Persistence is the key to success for Dick Pakko. Persistence got him into the industry initially and it has carried him through ever since.
While still in high school, the Seattle native decided he wanted to work for Four Seasons Cleaners when he learned of a job opening for a plant janitor.
Dick's would-be boss, Larry Rea, spent a long time scrambling through dozens of applications. Instead of waiting to be contacted, Dick took the initiative.
"I must have called -- I don't know, maybe a dozen times -- to find out if he had made a decision yet," Dick recalled. "He finally hired me. It was months later. Persistence is what got me that job when I was in high school."
For the next seven years, Dick found many challenges and faced them steadily. "I did everything from cleaning the floors to high dusting to cleaning the muck out of the old cooker," Dick said. "As I grew in the job, from janitor to being a shirt presser to waiting on the counter, I liked the idea that I was responsible for all aspects of the business."
Dick's hard work and patience paid off. By the time he graduated from the University of Washington with a school of business degree in 1975, he was the company's general manager. At that time, he was overseeing all six Four Seasons stores, which employed about 25 workers altogether.
Looking back, Dick realizes that his boss was an invaluable mentor to him. "Larry influenced me a lot. He took a personal interest," he explained. "When I first started college, I thought I was going to be an art major. He convinced me to major in business and I did. I kind of followed his lead."
While Dick juggled college courses and 30 hours a week at Four Seasons, Larry invited him over to have dinner every week to learn how to do the company payroll. "He and his wife could have done it much faster, but he wanted to teach me," Dick said.
Though Dick had gained a lot of experience at Four Seasons, both he and his boss decided that Dick would stand to benefit more if he pursued his own path. "I stayed with him for a year after I graduated college just to gain some management experience," he said. "We both agreed that I would be fired at that point and go out into the real world.
"I thought it was great. I'd never have to deal with another employee calling in sick or a machine that wouldn't run properly for me," he laughed. "I thought, 'I'll try to find a job in which I won't have to work on Saturdays.'"
The next step for Dick was to move to Los Angeles where he worked as an internal auditor for Atlantic Richfield for about three years. "It was a starting position for the young recruits who were wet behind the ears," Dick said. "It was an important position, but, to be honest, I just felt like if I didn't go to work for the next three months, nobody would miss me. I felt a little insignificant in the overall picture. That's one of the aspects I like about small business... I'm much more a part of the big picture."
Dick moved back to Seattle to help out some friends who were in the commercial fishing business. "They needed somebody to handle the business end of their work," he remarked. About a year later, however, he decided that they didn't need a full-time financial person anymore.
Already looking for a new opportunity to come along, it was hard for Dick to say no to his former boss Larry Rea when he propositioned him to operate a direct mail advertising company that he had recently bought. That project lasted about two years.
"I found that it wasn't my cup of tea either," Dick said. "It was at that time that I said to Mr. Rea, 'Why don't we sell this and buy a cleaners together?'" Many years after they had decided to split up, the two launched a Four Seasons plant independent of the others that Larry owned.
About that time, Dick started another venture, as well. He married Janet, his wife of eighteen years, whom he met on a blind date. Janet works as an elementary school librarian, and the couple has raised a 17-year-old daughter named Devon.
One idea that always intrigued Dick was pickup and delivery routes. Though his partner wasn't sure the concept would work, Dick was given free reign to experiment.
It began on a small scale. In fact, Dick drove his own Ford Aerostar van on the company's first route, which originally consisted of one office.
"I can remember going into that office every Monday," he said. "I'd truck into the back room where they put the bags. Some days I would walk back there and there wouldn't be any bags. I'd turn around to walk out and say 'hi' and 'goodbye' to the receptionist and I'd think, 'They have no idea that I did my whole route just now.'"
Though success wasn't immediate, Dick remained patient and didn't give up on the idea. "We kept doing it and I guess it was that persistence thing again. Little by little it started growing."
Nowadays, Dick estimates that pickup and delivery represents 55% of Four Seasons' overall business. "I haven't found a formula for the routes that produces fast growth. I always encourage people that it isn't going to happen overnight. You've got to keep plodding at it," he said. "This year, we're 17% up over last year. Last year we grew 20% on routes. I am real proud of what we have done. Now we have three full-time drivers with three vans."
Back in 1990, Dick bought out his partner, who went on to retire. Since then, Dick has seen Four Seasons grow steadily. "We're one of the highest priced cleaners in our marketplace."
In an attempt to expand his business, Dick is trying another new approach: Magic Wardrobes, which give customers year-round, day and night access to their orders.
"I think that what we need to do with the Magic Wardrobes is to develop customer familiarity... the acceptance of dropping off at a machine," he noted. "We're just venturing into that market. At this point, they're not making money for us. But, I believe it's going to be similar to what ATMs were 15 years ago. Now, it's just the normal way to do it."
Even when he first learned the ins and outs of the industry, Dick has always been fascinated with marketing. He believes that projecting a professional image is every bit as important as practicing patience and persistence.
In addition to advertising with direct mail, he takes advantage of his status as a Sanitone dealer and utilizes Sanitone's marketing pieces. However, he also likes to take less orthodox approaches.
To add customers to his pickup and delivery routes, he incorporated a strategy that he likes to call "elevator marketing."
"When we're in the high-rises downtown and we're standing in the elevator with someone else and we're carrying drycleaning... well, it's obvious what we're doing there so we ask, 'Would you like a brochure on our free pickup and delivery service?' It's a soft sell. If they say 'no,' we'll stop right there and not bug them."
Of course, not all forms of marketing are quite so inexpensive. Sometimes it takes a big investment to make a big impact.
One marketing technique that has given Four Seasons a lot of attention is the sharp looking vinyl wrap advertisements that decorate the company's delivery vans.
"It cost me between $3,000 and $3,500 for each van," he said. "I asked the leasing guy at the leasing company how much it would cost to add another $3,000 on the lease. $27 a month. That's a no-brainer, a slam dunk! Where else can I get a rolling billboard that travels all over town for $27 a month?"
Many in the industry may already recognize Dick from his appearance on the front page of National Clothesline back in December of 1999. He was pictured holding up a Dryel employee's sweater -- one of many that Four Seasons cleaned. "We're the official chosen drycleaner for Dryel," he quipped, pointing out the irony of a home drycleaning company utilizing the services of its competition.
Dick may also seem familiar because he actively participates in several organizations. He has served as a board member for the Western Washington and Oregon branch of the Better Business Bureau for about four years and he is currently the treasurer and incoming president for the Northwest Drycleaners Association.
He is also proud that his business participates in King County's Envirostar program which encourages companies to be good stewards of the environment. Four Seasons Cleaners is one of only three drycleaning companies that have achieved the programs highest rating -- five stars.
Additionally, Dick has also been a board member of the Seattle Executives Association and he is a member of Deborah Rechnitz's consultation group Methods For Management, the "most valuable" group he participates in because it gives him access to a network of industry experts.
"We hold each other accountable for keeping good performance and that is mainly what's it's all about," he said. "I'm not the most disciplined guy in the world and they help me stay on track. When they come to tour your plant, it's nerve racking. They come through and just pick you apart, but to do it is just one of those things that you do to yourself to make yourself better."
Swan Cleaners of Columbus, OH, thinks it has a solution to smelly sport equipment. The company is the first in Ohio to install the Esporta cleaning system designed for handling equipment used in hockey, football, lacrosse and baseball. The system uses Esporta's cleaning machine and specially designed chemicals that are gentle on expensive plastic sports gear but will get rid of bacteria, yeast and blood. Since the cost is less than other methods, Swan believes that schools will be able to afford regular cleaning that in the past was not possible due to budget constraints.
"Comfort, safety and cleanliness are very bit as important as physical conditioning for our little league, high school, college and professional athletes," said Swan president Paul Gelpi.
The system holds the protective gear in place while it is being cleaned to eliminate any chance of damage to the machine of the equipment. About eight sets of hockey or other sports equipment can be washed and dried in about two hours.
Swan plans to market its service to local sports teams. Columbus is home to five colleges, including Ohio State University and a new NHL team, the Bluejackets, along with dozens of high school sports teams.
Ideal Chemical & Equipment Co., Memphis, TN, hosted an Effective Stain Removal seminar and luncheon on September 8. The seminar, sponsored by R. R. Street & Co. Inc., drew over 50 attendees from local areas as well as neighboring states.
The featured speaker, Kenney Slatten, presented and demonstrated correct stain removal processes and techniques with the aid of Street's portable stain removal board and display. Attendees joined in the hands-on training session by applying the techniques presented to problem garments they brought with them to the seminar. Don Naro, Street's area sales manager, joined Slatten in answering questions pertaining to stain removal, solvents and detergents.
Street's "on the road training" sessions are being presented by authorized distributors or local trade associations throughout North America. For more information, call (800) 4-STREET, email@4streets.com, or visit www.4streets.com.
Adrienne Rybak is the new manager of textile testing at the International Fabricare Institute. Rybak will market and promote her department, conduct testing, manage workflow, handle customer inquiries, determine appropriate tests for requests, monitor work progress, write reports and assist in research projects and research bulletins.
She has 10 years of practical experience, most recently as a volunteer at the Smithsonian American History Museum re-housing the First Ladies' Costumes. She also has worked as manager of quality control for Groupe J.S., a Quebec-based manufacturer.
Rybak holds a clothing and textile sciences degree from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.
Phil Whitley has been named regional sales manager for of New England, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey by Thermopatch Corp.
His work will be assisted by a full-time customer support representative based in Syracuse who will also be responsible for telemarketing in the territory.
Whitley joined Thermopatch in 1978 and has served in various positions. In 1980 he was named supervisor of parts and service, then was promoted to customer service technician in 1982. In 1988 he was made a sales representative and was named Salesman of the Year in 1991 and 1994.
Thermopatch provides textile and garment identification, marking, mending products and supporting supplies.
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