National Clothesline

At its 90th annual summer convention in Thompsonville, MI, the Michigan Institute of Laundering and Drycleaning plans to help cleaners get back to the basics so they can stick around for the future.

Hence, MILD’s theme for this year’s show is “Back to the Future.”

The event is scheduled for July 18-20 at Crystal Mountain Resort.

Sunday’s program will include a keynote address by IFI CEO Bill Fisher who will discuss how the national scope of the industry will be affecting its Michigan population.

In addition to Fisher’s presentation, MILD will offer a full educational regimen throughout the weekend, including seminars from the association’s Management Training Series and other industry related programs from a multitude of regional and national industry experts.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will present regulatory updates and workshops, as well.

The convention will begin on Friday evening with a scavenger hunt, followed by a Jimmy Buffet-themed party outside at the base of Crystal Mountains’ main ski slopes.

On Saturday, the fun activities will resume with a round of golf on the Mountain Course. Afterward, MILD will hold a cocktail reception and the annual President’s Gala where the association’s new officers will be announced.

Cost for the convention is $125 for members and $35 for children under 18. Non-members pay $200 each.

Hotel accommodations at the Crystal Mountain Resort may be obtained by calling (800) 968-7686. Room rates vary from $140 to $300 per night for single or double occupancy, depending on room layout and amenities.

For general information on the convention, contact the MILD office by calling (517) 337-2909.

Evans Services Inc. of Springfield, IL, a 33-year-old firm, has announced the organization of Evans Garment Restoration, LLC, a venture devoted exclusively to restoring garments damaged by soot, smoke and odor.

Evans Garment Restoration has a federal patent pending on its proprietary garment restoration process and anticipates patenting other restoration processes in the near future. Plans are also in the works to franchise Evans Garment Restoration plants.

“No other restoration company or drycleaner in the United States owns a patent on the process for removing smoke, soot and odor from garments, household items and draperies,” said Mike Rusciolelli, president of Evans Garment Restoration, LLC. “Our results over the past year have been outstanding. We’ve restored more than 92 percent of garments and 99 percent of soft goods (shoes, belts and purses).

Rusciolelli said that Evans’ proprietary restoration techniques saved insurance companies throughout the Midwest more than $27 million in 2002 and more than $12.8 million in the first four months of 2003. He anticipate that these same insurance companies will save in excess of $40 million this year.

Evans Garment Restoration’s corporate facility is located in Springfield, IL, with three satellite offices in Illinois and Missouri. The St. Louis office services most of Missouri, the Joliet office serves the Chicago metro area and the newest office, in Carroll County, IL, covers the northwest corner of Illinoiis, as well as Iowa and Wisconsin.

The company has a fleet of 10 service vehicles on the road each day to pick up and deliver garments and soft goods. EGR’s process allows the company to have an invoice to insurance adjusters generally within 14 days of pack out. The company is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

EGR is continuing legal preparations to open its first garment plant franchise by the end of this year. Groundbreaking is scheduled for July with the goal of establishing EGR plants throughout the United States to serve the insurance industry nationwide. The patent-pending garment restoration process, as well as the soft good restoration process, will be used at all EGR franchises.

LeatherVal, the suede and leather cleaning and refinishing school, will be hosting two classes in the coming months.

The research and training center is located at 825 75th Street, Suite H, in Willowbrook, IL.

Both sessions will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Friday and concluding at noon on Sunday. The courses will run from September 19-21 and November 7-9.

John Conway, national sales director for Kirk’s Suede-Life will teach the classes along with Nat Kurtzman, director of Kirk’s Cleaning Products in Montreal, Canada.

The program will cover: skin identification and classification; proper acceptance procedure for garments; a demonstration of all cleaning processes; suede spraying and coloring; leather spraying and coloring; press finishing; sales and promotion; and the ins and outs of prespotting.

The registration fee for each three-day course is $195 per plant; no more than three people from the same plant may attend. The fee also covers breakfast and lunch on Friday and Saturday.

Hotel rooms at the Holiday Inn in Willowbrook, located at 7800 S. Kingery Highway, are $74 plus tax per night for LeatherVal attendees. Call (630) 325-6400 for reservations.

For more information, call (800) 447-KIRK or go online to www.leatherval.com.