Midwest News

Joe Phillips will be bidding farewell on Dec. 31 of this year as he officially retires from his position as executive director for the Wisconsin Fabricare Institute, a position he has served for over 15 years.

In that time he has worked with nine different association presidents and successfully helped lobby for the state’s DERF program. He also has simultaneously served as the executive director to six other trade associations through his management/advertising firm, which he has arranged to sell to his successor Brian Swingle of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Swingle has met with WFI’s board of directors who have agreed to contract him through Dec. 31, 2002.

Swingle has agreed to keep the firm’s base of operations in Greenfield and retain the five staff members headed by Kari Foster, who has over 10 years experience as the group’s executive assistant and events coordinator.

Phillips was quoted in WFI’s newsletter, Impressions, as saying that he had mixed emotions about retiring. “I’ve always loved my work as well as the many people for and with whom I served, yet I’m pleased to be leaving on my terms and without sacrificing a continuity of service to my client associations,” he said.

WFI also announced that it will have two newcomers joining its board of directors: Tom McKay, who owns and operates Avenue Fabricare in the near downtown area of Milwaukee and Doug Berry of BMP Cleaners in Racine.

They will be replacing Donna Griesemer, executive vice president of Spic & Span in Milwaukee and Tom Judge of Hangers Cleaners based in Plover.

Re-elected to serve on the board of directors for the association is Joe Leroy of Stannard Drycleaners in Oshkosh.

Prior to the elections, John Whitley of Madison was appointed to fill the un-expired term left vacant when Dave Troemel of Carriage Cleaners resigned.

For more information, contact WFI at (414) 529-4707 or visit the association’s web site online at www.wiscleaners.com.

At the association’s recent annual golf outing and convention on Friday, Sept. 14 at the Valle Vista Country Club in Greenwood, IN, the Indiana Drycleaning & Laundry Association watched four dozen golfers mark their scorecards all day in a round of golf.

Later in the evening, following a reception where special golf prizes were awarded, a scorecard of another kind was tallied at INDLA’s annual meeting: the new officers and directors for the association were elected.

Serving INDLA the coming year will be President Debbie Barnett of the Washboard in Indianapolis, IN, and Vice President James E. Garner from James The Cleaner in Floyd Knobs, IN.

Joining them will be Secretary Tony Milto from Milto Cleaners in Greenwood, IN, and Treasurer Joel Updike from Betty Brite Cleaners in Ft. Wayne, IN.

New district directors include: Roman Nally of Reeder’s Cleaners & Laundry in Jeffersonville, for district one; Steve Arthur of Bloomington Cleaners in Bloomington for district two; Ray Debshaw of Sunrise Cleaners in DeMotte for district four; Tim Day of Classic Cleaners in Indianapolis for district five; Mike Corso of Corso’s Peerless Cleaners in Logansport for director at large; and Linda Dygert of Mercury Cleaners in Valparaiso, also for director at large.

Chairman of the Board Gary Maloney hails from Nu-Yale Cleaners in Jeffersonville. Allied Trade Liaisons include Sam Doogs of E.J. Thomas and Tony Finch from Kay Equipment.

For more information on INDLA, contact the association by phone at (800) 401-0703 or visit www.indla.com.

The Minnesota Cleaners Association will be keeping busy in the upcoming cold winter months with a new marketing campaign and its annual convention scheduled for Feb. 22-24, 2002, at the Mystic Lake Casino.

The association has already lead a string of marketing campaigns to help improve the industry’s image and the current strategy should be no different. MCA will be teaming up with the Star Tribune and one of its advertising partners, Cragun’s Resort, in an effort to stimulate business for drycleaners.

A vacation package at Cragun’s will be offered as a grand prize in a drawing that began on Oct. 21. As an additional enticement, member cleaners have been asked to draw a name and award a $25 certificate for free drycleaning at their plant. In an effort to help, Don’s Leather Cleaner volunteered to deliver the custom-designed boxes for the drawing, which was scheduled to run for about four weeks.

An ad campaign announcing the drawings will circulate in the Star Tribune; the cost for the advertising is covered through MCA’s Industry Fund.

For information pertaining to the campaign, contact Industry Fund Chairman David Colehour at (952) 949-2464 or MCA Executive Director Eric Ewald at (651) 290-6266.

Also on the horizon for the Minnesota group is its annual convention, which currently has plans for several educational seminars. Nationally recognized expert/trainer Carolyn Schwass will be on hand to discuss profitability issues, sharing her years of experience that includes drycleaning, wetcleaning, shirt laundry and tailoring.

Schwass has been a member of the IFI Speakers Bureau and Alumni Society and has often spoken at various industry conventions on a variety of subjects.

Other educational topics of next year’s show will include a look at today’s solvents and how to best motivate employees. A hands-on pressing seminar will also be presented.

MCA will hold its annual board meeting, as well as its officer elections. Members will also have a convenient way to renew their boiler licenses as MCA will be offering boiler exams.

Hotel accommodations can already be reserved by calling (952) 445-9000. Members will receive a special room rate of $79 per night single/double occupancy if they mention they are affiliated with MCA.

For more information on the convention, call (651) 290-6267.