National Clothesline

GreenEarth Cleaning has appointed Johnson Services Group as the Master Licensor of the GreenEarth Cleaning process in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Johnson Services Group, one of the largest drycleaning companies in the world, has been in business for more than 100 years and is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange.

The master licensing agreement with Johnson Services Group is the second formal introduction of GreenEarth Cleaning outside North America and is the first on the European Continent. The master licensing agreement for Brazil was announced at Clean ‘03. GreenEarth Cleaning expects to announce additional master licensing partners in other parts of the world in the coming months.

Johnson Services Group released the following statement on its interim report dated September 19, 2003 :

“An exciting development in the period has been our appointment as the Master Licensor for GreenEarth in the UK and Ireland for an initial period to 2008.”

GreenEarth is a silicone-based cleaning process developed in the United States by GreenEarth in conjunction with GE and Procter & Gamble. Existing and impending legislation in North America and parts of Europe clearly demonstrates that drycleaning will have to rely increasingly on environmentally acceptable processes and GreenEarth will provide us with a first-to-market advantage. We have completed exhaustive trials and we plan to roll out this technology across all our 500 stores over the next two years.”

IPSO USA has appointed Laundrysales.com to distribute the IPSO brand of laundry equipment to the self-service laundry markets in New England. IPSO washers are available in coin and smart card operation for self-service laundries.

LaundrySales.com is located in West Newton, MA, and has been in business for 39 years, building and developing self-service laundries in New England.

Customers can order IPSO and other brands of replacement parts, equipment and supplies at our www.laundrysales.com website 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Laundrysales.com sales manager Doug Jones said.

IPSO’s front load washer-extractor line includes drop-coin operation with mechanical timer, drop coin with its Micro 20 or smart card operation in capacities of 18, 25, 35, 40, 50 and 75 pounds. A complimentary line of dryers is also available.

LaundrySales.com can provide laundry facility cost analysis, layout & design, CAD drawings of laundry rooms and quotes for IPSO laundry equipment and ancillary items.

The company’s web site has a section dedicated to the IPSO product line including product descriptions, electronic brochures and images. Customers can register for parts and service specials and apply for financing or leasing of laundry equipment on-line

The company can be reached by phone at (800) 962-WASH or by e-mail at info@laundrysales.com. The company web site is www.laundrysales.com.

Laurence Cohn has formed eAnytime Kiosks Inc., combining the resources of several companies to provide business development consulting, made-to-order kiosk design and construction, application software development and system integration services to organizations seeking to develop business through self-service computerized kiosks.

The company will also sell Cohn’s proprietary patented, patent-pending 24/7 self-service computerized kiosks and copyrighted application software for a variety of industries and applications.

For information call (614) 842-7000 or e-mail: Laurence@eAnytimeKiosks.com.

Firbimatic held a special dealer meeting in conjunction with Clean ‘03. Attending were Firbimatic distributors from all parts of the country, as well as corporate executives and technical personnel from the company’s factory headquarters in Bologna, Italy. Michael T. Hurd, executive vice president of Firbimatic USA/Eco Dry of America, presented the following dealers with special achievement awards for sales and service excellence at the conclusion of the meeting.

Platinum Award: Bob Haiges, Haiges Machinery, Huntley, IL.

Gold Award: Paul Gin, PCS Inc., Anaheim, CA;

Silver Award: Daewoo Machinery, Long Island City, NY.

Bronze Award: Cleaners Leasing, Charlotte, NC.

Outstanding Distributor Awards: James Lee, Unikorn Machinery Sales & Service, Lawrenceville, GA; Avery Clark, A&B Equipment Co., Saginaw, MI; and Stu Depper, Clean Tech Machinery, Inc., Burlingame, CA.

Hamilton Engineering, Inc. has formed a partnership with Sparklean Laundry Systems of Southern California, establishing an in-house team of water heating experts.

Sparklean is taking a proactive position given the severe impact that the steep climb of natural gas prices is having on its clients.

Hamilton Engineering is the leader in extremely high efficiency water heaters, says Van Merrill, co-owner along with David and Darryl Stark of Sparklean. We are constantly getting feedback from our customers about how their high energy bills are. This partnership will present cost justified solutions to our customers’ expensive water heating costs.

Not only has the rapid increase in natural gas prices made it difficult for’castore owners to remain profitable, but the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) now requires all water heaters to have extremely low NOX emissions ratings. The phase-in period for meeting these requirements spans the next few years. Hamilton Engineering, Inc. has been producing products for the laundry industry that exceed these standards since 1989.

Using Hamilton’s CompSize program, factory-trained experts can analyze fuel bills, determine proper hot water system sizing and provide accurate data on operating costs, savings, and return on investment. This data will be used to provide several options to help laundries meet the air quality standards and reduce operating costs.

For more information, contact Sparklean Laundry System at (866) 330-7030 or Hamilton Engineering, Inc. at (800) 968-5530.

Alan Robson of Biz Builder Services was a guest speaker at the Ontario Fabricare Association’s annual conference, October 4.

Robson presented his management seminar, Play To Win!, covering winning business strategies for drycleaners. Of particular interest to attendees was how to establish productivity standards to increase piece volume in a down market.

In today’s business climate it is essential for every owner to monitor the quality of their customer service and the quality of their work daily Robson said

This action, coupled with realistic production standards and proactive cost controls, are essential for the future success of your business. It was a privilege to meet with this fine group of forward-thinking cleaners in Toronto.

American Chillers had moved to 2326 Walden Dr., Unit C, August, GA 30904. The new telephone number is (706) 736-5101 and the fax is (706) 736-5104.

Colmac Industries, Inc. has opened a new regional sales office in Cincinnati, OH, managed by Ernie Kassoff.

A 20-year industry veteran, Kassoff has held various management positions with laundry equipment manufacturers, serving the needs of the industrial, hospitality, healthcare, and commercial laundry markets. He brings a knowledge of plant operations including automation sequencing and database networking.

Colmac’s line of tunnel finishers, garment finishers, heat pump water heaters and the newest acquisition, Count On Us, will allow Kassoff to help customers increase productivity and decrease operational costs.

The regional office is located at 9902 Knollwind Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45242; phone (513) 791.6723; e-mail ekassoff@colmacind.com.

Barry McElveen, executive director of the Southeastern Fabricare Association has been named to the Small Business Compliance Advisory Board, which is part of the Small Business Assistance Program of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD).

The Small Business Assistance Program (SBAP) was created under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 to meet the environmental needs of Georgia’s small businesses. The SBAP provides free confidential assistance on environmental issues to businesses that employ fewer than 100 people.

McElveen is one of seven advisory board selected by the General Assembly who are either small business owners or representatives of small business. He was appointed by Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, House minority leader.

Two other board members are selected by the Governor, and cannot be owners or representatives of small business. One member represents the EPD Air Protection Branch.

John R. Graham, president of Graham Communications in Quincy, MA and frequent contributor to this publication, has received the Robert G. Ryan Award for outstanding business writing from the Door and Hardware Institute. DHI President William H. Elliott, Jr., AHC, of HCI/Craftsmen in South Weymouth, MA, presented the award to Graham during its annual conference in Tampa, FL.

This is the second consecutive year that Graham has won the Ryan award. His award-winning article, Making a Winning Presentation How to Think Like a Listener, appeared in the magazine’s July 2002 issue.

An effective presentation focuses attention on the audience rather than the speaker, Graham wrote in the article. When a speaker thinks like a listener, the experience becomes enjoyable for both the speaker and the audience.

Graham established Graham Communications in 1976 as a service communications firm. His monthly articles on marketing and sales appear in trade publications and business newspapers around the country.

Tom Searl has joined Continental Girbau Inc. as the company’s western regional sales manager, replacing Joe Venderveen who retired recently.

Searl has more than 13 years experience in the commercial laundry industry. In addition to managing Continental distributors throughout the western United States and Canada, he will be involved in new product introductions, sales support, marketing and training. Most recently he served a major laundry equipment manufacturer as manager of national accounts.

Continental Girbau Inc. is a subsidiary of Girbau, S.A., based in Spain.