Northeast News

Time is running out for those who wish to pre-register for the North East Fabricare Associations’s Image ’02 program, scheduled for March 22-24 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI.

NEFA is offering a comprehensive package for $100 that includes admission to all of the weekend’s educational seminars, as well as the welcome reception at 7 p.m. on Friday evening, the “Roaring Twenties” cocktail reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, and the registration fee for the convention.

This year’s convention hotel is the Providence Westin, which has a block of rooms reserved at a rate of $149 per night. For reservations, call (800) WESTIN-1 and mention the NEFA convention.

The educational programs are slated to begin Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. when Ted Barry discusses “Managing For Profit.” Barry, who is a cleaning industry cost consultant, will speak on cost-effective management for about 75 minutes.

At 10:30 a.m., a panel discussion entitled “Diversification Pays Dividends” will be presented. Panel members Tom Janek, Don Desrosiers and Chris Baggott will demonstrate supplemental ways for cleaners to make more money in the 90-minute program, including wetcleaning, shirt laundry and innovative marketing techniques.

On Sunday morning at 9 a.m., Laurie Wilson will get the ball rolling with a 75-minute presentation on “Casual Wear to Formal Wear — Prepare Your Plant for the Future.” Wilson has over 20 years of experience in the retail industry, including 17 with the Mercantile Department Stores Co.

Afterward, IFI Garment Analyst Chris Allsbrooks will give a seminar on “Quality Cleaning: How Do You Measure Up?” from 10:30 a.m. until noon. Allsbrooks will call on her years of experience at IFI’s headquarters facility in Silver Springs, MD, to offer ways to improve your final drycleaned product.

NEFA is also offering a package of $65 per person that includes the convention’s registration fee and admission to all four weekend seminars.

For more information, including additional hotel accommodations in the area, contact NEFA at (800) 683-6332 or visit their web site at www.nefabricare.com.

For the fourth straight year, New York cleaners united together for the purpose of traveling to the state capital in Albany to meet with legislators and discuss issues pertinent to the drycleaning industry.

On Feb. 5, cleaners met early in a conference room in the legislative office building in Albany and outlined the topics to be discussed in pre-set appointments planned with Assembly and Senate members throughout the day.

The topics included:

• A four percent state sales tax exemption on the purchase of fourth generation perc drycleaning machines, alternative closed loop drycleaning solvent machines and wetcleaning equipment;

• A Machinery Lemon Law which would protect purchasers of fourth generation equipment whose machines fail to meet New York State Part 232 standards;

• A 90-day “Unclaimed Garment” law that would oblige cleaners to post a notice advising customers that state law requires them to hold unclaimed garments for only 90 days;

• A one-year moratorium period for third generation perc machine replacement.

Issues such as the four percent states sales tax exemption and the Lemon Law could potentially save cleaners thousands of dollars, while the one-year moratorium replacement for third generation equipment would protect cleaners from the New York State DEC arbitrarily deciding on a much shorter deadline for replacement.

Overall, the Neighborhood Cleaners Association felt Albany Day was very successful. “The assemblypersons, senators and aides listened attentively to all of our issues and offered to help,” said NCA Executive Director Nora Nealis. “In almost every appointment, they brought up their cleaners and how hard they work to make their businesses successful.”

The Eastern Massachusetts Drycleaners Association will be presenting a seminar by shirt laundry expert Don Desrosiers on Thursday, March 7.

“Let’s Make Money On Shirts” will begin at 6:30 p.m. with an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner at the Occasions Banquet Facility located on Route 1 in Norwood, MA.

Desrosiers, a columnist for National Clothesline and various other drycleaning publications, will share with attendees his profitable cleaning system known as The Tailwind Shirt System that works on any shirt plant, regardless of volume.

Desrosiers will answer the question: “How can I offer an attractive price on shirts, and still make money on the service? He also will reveal ways to save between five and ten cents per shirt.

The advanced ticket price for the seminar is $15 per person. For tickets, contact Ted Aventi at (781) 767-1220.

The Eastern Massachusetts Drycleaners Association is a local chapter of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association. For a full schedule of events offered by NCA and its local chapters, visit www.nca-i.com and click on the “Program Schedule” link.