National Clothesline

The Textile Care Allied Trades Association honored The Minnesota Chemical Co. and Tingue, Brown & Co. on the anniversary of their 75th consecutive year of membership in the association and the Lattner Boiler Manufacturing Co. on the anniversary of its 50th consecutive year of membership.

A special award was presented to Dan Baker of The Minnesota Chemical Co., David Tingue of Tingue, Brown & Co. and Sutherland Junge of Lattner Boiler Manufacturing Co. at the closing event at TCATA’s Annual Conference in Dana Point, CA, in April.

The Minnesota Chemical Company, a distributor of equipment and supplies, is owned by the third generation of Baker brothers and cousins: Mike Baker is president of the company and manager of the equipment department; Steve Baker is vice president-treasurer and manager of the supplies division; Dan Baker is a vice president and manager of the Milwaukee operation. The company currently

maintains three locations in the Midwest.

The company was founded in 1915 by R. P. Baker, a native of Ireland, who capitalized on his experience as a seller of woolen yard goods and soap products

In the initial decades, it concentrated on both the manufacture of its own soap products and the distribution of various supply items to creameries, laundries and drycleaners.

After World War II, R.P.’s sons, Dan, John and Bob, returned from military service to manage and expand the scope of the company.

Very gradually, beginning about 50 years ago, they began adding

laundry and drycleaning equipment lines.

The company has always been a strong supporter of TCATA. Dan’s brother, Steve, is a member of the Business Program Committee for the 2003 Annual Management and Educational Conference and has served on the Board of Directors. Dan’s father and uncles were active members of TCATA.

In 2002, Tingue, Brown & Co. celebrated its 100th year of operations. While the company has been known since 1902 for flatwork ironer paddings, covers, aprons and a wide range of other products for the laundry industry, the company’s origins go back to the previous century.

In 1872, William J. Tingue and his brother, John, began producing felts. By the turn of the century, they were one of the country’s largest felt manufacturers and had branched out into woolens.

The company’s entry into the laundry business came in 1902. William J. Tingue, Jr. and William Brown had formed Tingue, Brown & Co., supplying fine felts to the piano and printing industries.

Tingue’s wife, Lillian, expressed unhappiness over the finish on work from a commercial laundry. Tingue knew that laundries used felt paddings, although he had never been able to sell them his premium-quality product. But his wife had given him a sales argument.

He visited the laundry and convinced them that, if Mrs. Tingue was unhappy, many other customers were probably unhappy, too.

As a result, he received an order for “10 pads, White Felt,” dated April 1, 1902. Tingue, Brown & Co. was in the laundry supply business.

David Tingue is currently president of the company and recently became president of Talley Machinery, another company owned by Tingue, Brown. David’s father and grandfather were both active members of TCATA.

Honored for 50 years of consecutive membership in TCATA was Lattner Boiler Manufacturing Co. of Cedar Rapids, IA.

Lattner Boiler was started in 1916 but wasn’t actually incorporated until 1918 by Paul M. Lattner. P.M., as he was known, was a pioneer in the sale of automobiles in Iowa. At one time, he was the Iowa distributor for Ford, Maxwell, White Steamer and several electric cars.

Since car batteries in those days only used distilled water, P.M. designed a small still to condense steam to get his water. Soon, other car dealers had him making the contraption for them. This grew to a point where he set up a small manufacturing plant to make stills and garage heaters. A local man in the dyeing and pressing business saw the process and asked P.M. to make him a small boiler for his garment press.

Thus was born the first Lattner boiler — a small coil-type, water tube boiler. Since then, the company has had many different styles and sizes of boilers and accessories come through their plant.

Lattner Boiler has remained a family business since its founding and is now being run by the fifth generation of family. Sutherland Junge, son of president Steve Junge, accepted the award on behalf of his company.

In honoring these three companies, TCATA president Marty Haubenstock said, “In our world, where almost everything seems disposable, this length of support and commitment is rare indeed.”

Noting the vast changes in the textile care industry that have occurred since 1928, he added, “One thing that has not changed from then until now is the reason why TCATA exists. In 1920, several allied trades companies in this industry joined together with the idea that the sharing of resources, ideas and opportunities with colleagues would benefit all companies — that, indeed, the whole could be greater than the sum of its parts. By banding together, allied trades firms shared ideas and solutions on common problems and issues of the day.”

PICTURE WITH CAPTION: Sutherland Junge of Lattner Boiler (right) receives plaque from TCATA president Marty Haubenstock in honor of the company’s 50th anniversary of membership in TCATA.

Jens Voldbaek, president of Jensen USA, Fort Mill, SC, received the

2003 L. Frank Wright “Young Timer of the Year” Award at the recent Annual Conference of the Textile Care Allied Trades Association in Dana Point, CA. The award honors a TCATA member who has made significant contributions to the association.

In presenting the award, TCATA President Marty Haubenstock noted that Voldbaek exemplifies the true spirit of the L. Frank Wright “Young Timer of the Year,” as he has contributed both to TCATA and to the allied trades. In 1996, he served as a member of the association’s Product Safety Committee that developed uniform warning labels for manufacturer use on heavy laundry machinery.

He has also been a strong and vocal advocate of exhibitor interests as they relate to the Clean Show, the industry’s biennial trade show. He served as chairman of TCATA’s Advisory Committee of Member Exhibitors (ACME) from 1996-1999, helping guide TCATA through times when there were controversial issues related to the Clean Show.

He has served as TCATA vice president of the Machinery Manufacturer Group since 2000 and is involved in working on the 2004 Annual Conference in Hilton Head, SC.

He and his wife, Helle, reside in Charlotte, NC.

The Young Timers Club was formed many years ago in Sun Valley, ID, by a group of allied trades. The major function of the club is to bring together the allied trades in an informal and relaxed atmosphere to get to know one another better and exchange ideas for the betterment of the industry.

The “Young Timer of the Year” Award is named after one of the founders of this group, L. Frank Wright, sales manager of Huebsch Manufacturing Co. The award has been given every year since 1964.

Bill Odorizzi, vice president of sales for F. H. Bonn Co. in Springfield, OH, was elected president-elect of the Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA) at the association’s annual conference in Dana Point, CA, in May.

Odorizzi has been a contributor to TCATA in many areas. He has served as secretary-

treasurer of the association and a member of the Executive Committee since 2002. He has been a member of the board of directors for the last four years; served on the Advisory Committee of Member Exhibitors (ACME) for three years; and has been a member of both the directors and officers nominating committees.

In addition, he has served as general conference chair for TCATA’s 2000 conference in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, and as chairman of the Business Program Committee for the 1998 Conference in San Antonio, TX.

Odorizzi’s two-year term as president will begin in May 2004. He and his wife, Mary Beth, reside in Kettering, OH.

Other officers elected at the Conference were Alex Atwater of A-1 Products Co., secretary-treasurer-elect; Jens Voldbaek of Jensen USA, vice president of the Machinery Manufacturers Group; Ava Campagna of Qualitex Co., vice president of the Supply Manufacturers Group; and Alex Atwater, vice president of the Distributors Group.