National Clothesline

The Wisconsin Fabricare Institute wants to help cleaners go “Beyond Expectations” at its winter convention from Feb. 14-16 at the Embassy Suites in Brookfield, WI.

The association will kick off the weekend with certification and re-certification tests from 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Registration for the winter convention will begin later that evening at 6 p.m. The evening will conclude with a Valentine Party and Dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Educational sessions will begin Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. with “Improving Customer Relations — Why Customers Quit” by Chris Allsbrooks of IFI.

Ray Healey of St. Croix Chemical Company will follow with “Shirt Laundering —†Tips From a Master” at 11:30 a.m.

In the afternoon, WFI will host an auction from 2 to 4 p.m. and an Allied Trades Dessert Reception from 12: 30 to 2 p.m. A banquet dinner is planned in the evening at 6 p.m. It will feature the announcements of the Five Star Awards, the new WFI Hall of Fame inductee and the drawing for this year’s scholarship recipient.

On Sunday morning, John Mozingo, director of management training for the University of Wisconsin-Oskosh, will present “Introduction to Continuous Quality Improvement: No Matter How Good We Are, We Can Be Better Tomorrow.”

At 10:30 a.m., the final educational session will be a panel discussion on the Drycleaners Environmental Response Fund. Panel members include: Brett Donaldson, Jim Drought, Don Gallo, Robin Schmidt, Tim Whitcher and Steve Plater.

Registration for all of the convention’s events costs $155 for members and $120 for spouses.

Rooms are available at the Embassy Suites, located at 1200 South Moorland Rd. in Brookfield, WI, at a rate of $99 per night for single or double occupancy. For reservations, contact the hotel at (262) 782-2900.

For more information on WFI’s “Beyond Expectations” convention, call the association at (414) 529-4707.

“Planning for the Future” is the theme for this year’s Minnesota Cleaners Association annual convention, scheduled for Feb. 21 and 22 at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, MN.

Chris Allsbrooks of IFI will be the featured speaker for the event. She will discuss how to avoid the most common problems in the plant and how to treat customers like gold.

The associations will also offer a perc-related program that will help cleaners work with county inspectors on environmental compliance.

On Saturday, Feb. 22, attendees will have an opportunity to visit the convention’s tabletop exhibit hall, which will be open from noon to 3:30 p.m.

MCA has secured discounted rooms at the Mystic Lake Casino at a rate of $83 per night for single or double occupancy. To make reservations, call (952) 445-9000 and mention the winter convention.

For more information on the annual convention, call (952) 445-9000.