IFI leaders take posts at Clean Show
At the International Fabricare
Institute’s meeting during Clean ’03, the
association announced the alignment of its leadership positions
for the coming year.
IFI said farewell to outgoing Chairman
Lang Houston, owner of Crest Cleaners in Cocoa, FL. Houston,
the association’s 30th Chairman, never believed the
industry owed him anything. In his past six years of service,
he proved to be a valuable resource — albeit a humble one
— and his retirement from active service with IFI’s
board is well-deserved.
However, his work with IFI will continue
as he joins the ranks of IFI Senators.
Succeeding Houston will be incoming
Chairman Jim Cripe, owner of Valet Cleaners in Temple, TX.
During his recent presidential term, Cripe assisted with many
changes at IFI, including the overhaul of its image and logo.
Also at the meeting, Don Fawcett took over
the presidential gavel from Cripe. He owns and operates 17
Dependable Cleaner locations in Massachusetts and he has
completed four years on the board.
Despite intense competition in his region
of Massachusetts, Fawcett has managed to flourish his business.
Now, he plans to build upon Cripe’s accomplishments. He
will focus the brunt of his leadership goals in five areas:
• Increasing IFI membership by
improving communications with all drycleaners.
• Increasing awareness and usage of
IFI’s education and training programs and services,
including making sure existing programs are appropriate, as
well as creating new programs based on member requests.
• Continuing the mission to improve
the industry’s image by raising the bar on industry
standards and professionalism levels.
• Increasing the value of IFI
membership and educating members on the ways IFI can help
increase their bottom line. These include increased sales,
decreased labor problems and having a referral source that can
be used on a regular basis.
• Continuing to provide a united
voice when working with government regulatory agencies.
Next in line for the IFI presidency is Dan
Martino, who will begin his term in 2004 after a year as
President-Elect. He owns Martino’s Master Dry Cleaners in
Kenosha, Wisconsin and has played an active role on IFI’s
board since 1999.
Rounding out the open spots is the IFI
District 3 Director Gary Dawson, who will now be treasurer.
Dawson owns Belleair Bluffs Cleaners in Florida.
IFI members recently elected two new
directors. Tom Gosselin, President of Kleen Incorporated in
Lebanon, NH, will fill Fawcett's old seat in District 1.
Gosselin has more than 40 years of
industry experience and has been actively involved with the
North East Fabricare Association for over 15 years, where he
was president in 1999-2000 and currently serves on the board of
directors. He was also president of the International
Drycleaners Congress in 2001 and remains on that
organization’s board.
The other new director is Peter
Valessares, CED, CPD, President of M.K. Cleaners in Chicago,
IL, who will represent members in District 5.
Valessares took over his father’s
cleaning business — M.K. Cleaners of Chicago, IL —
when his father abruptly died of a heart attack in November of
1970. He has become more and more active in the industry and
his local community, and, recently, he lead a gathering of
industry leaders who met with City of Chicago Finance Committee
Chairman Alderman Edward Burke in an effort to thwart
legislation curtailing the use of perc in the industry.
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