National Clothesline

The start of a new term for the directors and officers of the International Fabricare Institute began at the association’s annual membership meeting, which took place in Braintree, MA.

Present at the event - which coincided with IFI’s summer board meeting - was incoming president Dan Martino, who previously held the post of District 5 Director for four years. Owner of Martino’s Master Dry Cleaners in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Martino has also served as the association’s president-elect and treasurer, as well.

He steps into office just as IFI preparing to move into its new modern facility by the end of August.

“There have been several milestones in my life, most of which involved family and business,” Martino said. “Assuming the presidency of IFI is certainly one milestone that I view with a degree of trepidation, but also enormous optimism, excitement, and a sense of determination.”

Martino takes over the IFI presidency from Don Fawcett, owner of Dependable Cleaners in Quincy, MA, who now has takes the posistion of chairman of the board. That position had been occupied by outgoing chairman Jim Cripe, CED, CPD, owner of Valet Cleaners in Temple, TX.

Also during the meeting, IFI officially welcomed incoming directors and a new member to its executive committee, which is comprised of the current president, chairman, president-elect, treasurer and corporate secretary - a† station held by the current CEO of the association, Bill Fisher.

Joining Fisher, Martino and Fawcett on the 2004-05 executive committee will be President-Elect Gary Dawson, who is also director of District 3. He was IFI’s treasurer during the 2003-04 term.

The newest addition to the committee is H. Steven Poulos, CPD, the association’s newly-elected treasurer. Poulos has served on the board since 2001, including his current stint as director of District 4.

New directors on the board include David Silliman and Barry Gershenson. Prior to replacing retiring director Gary Campbell in District 7, Silliman, CPD, co-owner of Uptowne Drycleaning in Phoenix, AZ, was a district committee member. District 7 consists of Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Gershenson, president of Sterling Cleaners in Los Angeles, CA, will take over as director of District 8, which encompasses California and Hawaii. He succeeds his brother, Harvey Gershenson, CED, CPD.

Rounding out the changes was the addition of R.R. Street and Co. Inc’s David Dawson, who formerly was an at-large district committee member. He now assumes the role as the new Allied Trades Director, replacing Brent McWilliams of Laidlaw.