South

The annual meeting for the Tennessee Fabricare Association will be held from March 22-24 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville, TN.

A special room rate of $99 per night for single/double occupancy has been procured. Attendees should make reservations as soon as possible by calling (615) 255-8400 and mentioning TFA’s annual meeting.

The weekend activities will begin on Friday evening from 6 to 7:30 p.m. with a welcome reception. On Saturday morning at 9 a.m., Laurie Wilson will speak until about noon on “Success Safari… Identifying, Stalking and Creatively Capturing an Endangered Species… (Satisfied Customers).” Wilson, president of L. Wilson Group, Inc., is a business consultant.

Later in the afternoon, “Turned-On Teams… Finding Fun Ways to Build a More Cohesive Team” will be presented from 1:30 to 4 p.m.

The association’s annual meeting and breakfast will take place on Sunday morning. IFI CEO Bill Fisher is an invited guest. He will be joined by Wade Elam, a retired drycleaner and TFA Director Emeritus.

Cost to attend all of the functions is $39 per person for IFI members and $69 for others.

For more information, contact Debbie Lowenthal, executive director, or Amy Breedlove, associate director, at the TFA office, (615) 269-5312.

The South Eastern Fabricare Association has scheduled a busy year of educational opportunities on a variety of topics in the drycleaning industry.

The association has several Saturday finishing clinics planned throughout the year, including one in Atlanta, GA, on April 6. Two more finishing clinics are planned for May 4 in Columbia, SC, and on May 11 in Naples, FL.

Two Saturday seminars on wetcleaning are also on the schedule. One will take place on March 9 in Charleston, SC, and the other one will be on May 4, in Savannah, GA.

On Tuesday, March 19, SEFA will present a discussion on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Compliance Program in Georgia.

An in-depth, two-day course on “Basic and Advanced Drycleaning & Spotting” is set for June 8 and 9 in Atlanta, GA.

That course will attempt to “take the mystery out of the drycleaning machine.” The first day will be devoted to the basics of fiber and fabric classification, weaves, dyes, prints and finishes. Attendees will gain a true understanding of pre-spotting and will study the soil release curve and the effects of humidity and moisture content of solvent.

Day two will be reserved for detailing the importance of understanding and respecting the spotting chemicals. Class instructors will explain the correct uses of acids, alkalis and lubricants, and how each reacts with certain fibers, fabrics, dyes and finishes.

Advanced techniques, including bleaching, dye stripping, mineral oil barriers and other useful stain removal methods will be covered.

Looking ahead to next Fall, SEFA already has a Customer Service seminar planned for Sept. 28 in Valdosta, GA.

In that class, the six most common types of customers will be identified, as well as the things that make them tick. Attendees will learn how to identify the problem areas in their customer service policies and procedures and gain a better understanding of how the role of the customer service representative is vital to the future success of the company.

Filling out the association’s schedule for the year is its annual Southern Drycleaner Show, set to take place in Savannah, GA, from Aug. 2-4.

For more information about SEFA’s upcoming events, contact them by calling (877) 707-7332 or (912) 355-3364.

The “Cowboy Cleaner” will be riding into Nashville, TN, to deliver an educational seminar on Effective Basic Stain Removal on Saturday, March 23.

Kenney Slatten of Kenney Slatten Training Co. will bring his years of industry experience to the spotting table to discuss and demonstrate the art of basic stain removal using Street’s Portable Stain Removal Board and Display.

The seminar will be hosted by Phenix Supply Company of Nashville, TN.

For more details, contact Phenix Supply Company at (615) 254-5192.