The daily life of a drycleaner is crammed
with complicated questions and quandaries. What should I look
out for when I clean the latest fashions? What do my customers
really want? How can I motivate my employees? How can I make my
business better?
Many cleaners are simply too busy and
tired to look for the answers. However, invaluable information
is easy to find if you know when and where to look.
The when is August 11-14 and the where is
the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, the site
of this year’s Clean Show. The event promises to be
an enlightening experience for those who venture out and attend
the International Fabricare Institute’s educational offerings
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Fisher first joined the association in
1965, 30 years before he took over the reins as CEO. He will
discuss how IFI members can get the most out of their
association membership. While the current economic climate may
have lead to fewer customers and tighter finances for many
cleaners, Fisher strongly believes that IFI’s benefits
and services far outweigh the cost of its annual membership
dues.
Later that morning, perennially-popular
presenter Chris Allsbrooks will be back behind the podium with
more information on how to avoid some of the cleaning fiascos
that have occurred at drycleaning plants in recent months.
Her session on “Problem Garments: A Riches to Rags Story
— How to Avoid an Unhappily Ever After” will run from 8:45 to 10 a.m. in Room
245-251.
Allsbrooks earned her bachelor’s
degree in fashion merchandising and textile marketing from the
University of Maryland, College Park. She is currently in her
tenth year as a textile analyst for IFI’s International
Textile Analysis Laboratory.
Her program will be full of hot tips on
which of the latest fashion trends cleaners should be wary of
if they want to avoid unpleasant encounters at the front
counter.
What customers think
On Tuesday, August 12, a guest panel of
experts will discuss “Give
It to ‘Em How They Want It!” The two-hour program begins at 8 a.m. in Room N
115-117 and will focus on how cleaners can meet customer
expectations.
The panel will divulge some of the
interesting results from the 2002 Drycleaning Usage &
Consumer Attitude survey conducted by the FabriCare Foundation.
In the survey, customers were polled on what they expect from
their drycleaner. Attendees will hear their answers as the
panel offers insight on how to put that information to work for
your business.
The roundtable of speakers will be
comprised of four industry personalities: Laura Barron, Pat
Godo, Richard Gritz and Mike Nesbit.
Barron is president of a consulting firm
called The Barron Group, founded in Tennessee in 1994. She
holds a B.A. and an M.B.A. from the University of Tennessee and
is a professional member of the National Speakers Association.
Southwest cleaners will recognize Godo,
who recently ended her term as president of the Southwest
Drycleaners Association. She is president of Avon Cleaners in
Dallas, TX, and is also a director on the FabriCare Foundation.
“Buddy” Richard Gritz, vice
president of the MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners, is a
member of the IFI Peer Review Committee for technical
education. He received a degree in financial management from
the University of Maryland and spent seven years in the Air
Force before beginning work with Presto Valet in Alexandria,
VA.
Joining the others on the panel is Mike
Nesbit, CED, owner of Nesbit Cleaners in Spring, TX. He
currently serves on the board of directors for SDA and is a
founding member of the Tuchman Training Systems Management
Group.
What employees want
Once attendees learn how to keep customers
loyal during Tuesday’s program, they can spend the
following morning discovering how to keep their employees
motivated.
Beginning at 8 a.m. in Room N 115-117, the
two-hour program will feature another expert panel who will
offer ways to reduce their employee turnover and motivate their
staff to increase its productivity.
The panel will consist of Angel Suarez,
Ted Barry, Dan Martino II and Heath Bolin.
As the owner of Rey’s Cleaners in
Coral Gables, FL, Angel Suarez oversees a staff of over 50
workers. Drawing from his experience — which includes
over 20 years in the industry — he is well-versed in
dealing with plant employees.
Barry is the vice president of operations
for John Barry and Associates, a management-engineering firm
out of Newport Beach, CA that has been in business for over 50
years. He has earned a B.A. degree from Gonzaga University, as
well as an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University. Also
joining in will be third generation cleaner Dan Martino II, who
manages and operates six locations of Martino’s Master
Dry Cleaners, based in Kenosha, WI. He has been active in his
family’s plant since the age of nine.
Rounding out Wednesday’s panelists
is Heath Bolin, president of Sparkle Cleaners, Inc. in Tucson,
AZ. Sparkle is the largest cleaners in the area with 135
employees and 14 stores.
Bolin currently serves on the board of the
Western States Dry Cleaning and Launderers Association.
Admittance to all seminars is included in
the cost of registration for the show.
