- who clung to the old ways of doing things. And he especially liked to meet with people just starting out in the business -- students at IFI, for example -- and share his ideas.
"I tell them not to go home and try to turn the world upside down right away. Do it six months from now," he said in that 1987 interview.
Zimmerman had been vital and active until his final illness befell him in the past year. He is survived by a son, David (Charlotte) Zimmerman; grandsons Garrad and Christopher Zimmerman; and a granddaughter, Kelly Jackson.
Funeral services were held Feb. 12 in the Cedars of Lebanon Chapel of Spring Grove in Cincinnati, with burial at Spring Grove Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be sent to the American Cancer Society, 5400 Dupont Circle, Suite J, Park 50 Tech Center, Milford, OH 45150. Donations may also be made to the TCATA Dean Allen Education fund in his memory.
A. J. "Al" Graham Jr. a well-known industry figure and speaker, died Jan. 31 at the age of 83.
Graham was a native Ohioan who was virtually born into the drycleaning business. His father, A.J. Graham, Sr., operated a drycleaning business, and was a director of the National Institute of Drycleaning in the late 1930s.
Graham was a graduate of the NID and served as president of the NID Alumni Society, 1947-48. During those same years, he served as president of the Drycleaners' Guild of Cleveland as well as president of the Cleveland Heights Exchange Club.
Graham joined R. R. Street & Co. Inc. in 1948 and served for 33 years as western division manger, sales training manager, advertising manager, and then as northern division manager.
His unusual talents as a dynamic and timely speaker were recognized throughout the industry.
In filling his speaking engagements, he appeared before almost every state association and numerous service clubs throughout the country.
At the NID convention in 1969, he was elected one of the three best-dressed allied tradesmen in the drycleaning industry. It has been said that he never wore a suit more than once without having it cleaned.
In a tribute released at the time of his death, R. R. Street noted that "Mr. Graham displayed a conviction that the potential for growth in the drycleaning industry was unlimited, and offered a challenge to the thinking operators in the industry."
Date created: Feb 24 2000 Copyright © 1999, National Clothesline Maintained by: Hal Horning Hal Horning