National Clothesline

Irving Weber Associates, Inc. has concluded negotiations to move its Fabricare Insurance program, currently with Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, to The St. Paul Insurance Company.

The company said the new program will permit participants access to better pricing and a higher level of support services.

The change took place on June 1, 2002 for all new business and workers’ compensation safety group renewals; the balance of the business will be changed over as it renews starting with July. Current policies will automatically be moved to the St. Paul Insurance Company.

IWA said the move should enhance service and claims handling and allow IWA, as the managing general agent, more flexibility to apply its experience of the fabricare industry to the program.

The IWA/St. Paul product automatically includes some additional coverages at no additional charge that were not included on the previous policy, such as mechanical breakdown, employee dishonesty, sewer and water backup to certain sub-limits. The product also allows for blanket limits, and will include an updated version of the bailee (customers’ goods) form.

An arrangement has been structured with St. Paul, which includes a commitment from the company via a service center. The service center will be responsible for the handling of endorsements, certificates of insurance, ID cards and all renewals.

This service, via a dedicated 800 line, will have program identity and the ability to hot key any calls which require agent intervention back to the initiating agency. Also, policyholders will have access to billing and claims information via the Internet.

The service center, operating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST, will take the lead in handling billing inquiries and policy maintenance with the customers.

Insureds will be able to report claims to the service center that will dispatch the claim to the appropriate party. IWA’s claim team will apply its expertise to the adjustment of customer claims.

Access to the program’s business owners’ coverages, as well as the Workers’ Compensation Dividend Plan, is available through any local agent the customer chooses with the exception of downstate New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida.

For more information, drycleaners can ask their local insurance representatives to call the program manager, Irving Weber Associates at (888) 622-5677.

Tampa-based Kreussler Inc. held a four-day joint sales meeting and distributors conference in May. Topics included the Kreussler range of products, the growth of Kreussler in the USA, distribution network and textile care trends.

John Phillips, executive vice president, said, “It is vitally important to have meetings with our distributors and our sales force to discuss and review the progress we are making in this market and to insure our continued growth through working together with our distributor network.”

Joe Waite of Platinum Coast Cleaners, Naples, FL, attended the Distributors Acknowledgment dinner and gave a talk, “From a Dry Cleaner’s Point of View.”

Pictured from left in the front row are Mark Welch, Mobile Solvent & Supply, Inc.; Dr. Detlev Travers, Kreussler, GmbH Wiesbaden, Germany; Bob Whiteside, Norton Supply; Al Iglesias, Kreussler, Inc.; Marc Leroy, Morwhite Inc.; Kaspar Hasenclever, Kreussler, GmbH Wiesbaden, Germany; Sancy Robey, Sunstate Supply; Chris Eichhorn, Allyson Supply; Jim Hynoski, USA Clean Charlotte; Young Choi, National Supply; Rich Fitzpatrick, Kreussler Inc.; Young Chun, National Supply.

In the second row from left are: Larry Wolff, USA Clean Carman; Bill Mark, Norton Supply; Joe White, Jr., Mobile Solvent & Supply, Inc.; Tom Little, Fuller Supply; John Breedlove, Fuller Supply; Dee Ferguson, Nu-Way Products Co.; Bruce Wiener, Kreussler Inc.; Barry Bernzweig, Bernzweig Supply; Arnold Levin, USA Clean Levin; Al Cella, Minda Supply; Lloyd Mindich, Minda Supply; Tae Kim, National Supply.

Third row from left are: Jeffrey Zaitz, Garland Supply; Irwin Zaitz, Garland Supply; John Phillips, Kreussler Inc.; Keith VanDusen, Kreussler Inc.; Ken Holder, Kreussler Inc.

Representatives from more than 50 Firbimatic distributors attended a recent Firbimatic/Eco Dry of America technical seminar and service at its Huntley, IL, headquarters. Attendees included Gino Biagi, Vincenzo Minarelli and Aldo Daminelli from the Firbimatic factory in Bologna, Italy.

The sessions provided training on the latest developments in the Firbimatic product line. The company’s new Vortex Series Perc systems and the new EcoGreen and EcoGreen SM soft-mount system for alternative solvents were covered in depth.

Firbimatic manufactures advanced drycleaning systems for commercial drycleaning, institutional and industrial applications. The company can be reached by phone at (800) 220-0630 or through its web site at www.firbimatic.com.

Felrap World has a new office and fax number. The company’s address is Felrap World, Inc., 3 Matthew Dr., Warren, RI 02885. The fax number now is (401) 245-4448. The phone number, (800) 969-4940, remains unchanged as does the web address: www.felrap.com.

Joe Hallak of Hallak’s Cleaners in Hackensack, NJ, received the Robert Santo Memorial Leading Edge Environmental Award from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

The DEP award recognizes Hallak for operating an environmentally friendly business.

The award is named for the late Robert Santo who owned Westwood Cleaners in Westfield, NJ. Among his many active pursuits, he was a founding member of the New Jersey Drycleaners Coalition, which attempted to get state legislation passed that would address drycleaners’ environmental concerns and liabilities.

Hallak said his plant was appraised during an inspection tour by the DEP and Community Advisory Panel.

“We showed them the hazardous waste disposal process and how everything is done. They walked through. We were encouraged by the Advisory Panel understanding that cleaners can run a good plant.”