January 1998
A pile of smoldering rubble(above) was all that remained of Pompton Lakes Cleaners after the fire. Owner Bill Bici (right) stands in front of the charred remains of his plant with his sister, Freda, (left) and Ann Hawkins, NIE's vice president of claims.
News and Views
Around the US
|
Profile
- Eddie Mannis: The formula sounds simple: start a small business, plan your growth well and keep pace with change. Adapt, adjust and keep your eye on opportunities. But most of all, make sure you are doing something you like.
Columns
Newsmakers
Information Central
|
A fire that started in a supermarket moved rapidly through a strip shopping center in northern New Jersey on Oct. 27, wiping out 11 enterprises and the business heart of a small town. Among the small business owners watching their work reduced to ashes was Bill Bici, the owner of Pompton Lakes Cleaners. His store was two doors down from the supermarket and among the first shops to become engulfed.
The intensity of the fire was such that nothing could be saved from the 12 stores in the center. Local officials were reported as shocked at the extent of the damage. The fire effectively destroyed the core business district of this town of 11,000 people. On an emotional level, it wiped out a 40-year-old shopping center which many residents grew up with and saw as a part of everyday life.
For drycleaner Bill Bici, the morning blaze wiped out eight years of his life. He was left pondering what he should do to recover. And it's making him stir-crazy.
"I'm scratching the walls," Bici said in December,"I'm looking for a temporary location or a permanent location."
It's not easy to start over when a business turns to ashes. When that store is in a small town with few alternative locations, the task is even more difficult.
"The reason I located in the shopping center was it was the best available location. There's a little downtown (in Pompton Lakes) but for the nature of my business, it's not conducive" to attracting customers, Bici said.
Bici's major problem is the landlord hasn't indicated what his next move will be, other than canceling everyone's lease.
"If you don't know when he's going to rebuild, it limits your plans on what to do," Bici said. "I'd hate to say 'to heck with waiting' and open somewhere else."
In remembering the day of the fire, Bici said the situation unraveled rather quickly.
"I was there when the fire started," he recalled. "When I came in nothing was going on. I was going through my business, going through the daily routine. There was the old fellow who hangs around outside and he came in and said, 'geez, there's smoke coming out of ACME (supermarket).' There were two cop cars and the fire chief there. I looked in the ACME and I could see it's filling with smoke. I figured firemen and police were there and everything was okay."
Not so. A short while later, the police came in and told everybody to get out immediately. There was no question they would physically throw out anybody who lingered.
"I shut off the boiler and everything else, then left doors unlocked so the firemen could get in easily," Bici said. "When I came out of the store and I saw an orange flame coming out of the ceiling. I said, 'this is it, it's over. The whole thing's burning down."
There were two stores between his plant and the ACME. And each minute threatened his business's existence. Bici estimated that by the time the fire department actually started getting water on the blaze, 20 minutes passed.
"By that point the fire well engulfed the ACME, and the windows popped. I looked down to the other end of the shopping center and saw steam coming off the roof."
Despite the efforts of the 150 firemen there and 2,000,000 gallons of water, the entire center burned to the ground.
"It was a disaster for me and the other tenants," Bici conceded, "but it was a bigger disaster for the town."
"I got a letter from his landlord that says when they do reopen, the tenants are welcome to come back. I asked him what the status of things are now. Some of the center has been leveled, some of the rubble hasn't been removed."
NIE insurance vice president Ann Hawkins arrived at the scene several days after the incident and saw the results first-hand.
"It was still smoldering two days after the fact. I didn't expect that," Hawkins said. "Everything was twisted, burned, broken. At the Ben Franklin department store at one end, we saw plastic flowers melted out in the parking lot."
"There was nothing salvageable," she continued. "There was a car that had debris fallen on it. That was the only car left at the shopping center."
Hawkins said she has been to quite a few fires and that the Pompton Lakes was the worst. It's always an education to go to one of those," Hawkins said.
Upon meeting Bici for the first time in person, Hawkins was reassured that he was coping with the disaster.
"Mr. Bici is someone I've been talking to for 7 or 8 years. He was okay. We encouraged him to keep doing something to keep the same employees. He had the right coverage and he will be okay."
Bici said a conversation with Neighborhood Cleaners Association International executive director Bill Seitz supported his impression of NIE.
"Seitz told me I was in good hands with them," Bici said. He also offered any support Bici needed.
NIE gave him "quick response and an advance of funds took a lot of stress off me. Some of the others in the shopping center had to fight to get any kind of money from their insurance company. NIE has been great. Dennis Loomis and Ann came through."
Bici does want to go back in business, but where and how are his most pressing questions needing answers.
"Part of the draw was the service I provided," Bici said. "I was a normal price cleaners -- $8 a suit and $1.40 a shirt. I had a good following. The people I had realized it isn't 'nothing for nothing.' They wanted their clothes to be taken care of."
"It's a service business," he added. "Everybody's relegated to having the same type equipment, the same chemicals. The environmental changes have come. But it's the same spotting chemicals, same perc." The quality of the service is what attracts customers, Bici stated.
But without a place to do business, customers will drift away.
Bici talked with Hawkins on what type of equipment he might lease, that maybe I could, with one of the local guys, work out something."
"I don't know what to do next. A dry store? I don't want to wind up in the middle between the person I'm doing the work for and the cleaner. If they don't do a good job, I lose my customers," Bici explained.
Hawkins agrees with the assessment of reopening.
"It's very difficult because there isn't a place for him to go. He's been in this business 8 to 10 years and its hard to start in another business," she offered.
"Right now, I don't know what direction I'm going in," Bici conceded.
Market theory will meet consumer practice next month when a new product designed to care for dry-clean-only clothes hits store shelves in Columbus, OH.
Procter & Gamble believes the new product, called Dryel, will be a hit with consumers who love their "dryclean-only" clothes but don't love trips to the drycleaner. Company representatives also say they don't think Dryel will take business away from drycleaners. Instead, they say, Dryel will enhance the drycleaning market by removing some of the phobia consumers have about buying clothes labeled "dryclean only."
Nonetheless, Dryel has some people in the drycleaning industry concerned. The International Fabricare Institute believes that drycleaning volume could decline if intervals between drycleaning cycles increase due to consumers using to freshen garments between trips to their drycleaners. Whether such losses would be offset by sufficient additional volume generated by wider acceptance of clothes "dryclean-only" is an open question, IFI said.
"At this point, we'll give P&G the benefit of the doubt, but clearly their statements on Dryel are being interpreted by consumers and the media as a replacement for professional drycleaning," said Bill Fisher, CEO of the International Fabricare Institute. IFI sent every Ohio member a question-and-answer sheet to help them assess Dryel and discuss it with customers.
P&G said that surveys of 30,000 consumers revealed a need for something that would let them care for their "dryclean only" clothes at home. Thus the Dryel marketing slogan: "At Home Care for the Clothes You Love to Wear."
Carol Berning, a senior research fellow for P&G, said surveys found that while consumers are relatively satisfied with the results they achieve cleaning washable garments in their home machines, they are "very embarrassed" to admit that they don't do a good job taking care of their best clothes, which generally require the attention of a professional cleaner.
"They are taking them to a professional cleaner, but not often enough," Berning said. "They are wearing their dryclean-only clothes four, five or six times between cleanings."
Washable garments, on the other hand, are cleaned at home more frequently -- often after every wearing, she said. "They want their clothes to be fresh and neat looking," she said.
Consumers admit that they iron clothes at home in between trips to the cleaner, even though they know that's not good for the garments. They even admit that sometimes they try washing their "dryclean only" garments.
Furthermore, consumers told P&G, they don't really want to risk damaging their favorite clothes by trying to clean or press them at home, nor do they want to spend time ironing them. However, they don't like to spend their time and money at the drycleaners, either.
Convenience is a major issue, since it takes two trips to the cleaner to get one cleaning order processed. "We heard stories from consumers about riding around with clothes for the cleaner in their back seat of their cars for days or even weeks," Berning said.
In fact, 40 percent of the consuming public never goes to the drycleaner at all, according to P&G's research. Another 30 percent only take clothes for cleaning two or three times a year.
An unmet consumer need
The bottom line of P&G's research showed an "unmet consumer need," she said. "There is a great deal of interest for a product they can use to care for dryclean-only clothes."
The survey also found that people are reluctant to buy clothes labeled "dryclean only" because of the cost and inconvenience of caring for them.
"In stores, you will often see a customer try on a dryclean-only garment. They like it, but they won't buy it because of the dryclean-only label," Berning said.
The availability of Dryel means people will be more likely to purchase dryclean-only clothes, P&G believes.
"We believe we can grow the market for dryclean-only clothes," Berning said. "It means people will be able to wear the clothes they want to wear more often."
What it will and won't do
There are limits to what Dryel can accomplish. P&G is quick to say it's not intended as a replacement for drycleaning. Consumers won't get the crisply pressed, finished, starched look from Dryel, so it wouldn't be effective for hard-pressed garments or for dress shirts. Items that have large or difficult-to-remove stains are best left to the professional cleaner, too, P&G says. Also out of the Dryel picture are leathers, suedes and furs.
But a large percentage of garments will be suited to what Dryel offers, P&G believes. It will do the job for most women's garments -- the soft, flowing type -- or for sweaters, said Susan Crumpler, a P&G research division manager.
Even these types of garments should not become complete strangers to drycleaners. Berning said that after two or three cycles of Dryel cleaning, most garments will need a trip to the cleaner. The goal isn't to replace drycleaning, but to let people "freshen up" their garments in between the too infrequent trips to the cleaners.
Any garment that needs pressing will need a trip to the cleaners. Whatever Dryel may accomplish in stain, odor and dirt removal, it offers nothing in terms of pressing. P&G recommends that clothes be removed promptly from the bag after tumbling and hung up "to help wrinkles fall out." The finished look will depend upon the amount of time and skill the consumer has for ironing.
That could be a problem, except for the rare person who enjoys ironing. A wrinkled garment always looks dirty, Berning noted. In fact, when shown two garments -- one a clean but wrinkled one and another pressed but dirty, most people will identify the pressed garment as the clean one, Berning said.
IFI said that it examined P&G-supplied textile samples showing the "before-and-after" effects of Dryel's stain-removing capabilities and concluded that Dryel did a good job of removing coffee and soy sauce stains. A butter stain, however, was not completely removed and there was no removal of a nail polish stain.
The stains, IFI noted, were one-day old, which means they had not yet "set." Such stains are typically easier to remove than set stains.
Other Dryel performance issues noted by IFI included chafing of silk garments and pilling of soft wools. Garments with water-soluble dyes could well experience color loss or dye transfers, IFI said.
IFI also questioned that Dryel might set stains or cause dye problems that a customer would be reluctant to point out to a professional cleaner.
"Will drycleaners then end up being held responsible for this prior damage?" IFI wondered.
How does it work?
The basics of Dryel are similar to a product that has been on the market for some time, the Custom Care Home Drycleaning kit. Both work by placing garments in a bag and putting that bag in a tumble dryer. Both come with a separate stain removal agent for use in home-spotting before getting the in-dryer treatment.
But Berning and Crumpler said Dryel is different. Unlike the home drycleaning kit, Dryel is marketed not as a substitute for drycleaning but as a way to "care for" dryclean-only clothes at home. The stain removal portion of Dryel is unlike the Custom Care kit and the bag into which clothes are placed is made of a different material.
Up to four garments can be placed in the bag and then run on a 30-minute cycle in the dryer. When placed in the dryer, heat activates the Dryel cloth and released "fiber-penetrating vapors" in the bag. As they evaporate, the vapors lift odors such as smoke and perspiration from the clothes. The vapors are then vented outside the bag.
As with many products, the greatest hazard could come from failure to read directions. Berning and Crumpler don't think that will be much of a problem for Dryel, even though P&G knows that consumers rarely read instructions for laundering. Because Dryel is new and different, people will pay attention to the instructions, P&G believes.
That and other questions about the product may begin to be answered in February when Dryel goes on sale in Columbus, Ohio. It will be sold in grocery stores, shelved in the same areas as other home laundry products, and will also be available in drug stores and at mass merchandisers who are likely to offer it for sale in the same part of the store where clothing is sold.
P&G will be advertising Dryel on television, newspaper, radio and doing demonstrations of the product at shopping malls and clothing stores.
The price is expected to be in the $9 to $10 range for one Dryel kit. The Dryel primary kit will handle four loads of up to 16 garments. A six-load refill will also be available.
The Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International's number-two man, Jerry Levine, is retiring at the end of December after 29 years with the association.
Levine, who has been in the drycleaning industry for 40 years, started with NCAI in 1969 and served as the association's associate director for the past decade. Although retiring from the association, he will remain active in the industry as a consultant operating out of Palm City, FL.
Many of his duties at NCAI will be assumed by Nora Nealis, who joined NCAI last summer and now is director of environmental/drycleaning operations, and by Peter Atha, NCAI's special projects manager, who has been with the association since 1995.
Although relative newcomers to NCAI, both Nealis and Atha have extensive industry experience.
Prior to joining NCAI last summer, Nealis was vice president of Diversitron, which sold environmental control equipment and other products to the industry until its recent closure. Nealis was with Diversitron for more than 20 years.
Atha brought to NCAI almost 10 years of experience as owner and operator of a plant and drop store along with an MBA in finance from Columbia University and a BBA in marketing from Adelphi University in Long Island.
Levine has been planning his retirement for several years and purchased a home in Palm City on Florida's east coast, where he and his wife have spent time over the past few years. He has formed a company, GLDC Services Inc., and will be available for consultation and training on equipment operation and environmental and governmental affairs. His Palm City phone number is (561) 283-6747.
He said he will also offer his consulting and forensic services to Florida environmental attorneys. He has provided similar services to attorneys in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
In a farewell message in NCAI's December bulletin, Levine said he moved his retirement date up from the fall of 1998 so he could "start on the next phase of my life a little earlier."
"My decision was made easier when we were fortunate to acquire Nora Nealis onto the NCAI staff," he added. "I am confident that Nora has the experience and ability to assume many of my duties."
Levine also said that he would miss the people he has worked with at NCAI for nearly 30 years. Among those still on the staff who have been there as long or even longer than Levine himself are Barbara Richards, office manager, Vincent Beazer, field supervisor, Dan Eisen, chief analyst and instructor, and Bill Seitz, executive director.
Often overlooked
In a tribute to Levine published by NCAI, Eisen wrote: "His contribution to the drycleaning industry is often overlooked and in many respects hidden."
"Handling EPA-type problems is a complicated business and dealing with these people even more complex. Jerry is one of the few people I know who can meet environmental people on an equal basis without cringing in fear."
Eisen also noted Levine's work on NCAI publications and the association's trade shows.
"NCAI can boast about a newsletter, technical bulletins, posters, drycleaning booklets, etc., that are proof-read and set into print by Jerry. I have seen NCAI emerge from a paste-up newsletter to the professionalism of computers."
Levine and his assistant, Carlos Alameda, have worked together to keep up with rapidly changing publishing technology. Not only did they bring desktop publishing to NCAI's printed materials, they also put the association on the Internet with the NCAI web site which was launched in the fall of 1995.
Alameda now assumes most of the responsibility for new and updated material that is posted to the site.
Levine now has website with information about GLDC, his new consulting service.
The departure of one vice president, job changes for two others and the addition of a new vice president have been announced by the International Fabricare Institute.
Leaving IFI is Roger Schilling, senior vice president of membership and marketing. Schilling has formed a company called Au Fait Associates Inc. for the purposes of association management, small business marketing and public relations.
Two IFI vice presidents have new job descriptions. Jon Meijer, after serving as vice president for education for the past two years, is now vice president of membership. Mary Scalco moves to vice president of education/research after two years as vice president of government affairs.
Joining IFI as vice president of communications is David J. Uchic.
The departure of Schilling comes 20 months after he took leave from his position as executive director of the North East Fabricare Association. A senior member of the industry's trade association ranks, Schilling has been involved with the drycleaning industry since 1970 when he was named executive secretary of the Cleaning Plant Owners of Massachusetts. When the multi-state North East Fabricare Association was created in 1975, he was appointed its first executive vice president. He left the association for a few years in the late 1970s to help establish a picture framing business with his family, returning to NEFA in 1982 where he served until taking the IFI post in March, 1996.
Schilling said he joined IFI "with the objective of helping this premier trade association return to leadership prominence." That goal, he said, appears to have been accomplished and he has returned to Wakefield, MA, where he has Au Fait Associates Inc. (Au Fait, pronounced "oh fay," roughly translates to "on top of things" or "can do," Schilling said.)
Joining Schilling in Au Fait Associates are two other former IFI employees, Lara Schneider-Hollenczer and Danielle Rodriques. Schneider-Hollenczer was vice president of communication and Rodrigues was vice president of administration when they left IFI this fall.
Also working with Schilling's new firm is Jinelle Walker who served two industry trade associations over 13 years before joining an allied trades firm last summer. She is listed as Au Fait's vice president of development.
One of Au Fait's first projects will be managing the development of a Fashion and Fabricare Museum in Bridgeport, CT. (See page 60.) The company said it will concentrate on association management both in and outside the fabric care industry taking on "as much of the association management functions as desired."
The company will also focus on small business public relations and marketing and will have experts available for special assignments. Strategic planning, total quality management and business plan development will be handled by Sharon Keil, a Lt. Commander in the US Coast Guard reserve.
"We intend to keep Au Fait Associates as affordable as possible to small businesses so that they may remain competitive while they benefit from growth," Schilling said.
Schilling said that Au Fait's work with associated will be more "broad-based and will accept outsourcing from all associations so long as they are not in direct competition with each other."
The company is located in Wakefield, MA. Schilling can be contacted at (781) 245-0089.
IFI membership growth
At the time of Schilling's departure as membership vice president, a trend of declining membership that has bedeviled IFI for the past five or six years appears to have been reversed. Membership during the first six months of IFI's fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, grew by 461, compared to a net loss of 120 members during the comparable period in 1996. That rate of growth, if it continued through the end of the year, would lift overall membership above the 9,000 mark going into 1998.
IFI CEO Bill Fisher said the turn-around represents a joint effort between IFI and its affiliate associations to focus on membership retention using "enhanced service and personal contact with members."
"IFI is also now results-oriented and accountable to members," Fisher said.
Keeping that trend going now falls to Jon Meijer, who has served in a variety of capacities since joining IFI in 1982, most recently directing the education department. In his new position, he will have responsibility for all membership recruitment and retention efforts.
He will also oversee IFI's "value-added" membership services such as its insurance and credit card programs.
Meijer will also continue to direct the remediation efforts of perchloroethylene contamination on the property adjacent to IFI's Silver Spring headquarters. IFI signed a contract this fall with Westinghouse Remediation Services to clean up the property which was the subject of a 1992 lawsuit filed by a real estate developer.
Mary Scalco, the new vice president of education and research, has been with IFI since 1987. She has been IFI's vice president of government relations since the fall of 1995. Now she will be responsible for overseeing IFI's resident outreach programs and its certification program. She also hopes to expand IFI's research services.
New communications VP
She and Meijer are both graduates of the University of Maryland, as is IFI's newest vice president, David Uchic. Most recently Uchic was director of communications for the College Construction Loan Insurance Association (Connie Lee). He also has held a variety of editorial positions for trade and professional associations.
As vice president of communications, Uchic will manage public relations programs for both IFI and the drycleaning industry and will oversee all IFI publications, including Fabricare magazine. Fisher said that Uchic's background in managing communications programs "meshes nicely with the requirements of the position."
In another recent appointment, IFI named Jeanett Fambro as its joint state liaison. Her duties include serving as the key contact person between IFI and the various associations affiliated with the institute.
Fambro, who IFI in January, 1997 as a personal membership representative, will be responsible for keeping affiliated associations informed on member issues, policies and changes within IFI.
A native of Macon, GA, Fambro has a degree in sociology and has more than 20 years experience in working in the customer service area.
"Professional Care and Fashion: A Winning Combination" will be the theme of the 40th annual convention of the International Drycleaners Congress in Bayersichser Hof, Munich, Germany, May 3-7.
The Sunday, May 3, program will include an IDC board luncheon and meeting and a welcome reception for all attendees.
The business programs begin Monday with opening remarks by Bill Pulley, IDC executive director, Manfred Wentz, IDC president, Egon Burchard, IDC vice president representing Europe West, and Makoto Igarashi, an IDC past president.
The first panel discussion, Innovative Marketing Strategies, will be moderated by Deborah Rechnitz, IDC vice president USA Northwest. Scheduled participants will include Peter Hudson of Hudson's Dry Cleaning, Australia; Hans von Korff, Specialreinigung von Korff, Germany; Steve Fazio, Fazio Cleaners, USA; and Petra Knecht of the Hohenstein Institute, Germany. Their talks will be followed by an open discussion.
Monday afternoon has been set aside for a tour of Munich followed by a traditional dinner at Augustiner Keller.
The opening panel on Tuesday will be "The State of the Textile Care Industry, moderated by Peter Crane, a past IDC president from the UK. Participants will be Ken Adamson of Langley Parisian, Ltd., Canada; Bob Ching of China, Theo Lagrange, CINET, Europe and Bill Seitz of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association, USA.
Following their presentations, L. Ross Beard of R. R. Street & Co. Inc., will speak on "Future Trend Predictions for a Global Fabricare Industry."
The second panel will be moderated by Josef Kurz of Hohenstein. Addressing the topic of international assessment of new cleaning technologies and environmental issues will be Petra Klein of Hohenstein, Hiroshi Udagawa of AJLDA, Japan; Chris Tebbs of the Fabric Care Research Association, UK; and Bill Fisher of the International Fabricare Institute, USA. A discussion period will follow their talks.
A Salzburg tour and dinner will be offered Tuesday afternoon and evening.
The Wednesday program will open with presentations from the five recipients of IDC fellowships. Following a break, Dr. Stefan Mecheels of Hohenstein will speak on "Textile Care: Integral Part of the Textile Industry."
Marcia Todd, IDC vice president Canada Central, will moderate the morning program, "Textile Care and Fashion: The Winning Combination."
Participants will be Cindy Stroup of US EPA's Design for the Environment program; Ann Niess of European Dialogue Textiles and Apparel; Jochen Sohn of Boss Men's Wear and Bob Stewart of Kirk's Suede Life.
The IDC luncheon, with a presentation by Tom Hopkins, IDC president-elect, on the 1999 Toronto convention, will follow. IDC's Annual Meeting will take place in the afternoon and the reception and banquet will be that evening. Plant tours will be offered in the afternoon, also. The convention will conclude with the traditional Sayonarra breakfast on Thursday morning.
For more information, call IDC, (513) 523-4121 or fax (513) 523-1370.
SILVER SPRING, MD -- Clothes Care Gazette, a monthly newsletter published by the International Fabricare Institute and aimed at consumers, is now offered as a subscription service to cleaners.
The newsletter provides information on drycleaning, stain removal care symbols and care of specialty items in a full-color format that includes a full-page cover story, special columns and a section of answers to frequently asked questions about garment care problems.
An individual subscription to the Gazette costs $45 a year and also includes the bimonthly Fabricare Resources Technical Journal. Bulk subscriptions in sets of 10, which can be given to retailers, Better Business Bureaus and others are also available For information, call IFI, (800) 434-6222, ext. 107 or 125.
Many well intentioned resolutions for the New Year have probably gone by the boards already, but it's not too late to regroup and re-establish a plan to make 1998 a better year. Wiping the slate clean of all those "good ideas" and starting over is probably in itself a good idea.
In trying to devise a new plan that will take us to the next level, the one-word dictum of Henry David Thoreau comes to mind, and it seems especially appropriate for the increasingly complex times in which we live.
"Simplify," Thoreau commanded.
So let's simplify the process of planning for a new year and resolving to make things better. Instead of a laundry list of things that would be wonderful to accomplish, let's boil it down to just one thing -- one simple thing that we can focus on, that we can think of each day as we apply ourselves to the tasks at hand.
What that one thing should be is not really that important. The important thing is that it be a simple, unforgettable goal. In his column this month, Stan Golomb tells the story of the Candy Man who set a single, simple goal for himself and did not move on to Item No. 2 on his to-do list until that goal was reached each day. He called it "focus." It is also simplification. The "busy-ness" of the day can not distract from the main purpose when a single, simple goal is kept in sight.
In a time when even the routine of day-to-day living seems more complex than ever, the need to simplify and focus our thoughts and actions is most important. Demands on our time -- despite a century-long parade of "labor-saving" devices -- are ever increasing. If we let each of those demands to further distract us from the main goal, the chance of achieving anything is reduced. In the name of simplification and focus, it may be wise to "just say no" to some of these demands. Remind yourself of that one thing that you have decided to focus on. Put the other demands on hold until you have made finished Job One for the day.
So if you haven't already done so, chuck that list of New Year's resolutions and start over. Make a New Year's resolution. Just one. And keep it.
Change occurs without notice or commotion, a kind of natural ebbing and flowing of the tides of life. The peculiar thing is that we often fail to notice it until we look up and see that what we once held as familiar has evolved into something new. Too often there are people in the textile care industry we take for granted who move on, causing us to take stock and reflect on how we continue to change as an industry. This is one of those times when we see a shifting of the tide.
Most recently a person of long tenure at the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International decided to retire to Florida after devoting 29 years of effort to the textile care industry through the association. Associate director Jerry Levine may be leaving New York City, but the results of his work on behalf of people within this industry will remain for a number of years.
Levine developed an expertise in the regulatory and technical aspects of the industry that cleaners came to rely on. When Jerry was appointed to the negotiated rule making committee in New York state, he showed himself to be an able and tenacious representative of perc cleaners' interests. He understood both the economic and scientific aspects of the issue and argued well on his constituents behalf.
At the same time, he was not averse to change. He embraced new technology as is evident in the web site he created and posted for NCAI. As we recall, it was the first textile care association site on the Internet.
He also kept current on site contamination and remdiation issues, studying new technologies which could have great impact on the fortunes of cleaners who might suffer from site problems.
There are any number of issues and events we could cite to further note the work Levine has accomplished, but our purpose here is to salute his efforts during these past three decades with NCAI. We wish him well in the new ventures he pursues in his retirement and expect to hear more from him as he settles in to his new routine.
By Bill Bogus
They are the ones that squeeze the fruit. They smell for freshness and lift up the garment bag to see if expectations were met.
If so, then comes the approval, "Oh! The spot is gone! How nice! You guys are the best!"
Would you believe it is the finicky, fussy customer who makes the drycleaners work better? And they are the ones who keep coming back!
Unlike self-service, drycleaning is a face-to-face business. No need for second guessing what customers' needs are. They will tell you what they want. This is called face-to-face listening. And when you listen carefully, you will discover their wants are greater than their needs.
Good listening is an art. It calls for no interjections, just listening. And listen when a customer has a complaint. Listen with understanding, like the undertaker does when talking to relatives of the deceased. Under such circumstances, don't smile. Your smile could be misconstrued as cynical.
Never be in a hurry to respond. The customer will let you know when it is your turn. Don't be too anxious to jump in. This is not a "win or lose" contest. This is about understanding and compassion. And by being a serious listener, you will be able to solve problems that you never thought possible.
Communication is just as important as listening. It's not just about talking. It's about marketing your services and letting customers know the value of drycleaning and your expertise as a drycleaner.
Having said that, you must be prepared with factual information to substantiate your claims in an intelligent manner.
Under no circumstances should you get involved in a situation such as this:
"Mr. Charles, there is a lady up front who wants to ask you about invisible stains. She thinks she has one on her silk blouse."
"Hi, what's the problem?"
"I spilled a drink right here on this blouse. You can't see it now, but I know it's there. Do you think you can get it out?"
"Lady I don't see any stain."
"I mean will it show up after drycleaning?" she asked.
"Lady, I don't know what you are talking about. I think you should see a therapist and get this invisible stain out of your mind!"
"You're no expert drycleaner. You're a stupid idiot!" she shouts and walks out.
Sam the pants presser shakes his head and says, "Oh man, this ain't no way to talk to a customer. He should have kept his mouth shut. That lady ain't never coming back."
They say when something happens once, it will happen again. This is about drycleaners joining together in a cooperative venture in promoting the industry so that customers become aware of the value and importance of drycleaning. The value and importance must come from within the industry, the drycleaners.
Years ago when the International Fabricare Institute was known as National Institute of Drycleaning, such a venture was proposed and put into action. More than 700 drycleaners participated, and the medium selected was The Saturday Evening Post. The headline was as follows:
"Nobody, But Nobody, Knows More About Fabric Care Than Your Expert Drycleaner."
Who are the nobodies? The consumers, of course. Challenging the consumers was a big mistake. The headline was too aggressive and arguable. There was no mention of drycleaning or spotting in the ad, but there were many innuendos. Clothing was referred to as fabric and consumers were told to "see your drycleaner, the best friend your fabrics have."
What kind of friendship is that? It's like the blind snake saying to a piece of rope, "Why can't we be friends?" The ad simply had no message. And nobody, but nobody, cared, not even the consumer.
Darienne Wilson, executive director of the South Central Fabricare Association (SCFA) made a strong case for drycleaners to band together for the purpose in developing a cooperative campaign to promote through advertising such values that would improve the image of the drycleaning industry.
Her concerns are long overdue and should be supported by all drycleaners and those affiliated with the industry.
However, before the program gets into slogans, banners and all that stuff, a strong message is needed. I am confident that the members of SCFA will come up with a good one.
Bill Bogus is president of Textile Restoration Services Inc. in Laurel, MD. He can be reached at (301) 776-4961.
To the Editor:
In the December edition of the National Clothesline, Stephen Clifford called the time and money spent on the Barton Bill a "waste," and suggested that state laws are the answer to our environmental problems. My perception is that the majority of drycleaners and fabric care associations would disagree with his viewpoint.
State programs to establish cleanup funds have been enacted in about a dozen states. It would be wonderful if all states could enact such funds, but several states (Texas, California, New Jersey, and others) have failed in their attempts to pass such legislation.
Drycleaners in states with low populations frequently lack the political clout to enact such programs, and an attempt to establish a national cleanup fund failed for several reasons, including a lack of support from the fabric care industry. I do not believe that state cleanup funds will ever cover a majority of America's drycleaners.
A comment heard with alarming frequency is the concern that state programs cannot afford to fund all the cleanup projects which seem to arise because of the very existence of the funds. Each drycleaner should take a close look at the current plansŠ 1 1Ž2 to 10 percent of annual gross sales, a $5 to $12 dollar surcharge per gallon of perc, environmental insurance requirements, etc.Š and see how much these plans would cost them today. Then double or triple that amount to cover additional cleanups which will probably be required as landlords, banks, and the general public learn of the programs and scramble to climb on the cleanup bandwagon.
Funds will be drained or depleted and drycleaners will be the logical source of ever-increasing assessments to keep the projects active.
I believe cleaning up every drycleaning site to the level usually required today would completely bankrupt our industry.
Mr. Clifford called the Barton Bill "a few simple paragraphs." That is the beauty of the bill. In a few words, it establishes a cleanup standard which protects human health, preserves pure drinking water, and has the potential to accelerate the cleanup of those sites which really need to be treated.
The industry is not looking for Mr. Clifford's "magic bullet". It is looking for protection from the ticking time bomb hiding under every drycleaning plant. This bomb is the result of default cleanup standards based on illogical, unscientific, and frequently irrelevant data. In many cases, the required cleanups are not even attainable. H.R. 1711 could defuse that bomb and save our industry.
As of December 15, 1997, 60 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have agreed to cosponsor the Barton Bill.
To me, this is a sign that we are not wasting our time and money. We need to rally around those legislators and the industry leaders who are working for the passage of H.R. 1711. Our very survival depends on it.
Barney Deden
Omaha, NE
Joel Levine, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Pittsburgh Tag Co., died Nov. 9.
Mr. Levine grew up in the drycleaning industry working with his father.
He joined Liberty Marking Tag Co. in 1954 as a salesman in the Southeast, traveling from New York in an un-air-conditioned Ford on two-lane roads across his territory which started in Richmond, VA, south to Miami, FL, across to New Orleans, LA, and north to Memphis, TN. As business improved, Texas became part of his territory, too.
Recalling his early days on the road, he liked to say that he outlasted three hotels in Jacksonville, two in Nashville and two in Birmingham.
He remembered that at the Atlanta Terrace Motel, a room cost $5.l5 a night, which included morning coffee, sweet roll, a newspaper and a ticket to the outdoor theater.
He moved to Atlanta in 1956 with his wife, Gloria, where they raised their family.
In the mid-1970s, he accepted a position with Fordham Poly-Pak as regional sales manager for the Southeast. He remained there until he joined Pittsburgh Tag Co. in 1986.
In his nearly 12 years at Pittsburgh Tag, he hired, trained and built a sales force, introduced many new products to the company's line and made design improvements to other products in the line.
"His dedication to getting the job done and leadership was an inspiration to the company's management team and to its young sales force," Pittsburgh Tag said.
The company lauded his strong work ethic, which meant long days and weekends on the job. At trade shows, he was known to never leave the company's booth during exhibit hours, and he often conducted "meetings" at the local Waffle House restaurant into the wee hours of the night.
"Joel was respected and admired by all those at Pittsburgh Tag who had the good fortune to have met him and worked with him," the company said. "We were thankful to have known him and will miss him. He inspired a sense of dedication and loyalty. He was a great friend, a fun person and one heck of a leader."
Mr. Levine was a member of Congregation Or Ve Shalom, a 32nd degree Mason Georgia Lodge 96 and a Shriner of Yaarab Temple of Atlanta.
In addition to his wife of 45 years, Gloria, he is survived by a son, Robert of Memphis, TN; two daughters, Alyson Berke of Atlanta, GA, and Jackie Levine; two sisters, Natalie Levine and Muriel Ditchek of Florida; five grandsons Richard and Josh Kalson, Jason and Evan Berke and Benjamin Levine; and many nieces and nephews.
Services were held at Greenwood Cemetery in Atlanta on Nov. 11 with Rabbi S. Robert Ichay officiating.
The family requests memorials in the form of donations which may be made to a local charity in the name of Joel Levine or to the Scottish Rights Children's Medical Center, 975 Johnson Ferry Road NE #550, Atlanta GA 30342 (Attn. Diane Lee); or to the Congregation Or Ve Shalom, 1681 North Druid Hills Road, Atlanta, GA 30319. Contributions should be marked "In Memory of Joel Levine" and must include Gloria Levine's home address, 3744 Ashford Point, Atlanta, GA 30319.
SILVER SPRING, MD -- Reports of a bacteria that "eat" perchloroethylene, which would offer a possible solution to soil contamination problems, have cropped up in the media off and on over the past few years, most recently in a CNN report aired in October. That report concerned Strain 195 which, unlike substances identified in the past, offers a complete breakdown of perc. However, a follow-up investigation of the CNN report by the International Fabricare Institute found that Strain 195 is still some years away from being used in the field.
Contacted by IFI, James Gossett of Cornell University, one of the researchers who identified the strain's potential, said that it "may not be the answer to drycleaners' contamination problems."
Gossett told IFI that Strain 195 is at least five years away from field use and even then it would only be used to augment current microbial activity on the site.
Gossett said he received many inquiries following the CNN report. The report, he said, was factual as far as it went but it did not go far enough.
"Strain 195 may not be the answer the industry is searching for, although it does show promise," IFI said in an article in the December issue of Fabricare magazine.
Field tests at Department of Defense sites will help answer important questions concerning whether the strain occurs naturally in the subsurface and what conditions are required for its existence, IFI said.
Two companies have made competing bids for Safety-Kleen Corp., the company that hauls the lion's share of hazardous waste from U.S. drycleaning plants.
Laidlaw Environmental Services Inc., a provider of industrial waste management services headquartered in Columbia, SC, and affiliated with Laidlaw Inc. based in Ontario, Canada, and Philip Services Corp., a competing environmental service firm also based in Ontario, took turns topping each other's bids in November, 1997.
Safety-Kleen management gave approval to the Philip bid in November, but both Safety-Kleen and Laidlaw Environmental Services have filed suits over the matter. A hearing is scheduled for January 6 on Laidlaw's motion for a preliminary injunction to, among other things, enjoin Safety-Kleen from proceeding with its proposed merger with Philip Services Corp.
Laidlaw started the bidding on Nov. 4 with a buy-out plan valued at $1.8 billion, offering to acquire 58.3 million outstanding Safety-Kleen shares for $14 per share in cash and 2.4 common shares of Laidlaw stock. Laidlaw now holds 600,000 of Safety-Kleen's outstanding shares.
Laidlaw estimated that a combination with Safety-Kleen would generate annual savings of more than $100 million.
On Nov. 20, Philip Services Corp. emerged as a second bidder, announcing that it would acquire the Elgin, Illinois, company for $1.94 billion, or $27 a share. The bid was endorsed by Safety-Kleen management.
The Blackstone Group, a New York-based investment firm, and Apollo Advisors L.P., which is controlled by financier Leon Black, joined Philip in the bid. Philip, Apollo and Blackstone each agreed to contribute $200 million to the new company to establish a respective one-third equity position. A subsidiary of the new company would merge with and into Safety-Kleen.
Safety-Kleen would continue as the surviving corporation following the consummation of the merger. Philip would operate and manage the new company under a Board of Directors comprised of 50 percent representation from Philip and 50 percent from Apollo and Blackstone.
Laidlaw came back with another offer -- $30 per share, based on $15 per share in cash and $15 per share in Laidlaw common stock. The new Laidlaw offer was valued at $2.14 billion.
Safety-Kleen shares closed Dec. 19 at $27 9/16, approximately $6 per share more than the selling price before Laidlaw's first takeover bid was announced.
Laidlaw also went to court seeking to prevent Safety-Kleen from proceeding with the Philip merger. The lawsuit, filed Nov. 25 in the U.S. District Court in Chicago, would require Safety-Kleen and its directors to permit Laidlaw Environmental to take its higher $30-a-share offer directly to Safety-Kleen's shareholders.
Safety-Kleen Corp., too, has gone to court over the matter, filing a suit in Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Laidlaw that seeks a declaratory judgment that Laidlaw violated the "gun jumping" prohibition of federal securities law.
Safety-Kleen also said that it was giving careful consideration to the takeover offer from Laidlaw and will make a recommendation in due course.
In early December, Laidlaw announced that the court had ordered Safety-Kleen to promptly call a meeting of its shareholders to providing a shareholders' list to Laidlaw. Laidlaw said the court granted its request for expedited discovery and set a hearing for January 6 on its motion for a preliminary injunction to, among other things, enjoin Safety-Kleen from proceeding with its proposed merger with Philip Services Corp.
Stress.
Fear.
Conflict.
Disillusionment.
You are not alone!
These emotions are rampant throughout the drycleaning industry as well as the entire business community, according to Deborah Rechnitz, president of Methods for Management Inc.
Such feelings occur when there is no clear direction for society, an industry or a private business, Rechnitz said.
She along with more than 300 other consultants and "strategic futurist" Roger Herman examined these changing times and the impact on their clients at the Institute of Management Consultants' 1998 Conference.
The conference provided an opportunity to step back and see the world from different perspectives, Rechnitz said.
Based on the what she learned, she shared the following insights.
Environment
Boundaries are disappearing throughout our environment. Communication technology allows everyone to gather information from a variety of sources and information flows at an ever-increasing rate.
Within the drycleaning industry, Rechnitz noted, email and Internet forums report on international, national and local activities before any of the written press can edit, publish and distribute information.
What is lacking, Rechnitz said, is the validating of the volumes of available data.
"What we see, discuss and read may not be true. It may not be accurate. It may not be the complete picture of the whole story. How do you know?" she asked.
Business owners, she added, are constantly faced with making decisions with incomplete information or forced to make no decisions at all, which is not a healthy option.
"Filtering this huge volume of information is becoming imperative for our sanity and a return to some amount of free time. This is happening in other businesses and needs to be pursued within this industry," she said.
Workforce
A change in the attitude of the American workforce is clear to most business owners and drycleaners are no different, Rechnitz said.
"Historically there was management by fear. Management could strike fear in the hearts of its workers and demand performance," she said. "Today, the current generation of employees demands just the opposite of their management -- love, or at the very least, respect, is necessary to attract and hopefully retain workers."
A conflict between old-style management by fear and new-style management by love and respect is inevitable.
At the same time, there are extreme shortages of qualified workers. How can one build depth in an organization under these conditions?
Many companies are pursuing a strategy of paring down the organization and actively outsourcing activities. Is that a strategy that can be pursued by drycleaners? Absolutely, Rechnitz said.
The drycleaning industry must address changes in traditional workplace standards with the decline in work schedules, physical locations and structured responsibilities. It must find ways to motivate those who are still trapped in the traditional factory settings and to supervise those who have increased flexibility and independence.
Further complicating the issue is the trend of the shift of power from the federal to state and local governments for entitlement programs and safety and health regulations further complicates matters, Rechnitz said..
Is this a threat or an opportunity? That all depends upon your perspective, she said.
Eligibility for government assistance is increasingly tied to employment. This could bring more low-skilled or unskilled workers into the workforce through welfare-to-work programs. This expansion of the workforce could help drycleaning, but more attention must be paid to building the workforce quality through business-education programs, Rechnitz said.
Communications
Despite a potentially shrinking middle market for drycleaning, there is no shortage of competitors. Rechnitz said that consultants who work for AT&T, Sony and Wal-Mart examine their strategic positioning and that of their competitors from the client's perspective to decide what fight can be fought and won with available resources.
The most successful strategies involves being the first to meet a customer's perceived needs and to demonstrate value in the clearest possible way, she noted.
The weakest strategies are to compete head-to-head with and attempt to disprove the competition's claims.
This relates directly to drycleaners, she said.
Not only is it expensive and usually counterproductive to compete head to head, it usually means that everyone loses except the customer because to win means to out-spend the competition. Few drycleaners are in a position to do that. Even if they are, it is a weak alternative to some of the easier strategies of positioning yourself differently from the competitor.
What is required?
Rechnitz quoted Dr. Gary Lundquist who said that "marketing is much more than art. Marketing is a logical, manageable, repeatable system of processes. Good marketing can be engineered just like good technology."
How many cleaners have engineered their marketing campaigns?
Rechnitz said that "scenario planning" is an activity that her Methods for Management Inc. pursues constantly. As information validates the scenarios, it becomes clear what course correction or dramatic shift may be occurring with the industry and/or within a particular business.
This is true throughout society as well as within the drycleaning industry, she said.
"How drycleaners will be doing business in the year 2010 may be quite different than we see it today" she said.
Everyone needs to define a strategy for staying ahead of the curve, she said.
Deborah Rechnitz is president of Methods for Management Inc. of Gig Harbor, Washington. She can be reached by phone at (253) 851-6327 or email at methods_for_management@compuserve.com
The series continues with fabric construction, explaining knitting, non-woven processes and special types of processes.
Knitting
Knitting is produced by interlooping yarns. The loops are formed, then new loops are drawn through those formed previously. The addition of new loops creates the fabric.
When knitting is done by hand, each loop is made separately to form a row of stitches across the width of the cloth. However, in machine knitting, a whole row is made at one time by having one needle for each loop. The needles are controlled by cams that move them into and out of position.
There are two basic categories of knitting: warp and weft.
Warp knitting. Warp knitting works with multiple yarns running vertically and parallel to each other. The fabric is constructed by manipulating these warp yarns simultaneously into loops which are interconnected.
There are two types of warp knitting:
Tricot. Tricot is characterized by fine vertical wales on the face and crosswise underlaps on the back. The fabric is run-resistant and hard to unravel since it has strength and elasticity.
Raschel. A raschel machine is a versatile warp knitting machine that has the ability to stitch and lay in yarns.
Weft knitting. There are three types of weft knitting (Plain Jersey Stitch, Purl Rib.)
Plain Jersey Stitch. The loops are formed in one direction only (most basic structure in knitting). Each side has a different appearance.
Purl. Fancy knit fabrics are produced with interlooping stitches in which the reverse and the face of jersey knit appear in alternating courses. The two sides have the same appearance.
Rib. Lengthwise ribs are formed by wales alternating on the face and back of the fabric.
Non-woven fabrics
Non-woven fabrics have good stability and shape retention. They are both porous and flexible.
There are several types of non-woven fabric. The most popular are:
1. Linings, interlinings. Made from a web of fibers held together by the use of heat-sensitive fiber in sufficient quantities to fuse all fiber to form a web, or by the application of heat-sensitive resins to a web of fibers that may be predominantly made up of non-heat sensitive fibers.
2. Vellux. The core of the fabric is made of polyurethane foam bonded to a nylon net. The surface of the foam is coated with a resin containing pigmented coloring materials. Colorless nylon tow is drawn electro-magnetically into the resin coating and is heat-set in place.
Examples: Non-woven blankets and fleece linings for overcoats.
Vellux is both drycleanable and wetcleanable.
3. Ultrasuede. Made of 60 percent polyester and 40 percent non-fibrous polyurethane foam. Ultrasuede looks and feels like real suede leather. Ultra suede is both drycleanable and wetcleanable and it needs very little finishing.
4. Spunlaced fabric ("Nexus"). The process entangles the staple fibers in a predetermined repeat pattern that forms soft, sophisticated fabrics without an adhesive binder. The fabrics are made by passing extremely fine high pressure jets of liquid through various screening devices onto a special fabric web.
5. Felting. Producing fibers by matting them together by moisture, heat and pressure. Felts are generally heavy, not elastic, and tear easily. They shrink excessively when subjected to moisture.
Dryclean in a net bag, if practical, on high solvent level, for about three to four minutes, no moisture. Classify with fragile garments -- soft finish/knits.
6. Fiber-bonded fabrics. The bond is made by heating a fiber mass that contains thermoplastic fibers such as nylon or polyester. By carefully controlling heat and pressure, the thermoplastic fibers fuse and bond, or stick, to the other fibers in the non-woven fiber web. The fabrics are used mainly in interlinings and interfacings of garments.
Bonded fabrics may shrink, blister and become de-laminated; and there is no way of telling this will occur prior to drycleaning.
"Bonded fabrics (multi-component)" are formed by combining two or more fabrics in which the outer fabric is laminated to a backing fabric by means of a third layer, or it is bonded to the backing fabric with an adhesive.
Other constructions of fabrics
1. Mali. Mali is not woven or knitted. It consists of warp and filling yarns, but not woven together. Instead, a third set of stitching yarns interlocks the warp and filling yarns together. These fabrics have a woven or knitted appearance.
2. Stitch-bonded fabrics. These fabrics consist of a non-woven batch of fibers into which are inserted interlocking stitches. The stitching holds the fibers together and forms a stable fabric.
3. Coated fabrics. These are cotton-coated with a rubberized, or vinyl, coating to make the fabric weather-resistant.
Examples: Imitation leather skins.
Caution: Vinyl-coated garments will stiffen when drycleaned in perchloroethylene and can be damaged when cleaned for a long time.
4. Metallic-plate fabrics. These are constructed of nylons or acetate tricot knit, coated on one side with silver, gold or colored pigments in a resin binder.
These garments should be classified as fragile for drycleaning and spotting.
They are easily subject to abrasion, and creasing of the fabric causes streaks. Dryside spotting agents will remove e the metallic particles.
Do not use a steam or electric iron in finishing to avoid sticking to it, use only light steaming from the bucks if required.
5. Flocked fabrics. These resemble velvet and corduroy. There are two basic constructions:
- Rayon flock held to a woven background by an adhesive coating.
- Rayon flock held to a urethane foam which is bonded to a knit or woven fabric.
Loss of flock in wear or in drycleaning is its chief problem. Always test with volatile dry solvent before cleaning. However, separations or peeling of the foam from the background fabric along with the tearing away and loss of foam is another problem for the drycleaner.
Finally, there can be a loss of color due to solvent-soluble dye.
Note: My new video, "The Caplan Method of Stain Removal," which includes my comprehensive text with handy spotting board reference, is now available for only $199. Please contact Dennis McCrory, (800) 646-5736, PIN #4615.
Stan Caplan has over 35 years experience in his own drycleaning/laundry business and over 20 years experience teaching and consulting. A former chief instructor at the International Fabricare Institute and the Southwest Drycleaners Association school in Denton, TX, he offers consulting services on work flow concepts, lot systems management, call office efficiency studies, production studies, plant equipment layout, engineering studies and specifications, equipment specifications, TQM, training programs, cost analysis and accounting and general plant management. He can be reached at 3601 Clarks Lane, Suite 307, Baltimore, MD, 21215; phone or fax (410) 358-0870.
Wait a minute, you say. I thought you believed in routes and now, you are suggesting the opening of drop stores? Which is it?
To begin with, I have seen some very successful routes and some super successful drop stores. Each had a formula and a plan that was carefully thought out with the discipline of continual follow through.
Yes, they all had put through a short- and long-term formula that was constantly adjusted at each plateau of volume. If one plan moved at the desired rate, they stuck with it and capitalized on it or tried another and moved to a higher level.
In some cases, and I mean early on, they closed the operation without putting good money on top of bad, simply chalking it up to experience.
What are some of the tried and true criteria for a successful drop store? And why now, after so many years, are they coming back in vogue?
History does repeat itself. We can look for the changing times to dictate the method and the "where and when."
Let's go back to the early 1950s and before (Is that far enough?). That was the time of the wholesaler, when drycleaning stores were called "press shops" because that's simply what they did -- farm out the work, and press it up when it came back.
Cleaners as CPAs
Most stores offered tailoring and alterations. They were all CPA's -- Cleaning, Pressing and Alterations! It was the advent of carbon tet, then perc, that did in the wholesalers and brought about the birth of on-premise drycleaning, including one-hour service.
What's different today?
For one thing, there are over a thousand stores in New York City and numerous other cities that cannot or will not upgrade or comply with the latest state and federal rules. They have excellent established locations for a drop store and are choosing to forego drycleaning on the premises.
Some have chosen to relocate to an industrialized area like the old petroleum plants of the 1950s. I find it amazing -- what goes around, comes around!
How about a brand-new empty store that would make a profitable drop outlet? Let's choose a number, say $3,000 a week, since most successful operators would agree that the minimum to yield a profitable bottom line. That figure should be reached within one year of opening, or else the store has some unforeseen problems.
What should be seriously looked into before opening?
Number one is, of course, location. Does the store have plenty of exposure and a traffic pattern that meets your desired demographics? Are the cars driving by all single occupant, late-model types with drivers going to and from white collar, blue collar and, as Deborah Rechnitz describes them, pink collar jobs? These represent the growing female professionals.
Can you get a two-year lease, with two three-year renewable options? That way, if it doesn't work out in two years, you can close it up and relocate. The racks, counters, computers, and even the carpeting are all reusable.
One cleaner faced with this situation converted the remaining customers to using a drop box and combined it with his existing local route service.
Next in the order of importance is a trained, smiling counter attendant wearing a jacket and a name tag..
Here lies the biggest fault with most plants that put in charge an introvert who might be efficient but basically has no patience dealing with the public. Hire only an extrovert and offer at least one week of training in all phases of your operation on how to write a ticket, read a label and settle a claim.
You are perhaps better off hiring someone with no experience, if they have the personality. I prefer housewives with school children. You'll find a great number of local people if you can set up a part-time situation.
It's not a "McJob"
Salary? You have to start somewhat higher than McDonalds or Burger King. The counter attendant's duties will entail sales, marking in, assembly and inspection. As the business grows, you can add overlapping shifts. And as sales increase, so should compensation.
Rents? I like to think a 1,000- to 1,500-sq.-ft. store would be in a $10 to $14 per square-foot price range, but every area is different.
Plenty of parking or a drive-through or a large anchoring supermarket can be a positive factors. Good exposure is most important. You can cut down on advertising expense if everyone knows where you are. Your windows become your billboards.
Population? Some areas, because of the mix of people and their incomes, can support a small store with as little as 2,000 residents. Others require 5,000 plus.
How about a drop store in an office building? I have seen some very successful locations squeezed into the lobby of a huge 30-story office building using a little alcove area no more than a 6 X 10 ft. with a locking folding door to shut it off from the rest of the lobby when the store is closed.
The hours? 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., reopening from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Same-day service at no extra charge. The investment?
A large rolling rack, a counter on wheels that rolls back behind a partition, and a small computer. The rent was too small to mention and almost an accommodation to the tenants in the building. The drycleaner hosted the annual office party and provided some classy desk calendars in appreciation of the patronage.
$4,000 a week
Volume? It exceeded $ 4,000 a week and achieved that number in six months. Most transactions were by credit card, with little or no cash sales, by offering a 10 percent discount if paid in advance or by credit card.
I also see more national supermarket chains offering drycleaning services. Are they smarter than the drycleaner?
Do I have to mention consistent quality. If you don't have it, don't start a new venture. Work on that controlling factor first and foremost before branching out.
Drop store or a route? The opportunity is there, staring us in the face, but like all opportunities, you have to knock on its door!
For more information on the topics covered in this article send $5 to Ray Colucci at the address below.
Ray Colucci, an independent consultant to the drycleaning and laundry industry, conducts sales seminars and participates on industry discussion panels. He has been a tailor, professional drycleaner and national sales manager. He can be reached at 410 Warren Ave., Mamaroneck, NY 10543; phone (914) 381-2171.
Manufacturers impregnate yarns or fabrics with finishing agents to give characteristics wanted by the consumer, e.g.: (1) luster and sheen, (2) hand or feel, (3) added body, weight or stiffness, (4) wrinkle or crease resistance, (5) stabilization of the fabric against shrinkage, (6) stain, soil or water repellency properties.
The substances used to finish fabrics are part of two major categories known as sizings and resins.
Sizings are water soluble substances and include starch and gelatin. Sizings are similar to starch used at home on fabrics and shirts except that manufacturers also use softeners to avoid a stiff and boardy condition. Manufacturers use sizings on cotton, linen, rayon, ramie and silk.
Resins are thermo set substances that are usually water resistant and are used on satin, taffeta, glazed or polished cotton and chintz, polyester and nylon.
Resins and sizings are used in fabrics made for wearing apparel and home furnishing fabrics, e.g., draperies and slipcovers.
Fabric problems
Common customer complaints associated with loss of sizing or resin are loss of body in the garment, limpness and that proper feel is no longer present in the garment.
- Other problems associated with sizing and resin breakdown are:
- Rings and swales.
- Discolorations and dark areas.
- Harsh feel.
- Loss of luster and sheen.
- Yellowing.
- Weak areas due to abrasion of the sizing on the fabric.
- Odor. A breakdown of a finishing agent in manufacture can result in a fishy or foul odor. Customers frequently associate this with solvent odor.
- Graying. Some sizings and resins are soil retentive, which means that soil or impurities dispersed in the solvent are attracted to and held by the finish. This can also occur on shirts when laundered.
- Shrinkage. Resin and sizing is used to stabilize garment against shrinkage. A breakdown or loss of sizing results in relaxation shrinkage.
Inspection
Check garment for rings and swales due to breakdown of finish caused by food, perspiration, moisture and general wear.
Check white garments that might have yellowed or oxidized from heat and age. Examine linens and cottons for weakness due to abrasion of the sizing on the fabric.
Drycleaning
Dryclean according to fabric and color. Generally wool and silk are cleaned three to five minutes, no moisture, with solvent temperature at 75° to 80°F and dried at 120°F. Cleaning white linens and cottons requires excellent solvent and filtering to prevent redeposition of soil, especially on soil retentive resin finishes.
Spotting
The use of levelling agents will prevent rings on most garments where sizing has dissolved due to wetside spotting procedures.
Spotting procedures on rayon matte jersey should be curtailed due to the high cost of the garment and the problem of sizing rings occurring.
Limit spotting to the steam gun and fast drying with the air gun.
Many satins, taffetas, linens and cottons will form difficult rings from dryside spotting agents.
After using dryside agents such as oily type paint remover and amyl acetate, the garments should be cleaned immediately to prevent sizing or resin breakdown.
Wetcleaning
Problems can occur with sizing during wetcleaning. Wetcleaning should be attempted when necessary. This can be used to remove soil, excessive staining or when attempting correction procedures.
Corrective procedures
Stiffness or body. The drycleaner can add sizing to fabric by various methods:
1. Charge system: Percentage of sizing added to solvent.
2. Batch or wheel system: Sizing is added to a load of garments during the last three minutes of cleaning with the filtering system bypassing the basket.
3. Spray: Wetside sizing can be applied in the finishing department. This is recommended for cotton, linen and ramie.
Wetside rings and discoloration. These can occur on rayon, silk, wool, linen, cotton and ramie.
1. Fogging: This is recommended for silk and rayon. Hold the steam gun 12 inches from the fabric and steam the affected area. Dry with air gun.
2. Levelling: Wet the affected area with a steam gun and apply a levelling agent. Hang to dry and dryclean.
3. Soak in cool water or spray entire garment with water.
4. Extract after soaking.
5. Dry by placing garment on steam air finishers using air only.
Dryside rings and swabs. This frequently occurs on satins, taffetas, nylons and polyester.
1. Prespot with amyl acetate and dryclean. Sometimes soaking in a bucket of amyl acetate and then drycleaning may be necessary.
Loss of luster and sheen on silk.
1. Soak in a pail of one gallon of solvent mixed with 8 ounces of mineral oil.
2. Extract lightly and dry at 120°F.
Harsh feel on wool.
1. Soak in a pail of one gallon of solvent with 8 ounces of drycleaning detergent.
2. Extract lightly and dry at 120°F.
Yellowing due to oxidation of sizing. Soak in water with a mild oxidizing bleach such as sodium perborate or safety bleach such as Clorox II.
Odor. Wetclean using an alkaline based synthetic detergent or add ammonia during washing in a commercial or domestic wash.
Graying due to soil retentive resin.
1. Soak overnight in a pail of one gallon of solvent with 10 ounces of drycleaning detergent.
2. Reclean.
3. Use oxidizing bleach as outlined above in "Yellowing."
Precaution
When garments are soaked in amyl acetate or solvent, the bucket should be covered or placed in the wheel of the cleaning machine. Wear gloves, goggles and a respirator.
Dan Eisen is chief garment analyst for the Neighborhood Cleaners Association Inter-national. He can be reached at the NCAI office, (212) 967-3002, ext. 243 or via e-mail: ncai@sprynet.com.
One of the most successful men I ever met is a gentleman I call the Candy Man.
We met about 48 years ago when he walked into the drycleaning plant I was running. I was at the spotting board when this impeccably dressed man walked up to me. He had a chipboard box in one hand and a pair of plastic tongs in the other.
He reached into the box with the tongs, picked up a piece of candy and offered it to me without saying a word. Naturally, I took the candy, unwrapped it and popped it into my mouth as he turned around and walked away.
He returned a few minutes later and asked if I would like to buy a box of authentic Atlantic City Taffy. I asked how much and he said a box cost 79 cents. I bought one and even though the price was expensive at the time, it did not stand in my way.
About six months later, he stopped in again with the same routine. This time I bought two boxes.
For the next few years, this strange encounter took place about every six months, but I noticed that the Candy Man was coming in earlier in the day each time.
One day, I was curious and walked up front with him and asked some questions about what he was doing. He suggested I walk him outside. He opened the trunk of his Packard sedan. Inside, he had about 20 boxes of candy left. My eyes opened wide because the Packard was the luxury car of that period, comparable to the Cadillac Fleetwood today.
He had never talked to me before, except to ask me to buy his candy. I was curious about a few things. His dress, which was obviously of the highest quality; his car, which was obviously very expensive; and the time lag between his visits.
He first explained his background. He was a chemical engineer who served as an officer in World War II. After his discharge, he took a job with Monsanto Chemical Co. as a sales rep. After he worked for them for a few years, the company held a training session in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
During a break, he and some other salesmen walking on the Boardwalk were watching a machine that made salt water taffy. They agreed that this appeared to be a nice way to make a living. Make and sell candy and at the end of the day, you go home with no worry or care about the responsibilities of high-level selling.
After the meeting, he got to thinking about his life-style and what he really wanted out of life and how he could get it. He wanted a home on Long Island facing Long Island Sound. He already had a family and wanted more time to spend with them. And he wanted a sail boat tied to his own dock. Finally, he wanted to make a better income than he could as a sales rep, even if he was tops in his field.
He set a goal for himself to sell 200 boxes of candy every work day and not quit until he accomplished this. When I met him, he had already met all his goals except the time it took him to sell out his daily stock of candy.
When he started, he worked in the rain, cold, sleet and snow and stayed out as long as it took to sell his 200 boxes.
This was very tough and there were days he failed, but he kept weeding out the areas that were not productive and concentrated on the better ones.
At the beginning, he worked Long Island, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Westchester County and part of the Bronx.
Gradually his territory got smaller and smaller as he learned who to call on and what areas were most productive.
When I met him, he got it down to where he was through at about 2 p.m.
He said that he felt he would soon be down to a noon quitting time and that his next goal would be to work three days a week to sell his 1,000 boxes a week.
How well did he do? Forgetting how he handled his taxes, as I have no idea and taxes were very low back then, he made 40 cents a box, or $400 a week.
That's not much, you say, and you are right. But going back to 1948, $400 a week was a fortune, easily equivalent to $2,000 a week today.
Drycleaning was priced at 50 cents for pants. A new Chevy ran about $1,000. A restaurant meal for two ran less than $5, and a beautiful house could be bought for $22,000.
The Candy Man's sales manager at Monsanto didn't make $12,000 a year back then so you can see how successful the Candy Man was, making the equivalent of $20,000 a year.
I have thought and written about the Candy Man over the years as his story has stuck with me and has helped me understand what it takes to be a success.
If I had to state his success in one word, that word would be
FOCUS.
He knew what he wanted. He knew what he had to do to get it and he focused on his methods to reach his goal.
I never knew his name. I'm sure he is either retired or gone by now as he was about 10 years older than I at the time. But my chance meeting with him gave me something to think about and understand as I set my own goals for my life.
I'm not like him. Not many people are. But I did learn that a person has to have goals and constantly stay focused to reach those goals.
Now, ask yourself what you want out of life. What will it take to reach your goals and are you willing to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve your personal success?
I'll end this with a story about another man who taught me a great deal about life and living. He is now deceased, but he was a man who understood what it takes.
His definition isŠ
"Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal."
He said that success was the progression and not the goal itself that made people successful.
His name was Earl Nightingale and he, like the Candy Man, taught me a great deal about the meaning of life.
In the day-to-day events, we often forget our long-range goals and lose our focus in the confusion of getting things done.
But, for those of you who will take time out and reflect on what you want out of life, and then focus on your goals, the road will be smoother as you
Stan Golomb is president of The Golomb Group Inc., a firm that designs marketing programs for drycleaners. Contact him at The Golomb Group Inc., 7664 Plaza Ct., Willowbrook, IL 60521; phone (630) 887-7339. His e-mail address is: sgolomb@ix.netcom.com
Cleaning suede, leather and fur items can be as easy and simple as drycleaning cloth items if you use a specially formulated detergent plus conditioner that chemically conditions the drycleaning fluids.
By adding a specially formulated detergent plus conditioner to the drycleaning fluid in the recommended concentration, the color and suppleness of suedes, leathers and furs can be protected and preserved. Virtually no color loss or stiffness will occur in the cleaning procedure.
The detergent plus conditioner stabilizes the color and retains the natural oils in the skins, essentially eliminating the undesirable effects of color loss, bleeding, stiffening and hardening of the skin that would result if non-conditioned drycleaning fluid with or without an ordinary drycleaning detergent is used.
The drycleaning fluid that comes in contact with the skins or furs being cleaned must contain the proper percentage charge or concentration of detergent plus conditioner.
Specifically, light colored suedes and leathers and light textured furs like rabbit require a lower concentration, while dark and bright colored skins and heavy textured furs (all except rabbit) require a higher concentration.
Light colored suedes and leathers include beige, tan, oyster grey and light pastels. Dark and bright colored suedes and leathers include black, blue, brown, red, green, purple, maroon, orange and rust.
The minimum concentration of a specially formulated detergent plus conditioner required for dark and bright colors is six percent (6%) of the drycleaning fluid.
This means that every gallon of perc or solvent drycleaning fluid that touches the dark and bright colored suedes or leathers must contain at least 7.68 ounces of the detergent plus conditioner to protect the color and prevent dye bleeding and stiffening of the skin.
This concentration can significantly exceed six percent with no adverse effect. However, the further the concentration falls below the minimum six percent charge, the more pronounced will be color loss and stiffening.
The minimum concentration of a specially formulated detergent plus conditioner for light colored suedes and leather is two percent. That means that every gallon solvent drycleaning fluid must contain at least 2.56 ounces of a specially formulated detergent plus conditioner. This concentration can exceed two percent but must not be lower or stiffening and drying out of the skin will occur.
All colors of suede and leather can be cleaned in drycleaning fluid containing a six percent concentration of a specially formulated detergent plus conditioner.
Caution: Do not attempt to use products that are not specifically formulated for use on suede and leather. Royaltone's suede and leather products are specially formulated to process suedes, leathers, furs and trimmed cloth without causing color loss, color bleed, color transfer, stiffening of the skins or matting down the nap. The author takes no responsibility for results achieved or performance obtained with other products used on suede and leather as described in this article.
Frank Lucenta is president of Royaltone Company, Inc., a firm that trains drycleaners and launderers to identify, accept, spot, dryclean, wetclean, press and recolor suedes, leathers and furs. The next training session will be held Feb. 5-6, 1998 at the Royaltone Suedemate Academy in Tulsa. For information on training sessions, the subject covered in this article and other information on leather care, a free three-ring binder to hold copies of these articles and for information on Royaltone's Instruction Book and Spotting Charts, call or write to Royaltone, PO Box 25949. Tulsa, OK 74153-0949; phone (8OO) 331-5506, or (918) 663-9666, or fax (918) 665-6017, or e-mail to royaltone@royaltone.com.
Having to manage a difficult employee is never fun and can be the most challenging part of your responsibilities as a manager.
While this is a frustrating area for everyone involved, there is a process for handling -- both consistently and confidently -- the most challenging employee situations.
When you first realize that you are having a problem with an employee, bring that individual behind closed doors and discuss exactly what behavior you want corrected. Habitually reporting for work late would be an example of a behavior you would want to alter.
There's an adage I learned from a friend who retired after a career as a manager for Sears, Roebuck & Co. He said: "Praise an employee in public, but criticize him in private."
That means if an employee does something worthy of praise, let everyone know -- other employees, customers, everybody you meet.
But if someone does something that needs correcting, take that person aside where only you and that employee are involved in the conversation.
And remember what I call "The Four-to-One Rule." For every criticism you make of someone's job performance, make sure you give that person at least four compliments. Your criticism will have a much greater effect if it is couched in an abundance of compliments.
I prefer to proceed the criticism with a compliment or two, then give the criticism, then follow up with additional compliments.
Any manager who follows that procedure will be amazed at the improved performance immediately obtainable from even normally incorrigible employees.
Confidential criticism
Your private conversation with a problem employee should be brief and to the point. Make sure the employee understands exactly what the problem is and what improvements you expect. Be specific with your comments and only discuss the problem itself, not any other personal issues.
Of course, always try to support this member of your team in any way possible in order to achieve a positive outcome.
Let the person know that you want them to succeed in overcoming the unacceptable behavior. A show of confidence at this point can provide the self-confidence many problem employees lack and could be the cornerstone that employee needs to build a tower of success.
If this is the first meeting you are having with this employee concerning a particular problem, take notes during the meeting. Date them. And place them in this employee's file.
Needless to say, these are confidential files and should always be kept under lock and key. These notes will be a reminder of the problems you discussed and will help to clarify your expectations.
If problems continue
If you continue to have a problem with this same individual, bring the employee behind closed doors again.
This time, present a written memo recapping the problem. In this memo, list the date of your first meeting, the problems you discussed with the employee and list specific areas of improvement which you expect to happen.
Remember, when you are requesting improved performance, the improvements must be measurable and must have a time frame or date when these improvements will be measured and revised again.
After you present your written memo with the problem clearly stated, have the employee sign and date it. This validates the points discussed during the meeting.
The memo must include the phrase "Failure to improve your performance may lead to termination." This makes your intentions perfectly clear.
Swift termination
If you find that no improvement is being made, then termination may be the only answer. If so, make the termination swift.
Although conventional management models suggest terminating an employee at the end of the day so as not disrupt other workers, I prefer to terminate people in the morning.
On the final date they were given to have corrected the objectionable behavior, I give them the opportunity to come to work and at least begin a turnaround. I give them 10 minutes to an hour to change their attitude.
If that doesn't work, take the employee aside and let him know he is being terminated. Make certain that the meeting is brief. State exactly the reasons for termination. Have all final paperwork ready for the employee's signature.
Don't let the individual go back with the other workers. If the terminated employee has to go back to get personal belongings, go with along him. Do not allow prolonged conversations with other employees. And then walk the individual to the door.
Learn from experience
Unfortunately, the termination of an employee is not a pleasant part of management. On the other hand, termination of a problem employee is a positive step for your store. This person's attitude can be detrimental to the morale of your team; the negative attitude of one employee will eventually effect others.
Take the time to ask yourself: "Was this person the best candidate for the job in the first place? Was this person given proper training? Could I have done anything to change the course of this situation?"
By asking these questions, sometimes positive improvement can be made in your business.
Naturally, employee termination and the investment to hire a new person is expensive and should not be taken lightly.
Dennis McCrory writes for several industry publications both here and abroad. He also speaks and does consulting on advertising and marketing. He is also currently marketing "The Caplan Method of Spotting" video tape and handbook which he produced. He and Stan Caplan offer themselves as companion speakers for conventions and other industry activities. Call (800) 646-5736, PIN # 4615.
In last month's column, I stated that the great shakeout in the drycleaning industry has begun.
Furthermore, I said that to survive this shakeout you must start planning your future now.
Planning, when done correctly, forces you to think things all the way through, step by step.
The most common excuse people give for not planning is, "Every time I try to plan, things seem to change." The reason people don't plan is that it takes a lot of brain effort (not brain power) and it requires time to be alone to think.
For all of you who have thought that planning is a good idea for today but an even better idea for next week, guess whatŠ next week is here.
Make up your mind that you will take yourself off premise to a place where you can be alone to do some planning once a week. Set your goals and document the steps it will take to accomplish these goals. Write down:
1. What you accomplished last year and how you did it.
2. What you wanted to accomplish last year and didn't.
3. What you could have or should have done to accomplish those things.
4. What you would like to accomplish in 1998. Write down your goals and prioritize them later.
Having reviewed the ups and downs of last year, you are now prepared to move forward.
Review the list of things that you would like to accomplish in 1998. Pick out the single most important thing that you need to do in 1998.
Now ask yourself, "Is it achievable and doable in whole or in part?" Be honest with yourself. If it is not, then pick something that is.
Once you have settled on a major goal, go back and write down what accomplishing this goal will do for you and your company. You are two-thirds of the way thereŠ you have a goal and you know what this goal will achieve.
Now determine what else you can do to realize the results you are looking for.
Example: You set a goal that states that you want to increase sales by 10 percent over last year. This means that sales will have to increase by 10 percent every month over the same month of the previous year.
You also stated that by increasing sales you expect to increase the bottom line. Thus, the ultimate goal is to improve the bottom line. Or maybe it has two parts, such as improve the bottom line and bring in more work for your employees.
It is now time to determine what else you can do to 1) increase the bottom line and 2) give your employees more work.
Dollar for dollar
Remember, if you increase sales by $1 you will improve your bottom line by about 35 cents. If you reduce your costs by $1 you will improve your bottom line by $1.
You must increase sales, which will bring in more work, and with more work it is easier to get your employees to be more productive.
When your employees are more productive, your cost per piece goes down and your bottom line goes up. STOPŠ This does not mean you can lower your prices.
The money you will be saving is pennies per garment. Over the period of a month or a year it can have an extremely positive affect on your bottom line, but not if you give it away with deep discounts and low prices.
Back to planning. Every week you continue to slink off to unknown places for an hour to be alone to refine and review your goals for 1998.
You have decided you will increase sales, reduce your labor costs, and provide your employees with more work, thus giving them more hours, which translates to more money for them.
The question now is, "How do I make this happen?"
Before you decide to launch a full-blown marketing program (such as spending $600 on Super Coups), you must first upgrade your customer service. Why spend tons of money to bring in customers just to disappoint them with terrible service? Makes no sense. So do your homework!
Begin by realizing that "you" alone cannot achieve this or any other business goal. This must be a team effort and to get the rest of the team to join in they must first know that a goal exists.
What a novel idea, huh, communicating with your employees!
Get the team together
Inform your employees that there will be a meeting next week to discuss ways you can better serve your customers.
Ask your counter people to list some of the things the production people can do to improve customer service.
Ask your production people to list the things that the counter people can do to help production improve customer service.
Now, with customer service improving daily, you can decide how to attract and retain new customers. Begin by determining how much money you are willing and able to spend on advertising.
A good advertising budget is 3 percent of sales. This does not include the discounts you give to your customers. If you track that amount -- add it to the 3 percent.
All investments you make in your business must result in a return. A 3 percent investment in advertising must generate a return greater than your cost.
Is it working?
Monitor your results. If, within three months, you do not see an increase in sales volume, try something new.
The most cost effective way to get the attention of potential customers is through direct mail advertising.
Such things as ValPak and Super Coups are inexpensive and relatively ineffective. You may want to consider one of these if the advertising company will give you an exclusive.
If your customers are primarily neighborhood people, Stan Golomb has some good programs.
If the majority of your customers are from outside a one-mile radius of your plant, look into buying lists that cover the areas where your customers are located.
Anything beats nothing
Whatever you do, as long as you have planned it through, is better than doing nothing.
Monitor the results, make adjustments and keep at it.
This reminds me of an Aesop's Fable that I love to tellŠ two frogs came upon a bucket of cream. Being curious, they jumped in the bucket. After exploring, the first frog jumped up in an attempt to get out of the bucket. After a couple of attempts, he fell back, gave up and drowned.
The other frog, perhaps not quite as intelligent, jumped up repeatedly until an island of butter formed in the cream and he was able to launch himself out of the bucket.
Persevere, and remember, the easiest and most profitable way to increase your sales volume is by increasing your prices. It works every time!
Remember, in the game of business, the more you know the better you can play the game.
Alan Robson is a private consultant dealing with the specialized needs of the drycleaning industry. Readers are encouraged to send him questions he can address in future columns. For more information, contact him by telephone at (508) 753-6619 or send e-mail to him at: agrobson@ma.ultranet.com
It's time to celebrate another new year with the promise of new opportunity and challenges.
More than any other part of the year this is the time for planning and self examination.
Now is the time to reflect back on the past and chart your course for the coming year.
From time to time we must step back from the daily rigors and tendency of being wrapped up in the day-to-day problems and determine if we are running our business, or if the business is running us.
For many of us,the past few years have been filled with problems and less than record sales. Many have become discouraged with the ever increasing pressures we deal with.
Often we are too close to see that we create some of our own problems and have the power to change them.
One of my favorite mental exercises is to wonder if someone else bought my business what would be done differently than I am doing.
I do not always find answers, but often I ask myself the kind of questions that challenge my direction and capabilities.
The following are some of the many issues we will be facing that we should analyze:
Environmental
Work is being done by many in our industry on two fronts of the environmental arena. Meetings are regularly taking place to enlist help in Congress to support the Barton bill.
This legislation promises to lessen the threat of disaster that looms for most of us if contamination is found as a result of our use of solvents.
Currently the limits for ground contamination are tied to the safe drinking water limit of five parts per billion. This means that if minute amounts of perc are found in the soil around a drycleaning plant expensive testing and cleanup is required.
The Barton bill would make the level more lenient if no threat exists to drinking water. Levels of perc in the ground would be permissible to one tenth of the worker exposure limit set by OHSA, which is now 100 parts per million.
Our industry view is that we have worked with perc for many years without any evidence of harm to workers our ourselves and therefore a more reasonable assessment of whether its threat to people should be considered.
At the same time, many states continue working on an environmental contamination fund. This would take money that is collected from the business activities of drycleaners to fund a cleanup if required.
This could be viewed with the same feeling that we do when buying insurance. Even with the hope of relief from the Barton bill, there would still be cases where cleanup would be required and a state cleanup fund may be needed.
The good news would be that if contamination levels were relaxed, the funds needed for cleanup should be drastically reduced.
Even with a lesser threat of expensive cleanups, a larger dark cloud that has loomed over our industry is the devastating costs of litigation. Just the appearance of someone being harmed by a drycleaner can trigger devastatingly expensive legal defense fees.
Hopefully we have begun a groundswell of support to lift this dark cloud that has consumed much of our industry's time, effort and finances over the past several years.
However if we are to succeed on this front more of us have to become actively involved.
Workforce
With unemployment at record low levels, the next big area of concern to most cleaners I talk with is how to attract and keep good employees.
This is an area that continues to worsen and again it is up to us if we want relief in this area. Our industry does not project a glamorous image of a great place to work. Even worse, it is not an industry with a promise of top wages and benefits.
I know that competition creates an inability to be generous since money is not free flowing for most of us.
Perhaps we can find other ways to make the jobs we offer more appealing to the shrinkage workforce we can attract. There are many other low paying jobs that are competing with us for workers, but we may be able to give unskilled people an opportunity by spelling out an advancement path for entry level unskilled workers.
We must offer training for their benefit and cross training for the benefit of management to have a skilled, energized workforce.
If you do not feel qualified to train unskilled workers, there are consultants available and training from our trade associations.
Since classified ads are becoming expensive and less productive, we must be willing to explore other methods of attracting qualified employees. These include our current workers who may know people with similar skills and interest as they do.
More important is attitude. Positive attitude people will have friends with a similar demeanor who might make excellent prospects as workers, again if we are willing to train.
Another often overlooked opportunity for workers is people we come in contact with. Many times we see hard-working people in places we go, perhaps stores we shop in or restaurants.
These people who we recognize as high energy, hard workers may not be delighted with their present position. You may be surprised to find that you can enlist them, or they can recommend people they know who are looking for a new type of job. We must be our own biggest advocate in publicizing our business. Always have a positive attitude that will rub off on others and you may be surprised with the good results.
Benefits
Most small business people poo-poo the idea of offering benefits. They think they are too expensive, or that we are too small to offer them. The fact is that benefits are part of your entire compensation package and most of the money can come directly from the employee.
Health coverage, depending on your state's regulations, can be paid primarily as a payroll deduction.
Similarly, retirement plans have become easier and less costly, if not free of extra charges to the employer. All you have to do is make a commitment to offer these plans that may be too complicated or troublesome for you employee's to do for themselves.
Marketing
Are you happy with the current trends in your business?
Are you content with the state of your business, or do you need to look at new diversifications?
Do you need to plan new ways to advertise or make new efforts to attract and hold customers?
I believe that in business you are either moving ahead or falling behind. There is no such thing as staying the same.
Competition is fierce out there, not only from other cleaners, but also from any new business that has opened in your town that is fighting for that precious disposable dollar that you customer has to spend.
I am more fearful of the new mass merchandisers that are opening than the four-fold increase we have had in drycleaners in my area.
Certainly more cleaners are competing for less drycleaning, but more than this we have several new stores selling computers and home furnishings with big-ticket items selling in the thousands of dollars, and small ticket items like compact discs and computer software. They are always busy.
Somehow we must make the customers see the value we provide them if we are to compete for the small amount of their spending that seems to keep getting smaller. It is our responsibility to make it feel good about looking good.
Nobody feels good about spending money on what we consider a maintenance service type chore. We think of it as a necessary evil.
Cleaners are not the only businesses that people love to hate. How many of you rejoice at spending time and money with the car mechanic, doctor, dentist, hair dresser, plumber, or others who perform a needed service?
Finances
Are we spending our money as wisely as possible, or in some areas are we penny wise and dollar foolish?
Is our equipment in the best repair, or is it nickel and diming us to death?
Do we get the best pricing on supplies?
Is our workforce scheduled for the most productivity and best coverage, or do some of these problems perpetuate year after year?
Are we getting the best rates from our bank and if we accept credit cards are we receiving the best discount rate?
Have we all investigated alternate utility suppliers if it is allowed in our state?
These issues and more will be challenging all of us through the coming year. Our responsibility is to decide to take charge of them and look forward to an exciting year with more problems to solve.
Arthur Weiss owns Betty Brite Cleaners and loves to get mail from readers at 334 Route 33, Mercerville, NJ 08619. He can be reached by phone at (609) 890-8787 or by e-mail: awclean@aol.com
After 40 years in business, Cardboard Paper Specialties has closed its doors.
The company was founded in Indianapolis in 1957 by the late C. C. Zintel who was the inventor of the Shoulder Saver, an interlocking cardboard hanger cover. He held the original exclusive patent for the Shoulder Saver until 1976 and his company had manufactured it for the drycleaning industry since 1958.
Mark Zintel, CPS president and grandson of the founder, said, "We're making a clean departure and have paid all the bills. Unfortunately, the company never diversified beyond the Shoulder Saver. Even though we stabilized sales, we were unable to compete with manufacturers offering a variety of specialty items to the industry."
Zintel, who assumed control of CPS after the death of his mother, Joanne, last year, said he still believes that the Shoulder Saver was a superior product. "But the industry has moved to the big vertical suppliers and away from the local jobbers," he said.
He added that the original dies for making the Shoulder Saver are available to any manufacturers interested in picking up the line. He can be reached at his advertising firm in St. Petersburg, FL, (813) 577-3636.
Members of the Professional Drycleaners of Acadiana in Lafayette, LA, received plaques from Safety & Environmental Compliance Consultants Inc. to recognize their compliance with OSHA and EPA requirements for the drycleaning industry.
Those recognized included James and Colleen Owens of Owens Cleaners; Kevin Le Blanc of SouthPark Cleaners; Steve Le Blanc and Francis Le Blanc of Northside Cleaners; Carrol and Ruby Hernandez of C&R Quality Cleaners; Edward and Horace Broussard of National Cleaners of Lafayette and Hardy, Dena and Margie Duhon of Hardy's One Hour Cleaners; Verlie Langlinais and Hope Langlinais of Acadiana Laundry and Dry Cleaners; Carolyn Schwass of Blue Ribbon Fabricare Center; Allen Le Blanc of South College Cleaners; Jonothan May of Camellia Cleaners; David Guidry of The Drycleaning Store; Trey and Ron McIntire of Overpass Cleaners; Jim and Ricky Welsh of Welsh's Cleaners; Harvey and Ricky Stoma of Whiteway Laundry; Pauline Cormier of Sunshine Cleaners; Bobby Harris of The Cleaning Station and Kay and Scooter Keen of Quick-N-Handy Cleaner.
PROS has announced its new World Wide Web site located at http://www.htinfo.com/pros.htm.
The page offers current parts prices and contact information. Information on current and new PROS equipment will be added along with Web-only specials on parts and equipment.
Liberty Business Forms and Systems Inc. and Pittsburgh Tag Systems Inc. jointly announced that they merged as of November 24. The merger causes the formation of Liberty-Pittsburgh Systems Inc. Both former companies will continue to operate as subsidiaries of Liberty-Pittsburgh systems.
With the completion of the merger, the combined companies will continue to operate all facilities and customer service centers and all customers will be able to do business with them in the usual fashion.
"I feel this combination will create a broader line of printed products for the drycleaning and uniform rental industries and will enable us to provide better service to our customers," said William Cosnotti of Liberty.
Lea Griswold of Pittsburgh Tag commented, "With Liberty-Pittsburgh Systems, we have the opportunity to meet the challenges ahead as the leader in our industry in tag, form and computer systems."
Keystone Leasing has named Jerry Gellerstein to manage and promote leasing to the drycleaning and laundry industry.
Gellerstein has experience in providing leases to many start-up operations and replacement equipment for established drycleaning and laundry operations. He was formerly the executive vice president of BEHA Leasing Corp., a captive leasing compnay of Multimatic Corp. He has degrees in accounting and finance.
Gellerstein can be reached at (888) 990-0003 or (914) 348-9430.
M & L Supply Co. is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The company was formed in 1937 to supply the drycleaning and tailoring industry. Albert S. Berardi, former president and owner, led the expansion that brought M & L to its position as a leading distributor of laundry and drycleaning equipment, supplies, parts and service in northern Ohio. The company has been a Milnor dealer for more than 40 years. M & L Supply Co. is owned and managed by John S. Berardi (left), David M. Berardi (right) and Stephen Michalec (center). All three have been with the compnay for more than 25 years.
CHICAGO, IL -- The Wet Wash Drain Filter installs easily onto drain lines from any machine with a drain pipe size from four inches to one inch. Once installed, the unit captures buttons, zipper heads and other articles of value that would otherwise be lost in the plant's drain system. A screen filter blocks these items from being discharged and an easy-open lid permits inspection of the filter contents and clean out.
The filter needs 16 inches of space for installation. Attachment to the present drain piping is made using appropriately sized plain end flexible hose connectors and hose clamps.
The unit is resistant to heat, hot water and laundering chemicals.
SANTA MONICA, CA -- Total E-Call, manufactured by American Network Systems, is a hardware/software package that provides communication features integrating telephone and PC technology.
The auto-polling feature automatically dials phone numbers and plays a recorded message that reminds customers that they have laundry or drycleaning ready for pick-up. It can also send promotional messages to old clients who may not have been in for several months.
The auto-attendant feature guides callers through a multi-tier voice mail menus. Owners and managers can set it up to forward incoming calls to an outside phone, pager or email address immediately after a message is delivered or at any predetermined time.
The contact records feature displays records for the customer whenever incoming phone calls are answered or outgoing calls are made. Information such as past levels of business of preferences can be noted.
Total E-Call is password protected so that calls can only be heard by their intended receiver. Hardware requirements are a Pentium 60 or faster processor, Windows 95, 8 MB of RAM, 4 MB of free hard disk space, a 3.5" high-density drive, a free standard ISA bus slot, a standard analog telephone line, an Internet connection and a Microsoft compatible mouse.
ELKHART, IN -- Fasnap Corp., offers its YM-160 Alpha, a no-frills, hand-fed, floor-mounted machine for attaching snap fasteners and grommets.
The press uses a spring-loaded foot pedal to lower the die, allowing both hands free to place the fabric. A flip of the thumb sets the snap fastener or grommet permanently. Two mounted trays provide component access. Safety measures prevent activation when hands or fingers are in the way. The top die must be totally depressed by the foot pedal before the electric clutch can be activated.
The YM-160 weighs about 140 pounds and is driven by a 120V 1/4 HP electric motor. It stands 41 1/2 inches high, 17 inches wide and 18 inches deep and is mounted on wheels for mobility.
ST. Louis PARK, MN -- PROS has added a 40-gallon working capacity still to its lines of generic stills used for replacing original factory stills.
Each stainless steel still is made in the U.S. and consists of a high efficiency flat bottom steam template, a 14" diameter door, front and rear sight glasses and a sparger bar. Each still comes insulated and skinned and is made of 10-gauge stainless steel (US 304). PROS also offers a variety of options, including filtration.
HANOVER, MD -- IPSO-OLG NV has added a 25-lb. capacity model to its HW line of freestanding, high-speed, soft-mount washer-extractors. The Model HW 94 uses no more floor space than a hard-mount, normal spin machine of the same capacity, the company said.
A variable speed motor, standard on the HW models, makes a smooth change from wash cycle to spin. High-speed extraction can cut drying time by as much as 50 percent.
All models in the HW line have stainless steel cabinets, tubs and cylinders. The IPSO Micro-20 electronic control can be factory pre-programmed with as many as 99 programs. The IPSO PC-30 microprocessor is optional on OPL models.
The HW line is also available with capacities of 14, 18, 30 and 35 pounds.
CLEVELAND, OH -- Quantum Magnetic Systems has introduced a treatment system for eliminating scale build-up and increasing the efficiency of boiler systems.
The QMS system uses a pipe component surrounded by permanent ceramic magnets plumbed into water lines where hot/cold interfaces lead to scale formation. The current alters the spin vectors of hardness ions and hydrogen atoms in the water and inhibits crystallization, thus reducing formation of scale. The company said the system is environmentally safe and maintenance free.
BOLDER, CO -- Konetix Inc. and Spectrum Human Resource Systems have signed a partnership that combines Konetix's TimeCentre, a Windows-based time attendance and labor tracking software package, with Spectrum's HRVantage product.
The TimeCentre-HRVantage interface combines data collection and information processing for managing labor costs and streamlining human resource management activities. Users can collect time, attendance and labor tracking data and improve data accuracy to monitor human-resource related tasks such as hire processing, benefits management, performance reviews compensation planning and skills tracking.
TULSA, OK -- Royaltone Company Inc. has a new line of cloth wet cleaning products designed to be safe, simple and inexpensive to use for a drycleaner who wants to expand the variety of garments that can be wetcleaned. The wetcleaning products are non-hazardous and biodegradable and work on all fabrics, including "dryclean only" items, Royaltone said.
Products in the kit include Soft Wash Detergent Plus Conditioner; Soft Feel Prefinish Conditioner, Soft Size Prefinish Sizing; Soft Set Prewash Dye Set; Magic Kote Prefinish Repellent and Conditioner; Spot Plus Spray Spotter; and the Magic Water Soluble Spotters for protein, tannin, POG and ink stains.
The formula sounds simple: start a small business, plan your growth well and keep pace with change. Adapt, adjust and keep your eye on opportunities. But most of all, make sure you are doing something you like.
Tennessee drycleaner Eddie Mannis started his drycleaning business in 1985 at age 25 with a 1,000 square foot plant, four employees, no customers and 12 competitors within three miles. Prestige Cleaners was the result of wanting to run his own operation, using ideas he thought would make a company efficient and profitable. The desire came from working for someone else and coming to understand there were good ways and bad ways to operate. "I went to college after work to night and weekend classes," Mannis says of the time when he was serving his drycleaning apprenticeship. "I actually started my business as a senior." He attended Maryville College right outside of Knoxville, all the while working at Sanitary Laundry & Drycleaning, a company that is out of business now. He was in a position not unlike any number of intelligent, creative people. As he saw it, there were ways to run a business that promised great rewards. But he was in no position to implement them. And there was no promise of a future where he was at the time.
Mannis had developed his own concept of what was good business and what should be tossed out in managing a company. But he was restrained from implementing changes because the company had its own way of doing things.
He began planning his own operation, looking for that opportunity to do it his way. Through planning and saving, he was able to come up with a way to strike out on his own.
By the time the owner of Sanitary understood that Mannis was a bright, talented manager, the die was cast.
"On my last day the owner brought me in and said, 'if you stay, I will put you in a position to take it over.'" Too little, too late. Mannis had places to go and was committed to his own shot.
His first location -- which Prestige Cleaners still owns today -- was a rundown office site.
"It was an old building," Mannis said. "Some of the offices were leased" and he took a small share of the available space.
"We moved equipment from a plant that closed down and started in like a quarter of the building. It was an office building, an old ragged out old office building, and I leased the front of the building. I subleased the rest." "I had bought the equipment from a Korean man who was closing and he agreed to owner financing," Mannis explained of equipping his dream. "I bought a 1972 Chevrolet van to haul clothes. I started out with formal wear." He also jokes about the van doubling as his personal car. Hours were long enough that Mannis remembers that the van "was almost my home." Prestige enjoyed a solid, but not spectacular inaugural year of business. According to his records, Mannis had a $100,000 gross the first 12 months.
As Prestige Cleaners expanded, Mannis did not renew the leases of the other tenants in that building. His company was growing steadily and rapidly. Within four years the first dry store was opened and the main plant expanded to 3,500 square feet. There were now 30 employees.
Volume and income continued to grow and by June, 1993, Mannis needed to expand again. Working with industry consultant Max Rechnitz and a local architect, Mannis created a 14,000 square foot facility which represented his idea of the most "efficient, productive plant" for textile care.
Growth followed right along and by March, 1996, home delivery services were initiated. This led to plans for an additional dry store and fire restoration work, both of which will be introduced in the near future.
Today Prestige Cleaners enjoys projected annual sales of $3.3 million, operates out of a new central office located in the main processing plant, features three drop stores and offers a home valet service. There are more than 90 employees who enjoy a range of benefits including health and dental insurance, an employee assistance program, paid holidays and vacations and a 401(k) retirement plan.
The company has received the Plant Design Award from American Drycleaner and was voted "Knoxville's Best Drycleaner" by a local publication, MetroPulse.
They have also been named winner of the Greater Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Enterpriser Award and the East Tennessee Women's Political Caucus Champions Award.
Mannis has maintained presence within the textile care industry culture too. He has served as president of the Tennessee Fabricare Association, passed the Certified Environmental Drycleaner and Certified Professional Drycleaner exams, was named to the state's Drycleaner Environmental Response Program Board by the Tennessee governor, was the FLARE state representative from 1993 1996 and has been a speaker at Sanitone Licensee Conferences in 1992 and 1996. He has freely given his time and expertise to an industry he chose as a career.
It wasn't a matter of guesswork that produced this sort of business success. Mannis incorporated his vision from the first days into the company mind set. It is what he calls the biggest influence in building clientele -- "customer service, quality of product and friendliness." Mannis believes 90 percent of all cleaners start out with the drive. But that can falter.
"Because it's tough to produce a consistently quality product due to "the many variables in this industry, there's something you can't let go of: quality. It's so hard to maintain quality. It's easier to do mediocre and have piece of mind than give the very best. We're not perfect. We disappoint customers but we try for quality." Mannis is also a stickler for educating staff on textile care. If the business is to succeed, it has to have people who know and understand textiles. Toward this end, he brings in trainers such as Jane Zellers to teach the staff professional textile care.
"We have to know what a garment's going to do before we start working on it." And the staff also has to deal with the changing demography of the drycleaning customer. Mannis sees people extending the time between cleanings.
"Customers have worn clothes until they can't be worn anymore. I think as the cost of drycleaning goes up, it will get worse."
In a presentation to the Varsity Group earlier this year, Mannis repeated the philosophy developed in his first years that under pins the Prestige corporate culture today.
"Image has always been the key to success for Prestige Cleaners; in fact, our corporate slogan "Prestige Cleaners -- A Part of Your Image" is as well known to our customer base and the community as our professionally-decorated lobby areas and fresh flowers arrangements. From the beginning, we have concentrated on building our image as well, breaking out of the stereotype of what a commercial cleaning operation should be and do." "We go after the market," Mannis declared. "Knoxville's a tough drycleaning market; there are some good competitors out there." He has been determined to stand out in that market, a success backed with the best of testimonials -- satisfied and loyal customers.
"We have people who ship their clothes to us. A lady 75 miles from here last week UPS'd us. A couple who retired to Florida still ships clothes to us." The answer to the question "why" is straightforward -- "It's the trust." If he has any complaints, they would be about finding employees for the business.
"It's a labor situation that's kicking my butt. I had a spotter here eight years. When I hired a plant manager, he walked out one day -- threw in the whole towel." Apparently the spotter felt the job should be his, even though he possessed few of the skills demanded of a managerial position, including the ability to read.
Events like this prompt Mannis to joke that it's time to mail in a classified ad that reads, "For sale. 1 plant with four drops and one residential pickup and delivery service." In reality, the business he has developed is exactly the thing at which he's happiest.
"This is all I wanted my life to be. This is it." In the course of achieving "it," Mannis marketed the business. The biggest hit of his advertising strategy is something he and a local advertising company developed in 1994 which still works for them today -- the baby ad. The target was the young, affluent market in the area around the stores.
"We didn't want a lot of copy or dirty talk," Mannis said. That's when the two decided to use a baby who ruins mom's dress while she talking to a friend on the phone about the dress.
"We initially planned to include only one television spot in our campaign," Mannis said. But the success of the ad -- to the point of him being recognized as the cleaner with the baby in the commercial -- prompted a billboard campaign with the baby and a sequel to the original baby ad.
He originally wanted "to come up with something catchy, but not hokey; to catch them in 30 seconds. That's what we ended up with. With babies it's impromptu. A lot of the things just happened. We edit and cut and came up with what you see. The baby spot is known all over." The company's marketing is not all agency-driven. "We do a lot of in-office stuff through the computer system. There are weekly mailings to all new customers, monthly mailing to inactive customers." The standard he has set for the development of his business is well-defined: "Customers like change and employees, for the most part, like to see change and growth. The industry becomes so hard for some people they decide to "do their thing," not grow anymore. Grow forward." Mannis certainly has.
NEW YORK, NY -- Two members and a representative of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International met in December with the legislative director for Rep. Christopher Smith of New Jersey to discuss the Barton Bill. Arthur Weiss, Anne Marie Brennan and Nora Nealis met with Congressional aide Mark Roselli to explain HR 1711. Rep. Smith represents Weiss in Congress.
Roselli informed the three that the Congressman is "willing to explore the issue and is looking to us for additional data." According to Nealis, Roselli reports that the Congressman is "looking for perc consumption numbers to see how they've dropped over the past 10 years. He is also interested in what environmental groups think of perc." Nealis also said that Roselli indicated he will contact the U. S. EPA "to find out why they set such a low level" for perc. Roselli also showed he is familiar with problems brought about by retroactive liability and excessive regulatory action. He "related Superfund horror stories and was certainly empathetic to drycleaners," Nealis added.
Preventing Equipment Problems will be the theme of a maintenance clinic on Feb. 21 in Harrisburg, PA. The program is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Drycleaners Launderers Association. It will be held at the Harrisburg Hilton Hotel.
The day-long seminar will focus on techniques and procedures drycleaners can use to keep equipment operating at peak efficiency while reducing the number of service calls needed. Speakers at the seminar will give generic information on servicing drycleaning, finishing and other types of machinery. In addition, there will be a segment on meeting the safety standards required by law, including pollution prevention procedures.
Program hours are 9 a.m to 4 p.m. The registration fee will include lunch.
PDLA will hold four days of seminars in April when Jane Zellers leads one-day programs April 27-29. The specific cities and times for the seminars will be announced in the near future.
Call (800) 822-PDLA for details.
Pennsylvania Drycleaners Launderers Association president Dave Rosenblatt has announced his candidacy for the International Fabricare Institute District 2 board of directors post. The voting will be held next April and May with results announced in early June, 1998.
As an industry member for the past 10 years and having 30 years experience in business, Rosenblatt said he "would bring a professional entrepreneur's outlook to the IFI board." "I enjoy helping and talking with drycleaners," he said. "I'm active in a cost group and very attuned to what's going on." Rosenblatt completed his second term as president of the association and is currently serving as interim president.
Phoenix, AZ -- The Western States Drycleaners & Launderers Association installed a new slate of officers and directors at its Holiday Social in Phoenix Dec. 12.
The new officers include Mark Witt, president; Mike Jordon, president-elect; Natalie Clapick, treasurer; and David Link, chairman of the board. The association secretary remains to be named.
New board directors include Jamana Pathari, Terry Oles, Ed Los, Kevin Hayden, Cliff Schneider and Bake Shaffer.
Awards and honors were also presented at the affair.
Retiring board chairman Bob Fried was honored for his years of service to the group with a plaque.
Outgoing president David Link also was presented with a plaque for his work.
Natalie Clapick was recognized for her work on the 1997 Fund-raising Auction.
Dick Walton was cited for his work for Arizona Junior Golf.
The California Cleaners Association "Five-Star Recognition Program" was created to highlight those cleaners who offer a higher quality of service and environmental awareness.
It "is conceptually based on the well-known star ranking system as a measure of quality performance and service, with the fifth star as the highest achievable ranking," CCA explained. The California association used star programs in Wisconsin and Indiana as models in designing their rankings.
The environmental aspect of drycleaning and a business were key elements in program design, CCA noted.
"The primary focus of the program criteria is on environmental concerns in the cleaning industry," the association said. "Delivery of quality service, customer relations programs and organized marketing efforts are also key elements in qualifying for the various levels of recognition." An application for consideration of a star rating covers the details of ownership, type of shop and star status. In applying for the ranking, an applicant must check off the appropriate boxes.
The entry level one-star rating requires CCA membership, a CARB certified employee on-premises, a perc use reduction plan in place, a timely community response program for handling customer/neighbor inquiries on solvent characteristics and handling and the use of a licensed hazardous waste hauler. In addition, the rating demands compliance with all applicable government regulations, satisfactory resolution of any complaints registered through the CCA customer complaint program and the maintaining of a clean, orderly business location.
Additional stars are based on the one-star rating and additional requirements.
For the second star, a cleaner must be a member of a local drycleaners association if one is in the area and provide quality control training to employees.
The third star mandates a recycling program for plastic bags and hangers, have a company representative monitor changes in regulations and attend environmental training programs, meetings, CCA workshops or conferences once a year and establish a written basic quality control and customer service policy.
To qualify for the fourth star, a cleaner must achieve a specific solvent mileage equivalent to the CARB standard at the time of application for the star, provide annual training to counter personnel, demonstrate a basic marketing plan and verify both participation and satisfactory completion of a recognized certification program.
The fifth star is awarded when the cleaner completes these additional goals: achieve a solvent mileage 20 percent over the CARB standard at the time of application, do something extra for the environment (for example, using alternative technology), demonstrate a marketing/customer relations plan with the means of measuring results, be involved in at least one community service and make the premises available for a visit by a review group.
CCA said it will conduct a large-scale public relations program featuring participants in the star program.
All applications will be reviewed and approved by a review group of CCA member cleaners.
"This positive publicity can be used by the cleaner in the local community," CCA said. "The more stars a cleaner receives, the higher the degree of recognition." Decals and counter plaques will also be provided to identify the store as a star cleaner.
Portland, OR -- Work at five drycleaning sites in the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is said to be making progress, the Oregon agency reported last month.
Classic Cleaners is undergoing groundwater monitoring well installation which will establish water flow.
Harvey's Drapery Cleaners has been surveyed with two tracts on the site being identified as needing further study. One was a spot where underground storage tanks were placed; the other is either a pipe or dry well.
Hayden Island Cleaners will have three monitoring wells installed. Three bore holes were taken for soil sampling.
Peacock Cleaners had three soil samples and a water sample taken for analysis. The water sample was from a well on site.
Johannsen Cleaners and Professional & Budget Dry Cleaners have signed access agreements with the DEQ and will be tested when the state adds new staff.
Greenfield, WI -- Wisconsin drycleaners await the development of rules for the state's Drycleaners Environmental Response Fund.
In early December, attorney Don Gallo and executive director Joe Phillips of the Wisconsin Fabricare Institute met with representatives of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to discuss the development of administrative rules for the fund.
According to WFI, these talks are exploratory in nature and will examine the assignment of responsibilities under the law, scheduling the program's implementation, the role of the advisory council and identifying program problems.
DERF established a cleanup program funded by a 1.8 percent gross receipts tax. The tax is effective from Oct. 14, 1997. Other fees include a $5.00 a gallon tax on perc and $0.75 a gallon fee on petroleum solvent. These were to be paid on solvent in a store when the program was enacted Oct. 14.
The DERF law was amended in the last moments of the 1997 session of the legislature when it was discovered that the gross receipts tax would be retroactive to the first of the year. The institute believed it would be only fair to have it commence Oct. 14. WFI staff and members lobbied the state senate and house for a date change to Oct. 14. In the closing hours of the session, the changes were passed and sent to the governor.
Even though the law enacts a strict payment schedule, WFI maintains that most cleaners support the law.
"At least 90 percent of Wisconsin drycleaners support our position and our actions," WFI president Charles Cass observed. "We now have established a program that will be carried out in an orderly and predictable manner while avoiding potentially catastrophic economic impact on individual members of our industry." Information on the DERF program is available from Phillips at WFI, (414) 529-4707.
Kentwood, MI -- Sheldon Cleaners & Formal Wear has posted a printed warning in its 30 locations in regards to the cleanability of Tommy Hilfiger brand name items.
"We process all Tommy Hilfiger garments according to the manufacturer's care label, but we cannot guarantee the outcome of any Tommy Hilfiger brand items," Sheldon Cleaners said in its poster. "When professionally cleaned according to the manufacturer's care label, fabrics and colors used in some Tommy Hilfiger garments may experience fading, color bleeding, crocking, damage to trims, or any number of other undesirable and unpredictable outcomes." Sheldon Cleaners representative Sandy Cares said the decision to post was made regretfully.
"We composed this because we didn't want to come off as scaring the customers," Cares said "The customer thinks if they pay a lot for a garment, it should be cleanable." "We assure everybody that we follow the care label on all our garments," she added.
The company said consumers have been asked by the customer service department of Tommy Hilfiger "who experience undesirable outcomes" to report problems to its representatives at (800) 798-8858, ext. 8751.
Bridgeport, CT -- Cleaner William H. Minty III has announced plans to create a Fashion and Fabricare Museum in Bridgeport, the home of a university which once housed a strong fashion program.
For two years Minty studied the idea of a museum and discovered there is nothing like it in the world. Convinced it is a unique concept, he met with local government officials and members of the textile care industry. As owner of Pembroke Laundry & Cleaners in Bridgeport, Minty has knowledge of both the textile care industry and his home town.
At a recent meeting which solidified organizing the project, Minty was named president of the corporation. Other board members include Roger Schilling of Au Fait Associates and Peter Atha, director of special projects for the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International -- both named as vice presidents. Directors include Dr. Glenn Bassett, director of the School of Business of the University of Bridgeport; Thomas Julius Berger, director of the University of Bridgeport School of Fashion; and a representative of Ed Mitchell Retail, an upscale clothier headquartered in Westport, Connecticut. Other trustees chosen from the fashion and textile care industry will be named later.
Minty and Atha met with officials of the nearby Norwalk Maritime Museum, an eight year old facility that now entertains a half-million visitors a year. Minty credited the maritime officials with being extremely cooperative and supportive. They also provided a rough startup blueprint for a museum as well as feasibility studies and their own business plan.
Earlier this month the Fashion and Fabricare Museum group met with attorneys from Owens, Schine and Nicola on incorporating the museum. This partnership agreed to work on the project pro bono. Also filed is a 501c3 IRS form, which would qualify the museum as a non-profit cultural entity.
Au Fait Associates of Wakefield, MA, was retained as the publicity and marketing agent for the museum. Their job is to sell Bridgeport as the ideal location for the museum.
"This coastal Connecticut city has renewed enthusiastic vigor and the money to back it," Minty said. "Already underway is a new high-speed transportation center featuring state-of-the-art rail, water and highway transport, which can whisk people to and from Manhattan in less than an hour." In addition, the University of Bridgeport has a School of Fashion with strong links to the industry in New York. That connection with fashion industry people will be tapped to help with this major project.
The estimated completion time for an 80,000 to 100,000 square foot museum is three years to the opening of the doors.
"While the City of Bridgeport will continue to be very supportive, there are pro forma budgets to prepare, feasibility studies, business plans and dozens of other challenges to face," Minty said. "I am convinced, however, that the team we have put together can do anything within this industry." "I had a talk with (NCAI's) Bill Seitz last night (Dec. 10)," Minty said. Among other things, he proposed that Seitz join the board as a trustee. Seitz was reported as very supportive of the museum effort and would consider a trustee position.
"Bill Fisher and IFI know, too," Minty added. "I spoke with them back in November." Minty indicated they were supportive of the idea.
For information, call Au Fait Associates, (781) 245-0089.
Boston, MA -- The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has mistakenly double-billed a number of drycleaners in the state, the North East Fabricare Association told members within the state last month.
In December the Massachusetts DEP sent out the annual ERP bills, as well as the annual bills for their other programs.
All Massachusetts drycleaners are required to pay the $200 fee only for the annual ERP compliance form. Many drycleaners in the state have received second bills with either a slightly different name or facility identification number.
Alissa Whiteman, Legal Counsel for the Mass ERP Program, explained the procedural problem to North East Fabricare Association. "It is a case of growing pains in rolling out the new program," she said. "In this first year of eliminating fees, some drycleaners were still receiving the old fees as well as the ERP fees-on two separate bills." According to NEFA executive vice president Peter Blake, "the remedy is very easy-take the two bills, photocopy them, put a big "X" through the bill you feel is in error, attach a quick note explaining that you received two bills. The state will then correct the problem." NCAI plans new management course NEW YORK, NY -- The Neighborhood Cleaners Association International has scheduled a management training program starting Feb. 10. Classes will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays for four weeks, with eight sessions provided, Each session is four hours in length and is held from 7 to 11 p.m. at the New York School of Drycleaning.
The instructor is NCAI executive director Bill Seitz.
Tuition for the class is $300 and includes the cost of the workbook. A deposit of $150 will reserve a place in the class.
For further information, call Bill Seitz or Peter Atha at NCAI, (212) 967-3002.
The Southwest Drycleaners Association will put the Small Business Remediation Act (commonly called the Barton Bill) in the spotlight at its "Big Show '98" next March. The biennial trade show and convention will be held in Austin, TX, March 5-8, at the Austin Convention Center.
The Saturday morning Barton Bill program follows presentations by Jane Zellers and syndicated columnist Heloise.
According to SDA executive director Andy Stanley, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) is scheduled to speak on the HR 1711 on Saturday, March 7, at 10 a.m. The Barton Bill panel will include Brooksher Banks as the moderator and Washington, DC, attorney Gary Baise, Neighborhood Cleaners Association International executive director Bill Seitz, International Fabricare Institute chief executive officer Bill Fisher and drycleaner Barney Deden as panel members.
SDA has been one of the major backers of the bill, donating $10,000 to the campaign fund used to promote the measure. Nebraska cleaners added $5,200 to the coffers and the Michigan Institute of Laundering & Drycleaning is working on a $50,000 pledge drive. MILD is coordinating the Dry Cleaners Action Fund of America as a central clearing house for donations.
The program begins Friday with a general membership meeting set for 1 p.m. The exhibit hall opens its doors at 2 p.m. and remains open until 7:30 p.m.
The SDA executive committee will meet at noon that day with an early-bird cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m.
Educational programs on March 7 begin at 8 a.m.
At 11 a.m., the exhibit will open and will remain so until 5 p.m.
A president's reception and awards banquet is planned for 6:30 p.m.
The Sunday, March 8, program features Jane Zellers who will discuss "Hot Topics," starting at 8 a.m.
The exhibit hall opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m.
The majority of the programs will take place in the convention center with a few scheduled in the Hyatt Regency Hotel, the headquarters for the convention.
For information on the program, booth space and exhibitors, contact Debra Eaton or Karen Dougherty at SDA, (210) 826-4684.
The South Central Fabricare Association convention March 27-28 in Alexandria, LA, will focus on the nature of a family business. One speaker has been signed for the seminar program with two more being discussed.
SCFA will hold a board meeting in January to select the other two speakers and seminars for the convention.
The idea is to offer processes families can use to ease the unusual pressures it faces in mixing work and home. In addition, SCFA wants to help members plan the difficult "transition from one generation to the next." Mike Henning, a "family business coach," has already been signed to lead one seminar. His presentation will cover business planning for the average family business.
Looking ahead a year, SCFA executive director Darienne Wilson announced that SCFA will hold its 1999 convention March 5-7 in Biloxi, MS, at the Beaurivage Hotel.
For information on SCFA programs, call (601) 352-4291.
Textile care trade shows for 1998 make their first appearance in the south with the International Drycleaning Expo, the Southern Drycleaning Expo and the Southern Drycleaners Show announced for the spring.
Steiner-Atlantic Corporation will hold the International Drycleaning Expo '98 Jan. 31 Feb. 1 in Miami.
The self-styled "largest show in the southeast" features exhibits by at least 23 companies and the Neighborhood Cleaners Association International. According to the company, all equipment will be operating in a 60,000 square foot exhibit hall. The location is the Steiner-Atlantic Corp. facility on North East 68th St.
"This is the third time we've held the show and it's the number one exhibition for people from Latin America and the Caribbean," a company representative said. "It's presented in both English and Spanish and all seminars are in English and Spanish, too." The newest solvents will be demonstrated operating in machines, Steiner-Atlantic said.
Admission is free to all activities as are food and refreshments.
"There is a giant tent sale on the grounds," the company added. "We're pretty big. We take care of everybody from overseas." Discount hotel reservations may be made through the DiLido Hotel. Bus service from the hotel to the Expo is provided.
Seminar presenters include NCAI executive director Bill Seitz, and representatives from Exxon and Caled. In addition, Jimmy Goulet will lead service and maintenance seminars.
For information on the Expo, contact Steiner-Atlantic, (305) 754-4551.
The Tennessee Fabricare Association will hold the Southern Drycleaning Expo March 28-29 at the Nashville Convention Center. For information of this show, contact TFA, (615) 254-3687.
The Southern Drycleaning show May 15-17 is a presentation of South Eastern Fabricare Association. It will be held in Atlanta's Cobb Galleria Centre.
For information, contact SEFA, (770) 998-9900.
Date created: Jan 11 1998
Copyright © 1998, BPS Communications Inc.
National Clothesline
ncled@aol.com