MAC succeeds in sales tax battles
The MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners
said its work on behalf of drycleaners paid off one more time
when the Maryland and Virginia legislatures did not extend
sales tax to drycleaning, laundry, and related services —
for now.
“Next time, we may not be so
lucky,” said David Norford, MidAtlantic’s executive
vice president. “Too many in our industry still have the
attitude that ‘I’m too busy, I don’t have any
money, I don’t have to worry, someone else will take care
of and pay for it.’ It’s that constant battle
within our industry that just adds to the difficulties inherent
to dealing with legislative and regulatory issues. It’s a
constant concern,” Norford said.
“Sometimes MidAtlantic does its job
so well and quietly that accomplishments are simply taken for
granted. It is only through constant vigilance and daily
persistence that MidAtlantic has achieved a record of
accomplishments second to none,” commented Charles Smith,
MidAtlantic vice president.
“For more than 13 years, MidAtlantic
has been successful in dealing with various state agencies and
turning aside undesirable legislation including specific state
ergonomics requirements, air quality, and unwarranted
contamination issues,” Smith added.
In addition to sales tax issues,
MidAtlantic has worked with coalitions and officials in
Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia on voluntary assessment
and remediation program provisions to create cleanup programs
for each state, without punitive action and without annual fees
or additional recurring costs and reporting.
Loan funds, tax breaks, workplace issues
and non-discriminatory pricing are some of the other issues
that MAC has been involved in for the industry.
MAC is the IFI affiliate representing
members in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and the District
of Columbia. The association’s website is www.midatlanticassociation.org.
 |
MAC nominated for environmental award
The MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners
recently received a nomination for the first annual Small
Business Environmental Steward Award.
The award is given in an effort to
recognize small businesses and trade associations for their
dedication and commitment to environmental stewardship. The
honor specifically emphasizes: pollution prevention, reducing
emissions, emission control and/or community air quality
leadership.
MAC was selected as a nominee by the
Steering Committee for the National Small Business Assistance
and Ombudsman Program (SBAP/SBO).
The Steering Committee represents over 500
Small Business Assistance Programs from all over the country.
It was initially created in 1995 to establish an effective
networking and communications tool between those programs and
the Environmental Protection Agency’s Small Business
Ombudsman and Office of Air Quality Planning Standards.
The final award winners will be officially
announced on June 1 of this year.
New web, e-mail addresses
For more information, visit MAC’s
new web site URL at www.midatlanticassociation.org. The URL has been changed to better reflect the
association’s name.
During the coming year, anyone using the
old web address will be re-directed to the new site.
MAC may also be contacted by phone at
(800) 235-8360 or by its new e-mail:
midatlanticassociation@direcway.com.
The old e-mail address is no longer active
and e-mails sent to that address will be returned as
undeliverable.
|
|
PDCA expands Atlantic City exhibit space
In less than two months, more than 180
booths have been sold for Drycleaning & Laundry Expo 2004,
the trade show sponsored by the Pennsylvania
and Delaware Drycleaners Association.
As a result, the association’s organizing committee has
expanded the space available to accommodate more companies.
The exhibit will be held at the Atlantic
City Convention Center in Atlantic City, NJ, October 2 and 3.
Headquarters hotel for the event will be
the Borgata, where the social events and receptions will take
place. A casual welcome reception is planned for Friday and an
elegant cocktail reception will be held Saturday evening. Rooms
at the Borgata are available at the convention rate of $189 per
night for a single or double.
The educational program will be at the
convention center. Featured speakers on Saturday will be IFI
CEO Bill Fisher and TCATA president Bill Odorizzi.
On Sunday morning, Industry consultant
Jane Zellers will lead a “Breakfast with the Pros”
roundtable discussion.
A prospectus is available by calling PDCA,
(800) 822-7352, or sending an e-mail to info@pdclean.org.
|
|