For four days this month, New Orleans will be the cleanest city on the planet. Thousands of garment and textile care experts from around the world will converge on the Crescent City for the biennial Clean Show, bringing along all the tools of the trade and the know-how it takes to use them. By the time the show closes on July 22, all of those experts will be even better equipped to chase stains and wrinkles out of garments, not to mention better fed and entertained for having spent time in a city famous for both its food and music.
For this thirteenth edition of the Clean Show, more than 500 companies have taken exhibit space at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Their displays will occupy more than a quarter-million square feet of floor space. How many will attend remains to be seen, but hotel rooms have been getting harder to find as the show dates near so it seems likely that attendance should be near that of the 1999 show in Orlando where the official tally was 19,933 including 2,753 from 85 countries outside the United States.
Attendance is drawn from several textile care industry segments: drycleaning, coin laundry, institutional laundry, textile rental and uniforms. The show's cosponsoring associations represent each of these segments: the Coin Laundry Association, the International Fabricare Institute, the National Association of Institutional Linen Management, the Textile Care Allied Trades Association, the Textile Rental Services Association of America and the Uniform and Textile service Association. Those organizations banded together back in the 1970s to put the first Clean Show together and it has been a success story every since.
For drycleaners, nearly every manufacturer of cleaning machines, finishing equipment, chemicals and supplies will be on hand along with a host of other companies with products and services to assist the drycleaner. Developments in the newer cleaning technologies, many of which were introduced at past Clean Shows, will be shown. At the Orlando show, cleaners got their first look at GreenEarth solvent. In New Orleans they'll be able to see a half-dozen or more machines designed to use the solvent. Wetcleaners will find an ever-growing selection of products for water-based professional cleaning. On the petroleum front, a new entry in the high-flash solvent market, Chevron Phillips, will be exhibiting. And the growing popularity of so-called European-style finishing equipment will be in evidence, too.
Those are just a few "teasers" for people wondering what they'll want to check out at the Clean Show. A detailed listing of companies' exhibit plans begins on page 14.
One Clean Show tradition will go by the wayside this year. There will be no keynote speaker and general assembly before the grand opening of the show on Thursday morning. Instead, attendees will be entertained in the registration area by musicians, magicians, mimes and celebrity look-alikes before the ribbon cutting that opens the exhibit hall at 11 a.m.
New features
Another new feature will be Cafe Clean which will offer afternoon entertainment for attendees who need a break from pounding the exhibit hall floor. New Orleans musical groups, demonstrations of traditional New Orleans fare provided by some of the city's top chefs and Cajun dance lessons will be offered. A traditional jazz brunch is planned for Sunday at the Cafe.
No road trip would be tolerable without a way to check e-mail, so the show management has come up with the new Cyber Cafe where e-mail and web browsing will be possible.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings at the show will be a time to listen and learn. The cosponsoring associations will present seminars on issues that are key to their industry segments. The registration fee includes admission to all of the seminars; one needn't be a member of the sponsoring association to attend.
Details of IFI's seminars are presented in a related story in this issue. Information on the other association-sponsored programs will be available in the Clean Show guidebook which attendees can pick up at the show.
The guide also includes complete information on all of the exhibitors.
Anyone planning to attend the show should have taken care of registration and secured hotel space, but it's still not too late for last minute decision-makers. On-site registration, which costs $60, will be available on Wednesday, July 18 from 1 to 5 p.m. On July 19, the first day of the show, on-site registration opens at 7 a.m. On subsequent show days, registration opens at 7:30 a.m. The registration desk will be open until 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and until 2 p.m. on Sunday.
More information on the show is available on the Clean Show web site: www.cleanshow.com, and from the show management firm, Riddle & Associates, (404) 876-1988.
Cleaners and allied trades people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to better the industry will receive recognition and reward for their efforts at the International Fabricare Institute's opening program at Clean '01 in New Orleans.
IFI CEO Bill Fisher and the association's board of directors will host an opening session from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on Friday, July 20. Awards will be presented to this year's recipients of the Meritorious Service Awards. From dozens of nominations submitted to IFI, a handful of individuals were selected by a panel of judges to receive the awards in several categories.
The Meritorious Service Awards were initiated at Clean '99. Categories for the awards include positive recognition for the industry; work on legislative and regulatory issues; technology trailblazing; environmental progress; commitment to professionalism and allied trades service. A special Diamond Achievement Award is bestowed on an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to benefit the industry.
New this year will be recognition of the Best Dressed Drycleaner and the Best Dressed Allied Trades Person. IFI started the best dressed contest to single out those in the in study who demonstrate to their peers and customers high standards of professional appearance. As with the service awards, winners were selected from a field of nominees submitted to IFI.
After the awards ceremony, attendees will be able to meet and mingle with IFI staff and board members before the day's educational program, Fabricare Solutions for Today's Fashions, begins at 9:45 a.m.
IFI's new president, Lang Houston, will take office at the annual membership meeting that will be held during the Clean Show. Houston, owner of Crest cleaners in Cocoa FL, is taking over from Bob Shirley of City Laundry and Cleaners in Las Vegas, who will become board chairman.
Two new directors will be joining the board at the Clean Show. Gary Dawson, owner of Bellair Bluffs Cleaners in Bellair Bluffs, FL is the incoming director for District 3, taking the position previously held by Houston. Steven Poulos, owner of Blair's Cleaners/Elmest Inc. in North Canton, OH, will assume the District 4 seat from retiring board member Debbie Barnett of Washboard Laundry and Cleaners in Indianapolis, IN.
Other board changes to take place at the show include District 1 director Don Fawcett becoming IFI treasurer. Putting him on a track to be the eventual IFI president. Fawcett owns Dependable Cleaners in Quincy, MA. Fawcett takes over the treasurer position from District 6 director Jim Cripe who becomes president-elect of IFI.
One other change has Joe Amato of Amato Industries Inc. leaving the board as allied trades representative. His successor will be selected at the July board meeting.
The annual membership meeting will take place at the Hotel Monteleone, IFI's headquarters hotel, on Friday, July 20 at 6:30 p.m.
All IFI members are invited to a reception in the hotel at 7 p.m. following the meeting. A special invitation-only Jolly Belin reception will start at 7:30 p.m. that night.
IFI will host its Director's and President's Banquet on Saturday, July 21, at 7 p.m., also at the Hotel Monteleone.
IFI has a full slate of educational seminars planned for Saturday and Sunday mornings, too. Saturday's program will open at 8 a.m. with a panel discussion on the cleaning alternatives.
Panelists representing liquid carbon dioxide, GreenEarth, DF-2000, Rynex and wetcleaning will be queried by three cleaners with IFI's Fisher in the role of moderator.
Capturing the casual market will be the second Saturday morning program, featuring Laurie Wilson, founder and president of L. Wilson Group Inc. which does training and consulting on the "human side" of business.
Sid Tuchman will be the featured speaker at the first Sunday morning program which begins at 8 a.m. He'll tell how to find employees "who pass more than the fog the mirror test."
For the second program, Tuchman will be joined by Don Fawcett and Jim Barry for a discussion titled, "So You Want to be a Millionaire."
Wilson will return for the final IFI program, beginning at 10:15 a.m. Sunday, this time explaining why "Business As Usual Won't Cut It with Today's Consumers."
IFI will be active in the exhibit hall, too, throughout the show. At the booth (#4831), IFI staff will be emphasizing the programs and services it provides for education of cleaners and consumers alike. Version 3 of "IFI on CD-ROM" will be released. The new version provides a searchable collection of all of IFI's printed material up through December, 2000.
IFI will also be unveiling two new consumer information brochures. One explains color loss issues in terms that customers will understand, The other covers care labels, including the new care symbols.
Other IFI brochures, including the popular "A Consumer's Guide to Home Drycleaning Kits," will be available in the booth.
IFI also plans to introduce a new customer service training video at Clean '01. Complete information on all of IFI's education programs and its other products and services for cleaners will be available at the booth throughout the show.
FRIDAY, JULY 21
Opening Session, 8 a.m.
IFI CEO Bill Fisher and the association's board of directors will host the opening session and awards ceremony. Awards will be presented for the Meritorious Service Awards, as well as the contest winners for the best dressed drycleaners and allied trades. Fisher is a lifetime member of the drycleaning industry and has served in various roles for IFI for 36 years.
Fabricare Solutions for Today's Fashions, 9:45 a.m.
Chris Allsbrooks will kick off IFI's weekend of educational programs with a 75-minute discussion of various problems and solutions for popular modern garments. In addition to her duties as a garment analyst for IFI, Allsbrooks has spoken at a number of industry seminars and conferences for the past years and has appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" and the BBC.
SATURDAY, JULY 21
Straight Talk on Alternatives: Cleaners Ask the Important Questions, 8 a.m.
In an effort to shed some light on the growing number of drycleaning technologies, IFI will be presenting a 90-minute panel discussion on alternatives. Gary Dawson, an incoming IFI board member and a third generation drycleaner, will be one of the panel members. Dawson, who is also a past president and current director of the South Eastern Fabricare Association, will be joined by two drycleaners, Jan Barlow and Jeff Essman, as well as representatives from five separate cleaning technologies.Barlow has owned and operated Jan's Professional Dry Cleaners in Clio, MI, since 1982 and has held several positions for the Michigan Institute of Laundering and Drycleaning, most recently as chairperson of the board in 2001 and as the association's president in 2000.
Essman opened One Hour Valet Cleaners in Billings, MT, in 1982. Formerly a private and corporate attorney, he holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Montana's law school and a degree in industrial engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, IL.
Representing carbon dioxide cleaning will be Jon P. Wikstrom, who has been with MVE/Chart Applied Technologies for ten years and was named president in 1999. Wikstrom holds a Bachelor of Science, Engineering/Economics degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Master of Business Administration from Boston University.
Former Navy pilot Jim P. Barry will join the panel to discuss issues relating to Green Earth. Barry has been successful over the years with his Kansas City-based chain Pride Cleaners which has grown to include 50 stores and has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in America.
In 1998, Barry and three other drycleaners formed GreenEarth Cleaning.
David Dawson, who is senior vice president of distributor relations at R.R. Street & Co., will speak on behalf of DF-2000. Dawson, who has more than 25 years in the fabricare industry, is an immediate past president of the Textile Care Allied Trades Association and has developed training programs for Street's Process and Product Education Program, for which he also instructs.
Rynex panel member William Hayday was instrumental in developing and patenting the Rynex solvent and now serves as CEO and chairman of Rynex Holdings, LTD. Previously, he was CEO of Böwe Permac, USA and Bowe Permac, UK for fourteen years. Hayday was educated in England and holds an engineering degree. He is an inventor who holds several patents relating to drycleaning machinery and chemistry.
Also joining the panel on alternative drycleaning technologies is Juergen Schaefer of Miele, who will discuss wetcleaning. A former professional wetcleaner and applications technologist, Schaefer joined Miele in 1997. Prior to that, he worked in his family business doing commercial drycleaning and wetcleaning for seven years in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Schaefer has a degree in textile chemistry from Fachhochschule Niederrhein, a university in Germany. Currently, he is the manager of wetcleaning/special applications at Miele.
Turning Lemons Into Lemonade: Capturing the Casual Market, 9:45 a.m.
Laurie Wilson will tell cleaners how to turn the casual trend to their advantage with a 75-minute presentation on capturing the market of casual wear. Wilson has spent 20 years in the retailing industry, including 17 with Mercantile Department Stores Co., Inc. She is also the founder and president of the L. Wilson Group, Inc., a training/consulting organization that focuses on the "human" side of business life.
SUNDAY, JULY 22
Finding Employees Who Pass More Than the "Fog the Mirror" Test, 8 a.m.
Sid Tuchman, who is the president and founder of Tuchman Training Systems, will discuss ways to find employees who will improve your business.In addition to working as a business consultant, writer and teacher in the fine art of selling, Tuchman has produced two best-selling audio cassettes called "How to Attract and Hold Customers and Clients" and "Professional Selling Power."
Tuchman has also served as president, CEO and co-founder of Tuchman Cleaners, a 32 plant and store operation in five states, and he co-founded ApparelMaster, a uniform rental company.
So You Want to Be A Millionaire: How These Cleaners are Making it Happen, 9 a.m.
Jim Barry, who will participate on the alternative technologies panel on Saturday and Sid Tuchman, who will discuss how to find better employees on Sunday, will join with IFI's District 1 Director Don Fawcett at 9 a.m. on Sunday, will offering cleaners a look at how they have made their businesses successful.Fawcett is IFI's newly-elected Treasurer and has been an active member of the North East Fabricare Association for many years, including a stint as NEFA's president and chairman of the membership committee. He is a second generation drycleaner who owns and operates Dependable Cleaners, a seven dry store, eight package plant operation in Quincy, MA.
Business As Usual Won't Cut It With Today's Consumers, 10:15 a.m.
Laurie Wilson will return for a second speaking engagement at Clean '01 with a presentation on how businesses need to go the extra mile on the road to success. Wilson is the Business Casual Consultant for Rich's Lazarus, Goldsmith's.She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati School of Design, a guest lecturer at the Buck Rodger's Business Leadership Program at Miami University, a Board of Leadership and Ethics member at Georgetown College and a national speaker and trainer.
Hydrocarbon solvent and GreenEarth users are invited to participate in a survey being conducted by Everett Childers and others.
The research is intended to help all drycleaners get the most out of their solvent with the least amount of problems. Many participants are needed to ensure accuracy of the data collected.
Childers said there have been reports of odors in the solvent and the inability to maintain a clear and crisp looking solvent. He also noted that some operators believe the cleaning ability of the solvents could be improved.
"These are some of the areas the research study will focus on. Mainly the practical side of cleaning with lighter than water solvents," Childers said.
When the study is finished, participants will receive advanced results of the findings and suggestions on improving the use of these solvents.
Childers said the study is neutral and being undertaken without any bias towards machines, chemicals or supplies. To maintain a neutral study there is no outside funding. Childers said he is completely funding the study to maintain its neutrality.
In a report to the internet Fabricare Forum on the study, Childers wrote: "The machines of 50 years ago are not the same ones we buy today. This has caused several areas of concern to pop up. The information gained from the survey will be tabulated, digested, then taken to a group of experts in their respective fields for discussion and problem solving.
"The results, recommendations, and suggestions will be made available to the drycleaners and machine manufacturers. It will also be available to any chemical company serving the drycleaning industry. This is being done on a small budget with a lot of high-dollar volunteer help."
To participate, send a note to Everett Childers, PO Box 922, Kennesaw, GA, 30144; or e-mail: everettchilders@hawkaccess.com. You will be sent a survey form to fill out and return. E-mail is the preferred method of communicating. All replies and participants will be strictly confidential, Childers said.
Three national public forums on ergonomics in the workplace will be held this month by the Department of Labor.
In announcing the hearings in June, Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao said the department will identify a final course of action on the issue by September.
"We are bringing everyone to the table to get this important issue moving forward and resolved," Chao said. "Defining the best approach for ergonomic injuries is not a simple process and we need everyone's voice heard in the process."
The forums will be held in Washington, DC, on July 16, Illinois on July 20, and California on July 24.
Members of the public may speak at a forum or submit written comments. An administrative law judge will run the forums, although the secretary and other senior Labor Department officials will participate in portions of the forums.
Congress passed and, last March, President Bush signed, a Joint Resolution of Disapproval of OSHA's previous ergonomics standard. At that time, Chao said that her intent was to "listen to all sides on this issue: unions, Congress, business and safety and science professionals."
In subsequent testimony before Congress, Chao identified the following set of principles that the Department of Labor will use as a starting point for creating a new ergonomics approach:
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 582,300 musculoskeletal injuries that resulted in employees missing time from work in 1999, the last year for which statistics are available. That was down from 1998 figures, which showed 592,500 such injuries and down from more than 763,000 in 1993.
Ergonomics regulations issued by OSHA last year, which had been scheduled to take effect this October, were set aside when Congress invoked the never-before used Congressional Review Act. That prevents OSHA from reissuing the regulations in a "substantially similar format."
The previous ergonomics proposal was strongly criticized by business groups, including the International Fabricare Institute, as overly vague and potentially financially devastating for businesses. Despite that criticism, OSHA announced last November that it intended to proceed with implementation of the new rules.
The public forum in the Washington, DC, area is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m., July 16 and will run for one and one-half days. One-day forums will be held in Chicago and California.
Written comments should be submitted to: OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. S-777A, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-2625, Washington, DC 20210.
For more information on the hearings, contact Bonnie Friedman, OSHA Office of Public Affairs, (202) 693-1999, or visit OSHA's web site: www.osha.gov.
While New Orleans is a popular destination for tourists, mid-July is not the time one would usually choose to visit one of the nation's top city's on the heat and humidity index. We're told, however, that the air-conditioning is widely available so, considering all the other reasons to be there, we won't let a little warm weather deter us.
Reason #1 is the Clean Show itself. The opportunity to be in the company with industry members from across the country and around the world for four days is one not to be missed, and it come only once every two years. We'll be able to see what's new in an ever-changing industry, monitor developments on the cleaning technology front and see the industry's rising stars as well as its long-time stalwarts.
Reason #2 is the city. New Orleans has hosted the Clean show twice in the past and while we have enjoyed the show's other venues, none quite stack up to New Orleans where hotels and the exhibit hall are located within reasonable proximity of each other and where ready opportunities abound for after-hours winding down from the full days of physical and mental exercise that the Clean Show demands.
Reason #3 is the timing. All the excited talk about the "new millennium" has subsided and we are now firmly in the midst of going about business in the 21st century. We made it across the great divide without the catastrophic failures predicted by many and we have survived the bursting of the dot-com bubble. We know now that change comes about not by flipping calendar pages or clicking computer mice but by hard work, dedication and creative thinking. There's no place like the Clean Show to learn how the industry's best and brightest make it happen.
Earlier this year, Congress and President Bush worked together to dissolve OSHA's ergonomics standard that many business owners had felt were too generalized, and, subsequently, dangerously open for interpretation. The big fear was that an undefined set of rules would herald a windfall of costs potentially devastating to business owners. The irony was that a set of rules designed to protect employees could inadvertently hurt them if they were to lose their jobs when the ergonomics standard proved too costly for businesses, ultimately causing them to close down.
Despite the setback, OSHA isn't about to give up. This time, the agency wants to get the ergonomics standard right. After all, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that over 580,000 musculoskeletal injuries forced employees to miss time from work in 1999. Though that figure revealed a drop from 1998's figures (which total about 592,000 injuries), the American workforce is still being adversely affected by injuries that may well be easily preventable.
Eventually, an ergonomics standard will be approved and become reality. It is only a matter of time and that time may be sooner than you think.
Three national public forums on ergonomics in the workplace are being held in July in Washington, D.C., Illinois and California (for full details, see article on page 84) by the U.S. Department of Labor, which seeks to tabulate a final course of action for ergonomics by September. They will also accept written comments postmarked by August 3 to ensure that they hear what business owners have to say. With that information, they will form the new ergonomics rules, which will likely emphasize injury prevention; an incentive driven approach to encourage cooperation between OSHA and employers; and flexibility and feasibility to make sure that business of all sizes can achieve compliance.
Specific details have yet to be determined. Over the next several weeks, cleaners have an opportunity to supply those details and help shape how the new ergonomics rules will affect the industry. Now is the right time to voice your concerns and fears. Now is the perfect chance to suggest ideas that you think are practicable. The only alternative is to sit back, do nothing and hope that the new ergonomics rules will be acceptable to you. Are you really willing to risk that?
TO THE EDITOR:
In the June 2001 issue of National Clothesline, two letters were reprinted that introduced your readers to an ongoing discussion between Micell Technologies and the International Fabricare Institute about the identification of perchloroethylene as a probable human carcinogen.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Readers may recall a previous exchange between principals at IFI and Micell published last year in National Clothesline. That began with an article by IFI's Bill Fisher, "A Long-range Strategic View" in the April 2000 issue which prompted a response from Micell's Joe DeSimone in a Letter to the Editor. Fisher answered DeSimone in a Letter to the Editor the following month.]
At Mr. Bill Fisher's request on May 29, I directed him to the official EPA materials that designate perchloroethylene as a probable human carcinogen. This classification is in Appendix C, pages 2 and 13, of the "Cleaner Technologies Substitutes Assessment for Professional Fabricare Processes" published in June 1998 by the United States Environment Protection Agency. You will see that these pages say specifically "Overall, USEPA has judged the existing evidence as sufficient for classifying PCE as a probable human carcinogen."
Micell is responsible to share potential health hazards with our many publics -- franchisees, dry cleaning employees and consumers. With matters of health, safety and environment, we do tend to take the conservative route by avoiding all potential hazards. In our industry, that means making alternatives to perchloroethylene available to consumers. It is unfortunate that dry cleaners are burdened by past practices of perc use. Micell, in no way, means to place blame on the operators for proper practices they were told were safe.
I am confident in the integrity of our corporate marketing strategy and our operations. I personally invite any member of the dry cleaning industry to visit one of our 52 locations to see the Hangers' process at work. We would be glad to share with you the benefits that come from investing in a healthy, non-regulated solvent such as liquid carbon dioxide. I also encourage you to urge your local United States Representative to support HR 978, The Small Business Pollution Prevention Act, which would provide tax credits to help dry cleaners better afford new environmentally friendly cleaning technologies, not solely limited to liquid carbon dioxide.
Thank you for your time.
S. Kirk Kinsell
President and CEO
Micell Technologies
Raleigh, NC
Joseph F. Amato, Jr., the retired president and chief executive officer of Amato Industries and the Amchlor Corp. of Silver Spring. MD, died May 18 after a long battle with cancer. He was 64 years old.
He was born in 1936 in Washington, DC, where his father had established the Amato Coal and Ice Co., which later expanded into heating oil and burner service.
Mr. Amato received his engineering degree from Catholic University while working in his father's company. He was a former member of the United States Marine Corps Reserve and was also an accomplished musician and a boating enthusiast on the Chesapeake Bay.
He assumed the role of president and CEO of Amato Industries in 1975. The heating oil company was expanded into drycleaning and laundry supplies and service as well as the distribution of commercial swimming pool chemicals.
He was a graduate of the International Fabricare Institute, a member of the MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners and Launderers Association, a board member of the National Oil Jobbers council and a participant in a host of industry-related associations. He was also a supporter of the Korean-American Drycleaners Association and saw to it that his company was represented in local trade shows and expositions. His dedication to the industry was evidenced by his support of drycleaner's legislation, detailed care of drycleaning chemical storage and delivery and his stress on quality and courtesy in day-to-day business with more than 500 local drycleaners.
Mr. Amato is survived by his wife, Barbara; a brother, Robert; two sisters; three children and 14 grandchildren. His son, Joseph Amato III, had assumed the position of Amato Industries president and CEO in late 1999.
Contributions in his memory may be made to The School of Incarnation, 1070 Cecil Ave. South, Millersville, MD 21108.
Likely, most likely, without end These words are not phrased for the benefit of the regulated, but are phrased for the benefit of the regulators. The wording creates clouds of uncertainties that are troublesome for the drycleaners.
"Likely" and "most likely" are words capable of creating doubt that destroys the initiative for progression. "Likely" and "most likely" are words without end. They give regulators everlasting support for being right and unchallenged.
These words will remain in use as long as regulators are focused on a risk-free, pristine environment. Risks have been over-stated by uninformed and busy activists scaring people with "most likely" fabricated risks.
The word "chemical" sounds frightening to those who have not learned its meaning or the value. We are born with chemicals in our bodies that we could not live without. Water, too, has chemicals and is essential for all living matter. Water in its pure form is odorless and tasteless.
Humans and animals have an immune system with a high degree of resistance to disease. The human body has built in detectors to ward off toxic chemicals by means of smell, taste, and pain. Contaminated air is recognized by breathing, smelling and coughing.
Rather than clobbering drycleaners with the words "likely" and "most likely" in regulations, a better understanding is necessary between drycleaners and the regulators. Drycleaners can be driven over the cliff trying to meet the demands of the regulators.
Today toxic standards are set at parts per million; tomorrow standards can be easily set as parts per billion. At what point does this stop? When will regulations stop and allow science and research to begin?
Pollution, pollution. Who causes pollution? We all cause pollution; man and nature. Animals taken away from open fields and placed in confinement become polluters.
New York City during the 1870s had terrible pollution. It wasn't toxic waste but animal waste. Horses to be exact. An article on horse pollution written by J. Gilfoyle for the Atlantic Monthly made this finding: He wrote that New York City was literally awash with horse excrement when 40,000 horses were used in delivery services.
The horses generated 400 tons of manure daily plus 20,000 gallons of urine. Ten years later New York City had 60,000 horses dropping 1,200 tons of horse manure and approximately 60,000 gallons of urine. This gave the city a peculiar, atmospheric horsey smell. This all happened when horses were taken from turf to plod on concrete streets pulling delivery wagons and carriages.
It is no wonder how quickly motorized transportation replaced the horse. Necessity brought about the need for change. When something is needed badly, things happen quick.
It was necessity that brought out the need for drycleaning. In order to keep the necessity alive, we must keep focusing on quality. In order to be better we must do better. Before we can feel satisfied with the kind of work we are doing, we must first satisfy the customer.
The only way we can feel confident that we are doing better is by practicing information researched by the International Fabricare Institute. Confidence is what you feel when you are doing something right. When customers trust you with clothing, they are confident that you have the ability in doing something right!
Unfortunately, not all drycleaners are doing something right. Too many consumers are disappointed. They feel that drycleaners have an adolescent attitude towards the service they provide and are not mature enough to evaluate good from bad and care less what people think of their services.
Customers complain and we don't listen. We don't listen when they complain of dirty solvent odor in garments. We don't listen when they complain that white linen garments look dirtier after being drycleaned. We don't listen when women don't want creases pressed on silk blouse sleeves. We just don't listen. Why?
We don't listen when customers ask for the removal of underarm perspiration stains. By not listening, customers won't tell us why they quit using our services. Customers won't listen or read our direct mail advertisements telling them how good we are.
You can't fake quality anymore than you can take a lemon and say it's sweet. You may be sure some will try. Just the same as when you call yourself the best drycleaner and you are not. Those who learn alone without instruction consider themselves to be good drycleaners, but they are not. If we are so good, why are customers complaining?
It is heard on the street that 25 percent of the drycleaners are keeping drycleaning alive while the rest of the are destroying their business like swarms of grasshoppers devouring crops and other vegetation. They eat and eat until all is gone, then disappear. We are doing the same with drycleaning. Isn't it time we quit being grasshoppers?
Bill Bogus is president of Textile Restoration Services Inc. in Laurel, MD. He can be reached at (301) 776-4961.
Copyright © 2001, National Clothesline