The Virginia Small Business Environmental Compliance Assistance Loan Fund has doubled its eligible limits for small businesses seeking to meet statewide environmental requirements.
The maximum loan amount for small businesses has been increased from $50,000 to $100,000.
"We are pleased to make this additional money available to Virginia businesses," said Dennis H. Treacy, director of the statewide Department of Environmental Quality. "We encourage a proactive approach to preventing pollution, and this kind of assistance will allow more Virginia businesses to take part in improving the health of our natural resources."
The first Virginia drycleaner to benefit from the loan program received a loan in September of 2000 to purchase low-emission cleaning equipment. In all, seven businesses have received a total of $309,704 in the program.
Loans provided by the Fund carry a 3% interest rate. Repayment terms are based on the borrower's ability to finance and the shelf life of the equipment being purchased. Applicants must fill out a $30 non-refundable application processing fee.
In order to be eligible, businesses must have 100 or fewer employees to be officially classified as a small business under the federal Small Business Act.
For more information, visit www.vsbfa.state.va.us/small.htm on the web.
In an effort to help its members find the best insurance available, the MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners has created the Cleaners Insurance Group.
David Norford, executive director of MAC, believes the group will be a success. "It's been difficult to pull off, but I think we got it right. For the first time I can remember, the opportunity to shop for the best insurance is available to IFI/MidAtlantic members with just one phone call," he said.
Cleaners Insurance Group will have eight representatives who will talk to potential participants on a one-to-one basis. The program is set-up to work for Korean speaking cleaners, as well.
CIG can be reached by calling (877) 211-5747. MAC may be contacted at (800) 235-8360.
The Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association, in conjunction with central Pennsylvania allied trades, will sponsor a free "Elbow to Elbow" reception on Saturday, Sept. 8 at the Harrisburg Hilton Hotel and Towers.
The social event will offer cocktails and hors d'oeuvres as a thank you to local drycleaners.
Gary Cuda, chairman of Prosperity Cleaners in Pittsburgh, PA, said, "There will be no program, no speeches, no sales pitches, no membership requirements. We all have so much in common in our industry, and it's just good to be able to hang out together and talk."
Area cleaners will receive invitations to the event this summer. Allied trades interested in participating should contact the PDCA office at (215) 830-8495.
Throughout the month of August, Carolyn Schwass will be offering several different training opportunities for Michigan drycleaners.
Schwass, who has been in the fabricare industry for over 40 years, has owned and managed various-sized drycleaning plants and has worked as a garment analyst for the International Fabricare Institute.
She will be bringing her industry expertise to several upcoming training sessions, including a Fibers and Fabrics course that takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 24 at the Holiday Inn at 1951 U.S. Highway 41 West in Marquette, MI.
Attendees will learn about fibers, fabrics, weaves, dyes, finishes, the behavior of both natural and man-made garments and the effects and problems of trimming on garments.
On Aug. 25, Schwass will deliver two training classes: Quality Assurance Training from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and Communications in Tracking Spots and Stains for Customer Service Representatives from 12:30 to 3 p.m.
Both will take place at the Holiday Inn in Marquette.
The Quality Assurance Training program will educate cleaners on how to assure the quality of their work, how to establish production standards, determine re-runs, set tracking and charting, special handling, machinery, how to handle claims, packing and more.
The other course teaches students how to track spots and stains throughout a drycleaning plant. Stain and fabric identification will be covered, as well as spotting chemicals.
On Sunday, Aug. 26, Schwass will be at the Holiday 50 Minute Cleaners at 900 W. Washington in Marquette, MI, for two sessions.
Customer Service Representative Training will run from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and will focus on teaching CSRs how to educate customers from behind the counter and help control how the company is perceived by the public. Identifying problem garments and other general information will be included.
From 12:30 to 3 p.m., Pressing and Finishing will offer several tricks of the trade when it comes to pressing and finishing garments. Students will learn about fibers, fabric construction, dyes and pigments, trims and appliques, bias cut garments, shine on fabrics, finishing equipment and more.
Cost for each session is $25 per person for MILD members and $35 per person for non-members. For more information, contact MILD at (517) 337-2909 or visit the association's web site at www.mildmi.org.
A PDF application form for all Schwass training courses is available on the site.
The Illinois State Fabricare Association has scheduled its 8th annual social golf outing at the St. Andrew's Golf and Country Club in West Chicago, IL.
The event, which will take place on Thursday, July 12, utilizes a two man best ball format.
Later in the day, ISFA will host a dinner where many prizes will be awarded for the day's contest winners.
For more information on ISFA's annual social golf outing, or to register, contact the association at (815) 729-0137.
A Smithtown, NY, drycleaner was recently charged with endangering the public health after he allegedly dumped buckets of perchloroethylene into his plant's cesspool, as well as in the backyard of one of his competitors.
Suffolk County health officials believe that Hae Jung Lee, 35, owner of Smithtown Dry Cleaners, may have contaminated some private wells in the area by dumping drycleaning chemicals that eventually found their way to a freshwater aquifer.
Initially, another drycleaner, Joe Milito, owner of Aida's Dry Cleaners, was the first to suspect the illegal perc dumping back in 1999. Neighbors who lived behind his business had informed him of "sludge" in their backyards, adjacent to Aida's Dry Cleaners.
Milito, recognizing the odor of perc in the sludge, installed surveillance cameras in his backyard, hoping to discover who was responsible.
In August 1999, Milito captured some footage of a man dumping perc behind his business. He brought it to the authorities who informed him that the video was not enough to charge Lee with a crime.
"When I first saw it, I was shocked and scared," Milito said. "I was thinking, 'What's going on here?'"
The police later contacted Lee about the problem and Milito noticed that the dumping soon stopped.
However, a routine groundwater test earlier this year revealed high concentrations of perc near Lee's business. The anomaly instigated an investigation by the district attorney's office, who allege that Lee began dumping the chemicals in his own cesspool.
Eventually, Lee was arrested for endangering the public health, safety and environment -- a Class D felony -- and criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. If convicted, he could pay $150,000 in fines plus the cost of the cleanup. He could also face seven years in prison.
Paul Ponturo, who works for the Office of Water Resources for the Suffolk County Health Department, told Smithtown residents not to be concerned because only wells near the area would be affected, and, most local residents are connected to other public water sources.
The Neighborhood Cleaners Association has announced more details concerning its TexCare 2001 convention, set to take place on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 13 and 14, at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison, NJ.
The New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center has been the site for TexCare for three consecutive shows, but this year, NCA promises that the program will be a "different sort of trade show," proving that the 'New NCA' isn't content to offering the "same old stuff."
"Doing Shirts for Profit" will be the topic of discussion presented by guest speaker Don Desrosiers, who has been in the shirt laundering business since 1978 and is currently a columnist for National Clothesline.
NCA also plans to have a seminar on "Drop Stores vs. Routes," as well as a panel discussion with cleaners who have made their diversification possible.
Exact times are not available yet, but the association has devoted 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 13, and 9 to 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 14 for seminars.
The convention's exhibit hours will be from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
NCA will be hosting a Saturday evening party with food, drink, karaoke and the live musical entertainment of "Meet the Beatles."
More details of TexCare 2001 are planned to be made available soon. All of the latest updates on TexCare 2001 will be posted on NCA's web site, located at www.nca-i.com.
Attendees who seek an advance peek at the convention's exhibit floor can visit the web site and click on the appropriate link in the "TexCare 2001" section. The site also has a link to exhibiting rules and instructions.
The Neighborhood Cleaners Association will be launching a new Kidwatch Program for its members starting July 16.
Those who participate in the program will keep a Kidwatch poster in their plant's window that states: "Need help? Afraid? Lost? Come in. Telephone home. Wait for someone to come and pick you up."
The poster will also display a logo with NCA's name and "Kidwatch" in large lettering.
The original idea for the program stemmed from the mind of the late Robert Shooman, who served as director of special projects for NCA. Shooman's small son, Tommy, had moved to a small town 50 miles away where he didn't know anyone in the community.
Shooman gave his son an NCA business card and told him that he ever needed help, he could go to a store that displayed the NCA decal and ask the owner if he could use the phone.
NCA's board of directors decided recently that the Kidwatch Program would be a great way for cleaners to give back to the community. For more information on the program, contact Barbara Richards at NCA at (212) 967-3002, ext. 235.
The Southwest Drycleaners Association has released some details on its "Big 2002 Show." The industry trade show, which is the largest of its kind in the Southwest, is scheduled for April 12-14, 2002, at the San Antonio Convention Center in San Antonio, TX.
SDA plans to hold its quarterly board of directors meeting on Friday, April 12, as well as its annual general membership meeting and a welcome reception for attendees.
The exhibit hall, which will hold over 250 booths of laundry and drycleaning equipment, supplies and services, will be open on Saturday and Sunday.
As usual, SDA will deliver several educational seminars throughout the weekend, including a return engagement by popular speaker Jan Hargrave, who provided a discussion on "The Importance of Non-Verbal Communication in Customer Service" at the Big Show 2000 in Forth Worth, TX.
Hargrave is a body language expert who has appeared on The Maury Povich Show, The Montel Williams Show, E-Entertainment Television, The Lifetime Channel and The Ricki Lake Show.
SDA will also be holding a golf tournament on Thursday, April 11.
The headquarters hotel for the "Big 2002 Show" will be the St. Anthony, a national and state historical landmark located in the heart of downtown San Antonio.
In addition to announcing its tentative plans for its 2002 show, SDA also plans to host several upcoming classes at the International Textile Center at Texas Tech University, located in Lubbock, TX.
A "Drycleaning Process and Equipment" course with instructor Sam Schwartz will take place Sept. 21-22.
In November, Jane Zellers will be offering two different courses on stain removal. The first class will be from Nov. 12-14, and an advanced course is set for Nov. 14-16.
For more information, contact SDA at (210) 826-4684.
A new amendment that will make drycleaners exempt from paying taxes imposed on internal and external wrapping, packing and packaging supplies is set to go into effect on Sept. 1, 2001.
The amendment will modify Section 16, Chapter 151 of the Tax Code, adding Section 151.3021 which states: "Internal and external wrapping, packing and packing supplies are exempted from the taxes imposed by this chapter if sold to a laundry or drycleaner for use in wrapping, packing or packaging an item that has been pressed and drycleaned or laundered by the person operating as a laundry or drycleaner in the regular course of business."
The amendment notes that "laundry or drycleaner" does not include coin-operated or other self-service garment cleaning facilities. It also breaks down the wrapping, packing and packaging supplies to include: "hangers, safety pins, pins, inventory tags, staples, boxes, paper wrappers and plastic bags."
The passing of the amendment was the result of many months of support by Chet Whatley and various other members and directors of the Southwest Drycleaners Association.
The next Royaltone Wetcleaning and Drycleaning Leather Academy Class for plant owners and managers, taught by Frank Lucenta and his staff, will be held in Tulsa, OK, Sept.13-14.
A later session is scheduled for Nov. 29-30.
Plant owners and managers learn to spot, dryclean, wetclean, press and refinish suedes, leathers and furs very much like they do cloth garments in perc, petroleum, Exxon DF-2000, water, CO2, glycol ether or silicone solvents.
Students also learn how the other attending plant owners and managers operate their plants.
Attendees receive a complete instruction manual, written by Frank Lucenta, in both Korean and English to complement the classroom and in-plant, hands-on training program. Course completion certificates are awarded to each student upon completion of the training and after-training support is provided through a toll-free hotline.
For more information, call (800) 331-5506 or e-mail: frank@royaltone.com. Information is also available on the Royaltone website at www.royaltone.com.
The Louisiana-Mississippi Drycleaning and Laundry Association will be offering drycleaners a chance to attend the popular Spot Right series of seminars on Aug. 17 and 18 at Hallmark Cleaners in Jackson, MS.
The series was last presented by Dennis Schmitt and Tom Swink on June 1 and 2 in New Orleans, LA.
Both spotting experts come from Lindeman's Cleaning, Inc. in Wisconsin and have a combined total of almost 50 years of experience. Schmitt currently serves as president of the Wisconsin Fabricare Institute.
On Friday, Aug. 17, the duo will present a Level One course for beginning spotters from 5 to 9 p.m. Hands-on spotting techniques and maintenance will be taught, with emphasis on fabrics, buttons, construction, dry side chemicals and spot removal on an assortment of materials.
The Level Two, or intermediate course, will begin on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. and run until noon. During that session, attendees will review stains and dry side chemicals and learn about fabric identification, wet side chemicals, burn testing, acids and alkalis and spot removal from an assortment of materials.
The Level Three, or advanced course, will start in the afternoon at 1 p.m. and concluded at 5 p.m. In addition to reviewing chemicals and fabrics, the session will cover bleaches, wedding gowns, spotting with bleaches and an assortment of materials, and attendees will be allowed to bring their own problem garments to work on.
Classes are limited to 25 students, so early registration is recommended. Lunch will be provided for students for those attending levels two and three.
For more information about the seminars or to find out the cost per session, contact LMDLA at (601) 936-7007.
The U.S. Small Business Administration will be offering several learning opportunities for small business owners in Alabama and South Carolina in July.
Business owners who are interested in learning how to obtain a business loan can attend "Need a Loan for Your Business?" The free program gives entrepreneurs a chance to obtain the latest information on SBA's financing programs and interact one-on-one with a loan officer by appointment.
Two sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in July. On July 10, the program will be in Florence, AL. It will also be in Huntsville, AL, on July 19.
A free "IRS Small Business Tax Workshop" will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 12 in Greenville, SC, and on July 19 in Beaufort, SC.
"Marketing Your Small Business," which costs $25, will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at Florence Darlington Technical College and "How To Write A Business Plan"" will run from 9 to 4 p.m. at the Small Business Resource Center in Charleston, SC.
For more information on specific class locations or other courses currently be offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, visit the agency's web site at www.sba.gov/calendar.
The California Cleaners Association has scheduled its 80th annual convention called "Be A Star!" from Aug. 24-26 at the LAX Hilton in Los Angeles, CA.
On Friday, Aug. 24, CCA will kick off the weekend's activities with a golf tournament. Registration takes place from 9:30 to 11 a.m that morning.
Later on in the day, an "Early Bird No Host" cocktail party is slated to start at 6:30 p.m.
CCA will host a board of directors meeting the next morning from 9 to 10:45 a.m., followed by a ninety-minute discussion of "Dealing with the Energy Crisis" at 11 a.m.
In the afternoon, Helen Parker of SPHR - Parker Associates will speak on "Employee Issues: Hiring, Firing and More!" from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
At 3:45, a roundtable discussion will take place on "Marketing and Employee Relations -- Share Problems and Discover Creative Solutions That Have Worked!" The panel will be made up of Barry Gershenson of Sterling Cleaners; Sonny Shah of Fifth Avenue Cleaners; and Jeff Schwarz, a CCA field representative.
Saturday night will feature a President's Reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by a President's Banquet/Casino Night from 7:15 to 10 p.m.
On Sunday, "Overcoming Stigma of Perc... How to deal with your landlord, handle Prop. 65 and other issues" will be presented from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Scheduled speakers include Bill Yates of Safety-Kleen Corp.; Harry Carranza of J. Gregory Brown and Associates; Judy Friedman of the Law Office of William Samoska; and Jack Peabody of Regenesis Remediation.
Those who register prior to July 20 for the convention will pay an "Early Bird" price for the complete convention. The cost is $125 for members and $225 for non-members.
Registration after July 20 costs members $150 and non-members $250. The cost for spouses to attend social events is $50 regardless of when attendees register.
Hotel reservations for the LAX Hilton cost $129 plus tax for single/double occupancy. Call (310) 410-4000.
For more information, contact CCA by calling (916) 443-0986.
Hangers Cleaners continues to expand its chain of carbon dioxide plants towards the West Coast. Most recently, Gordon Shaw opened a franchise store in San Diego, CA.
Shaw, who is a former president of the San Diego Dry Cleaners Association and has held board member and officer positions for the California Cleaners Association, added to the number of national Hangers stores by opening the plant in the new Fenton Marketplace.
According to Hangers' web site (www.hangersdrycleaners.com), that number has reached 45.
Already, Hangers has opened stores in New England, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
There are currently plans to develop additional locations in many other U.S. cities, including Miami, FL; Savannah, GA; Charleston, SC; Las Vegas, NV; Richmond, VA; Phoenixville, PA; and Houston and Dallas, TX.
During the grand opening ceremonies for Shaw's plant in San Diego, many political figures attended, including San Diego City Councilman Scott Peters.
Also present were Marti Russell, president of CCA; Karen Wilkins from APCD; and Kirk Kinsell, president of Micell, Hangers' parent company that was founded in 1995 when Dr. Joe DeSimone and fellow scientists Timothy Romack, Ph.D. and James McClain developed a cleaning process involving the use of carbon dioxide.
A fundraising campaign for San Diego EarthWorks was announced at the ceremony. Hangers promised to donate 25 cents per garment cleaned in the store through June 30 to the non-profit organization which has promoted San Diego's Annual Earth Day for more than 12 years.
The International Drycleaners Congress will be hosting its 2001 Convention at the Arizona Biltmore Resort from Oct. 3-7.
A variety of programs is scheduled for the event, including an appearance by keynote speaker Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Attendees will have many seminars to choose from, covering modern marketing and managing concepts, as well as a critical look at alternative drycleaning technologies and the past, present and future of the textile industry.
A full list of programs and schedules is available on IDC's web site at www.idcnews.org. First click on the "Programs" link, then find the link to "IDC Conventions" at the bottom of the page.
The IDC convention package costs $595, which includes all of the educational sessions, plant tours, and various dining and entertainment functions planned throughout the week.
Hotel reservations can be obtained at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa for $269 and up per night for single/double occupancy.
IDC is offering pre- and post-convention tours. A trip to Ecuador is planned between Sept. 18 and 24, followed by a Galapagos tour from Sept. 24 through Oct. 2. A post-convention trip through Sedona, AZ and Las Vegas, NV will run from Oct. 7-13.
For more information, contact IDC at (919) 363-5062.
Copyright © 2001, National Clothesline Maintained by: Hal Horning