A Day at the Capitol
New York cleaners spent a day at the state capitol in Albany March 9 to express to legislators their concerns on current and potential state laws and regulations governing the industry. More than 150 cleaners turned out for the event that was organized by the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International. Three of them are pictured with State assemblyman Felix Ortiz (second from left). They are George Torpe of Torpe Cleaners (far left) Debra Kravetz of Apthorp Cleaners and Joe Avilez (right) of Bridge Cleaners. More...
Profile: Linda Ferguson's parents were the original owners of Safeway Cleaners. "I took over the plant in 1971 when my father died," she recalled. "I was supposed to go to school to be a lawyer. That was the plan. I was going back to Southern University. My dad died and I had not even gotten to school. The summer he died I was there. He walked out the front door one morning to visit a friend at the service station across the street and died of a heart attack. That afternoon I was handed the keys.
Drycleaning industry trade associations are joining with the fashion industry to generate positive publicity for tailored apparel and related furnishings and accessories.
The trade groups, seeing themselves as advocates for the "dress-up industry," plan a multi-million dollar, three-year promotional campaign that will portray dressing up as a fun and contemporary life-style statement.
Starting in April, "Dress the Part" will roll out at the retail level in the form of point-of-purchase counter cards announcing a sweepstakes offer. Up to 100,000 "points of retail contact" will be established for this first phase of the campaign with the goal of reaching 80 million consumers over six months.
The counter card program for cleaners will use materials featuring themes, images and story lines showing that dressing up can be a "fun and easy life-style." The program will attempt to measure the number of "hits" and any resulting increase in consumer awareness. The cards will feature changing story lines and will be updated every two months.
Outdoor advertising on billboards, telephone kiosks and bus stop shelters will follow in the second year. A print campaign will come in the third.
The campaign will take a light-hearted approach to positioning dressed-up wardrobes as a fashion statement, perhaps involving celebrities who are known for their polished style. The campaign will target young people in particular.
The Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International, the International Fabricare Institute and the Textile Care Allied Trades Association will work within the Tailored Apparel, Jewelry and Accessories Awareness Council (TAJAAC) on the promotion. Spearheading the campaign will be the International Association of Clothing Designers and Executives (IACDE) and The Fashion Association.
"This broad-based alliance, which brings together nearly all the associations that represent the 'dress-up' industry, is unprecedented," said NCA-I in a press release announcing the campaign. "It is a program that the fabric care industry by itself could not finance, now or in the foreseeable future."
"This is exactly the type of proactive, long-term program that many cleaners and allied trades have told us they are seeking," IFI said in its announcement of the campaign. "While various sectors within the industry have sponsored campaigns in the past, never before has one been launched with such broad support. This makes the cleaning industry part of a $15 million, three-year long promotional campaign," IFI said.
"This is an invaluable opportunity for the fabric care industry to partner with the fashion industry, and there may not be another chance to do in the future," IFI said.
Drycleaners represent a key constituency for the campaign because of their daily contact with customers who purchase and wear tailored clothing, IFI noted.
All of the participating organizations have a common interest in promoting the sales of tailored apparel which have declined in recent years.
The casual dress trend, noted TCATA president David Dawson, has had a negative impact on both the formalwear industry and the drycleaning industry.
He said there have been "small signs of a backlash" against the casual dress movement in the past year or so and urged TCATA members to "take a pro-active stand by getting involved in this major campaign to change perceptions."
Some of the participating organizations have "deep pockets" funding for the program, NCA-I and IFI noted.
The coalition's participants and members of each association will share the cost of the campaign.
In addition to making a commitment of their own funds, NCA-I, IFI and TCATA are asking members to support the campaign with contributions.
"Campaigns such as these have been successful in changing attitudes and increasing sales for dairy companies, orange growers, plastics industry and many more," NCA-I and IFI said. "The associations believe this campaign will be equally successful for the fabric care industry.
"Cleaners have been right in urging their leaders to foster this kind of initiative. It is an important first step into the 21st century," they said.
Trade associations collaborating on the "Dress the Part" campaign may find themselves swimming with the current. A recent survey by Cotton Inc.'s Lifestyle Monitor says that Americans are showing more interest in dressing up.
A shift in consumer attitudes over the past year in favor of fashion finery is cropping up in the ongoing survey of consumer attitudes toward clothing, appearance and fashion.
Asked whether they are more interested in clothes that look better or clothes that are more comfortable, 56 percent chose looking better compared to 42 percent who preferred comfort. A year ago in the same poll the two groups were dead even at 49 percent each.
Also dead even in the earlier poll were those who said they would prefer to be slightly over-dressed at a party and those who would rather be slightly under-dressed. A year later, the preference for being overdressed moved into a clear majority, outscoring under-dressed by 54-43 percent.
The survey also pointed to growing interest in looking "great" over merely looking "OK." The percentage of respondents who said they would rather arrive late to an event and look great instead of being on time and looking merely OK grew by seven percentage points to 42 percent. Those who would rather be on time are still in the majority, but their numbers fell to 58 percent from 64 percent a year earlier.
Younger persons are more likely than older ones to choose "look great, arrive late" the survey reported.
Is the pendulum swinging from casual to dressier styles?
"It's a cyclical thing. Consumers have been stocking up on casual clothes for quite a few years now because of the casualization of dressing in the workplace," Elena Hart, fashion/marketing director of The Fashion Association, told Cotton Inc.
"People are realizing that they are running out of dressy clothes, so from a wardrobe building point of view, they feel that it's time to stock up on dressier, more elegant clothing," she added.
Hart thinks the fashion finery of romantic period movies like "Titanic," "Wings of the Dove" and "Elizabeth" have revived interest in dressing up.
Whether dressing up for parties will translate into a reversal of the dress-down trend in the work place is in doubt, however.
The trend, as Cotton Inc. sees it, is "Eye-catching by night, casual by day."
Cotton Inc.'s Monitor survey indicates the upward trend of casual at the office will continue and the survey's "Casual Barometer" continues to rise. Dressing up is play, not work, it would appear.
"Dressing up is seen as a fun thing, as opposed to something you do because you have to," Lauren Freedman, president of e-tailing, a Chicago-based consultancy, told Cotton Inc.
The Monitor reveals a possible correlation between the rise in casual office wear and the increase in desire to dress up for dinner and dancing: 73 percent of women reported that they work in an office with at least one causal day per week compared to 68 percent a year earlier.
The most recent reading of the Monitor's Casual Barometer had it at 65.3, showing a steady rise from the first reading of 56.5 taken in 1994.
The barometer readings measure consumer attitudes and behavior in a range of 0 to 100. A score of 50 represents a neutral reading.
Perhaps people are dressing up to greet the dawn of a new century, suggested Jo Cohen, associate director of Cotton Inc.'s The Cotton Works Fashion Library.
"We're using the millennium as an excuse to celebrate, even if it's on a subconscious level," she said. "People are embracing the sense of progress and optimism associated with the year 2000. With all the new technology out there, we can achieve a vast amount in terms of looking good -- new makeup, new cleansers, spas -- there are town of self-healing products and activities out there now."
"The new technology goes into fabrics, too. There are so many luxurious blends out there, sophisticated finishes, coatings," she added.
Three years ago, Cohen said, a young woman setting out to a party might wear five-pocket jeans with a fitted sweater. Now she is more likely to put on deep-indigo denim or velvet jeans."
Velvet wasn't even associated with jeans a few years ago, she noted. Now it is common.
"People want to have something to celebrate because there has been so much of this comfortable casual life-style," Cohen said.
All interested industry members are invited to a meeting to coordinate the 1999 legislative campaign for the Barton bill at the O'Hare Airport Hilton in Chicago April 17-19
In addition to organizing activities for the Barton bill campaign, the two-day meeting will seek to "generate a higher level of enthusiasm and passion for the project," according to Barney Deden, who has been among the legislation's leading proponents.
The Fabricare Legislative and Regulatory Education alliance (FLARE) is serving as the contact point for participants.
"Supporters of the Barton Bill should attend to become part of a motivated, unified force to get this legislation passed," said James Mayberry, FLARE manager. Those planning to attend should advise Mayberry of their intentions by April 1.
The two-day meeting will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, and resume at 8 a.m. on Sunday, with 2 p.m. slated as the finishing time. The central U.S. location and the Saturday night stay-over were chosen to help hold down air travel and hotel costs for attendees. Those planning to attend should advise Mayberry, who can be reached by phone at (630) 416-6221; by fax at (630) 416-4150 or e-mail at infloflare@aol.com.
Meanwhile, work is continuing both behind the scenes in Washington to reintroduce the Barton legislation and across the industry nationwide to raise money for the legislation's advancement in Congress this year.
Early returns from a fund-raising effort launched by the Mid-Atlantic Cleaners and Launderers Association (MACLA) have brought in $5,000 toward a goal of $60,000.
Along with the North East Fabricare Association and the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association, MACLA is making available two cruise tickets, including airfare, for the Nov. 14-21 Seminars at Sea aboard the Royal Caribbean's liner, Enchantment of the Seas.
Each donor of $25 to the Dry Cleaners Action Fund of America (DCAFA) will receive one entry into the drawing for the cruise package, which is valued at approximately $3,000. There is no limit on the number of donations each person can make; a maximum of 2,500 donations will be accepted.
Dave Norford, MACLA's executive vice president, said more than 6,000 donation "opportunities" had been distributed throughout the industry by early March. Donation tickets are available through allied trades, volunteer leaders and the MACLA office.
All proceeds from the donations will go directly to DCAFA, the central collection point for all money being raised to support national efforts to enact soil and groundwater contamination liability limits.
While the obvious goal of the raffle is to raise money to advance the Barton bill, the rules of the drawing do not require purchase of a ticket. For details of rules or to participate either as a purchaser or seller of tickets, contact Norford at the MACLA office, (540) 775-2525.
In Washington, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas has reiterated his strong support for the bill, according to lobbyists who have been working on its behalf.
Representatives of the Baise, Miller & Freer firm are continuing to discuss issues with Rep. Barton's staff and the staff of the House Commerce Committee -- when to reintroduce the bill, other committees that have a potential interest in the bill and methods to strengthen the legislative proposal.
Barton, a Texas Republican, would like to have Rep. Ron Klink, a Pennsylvania Democrat, as an original sponsor of the legislation.
After initial opposition to the bill in the last Congress, Klink changed his mind and agreed to sign-on as a cosponsor last fall. His presence as an original sponsor would give the bill a strong bipartisan platform.
A Democrat sponsor for the bill in the Senate is also being sought. Republican sponsorship has been secured for the Senate, according to a memo from Baise, Miller & Freer to industry supporters of the legislation.
Behind the scenes
"While the 'behind the scenes' world of Washington politics can be frustrating to those used to the real world, progress is being made," the memo said. "Right now, the best course of action for drycleaners to continue contacting their representatives and ask for their continued support of the Small Business Remediation Act."
Barton first introduced the Small Business Remediation Act near the end of the 104th Congress. He brought the bill back in the 105th Congress and, with industry support, gained more than 90 cosponsors.
Related activity
In related activity, the memo noted that the House Legislative Counsel is reviewing the bill and considering modifications that might broaden its Congressional appeal.
"We may or may not elect to include these suggestions. We had always planned to make some changes and clarifications to the bill after public hearings; the question is whether to make some now," the memo stated.
Also noted in the memo was that a meeting with senior EPA officials had been postponed but was being rescheduled and the Commerce Committee staff was also planning to meet with EPA about the bill.
During the MACLA sponsored March on Washington last October, EPA officials, meeting with Rep. Barton and industry representatives, said the agency might be interested in a non-legislative solution to the solvent clean-up problems faced by the industry.
Tommy Hilfiger U.S.A. Inc. will pay the largest civil penalty ever awarded in a case alleging violations of the Care Labeling Rule, the Federal Trade Commission announced in March.
In addition to paying the $300,000 civil penalty, Hilfiger will place a toll-free number on its care labels so consumers who have questions about the cleaning or care of the garment may contact the company directly.
According to the FTC's complaint, Hilfiger in some instances sold garments with care labeling instructions that, when followed, resulted in significant color bleeding and fading. Care instructions that called for washing resulted in dye bleeding from one portion of the garment to another, the FTC said. The commission also charged that Hilfiger violated the Care Label rule by not having a reasonable basis for the care instruction.
The Care Label Rule requires manufacturers and importers of textile wearing apparel to attach care labels that state "what regular care is needed for the ordinary use of the product and to possess, prior to sale, a reasonable basis for the care instructions, including any warnings.
As part of the proposed settlement with FTC, Hilfiger also has agreed to comply with all provisions of the Care Labeling rule in the future. The settlement contains record-keeping and reporting requirements designed to help the FTC monitor Hilfiger's compliance with terms of the settlement.
The complaint and proposed consent decree were filed in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York in New York City on March 17. The consent decree is subject to court approval.
While the commission voted 4-0 to refer the complaint and proposed settlement to the Department of Justice for filing, one commissioner said the penalty should be stiffer.
"While the $300,000 penalty is indeed significantly higher than the penalties we have obtained in poor Care Labeling Rule cases, I am concerned that it may not provide sufficient deterrence to large, profitable garment industry companies" said Commissioner Mozelle Thompson.
Noting the enormous popularity of Hilfiger-brand garments with more than $840 million in sales in 1998, Thompson said the monetary injury to consumers "is especially egregious in cases like this one where the products are being heavily marketed and sold to young people who may not be able to effectively obtain redress for faulty goods."
"While I am generally pleased that we are increasing the penalties we are obtaining in most care labeling and other consumer protection cases where appropriate, these penalties should be substantially higher in cases like this one where the volume of sales and the nature of the customer may warrant more effective relief," Thompson said.
The FTC noted that the consent decree is for settlement purposes only and does not constitute an admission by the defendant of a law violations.
Consent decrees have the force of law when signed by the judge, the FTC said.
Cleaners have long complained about the serviceability of some Hilfiger garments and in particular about the tendency for dye bleeding as noted in the FTC action.
Another major source of cleaners' care label complaints was addressed last year when the FTC took action against purveyors of the "Zurcion Method" of gown cleaning.
Last June the FTC action was filed against New York-based Continental Gown Cleaning Service Inc. and four related companies -- Nationwide Gown Cleaning Service Inc., Prestige Gown Cleaning Service Inc., Gown Cleaning Service Inc. and Jonathan Ashley, Ltd.
The following is a Joint Industry Position taken by the International Fabricare Institute and the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International regarding the Federal Trade Commission's Proposed Amendment to Care Labeling Rule.
The all-important Federal Trade Commission's Care Labeling Rule is still under discussion. As every cleaner knows the impact of Care Labels on our industry is significant, and it is critical our concerns are heard by the Commission.
In an effort to maximize the consideration given to the issues raised by the fabric care industry, NCA-I and IFI have allied to speak consistently on the subject matter. We urge all state and regional associations to do the same.
Mandatory Home Washing Care Label
The fabricare industry supports alternative care labeling which provides the consumer with all appropriate methods of care. The industry is opposed to the Commission limiting care labeling to only one appropriate method of care.
The facts supporting this position are:
Alternative labeling provides full disclosure of fabric care options which allows the consumer to make informed choices. This is in keeping with the FTC's goal which is outlined in its mission statement: "The Commission's efforts are directed toward stopping actions that threaten consumers' opportunities to exercise informed choice."
Multiple care procedures can be provided at reasonably low cost. The Care Labeling Rule does not require testing for a manufacturer to have a 'reasonable basis' for the care information provided. The rule allows for manufacturer knowledge, past experience, etc. to be the foundation for 'reasonable basis.' But, even if testing were mandatory, the cost is relatively inexpensive. The IFI or NCA-I's Testing Labs are able to develop a full set of care instructions for under $300. These fees are comparable to those of other independent labs. For manufacturers with large production runs, (which are the ones supplying the majority of the consumers), the cost would be pennies per garment sold. For haute couture and small specialty manufacturers the cost per item would be somewhat higher. In either case the consumer is better served and the manufacturer is better protected against claims from retailers, consumers and cleaners regarding serviceability issues. Additionally, the FTC and the textile industry could develop a list of garment types which would be excluded from labeling for multiple methods such as undergarments, hosiery, children's sleepwear, etc.
Alternative labeling puts the U.S. on the same level as the European community. The European community, with the use of the Ginetex symbol system, requires all appropriate care information to be given to consumers. And since the FTC now permits the use of the ASTM care symbols without written words, addressing all appropriate methods of care can be accomplished.
Alternative labeling would not significantly increase the use of perchloroethylene. First, testing is not required to establish a reasonable basis. But, if it were required, most manufacturers use a commercial drycleaning machine to assess a garment's drycleanability. Today's drycleaning machines recover 99.5% of the solvent used during processing. This is attested to by the fact that perchloroethylene consumption has dropped 70% over the past 10 years. Any impact care labeling may have on perc consumption must be classed as trivial. The other test method available to manufacturers is the AATCC laundrometer method. This method recovers all the perc used during the testing. It appears that the FTC has accepted, as part of its mission, EPA's goals in environmental protection. While the fabricare industry has proven its support for environmental health, we respectfully suggest that FTC not permit EPA's mission to compromise FTC's primary requirement to aid consumers in making informed choices in textile product selection and care. More important however, is that FTC's first and foremost responsibility is to fulfill its mission to the consumer. FTC's role is not to encourage or discourage the use of any particular care method, except as it relates to the ability to maintain the garment or household item in question. Furthermore, if alternative care labeling would encourage additional consumer use of professional care, that does not necessarily correlate with increased use of perchloroethylene.
Consumers want to make informed choices and the FTC needs to assess consumer opinion. The FTC did commission Clorox Co. to conduct a consumer survey; however, the fabricare industry takes issue with much of the data presented and believes that an additional consumer survey is required to provide the FTC with sufficiently broad information to determine consumer care label preferences. Clorox asked only whether consumers wanted to know when a garment can be home washed. The question should have been "Would you like to know if a garment can be washed or drycleaned, would you like to know all appropriate methods of care?" Additionally, the survey should assess whether the consumer believes that the listing of one care instruction means that all other care methods would damage the garment, i.e., if the label states washable, does that mean it cannot be drycleaned? Also, the data presented by Clorox that 52.5% of consumers launder dryclean labeled garments can easily be misinterpreted. Clorox did not address garment type or the number of garments to elicit an objective response. Was it the hand washing of an inexpensive silk blouse? An old pair of pants that were no longer suitable for dress wear? A damaged sweater? It is doubtful that the consumer would home launder a cherished wool suit jacket or a 'perfect fit' pair of slacks, for fear of the results It is important to note that two-fifths of the individuals in the survey were not happy with the results when they laundered a dryclean labeled garment.
Alternative labeling allows for the inclusion of new care methods. There are a great many advances in cleaning technology emerging. Some of these may provide enhanced cleaning results. Some may pose specific risks. If it is to fulfill its promise to the consumer, the FTC system must be able to reflect these benefits and disadvantages of new care methods as they make their way into the market. The FTC would not want to offer a care label approaching obsolescence before it takes effect.
Wetcleaning
The fabricare industry is in favor of providing a wetcleaning care instruction in conjunction with instructions for other established care procedures.
Wetcleaning is an emerging technology and the practice has yet to be standardized. Wetcleaning, as practiced in the industry to date, encompasses everything from hand washing to computerized equipment to specialized finishing equipment and several methods in between.
Textile and garment manufacturers have no means to assess 'reasonable basis' for wetcleaning. There are no established test methods and there is no broad based industry knowledge. Using as a model one commercial plant which practices wetcleaning can not be the basis to ensure that every plant will use the same method.
The definition should not be equipment specific. As an emerging technology, the marketplace should decide the most appropriate equipment.
Conclusion
The fabricare industry encourages the FTC to keep the record open beyond March 1, 1999 to permit the following:
Data collection to substantiate the testing costs associated with alternative labeling.
Accurate assessment of consumer preferences in regards to care information. The fabricare industry pledges to work to develop a survey which gives an accurate, unbiased assessment of consumer preference. The survey should be agreed upon by a working committee comprised of representatives from the FTC, apparel manufacturers, consumer advocacy, fabric care industry and other interested parties.
A continuation of the dialogue which began at the FTC workshop January 29, 1999. We believe that this dialogue between parties vitally engaged in the processes of design, manufacturing, distribution and servicing of textile products along with representatives of academia, consumer advocacy and the regulatory agency could produce a Care Label Rule of enormous benefit to the consumer. But the workshop took place only one month before the record is to be closed. Time is needed for networking to mature to a stage where compromise and consensus can occur, and the resultant Care Label Rule, although a mandate, will be strengthened by having been derived through collaborative effort.
The deadline has been extended for nominating individuals who will be honored for service to the industry by the International Fabricare Institute. IFI will present the awards during a ceremony at the Clean Show in Orlando, FL, this June.
IFI said the deadline was extended to accommodate cleaners' groups around the country who needed more time to obtain, complete and return the awards nomination form.
The form and nominating information was published in the February issue of IFI's Fabricare magazine. Cleaners who are not members of IFI, or those who are but don't have their copy of the magazine at hand, can contact IFI to get the nomination forms.
"IFI non-members are welcome to participate but they will need to contact IFI to get a nomination form," the association said in a press release. Nominees need not be active members of IFI, but they do need to be volunteer leaders, IFI said.
Seven separate categories have been established for the awards. Individuals can offer nominations for each of the categories, but no more than one nomination per person can be made in any one category, IFI said.
The categories include the following:
Diamond Achievement Award. This will be the top award, bestowed on an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution and who has, in a unique way, benefited the industry.
Positive Recognition of the Industry Award. This award will be for outstanding work in securing favorable publicity for the cleaning industry or, on a sustained basis, helping the public understand the industry. Examples would be sponsorship or involvement in a charitable program or a special event.
Legislative/Regulatory Activist Award. This will be presented to a person who has actively worked on critical industry-related legislation or regulations.
Technology Trailblazer Award. This award will recognize an individual or manufacturing company that has conducted significant research on equipment or solvents that have substantially helped drycleaners. The technology that is the subject of the nomination must be currently in use and commercially viable.
Allied Trades Award. This will recognize a company, supplier, or distributor that has provided long-term service of a substantial nature to a state or regional association. This support should help advance the industry through its unflagging support of member cleaners.
Green Fields Award. Nominees in this category should have made a lasting contribution on an environmental-related issue.
Commitment to Professionalism Award. This will recognize an individual who has raised the professionalism of cleaners.
Once the nominations are tabulated, names of nominees will be forwarded to the Selection Committee which will pare the list to a few select finalists before determining the awardee for each category. IFI noted that some categories may produce no winners due to category overlap or a lack of qualified nominees.
The proceedings of the Selection Committee will be confidential. Winners in each category will be notified in advance of receiving the honor at the Clean Show. Their good works will also be recognized by IFI through publicity in hometown newspapers and television and radio shows and in industry publications.
For information or to obtain nomination forms, contact IFI, (800) 638-2627.
The International Fabricare Institute and the Center for Neighborhood Technology are working out final details of a certification program for wetcleaning that will be modeled after IFI's Certified Professional Drycleaner (CPD) and Certified Environmental Drycleaner (CED) programs.
Plans call for offering the first Certified Professional Wetcleaner (CPW) exams at the Clean Show in Orlando, FL, on June 23 where the CPD and CED tests also will be administered. The CPW exam would also be offered at the regular certification testing times in October and April of each year.
The Chicago-based CNT, which has been working to advance professional wetcleaning for the past five years, has joined in a partnership with IFI to encourage, support and develop resources for wetcleaning and to coordinate certification for professional wetcleaners.
CNT said the program will recognize cleaners who achieve a prescribed level of knowledge about operating procedures for wetcleaning to provide effective and environmentally efficient processing of garments with the best possible results for customers.
The IFI/CNT partnership will also provide training, analysis and other resources for wetcleaning on a level consistent with what is available for drycleaners. As with the CED and CPD exams, the CPW test will be administered by the Professional Testing Center Organization.
The 150-question Certified Environmental Drycleaner examination covers environmentally related subjects -- regulations, waste handling and safe operating procedures for drycleaning equipment. The test fee is $175 for IFI members and $275 for non-members.
The 250-question CPD test covers business management, customer service, fibers and fabrics and the drycleaning process. The test fee is $295 for IFI members and $395 for non-members.
The fee for the CPW test will be $295 for IFI members and $395 for non-members.
Testing dates for certification this year are April 10 and October 2. The registration deadline for the April test has passed; the deadline for signing up for the October test is Aug. 15. For information about the new CPW program, call Mary Scalco, IFI's vice president of education, (301) 622-1900 ext. 131. For information about the tests or to sign-up call the Professional Testing Center, (212) 852-0400.
A series of outreach seminars on stain removal, finishing and wetcleaning will be provided by the International Fabricare Institute this spring and summer.
Stain removal seminars will be held in Bloomington, MN, on May 1; Birmingham, AL, on May 22 and Columbus, GA, on August 7.
The finishing seminars are scheduled for Bloomington, MN, on May 2; Atlanta, GA, on June 5; Columbia, SC, on June 19; Montgomery, AL, on July 17; and Tampa, FL, on August 21.
Wetcleaning seminars will be held in Mobile, AL, on May 8; St. Louis, MO, on June 12; Kansas City, MO, on June 13; Savannah, GA, on July 10; and Charleston, SC, on August 14.
IFI's resident courses in Silver Spring are under a revised schedule established this year to allow more flexibility for students.
A brief description of each of the courses follows:
Drycleaning Process & Equipment. (Two days; $199 for IFI members, $299 for non-members.) Covered will be operating perc and petroleum systems, understanding textiles and drycleaning, classification, filtration and distillation, management of solvent, detergent and moisture, drying and vapor recovery, troubleshooting drycleaning machines and streamlining invoicing and tagging.
The class will be offered April 12-13, July 12-13, Sept. 13-14 and Nov. 1-2.
Stain Removal. (Three days; $299 for IFI members, $449 for non-members.) Students will gain an understanding of textiles and stain removal and learn how to organize stain removal tools and equipment, simplify stain removal agents, improve stain removal procedures, modify the use of bleaches and manage stain removal and specialty fabrics.
The class will be offered April 14-16, July 14-16, Sept. 15-17 and Nov. 3-5
Finishing. (Two days; $199 for IFI members, $299 for non-members.) The course will cover quality finishing points, finishing procedures, special finishing tools, basic techniques for skirts, pants, coats, blouses and dresses, specialty items like pleats, velvets and pile fabrics and effective packaging.
The class will be offered April 19-20, July 19-20, Sept. 20-21 and Nov. 8-9
Shirts. (One day; $99 for IFI members, $149 for non-members.) The course covers invoicing and tagging, inspection and classification, removal of common stains, effective wash formulas, solving problems and finishing.
The class will be offered April 21, July 21, Sept. 22 and Nov. 10.
Wetcleaning. (Two days; $199 for IFI members, $299 for non-members.) The course will cover removing stains, understanding bleach baths, understanding wetcleaning equipment, handling special items and master wetcleaning and finishing techniques.
The class will be offered April 22-23, July 22-23, Sept. 23-24 and Nov. 11-12.
Wedding Gowns. (One day; $99 for IFI members, $149 for non-members.) Students will gain an understanding of fibers and fabrics specific to wedding gowns, inspection procedures, cleaning and restoration and finishing techniques, effective packaging and marketing.
The class will be offered April 26, July 26, Sept. 27 and Nov. 15.
Business Practices. (Two days; $199 for IFI members; $299 for non-members. Students will learn to organize inventory control, simplify business analysis, build employee teams, motivate employees, develop effective advertising and streamline plant layout.
The class will be offered April 27-28, July 27-28, Sept. 28-29 and Nov. 16-17.
Legislation. (One day; $99 for IFI members; $149 for non-members.) The course will cover care label rules, OSHA and EPA regulations and soil and groundwater contamination.
The class will be offered April 29, July 29, Sept. 30 and Nov. 18.
Customer Service. (One day; $99 for IFI members, $149 for non-members.) The course will cover customer expectations and attitudes, managing potential cleaning problems, customer interaction and handling difficult situations.
The class will be offered March 19, April 30, July 30 and Oct. 1.
In addition to registering for individual classes, students can also register for a full week ($450 for IFI members; $695 for non-members) or the full three-week cycle ($1,250 for IFI members; $1,995 for non-members).
For more information about IFI's educational offerings and available scholarships, call the IFI education Department, (800) 434-6222, ext. 144.
"Textile Care for the New Millennium" will be the theme of the business program at this year's Textile Care Allied trades Association convention in Quebec City, Quebec, Aug. 11-14.
Featured speakers will be Sam Bowers, president of the Services Sales Institute, and Dr. Marvin Cetron, president of Forecasting International.
Bowers will discuss how companies can maximize profits in a competitive business environment. He will review business axioms of the past 20 years that have become outdated, in particular the concept of "added value" as a tool to prevent price and margin erosion. Bowers believes that ever-increasing pressures on prices and margins require creativity in today's businesses. He will show how to foster that creativity.
Bowers is president and founder of Service Sales Institute, a firm that specializes in working with entrepreneurial firms on maximizing profits in the face of increasing competition and lower prices.
Cetron, the founder and president of Forecasting International, will discuss major trends he foresees for the next several years, showing how these trends will affect the textile care industry and how businesses in the industry can benefit by having advance knowledge of what is coming.
The convention will open on Wednesday, Aug. 11 with a board meeting and meeting of manufacturer and distributor groups. The opening reception and a First Timers Reception will take place in the evening.
Cetron will speak at the Thursday morning business sessions. Planned for later that day is a program for spouses and a Young Timers Party.
Friday activities will include golf and tennis tournaments, a tournament awards luncheon and a dessert reception in the evening.
Bowers will speak at the Saturday morning business program. The Silver Circle Club reception and luncheon will be held in the afternoon and the closing reception and party will take place that evening.
Le Chateau Frontenac will be the headquarters hotel for the convention.
For more information on the convention, call TCATA, (973) 244-1790.
The Clean '99 Show in Orlando may exceed even the optimistic projections of the show management firm, Riddle & Associates.
By early March, total exhibit space reserved for the show topped 265,000 total net square feet. John Riddle, president of Riddle & Associates, said he is trying to make more space available. Last year Riddle predicted that the show would use 280,000 net square feet at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
"We are making plans to expand available exhibit space to try to accommodate everyone who wants to be a part of this dynamic show," Riddle said. "Clean '97 was sold out a month before the show. We still have three months until Clean '99 and new prospective exhibitors are calling every day."
The net square footage already sold for Orlando exceeds that of the 1997 show in Las Vegas where 546 exhibiting companies took 255,265 square feet of space. Riddle reports that 540 companies were signed up for the Clean '99 show.
Advance registration
Attendees registration is going well, too, Riddle reported. Registration opened in January with many people signing up via the Clean show web site: www.cleanshow.com.
A brochure will be mailed to prospective attendees in March to promote advance registration. Until May 26, registration is $35 per person. Those who miss the advance registration cut-off will have to register on-site at a cost of $60.
The registration fee covers entrance to the exhibit hall, admission to the opening general session and more than 40 hours of educational sessions provided by the show's cosponsors.
"If the phone inquiries we have received and the number of hotel reservations already made at official hotels are any indication, we anticipate a record attendance at Clean '99," Riddle said.
Planners scheduled this year's show for weekend dates hoping to make it easier for more cleaners to attend. Special hotel rates extend several days before and after the show so attendees can spend some pre- or post-show time enjoying the family-oriented tourist attractions of the Orlando area.
21st century thinking
The show will open on Thursday, June 24 with a keynote speech by Jim Cathcart on the topic of "21st Century Thinking: Rethinking Business for a New Era of Growth."
Cathcart, a professional speaker and author of six books, has been a corporate executive, training director, entrepreneur, psychological researcher, meeting planner and association executive, managing people, products and payrolls for nearly 20 years.
His books include "Relationship Selling," which has been translated into Chinese, Japanese and Finnish, "The Acorn Principle," "Speaking Secrets of the Masters," "Be Your Own Sales Manager," and "The Winning Spirit."
Cathcart's keynote should be a fitting prelude to the Clean exhibit and related programs being planned by the six-cosponsoring trade associations. New technology, business management and environmental and regulatory issues will be the focus of the educational sessions.
Hotel arrangements
Twenty-six hotels have committed rooms for the exhibition with a wide range of accommodations available running from $69 to $165, exclusive of local tax, for single or double occupancy.
All of the hotels are located on or near International Drive. In the mornings and afternoons, complimentary shuttle buses will take attendees between the official hotels June 24-27.
Headquarters hotels for the six cosponsoring trade associations are as follows:
International Fabricare Institute, Caribe Royale.
Textile Care Allied Trades Association, The Clarion Plaza and Omni Rosen.
Textile Rental Services Association, The Peabody.
Uniform & Textile Services Association, Orlando Marriott on International Drive (primary); The Peabody (auxiliary).
Coin Laundry Association, Clarion Plaza.
National Association of institutional Linen Management, Omni Rosen.
Reservations for all hotels, except IFI's Caribe Royale, must be made through the Clean '99 housing bureau to receive the special rates.
Do not call the hotels directly since the show's room quotas are assigned to the Housing Bureau which can be reached by phone at (800) 258-7666 or (407) 363-5800, of by fax at (407) 370-5015.
Reservations for the Caribe Royale, IFI's headquarters, should be made directly with the hotel, (800) 823-8300 or (407) 370-5015.
Travel and car arrangements can be made through Clean '99's official travel service, Globetrotter Travel (888) 242-5326 or (301) 570-0800, or at the company's web site, www.globetrottermgmnt.com/cleanshow.
Clean Show information is available directly from Riddle & Associates, 1874 Piedmont Rd., Suite 360-C, Atlanta, GA 30324; phone (404) 876-1988; fax (404) 876-5121 or e-mail, info@cleanshow.com.
This article was written by Marshall Miller in response to an attack on perc written by Greenpeace and published in several newspapers. Cleaners may want to keep a copy of this article on file to use in response to questions or other negative articles on drycleaning that may come up in the future.
BY MARSHALL MILLER
The folks who bring you the health crisis of the month now have a new candidate -- drycleaning. It may seem strange that this should be added to the list that includes coffee, Chinese food, saccharine, apples with Alar, silicone, Olestra, and a host of other familiar products. After all, the chemical used by most drycleaners, perchloroethylene ("perc"), has been studied far more and far longer than most substances to which we are exposed.
First, over 60 years of detailed studies of perc have failed to find any significant health risks associated with long-term exposure to low doses.
In fact, perc is a solvent of such low toxicity that over the last decades, according to available records, even those people who attempted suicide or who otherwise drank it have survived. Records indicate only one confirmed fatality in almost three-quarters of a century -- a man who climbed inside a perc drycleaning machine.
Of course, like every other substance, including water and oxygen, perc is potentially toxic under extreme conditions. If you breathe perc in high concentrations, thousands of times higher than a consumer would likely be exposed to, it will make you woozy. For that reason it has been used in the past as an anesthetic in operating rooms.
Second, extensive human epidemiological studies have not shown perc to be a carcinogen.
Predictably, some activists have tried to link perc to the ultimate scare -- cancer. This issue has been intensely studied because perc does in fact have a carcinogenic effect in certain rodents. We know why. Mice and rats have an activating enzyme in their bodies which metabolically converts perc to a harmful substance. Humans, fortunately, don't have this, which explains why perc is not a human carcinogen. Because the evidence of non-carcinogenicity is so overwhelming, the matter should end there.
However, recently some researchers have tried to keep the controversy going by devising mathematical models, based on the mouse data, on what the health effects would be if perc were to be a carcinogen. This exercise is a bit like guessing what bullfrogs would carry in their pockets if they had pockets. It's pure junk science.
Third, hundreds of thousands of drycleaners and others work with perc every day without any adverse affects.
If perc posed a health risk, as some have alleged, we would certainly know it. Your neighborhood drycleaners and hundreds of thousands of others work with perc every day. Their health has been examined by epidemiologists in the U.S. and elsewhere around the globe, and every little anomaly has been scrutinized.
For example, when a study of Danish laundry and drycleaning workers indicated a slightly greater number of cancers than normally expected, this was pounced upon as the long-sought "smoking gun" that would prove perc hazardous.
Fortunately, however, the data was detailed enough to show that the statistical excess occurred in the laundry workers, not in the drycleaners.
Fourth, any risk of non-occupational exposure to perc is vanishingly small.
An estimated 99 percent-plus of all perc exposure occurs in the workplace. Only a fraction of 1 percent comes from all other environmental sources. The current occupational exposure standard is 100 parts per million in the air, averaged day after day for a working lifetime. (Levels in most drycleaning shops are considerably below this.)
In comparison, the exposure one might experience from wearing freshly drycleaned clothes would be thousands of times lower, maybe hundreds of thousands.
Some environmentalists have advocated a massive program to remove trace amounts of perc from the soil around strip-mall drycleaning stores. This would cost billions of dollars and destroy the industry. Would it be worth it? Not if you consider that human exposure to perc in this form is zilch.
You could actually eat a thousand pounds of such dirt every day and still not ingest the equivalent of the OSHA standard. You would have health problems, but perc wouldn't be one of them.
All of this is not to say that perc, like any other chemical, should not be handled carefully. And the good news is that the drycleaners are. In the last few years they have made concerted efforts to reduce overall use. At the same time, drycleaners have been busy buying and installing increasingly sophisticated technology to ensure that perc emissions are kept to a minimum.
You can understand, therefore, why your neighborhood dry-cleaners get irritated by articles headlined "What you don't know about drycleaners may kill you." It just isn't so.
Marshall Lee Miller, a Washington, D.C. attorney, is a former senior official at both EPA and OSHA.
The 1999 convention of the International Drycleaners Congress will be June 12-16 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto.
The dates were selected to make it possible for members traveling from abroad to also attend the Clean '99 show which will be in Orlando, FL, June 24-27.
A hockey theme, "Scoring into the Millennium" has been selected for the convention. Three Canadian cleaning associations -- The Eastern Canada Laundry & Dry Cleaners Association, the Ontario Fabricare Association and the Allied Trades Association -- will serve as co-hosts.
The convention headquarters hotel will be the Four Seasons in Toronto.
A welcoming reception and buffet on Saturday evening will follow the afternoon board luncheon and meeting on Saturday, June 12, the first day of the convention.
The first general session which begins at 9 a.m. on Sunday, will feature a welcoming address by Hilary Weston, lieutenant governor of Ontario, and a greeting from Lou Brunet, president of the Eastern Canadian Launderers and Drycleaners Association, after IDC president Tom Hopkins formally decrees the opening of the association's 41st annual convention.
Marketing strategies
A presentation highlighting the convention theme will be given by Deborah Rechnitz before the first panel discussion of the day. Peter Hudson will be the moderator of a panel discussion on marketing strategies.
Participants will include Jack Creed on supermarket drycleaning in Canada; Ken Adamson on "The Canadian Story," Jim Stevenson on "The Yale Story," and Bob Ching on "The China Story." Hudson will lead a discussion following the panelists' presentations.
A dinner cruise on Lake Ontario is the scheduled activity for Sunday evening.
21st century management
Sid Tuchman will discuss "Managing for the 21st century" in the first presentation on Monday morning. He will be followed by Mary Lynn Pulley on "Resilient Leadership."
Succession of management in a family-owned business will be discussed first in a talk by Joan Berta, executive director of the Canadian Association of Family Enterprises and then in a panel discussion moderated by Marcia Todd with Rob McConnell, John Claude Hallak and Ray Edwards as panelists.
Tours of cleaning plants in Toronto are scheduled for the afternoon.
Also slated for the afternoon is a "Younger Generation Luncheon Meeting & Discussion," moderated by Allen Gershenson. A Younger Generation Night on the Town is also planned for the evening.
Fellowship experiences
Recipients of the IDC Fellowships for study and travel abroad will report on the experiences at the Tuesday morning session.
Reporting will be Alice Patterson of Your Valet Drycleaning in Ogden, UT, who received the Leroy Burch Fellowship; Kazuhiko Nishi of Kokusai Cleaning Co. Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan, who received the Takeo Igarashi Fellowship; Damien Ellis of Karl Chehade Dry Cleaning in Unley Park, Australia, who received the Campbell Redenbach Fellowship; and Joe Morin, Parkers Cleaners in Mississauga, Ontario, who received the R. R. Street Fellowship.
Update on technology
After their presentations, there will be updates on technological and environmental developments. Dr. Manfred Wentz will moderate the discussions which will include presentations by John Payne of the Payne Firm on environmental clean-up technology; Petra Klein of the Hohenstein Institutes on cleaning processes for the future; Herb Markman of DCCS computers on preparing for the Y2K problem; and Bill Fisher of the International Fabricare Institute on the legislative and environmental situations.
The IDC luncheon will follow that program and the Annual Meeting will be held in the afternoon.
The IDC banquet that evening will feature the traditional flag ceremony along with installation of officers and presentation of awards.
The Sayonara Breakfast on Wednesday morning will conclude this year's convention.
The convention registration fee of $499 (US) includes the welcome cocktail reception, breakfast each day, the IDC luncheon, convention sessions, the Lake Ontario Dinner Cruise and the IDC banquet and entertainment.
Accommodations at the Four Seasons Hotel are available in a price rage of approximately $163 to $238 (US).
Pre-convention tour
A pre-convention tour will begin on May 27 with an Alaskan land tour followed by a seven-night cruise on the Inside Passage, a train trip from Vancouver through the Canadian Rockies to Banff, then a flight to Toronto for the convention.
Seward will be the starting point for a seven-night cruise on the Inside Passage that begins May 31, landing at Vancouver on June 7. From that point, travellers will go by train from Vancouver through the Canadian Rockies to Banff where they will arrive June 11. A flight from Banff will take travellers to Toronto for the beginning of the IDC convention on June 12.
Cost for the five days and four nights land portion of the tour is $1,105 (US), excluding air fares. Costs for the cruise portion aboard the Crown Princess range from $984 (US) to $1,804 (US), depending on occupancy, under group rates that are available until Feb. 14.
The five-day, four night train travel portion of the tour costs $2,842 US per person sharing a double room. Economy air fare from Calgary to Toronto is included.
Post-convention tour
The post-convention tour will depart from Toronto on June 17 for Lake Rosseau and Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The post convention tour concludes June 23 when participants will either return home or head to Orlando, FL, for Clean '99 which begins June 24.
Cost for the eight days and six nights is $1,399 US per person, sharing a double room.
Arrangements for the convention are being handled by the Yamato Travel Bureau; phone (213) 680-0333 ext. IDC or (800) 334-4982; or fax (213) 680-2825.
IDC is an international organization for all drycleaners. Dues are $75 (US) a year.
For more information, contact the IDC executive office by phone, (513) 523-4121, or fax, (513) 523-1370.
By now, the Y2K Bug has become as common a topic of conversation as politics and the weather. The technical aspects of this potential problem have been debated and discussed. The computer failures that may develop on New Year's Day, 2000, are a concern to businesses of all sizes.
If you own a small business, however, there are other potential Y2K problems that could lead to unnecessary costs later on, even if your computers are up-to-date.
Managing Y2K-related issues goes well beyond technical considerations and into the heart of every small business. The everyday functions that you and your workers perform are at risk of being disrupted if proper planning is not followed.
Problems that are ignored or forgotten could very well lead to setbacks for your company. But since smaller businesses' systems and equipment are less complex than those of larger businesses, simple actions now can prevent or minimize future challenges.
Develop a plan
Over 5 million small businesses -- according to a Gallup survey sponsored by the National Federation of Independent Businesses and Wells Fargo Bank -- are at risk of being bitten by the Y2K Bug.
To avoid becoming a statistic, your business must develop and implement a plan that addresses your unique business needs.
This plan should include both an internal and external inventory to make sure that you and your suppliers and partners are Y2K ready. It should map out essential functions that may be affected, and detail the manual systems and supplies you will need in case automation fails.
Depending on the size of your business, responsibilities and deadlines for Y2K preparation should be shared among employees.
Check your equipment
Point-of-sale systems, such as cash registers and credit card authorization machines, are perhaps your most vital pieces of equipment if you are a retail business owner.
There have been reports that some systems have not been able to complete sales already because they are unable to recognize the year 2000 expiration date on credit cards.
By checking this equipment now, you can prevent potential losses in the future.
Besides your computers, the equipment you use in your office every day -- such as your fax, postage meter and copy machines -- must be looked at to make sure they will not malfunction.
Your telephone system needs to be checked, and you should contact your long-distance provider to verify that there will be no interruption in your service.
Check your forms
There is a good chance you possess business forms that need to be updated. Preparing for 2000 with updated forms eliminates time wasted in scratching out obsolete information (such as 1999 dates) and writing in new dates by hand. It also maximizes the professional image your small business projects to larger customers.
Check your software
The latest small business software applications, including those for accounting, bill paying and check writing, are generally Y2K ready. Double-check your current applications to make sure you have upgraded to "Y2K-ready" versions.
Check the "Other Guy"
s you well know, you are not the only one who is preparing for Y2K. Make sure the companies you work with are playing it safe, too.
If you depend on a wholesaler to make deliveries to your store, will that company still have a record of your account in the new millennium? Will your suppliers' accounting systems show that you previously paid for your January, 2000, deliveries?
Before the New Year, get in touch with your suppliers and request a written guarantee that they will still provide the same service, even if their computers fail.
Your company's financial well-being depends on having banking and financial services partners who are ready for Y2K. Make sure you have paper copies of your complete financial records from your bank, credit card company and other financial service providers, especially if you are involved in any electronic transactions.
In addition, a registered letter should be sent with a return receipt to each of these companies, stating your concern and requesting information about how they are preparing for Y2K.
The success of your business is also measured by your sales revenue. Customers who consistently pay invoices on time may suddenly pay past deadlines. Should you notice such changes once 2000 arrives, you may want to contact these customers to determine if Y2K issues are causing delays.
Act in advance
Preparing for the worst is perhaps the best way to minimize the negative effects of Y2K. Keeping a small supply of manual forms on hand, for instance, will be vital should your computers fail.
The greatest concern associated with the Y2K problem is that no one can guarantee what will happen. As speculations and theories circulate, however, the one thing that is certain is that by doing nothing to anticipate Y2K-related challenges, you are setting yourself up for unnecessary losses.
Gail Kulpinski is the Senior Marketing Strategy Manager for NEBS, a company that designs, produces and distributes custom and standard forms, checks, software, envelopes, labels, and related printed products, and distributes retail merchandising aids, packaging, and warehouse supplies. For a free product catalog, call (888)-228-6327. The catalog is also available at NEBS web site: www.nebs.com.
For many years, it seemed that the Federal Trade Commission's Care Label Rule was a rule on paper only. In the real world of garment care, the care instructions specified by the labels often could be more accurately considered warning labels, as in "Wash separately, cold water," or, in more extreme cases, as "dare labels" when they advised: "Do not wash. Do not dryclean."
Consumers, at their own peril, often ignored the labels. Professional cleaners learned to distrust the labels. Nonetheless, failure to follow those instructions got the garment-maker off the hook if something went wrong in the cleaning process.
Cleaners, along with their trade association representatives at the International Fabricare Institute and the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International, did more than just complain about the labels. They frequently provided the FTC with detailed information about particular garments that could not live up to their cleaning instructions. Despite the many hundreds of examples of bad care labels that were reported to the FTC, enforcement actions were few and far between.
In the past year, however, the FTC has taken a more aggressive stance. Last summer the commission initiated a major enforcement action against companies specifying "Clean by Zurcion Method" for wedding gowns and other fancy dresses. Last month the FTC's enforcement hammer came down on Tommy Hilfiger whose popular, multi-colored garments often bleed when the care label's washing instructions are followed.
The Zurcion labels and Hilfiger's bleeders usually top the list of cleaners' complaints whenever the conversation turns to faulty care labels. We know that IFI and NCA-I as well as many individual cleaners have provided FTC with information on these two egregious offenders over the years, even in the face of apparent indifference on the part of the FTC. Their diligence in this matter is to be applauded, as is the FTC's willingness to take enforcement action. It is a victory not only for professional cleaners but also for consumers. After all, the Care Label Rule is designed primarily to protect consumers and their wardrobe investments. When professional cleaners and their professional associations provide expert evidence to FTC of violations of the Care Label Rule, they are not just defending a self interest, they are performing a public service.
After paying a $300,000 penalty, Tommy Hilfiger must know that the FTC is serious about the Care Label Rule. Other garment makers should get the message, too. And that will be good news for everyone.
The International Fabricare Institute and the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International have long enjoyed a competitive relationship in the pursuit of membership and in offering training, marketing and other services to the small business owner. While this offers the opportunity of choice for cleaners and encourages a healthy sense of competition in pursuit of the allegiance of cleaners, there are times when it is necessary for the two associations to work together on projects that affect the business welfare of all cleaners. Such has been the case for the past several months when IFI and NCA-I worked together in several areas which directly affect members of this industry. One of these is a national advertising campaign promoting a "Dress the Part" campaign as developed by associations within the fashion industry. The second is a position paper regarding the federal Care Labeling Rule. Stories on both these appear elsewhere in this issue of National Clothesline. We are pleased to note that these two national trade associations for cleaners have collaborated to present a united industry position. A publicity campaign has long been talked about by cleaners and others within the industry. And the Care Labeling Rule has long vexed cleaners who have a choice of following the "rules" or using professional judgment when facing a garment care problem. With two organizations representing thousands of cleaners nationwide offering united positions on marketing the image of garment care and changes in care labeling, our industry will be able to negotiate from a position of strength.
One important thing this joint effort represents is the signal it sends to people both within and outside the industry. It does not matter that one belongs to Group A or Group B. Rather, the message sent is that all groups within the industry can and should work together when there is an opportunity to work to change rules, lobby to adapt regulations and use the political process to sound the cleaning industry's to decision-makers. It is better to cooperate on crucial matters while there is time to make an impact than to bemoan what was imposed on the industry after the fact.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Koreans and Vietnamese came to America legally. They came to improve their standard of living. They did not come for sanctuary nor were they criminals. They came for opportunity.
They came at a time when aging American drycleaners wanted to sell. The timing was perfect. The Koreans wanted to buy.
This was truly a Realtor's dream come true. Nothing imaginable could be more perfect. Both the eagerness to buy and the anxiousness to sell were of such intensity it was likened to bugs swarming around a hot light bulb. Under such circumstances, many got burned.
Immigrants coming to America from other countries is not unusual. We are a nation of immigrants. From the very beginning and during the early 1900s in the Industrial Age, steel mills and mining industries experienced a shortage of hard-labor workers.
To fulfill the need, immigrants came from Europe and other parts of the world. Most had no experience, however physical strength was most necessary.
Today we are not experiencing that kind of shortage. There are plenty of people around to fulfill all kinds of demands. Times have changed, progress made the changes.
Koreans and other Asian immigrants came unprepared. They did not realize there was no shortage of drycleaners in America. Nevertheless, they kept on buying until the market was over saturated.
Fight for survival
In the Washington, DC, area more than 700 new drycleaning plants were opened for business by Korean and Vietnamese operators. The battle for volume was on. Suddenly the interest to buy was replaced by a determination to survive. Discounting became rampant. The focus was more on discounting rather than learning the trade.
The problem that we are experiencing today is nothing new. The struggle to survive in drycleaning was perceived many years ago, shortly after the formative years.
Twenty-five serious minded drycleaners met at the Plankinton Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to discuss these matters. They knew there had to be an understanding of basic chemistry and the solvents used in drycleaning. They also knew that drycleaners had to have access to the learning of skills in order to progress into the next generation.
It was there in 1907 that the National Association of Dyers and Cleaners was formed to fulfill these objectives. The association was dedicated to providing knowledge, educating its members, and advancing ideas of value so that members could progress in a professional manner.
Today the objectives and dedication remain the same, only the name has changed. It is now known as the International Fabricare Institute. After 92 years, the bridge to knowledge must be crossed again.
Stop the finger pointing
Before we cross the bridge, our attitude must change. We must stop fault-finding and quit pointing fingers at others with accusations of wrong-doing. When nothing is changed, predictions and opinions will flourish in abundance. Then progress will be made in the manner of the miserable pack mule floundering deep in quagmire while trying to negotiate a slippery slope.
Like the pack mule, we are slipping and sliding on the slope of ignorance, not knowing the path of learning is within our grasp. Like the stubborn mule, we insist on doing things our way. This is unfortunate.
American and Asian drycleaners have made it too easy for predator discounters to storm our industry. The small discounter, the ones within the periphery web of the predators, will be the first to go. They will not be missed nor remembered by the consumers. No remorse.
To the Korean drycleaning associations: Quit going separate ways. The industry needs your support. Join and study at the drycleaning school of learning, IFI. You will get all the self-esteem and pride you'll ever need. IFI is known the world over for study and research. Your customers will know when you become professional; it's never too late. Contact Sam Choi, IFI's Asian affairs connection. He served for many years as a Korean diplomat here in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Europe.
Not long ago, at an appeals board meeting in Laurel, MD, the Korean drycleaners sat attentively silent, when a member of the appeals board asked a Korean woman drycleaner, "Why can't you get a bigger place and become more competitive?"
She graciously replied, "I can't afford a bigger place. It costs too much and the rent is too high. All I want is just to earn a living and educate my children."
That's what good "mom and pop" drycleaners are all about.
Bill Bogus is president of Textile Restoration Services Inc. in Laurel, MD. He can be reached at (301) 776-4961.
Management consultant Al Robson will conduct a series of seminars this month for the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association.
Titled "Smart Management," the seminars where help cleaners learn how to make their profits grow by playing the numbers game, finding out where the money goes, where problems areas exist and whether productivity is lagging.
The evening programs will be held in Pittsburgh on Monday, April 12; Harrisburg on Tuesday, April 13; Allentown on Wednesday, April 14; and Philadelphia on Thursday, April 15.
For more information, call the PDCA office, (215) 830-8495.
The Mid-Atlantic Cleaners & Launderers Association will hold six seminars in May on pricing the costs of services.
"Pricing for Profits" will be offered May 1-6 in three states. The two-hour seminar will be presented by Ted Barry, a cleaning industry cost management consultant and trade publication columnist. The focus will be on helping maintain and improve the bottom line of those attending, MACLA said.
"The prices being charged today increasingly have little relation to the actual costs of producing an acceptable service," MACLA executive vice president Dave Norford said. "With widespread, deep cutting of prices having a near-disastrous effect in many areas of the Mid-Atlantic region, we are rushing this presentation out to as many areas as possible."
Norford also said cleaners need to "get back to a realistic appraisal of income, costs, marketing strategy and service in order to survive."
In the past year, the Middle Atlantic region has experienced strong market penetration by low-price chains.
Seminar attendance is open to all drycleaners. A nominal fee will be charged for the program. The program locations will be announced in the near future, MACLA said.
The sessions begin May 1 in Silver Spring Spring, MD. The May 2 seminar will be held in Charleston, WV. On May 3 the program will be held in Richmond, VA. The May 4 session is set for Hampton, VA. Springfield, VA, is the location of the May 5 session. On May 6, the program will conclude in Baltimore, MD.
A New Jersey bill which would change machinery requirements, institute certification and make funds available to cleaners upgrading their equipment is the subject of study by cleaners and association representatives.
Assembly Bill #526, often called the Rooney bill, is sponsored by Assemblyman John Rooney. The bill has been referred to the Appropriations Committee by the Solid and Hazardous Waste Committee.
The bill proposes making available low interest loans to cleaners as well as eliminating the sales tax on any machinery purchased, either as an upgrade or as new equipment.
In addition to the certification and tax effects, the measure would require the phaseout of all first and second generation machines and upgrading third generation units
A meeting of the New Jersey Coalition of Drycleaners in mid-March was scheduled to review the details of the bill prior to the group making a commitment to fully support the measure, a Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International representative said. The coalition is comprised of members of NCA-I, the International Fabricare Institute and Korean Drycleaners Association of New Jersey.
The bill is waiting for consideration by the appropriations committee. There is a commitment by Brodsky not to push the measure until the coalition can take a complete look at it, an NCA-I staff member said.
The potential effect of this measure on New Jersey drycleaners has been under review for several months by the coalition. The coalition was formed two years ago to deal with an earlier version of Rooney's proposal.
Bob Santo, Westwood Cleaners, 1004 South Ave., Westfield, NJ 07090. Santo 908-232-2772. fax: 232-7355. Arthur Weiss is legislative coalition. New Jersey Drycleaning Assistance Act has to do with replacing generation one, two or three machines with retrofit or new machine.
Bill amended, a lot to be concerned about. Last time we had a spill fund attached to it. Certification of cleaners, loans, a lot of details to be worked out.
A bill which would shift the collection and payment of solvent taxes from suppliers to drycleaners was introduced in the Illinois House of Representatives last month.
Rep. Charles Hartke (D-Effingham) introduced HB 437 into the House Revenue Committee where it passed on March 4. It was sent to the House where an amendment was attached and returned to the committee. This move may be one which delays the bill indefinitely.
Rep. Hartke introduced legislation which would require drycleaners to send solvent tax money directly to the Illinois Department of Revenue, the Illinois State Fabricare Association said. The proposal would "require every drycleaner in Illinois to file a tax return and pay those taxes every single month." Currently, suppliers are responsible for collecting the funds and sending them to the state.
The amendment to the bill which caused the measure to go back to the revenue committee was introduced by Rep. Hartke, ISFA said.
ISFA also noted that the Drycleaner Trust Fund Council selected Williams & Company as the trust find administrator. Williams will be responsible for developing the program's operational policies and procedures as well as providing technical and administrative support for the council's operations.
It will "perform licensing of drycleaners, develop policy and issue appropriate financial responsibility coverage and perform claims review when notice of contamination is filed by program participants," ISFA added.
Williams said license fees for 1998 and 1999 should have been paid by March 31, 1999. After that date, a $5-a-day late payment penalty goes into effect.
The council sent application forms and instructions to all known cleaners in the state earlier this year.
ISFA announced that it will hold its annual convention Aug. 13-15 at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. Among the guests expected at the convention is Illinois Governor George Ryan.
This year's ISFA "State of the Industry" dinner has been announced. It will be held Nov. 3 at the Drake Oak Brook Hotel in Oak Brook, IL.
For information on ISFA programs, call (815) 729-0137.
The Dakota Fabricare Association will hold its annual convention June 11-13 in Fargo, ND, at the Holiday Inn at I-94 and I-29.
The program is called "2000 & Beyond" with both speakers and tabletop exhibits planned. Among the speakers scheduled for the weekend are industry consultants Jane Zellers and Ray Colucci, Greg Lorenz of Western Fur and Leather in Bismark and a representative of Heritage Insurance Company.
Early registration ends May 15. The full convention fee is $50 for members and $65 a person for non-members. The charge for meals is $30 a person. The menu includes hors d'oeuvres on Friday and breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday.
Attendees making late registration should add $5 a person to the fees. Checks should be made payable to DFA and sent to Lynda Smith, 109 Prairie Wood Drive, Fargo, ND 58103.
Smith, the DFA secretary/ treasurer, said hotel reservations should be made through the hotel chain by calling (800) Holiday.
Mid-America Fabricare Association executive director Dennis Loomis and several cleaners met with the Missouri Vocational Enterprises last month to continue their discussions about competition from prison-sponsored laundries. The cleaners demanded an end to the "unfair pricing practices and to unfair government competition against private cleaners."
MVC holds laundry contracts in both mid-Missouri and St. Louis. MAFA has warned that other "cleaners and laundries will feel the impact of state-subsidized competition in the future unless the issue is forcefully addressed at a future MVC meeting."
MAFA predicted that cleaners may be forced into either political or legal action to stop unfair competition subsidized by prison labor.
MVC is a division of the Missouri Department of Corrections.
The Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International called its members to the capital of New York State last month to demonstrate cleaners' concerns with current and potential legislative initiatives.
According to NCA-I's Robert Shooman, "more than 150 people participated in the event."
"We made friends and didn't antagonize anybody" during the course of the six hours of visits to the offices of state assembly members in their capital offices, Shooman added.
Cleaners and NCA-I staffers formed groups for their visits to the offices.
Among the legislators visited were Sen. Seymour Lachman, whose chief of staff, Doug Perlson, had a grandfather who started Reo Cleaners.
According to Perlson, he still chips in to help in the plant.
Among those visited were Pete Kruger, "who has a bill to ban perc," Shooman said. "Kruger's aide's father works in a cleaning store and we talked to him, making our points"
Among the items stressed by the group talking to Kruger's staff "is that perc is not an ozone depleter," Shooman added.
Toward the end of the day a number of cleaners joined with NCA-I staff and lobbyist Don Halperin in front of Assembly member Richard L. Brodsky's office. Brodsky is the author of a assembly bill A959, which would ban drycleaners in residential settings within five years.
"We went to his chamber and talked with him for 20 minutes," Shooman said. "He spoke his piece and we spoke ours," Shooman said
A Korean cleaner told the assemblyman that cleaners associations are making a major effort to educate cleaners about the need for regulatory compliance.
"My friends say NCA-I is a government agency, that's how strongly they make us comply with rules," Shooman said the cleaner told Brodsky.
At the conclusion of this meeting with Brodsky, NCA-I associate director Nora Nealis asked, "Assemblyman, where do we go from here?"
"He said he didn't know, it's a watch and see thing," she said. "He spoke of involuntary exposure and alternatives to cleaners in buildings. He could be far more aggressive but he's waiting to see how Part 232 works out."
Although the official "Share the Warmth" program sponsored by the North East Fabricare Association and The Big Brother/Big Sister Foundation has ended, cleaners can still help collect and distribute garments to needy families.
"Due to the overall success and publicity that one drycleaner received, sponsors were asked to extend the program," NEFA said. "Any cleaner interested in extending the clothing drive may do so."
In order to facilitate the process, cleaners have been asked to call the Big Brother/Big Sister Foundation at (617) 773-2222.
The Big Brother/Big Sister Foundation said any drycleaners who want to donate excess inventory to the foundation should call the NEFA office to schedule pick-up service. Their number is (781) 942-7630.
NEFA thanked "the volunteer drycleaners who unselfishly collected and stored the many garments that their customers brought into their stores."
NEFA noted that approximately 100 drycleaners and drop stores provided the Big Brother/Big Sister foundation with 462 bags of clothing. The foundation sold the clothing to Saver Thrift Department Stores and raised $3,400 to support the mentoring of children in the Boston area.
Two certification training programs for perc-using drycleaners in New York state have been sent back to their respective authors for adjustments. Part 232 of the state drycleaning rules require certification for perc-using cleaners.
The North East Fabricare Association and the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International submitted proposals earlier this year to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
According to representatives from each of the trade groups, the state reviewed their documents and returned them with suggested changes in their programs.
NEFA executive vice president Peter Blake expects NEFA to have its revised program submitted by the second week of April.
"Our program is a comprehensive program dealing with all the drycleaning regulations in the state. It will be a 16-hour course that should enable a participant to pass the test. We feel so confident about our training program that we will offer a guarantee for members," Blake said.
The course will be offered in cities and towns throughout upstate New York with arrangements being made for cleaners in the downstate area. NEFA plans to conduct training programs on a regularly-scheduled-class basis. Specific dates and times will be announced after the state approves the course. Blake anticipates 12 separate courses will be presented. He hopes to be ready to go and hold the first program in late June or early July.
"We expect full approval for program to be given in May," Blake said. "It takes about a full month to gear up for the presentation of a class."
NEFA field representative Joe Kaye, training director Carmelia Bernardi and Blake will be the course instructors.
NCA-I reported its was also redrafting parts of its certification training.
According to an NCA-I representative, the association was told to make a number of small changes in the program.
Professional Testing Corporation will be administering the certification test. They currently provide services to the International Fabricare Institute with both the Certified Professional Drycleaner and Certified Environmental Drycleaner examinations.
The North East Fabricare Association has revised its training program schedule for the remainder of the year. NEFA seminars are open to all cleaners with a graduated fee structure.
Three sets of cleaning process-related seminars are planned. These cover finishing, stain removal and customer service programs
The finishing classes will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. They will be held April 24 at Swiss Cleaners, Rockville, CT; Sept. 18 at Pratt Abbott, S. Portland, ME; Nov. 6 at Tirpok Cleaners, Flemington, NJ; Nov. 20 at Kem Cleaners, Guilderland, NY; and Nov. 21 at Harris Drycleaning, Cazenovia, NY
Spotting classes will be held with two sessions a week for three weeks. Class hours will be 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The class series are planned for April 14-15, 21-22, & 28-29 at Coronis Cleaners, Nashua, NH; July 14-15, 21-22, & 28-29 at Delken Cleaners, New Bedford, MA; and August 11-12, 18-19, and 25-26 at a Massachusetts site. A special two-day program will be held Oct. 16-17 at Shalet's Cleaners, New London, CT.
Problem Garments and Customer Service Representative classes are one-day programs held 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. They will be held Sept. 14 at Delken Cleaners, New Bedford, MA; Sept. 15 at PA Cleaners, Worcester, MA; and Sept. 16 at Gadue's Cleaners, Burlington, VT.
For details, contact Michelle Stephan, (800) 442-6848.
The Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International has warned its members that customers have been reporting "stale, stagnant and unpleasant" odors remaining in garments after drycleaning.
"The odor is readily noticeable in highly-absorbent garments such as cotton, wools and the shoulder pads of garments," NCA-I said. Its presence has been reported by a number of cleaners. In addition, NCA-I field staff have received a number of complaints about the problem.
In the process of identifying the cause, NCA-I reviewed the steps of the cleaning process. It found that the "maintenance of solvent in newer machines has to be carefully controlled since the turnover of solvent and additions of new solvent are very limited."
The cause of the odor was found to be related to the solvent. The situation is correctable by the application of "better distillation procedures, changed prespotting methods and the water separator being properly cleaned and maintained."
The association offered to help any members affected by the problem reach a solution. NCA-I chief garment analyst Dan Eisen will evaluate a questionnaire completed by cleaners to work with them to solve the problem.
An odor problem on "clean" clothes could present image problems for a cleaners, NCA-I added.
"It is imperative that customers do not perceive or relate any odor remaining in a garment to the drycleaning process," it said. "We ask you to evaluate how your garments smell after drycleaning."
NCA-I suggested that a number of people should be asked to check for odors, including household members and staff.
Three days of meetings and social events are on the agenda for the annual North Carolina Association of Launderers and Cleaners Carolina Clean convention this Memorial Day weekend. The program includes a golf tournament, river boat trip, board of directors and committee meetings and four seminars on the concluding full day of the convention.
The convention takes place at Sea Trail Resort in Sunset Beach, NC, May 29-31. Social and recreational events fill the first day's calendar with board meetings on Saturday and educational sessions on Sunday.
The speakers' session will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. The first hour will offer Dr. Manfred Wentz with "An Overview of Alternative Cleaning Technologies."
At 10 a.m., Florida drycleaner Rick Miller will discuss the topic, "How to Start a Route."
Peter Verstappen follows at 11 a.m. with a look at "Applying Marketing Techniques of the Fortune 500 to Your Small Business."
After lunch, a three hour program starts at 1:15 p.m. as Greg Isenhour discusses compliance as its relates to state and federal environmental regulations.
The association's annual president's reception and banquet will be held Sunday evening.
No formal programs are planned on Memorial Day.
NCALC announced that five customer service seminars are planned throughout the state
Association executive director Sto Fox is leading the programs which will be held this month.
Fox said the two-hour program is "attitude adjustment designed to give your counter personnel an understanding of the psychological and monetary investment customers have in their wardrobes, what customers expect from any cleaner they patronize and the kind of customer service that will make you their drycleaner."
The dates and sites are now being finalized, although classes are confirmed for Asheville, Raleigh and Greenville. For details, contact NCALC, (919) 850-0707.
The Tennessee Fabricare Association will hold three training seminars this May.
"Creating Exceptional Service to Your Customers" will be taught by Laura Barron. Barron is with the Barron Group in Knoxville and will lead a seminar at the Clean show in Orlando this June.
"This seminar is for anyone who deals with customers, not just counter people," TFA said.
The programs will be held May 10 in Memphis, TN; May 11 in Nashville, TN; and May 13 in Knoxville, TN.
Each seminar will be held from 7 to 9:45 p.m. at a local hotel, TFA said.
TFA also said it will hold four spotting seminars in the summer. Details on this program will be announced later this spring.
For registration and seminar site information, contact TFA executive director Debbie Lowenthal, (615) 269-5312.
The Southwest Drycleaners Association reports that Texas State Representative Harvey Hilderbran has introduced a bill which would remove the sales tax from a number of supplies purchased by cleaners.
"HB 660 asks the legislature of the State of Texas to eliminate the sales tax Texas drycleaners are required to pay when purchasing packaging material," SDA said.
This material includes goods which are used to protect and handle the garment when it is returned to cleaners, including poly bags, foam guards, tissue paper, hangers and other similar items.
The act amends Section 151.302 (c) of the state tax code. The bill adds the line, "A person may purchase for resale a hanger or material for covering a cleaned garment that is transferred to the customer as an integral part of a laundry or dry cleaning service."
If passed, it would take effect on the first day of the first calendar quarter as established by Texas law.
SDA urged its Texas members to support the bill by calling their state representatives and asking them to vote for the bill.
A group of drycleaners went to Austin to participate in a House hearing on the bill.
Association director Chet Whatley worked with Rep. Hildebran on the bill.
Two training classes will be held in April at the Southwest Drycleaners Association school in Denton, TX. The basic stain removal course will be held April 19-21, followed by the advanced stain removal class on April 22-24. Both courses are two and a half days in length. The classes are held at the Texas Woman's University in Denton, TX. There is a 16-student limit to each class.
Jane Zellers is the instructor for all SDA school classes.
There is a graduated fee schedule for the classes, with SDA members paying a reduced rate.
Also on the April agenda is a board of directors meeting at Southfork Ranch in Dallas.
SDA is organizing its official delegation to the Clean show in Orlando. The delegation meets prior to the opening day's ceremony to attend the general session as a group and tour the hall together. The group was formed prior to the 1993 Clean Show and it has become a regular activity ever since. Participation is open to all SDA members.
More information can be obtained on SDA programs at (210) 826-4684.
Statements in a newspaper story claiming there are dangers in perc-based drycleaning were challenged in a letter from the executive director of the Western States Drycleaners and Launderers Association.
When a piece written by a radio program host appeared in the Arizona Republic, WSDLA director Mike Schenck complained the story took "shots" at the cleaning industry, "created alarm" through sensationalized headlines and used "vague terms and unproven information."
"While Alex Michelini did offer the perspective of both sides on the issue, the inflammatory nature of the headline and the opening paragraphs could only lead, unfortunately, to a negative impression of this industry," Schenck said. "Perc is completely non-flammable and non-combustible, of relatively low toxicity, and can be efficiently reused and recycled."
Michelini was reported as claiming that 80 cleaners in the area had been charged with violations in the past five years, with infractions including perc leaks, failing to file perc emission reports, operating without a permit and failure to install emission control devices.
Schenck observed that six decades of perc use "has shown that it can be stored and used safely in normal drycleaning practice. Drycleaners pay close attention to keeping the workplace as safe as possible... because drycleaners have a moral and ethical interest in environmental management."
He also explained that cleaners have met their responsibilities in handling and disposing of hazardous wastes in an efficient manner.
"Disposal of used perc is handled safely through licensed hazardous waste carriers," Schenck said. "Today's modern drycleaning machines are highly efficient and have largely eliminated the possibility of spills and emissions of vapors into the atmosphere. In fact, use of perc has decreased by two-thirds over the past ten years simply as a result of replacement of outdated machinery."
WSDLA member Kenney Slatten told members "It is so easy for people to read articles like these and get the wrong idea. A few twists of the words and one could get a negative impression."
He warned that the state has found violations among cleaners regarding weekly monitoring and record keeping.
Schenck also announced that WSDLA plans to celebrate "Allied Trade Appreciation Month" in April.
Schenck said the association is "working on the details now. We are getting all our chapters to develop Allied Trade Appreciation events."
Information on WSDLA activities can be obtained by calling (602) 253-9186.
The tax on perchloroethylene in Oregon is projected to rise to $21.11 a gallon Oct. 1. Coupled with the current $10 a gallon cost of the solvent, it will establish a price for perc of $31 a gallon. The petroleum tax rate will also be increased, to $10.62 a gallon.
In addition, on Jan. 1, 2000, cleaners can expect a three percent increase in the solvent tax rate.
On top of this, the current tax structure mandates a $1,000 annual fee for a facility operating dry cleaning equipment and $500 for each dry store selling over $50,000 worth of services. The current solvent tax rate is $17.11 per gallon of perc and $6.62 per gallon for any other solvent.
According to the Oregon DEQ, "the rates increase three percent per year, with an additional increase of $4 per gallon if the fees fail to generate $1 million in the preceding year."
The Montana Textile Services Association board of directors announced the group will hold its annual membership meeting and convention this September in Bozeman, MT.
The Holiday Inn in Bozeman will host the event Sept. 16-18.
Although specific details of the program have not been finalized, association president Ron Brenna said the association "has booked entertainment for Friday night." He is also looking for members' input on the keynote speaker for the convention.
Information on the group and its programs can be obtained from executive secretary Jim DeKaye, (406) 873-2142.
It is a question about what people are doing with their time that caused Linda Ferguson to consider the way work impedes the pursuit of other interests.
"Our industry is peculiar because it's very time consuming," she said. "At the end of the day you wish you had 10 more hours."
As an example, she summarized an everyday conversation to support her observation.
"Talk to any dry cleaner. They'll tell you that on any given Sunday you may find them in their plant doing something. The week wasn't long enough for them to do everything."
This is not a good thing, Ferguson concluded. "It's physically tiring and it doesn't leave you other opportunities. You have to make time for yourself, though, because you're not functioning at peak. If you can get away from it, it helps."
She laughed after she said that, because she knows it took her a long time to put that advice into practice.
"I'd be the first to tell people to do that," Ferguson admitted. But between her debut as a plant owner in 1971 and today, there were many times she ignored her own words. "I'm learning to do it," she said. "I create time because I know it's really important."
Part of the problem is the way successful entrepreneurs treat their vocation.
"Most business owners are very attached to their business. They nurture it and it survives and they spend all their free time thinking how they can improve it," Ferguson observed. It is her feeling that in the process, these owners forget there are other aspects to a rounded life.
Ferguson loved her business, too. But it was her attraction to cats that helped her explore other ways to spend her free time.
"I enjoy showing cats," she said. "It's something I've been doing since 1985. I go to cat shows because I like to go. That's something I do for myself."
It helps that her "cat loves shows," she added. "Flower loves to go to hotels, loves to meet people."
Ferguson is excited about a major cat show coming to her home town of Jackson, Mississippi.
"We have the international competition in September, with people coming from all over the world. It's truly an international thing."
Flower is her show cat, a Blue Tortie and White Persian. Her proper name is Whozz Flower Power. Of course, Flower is not to be confused with the plant cat, a black and white feline named Gingiss.
"We named him for the formal wear company," Ferguson explained. "His coat looked like a tuxedo. He was found under a truck during heavy rain storm." Gingiss puts on his own show in Ferguson's store, Safeway Cleaners, where customers have come to look forward to greeting the plant cat.
As much as she loves the shows, she conceded that taking time away from work left her conflicted.
"I make myself do it," she said. She has come to understand that "this is the only life we have."
The breaks do her good, she was quick to point out.
"When I get away from business, I come back with a fresh perspective. Taking me out of the operation allows me to clear my head and come back with a new perspective."
This perspective includes an understanding of effective management.
"If you give other people the freedom to do what they need to do and the authority to do their job, they will surprise you," Ferguson said. "They do a really good job. People want the opportunity. You have to make concessions on what you do but you come back and find they've instituted some little thing that improves the business."
Easier said than done, she admitted. "Giving up control is hard for me, but I've learned that if I don't do that people will act like robots."
Once she became accustomed to that, she began doing more about her interests.
Her getting away with the cat expanded to a position as treasurer and public relations director of the Mississippi Cat Fanciers group.
Ferguson's cleaning industry volunteer work began in 1990 when she was elected to the board of the South Central Fabricare Association. She was elected to a term as president in 1994.
Other industry work includes district director of FLARE, founder of the Jackson Area Drycleaners Association and service as a District Committee Member of IFI.
"I found my business improved after I became a district committee member because my planning is better," Ferguson said.
Her other volunteer work includes serving on the board of directors of the Jackson Optimist Club and participation in organizations which assist abused women and children.
"I have a lot of people who have been with me a long time and I leave it with them when I go. I do confess that I always call home. My son is involved in the business and he has my best interests at heart."
Ferguson's parents were the original owners of Safeway Cleaners. "I took over the plant in 1971 when my father died," she recalled. "I was supposed to go to school to be a lawyer. That was the plan. I was going back to Southern University."
At age 19, she was thrown into making a very difficult decision.
Looking back, her initiation as the owner and manager was done under great stress.
"More or less, my dad died and I had not even gotten to school. The summer he died I was there. He walked out the front door one morning to visit a friend at the service station across the street and died of a heart attack. That afternoon I was handed the keys and told I had to make a decision. I know now it was an emotional decision."
There were three options -- "let it go, sell it or get on with it. My mother was dependent on it. She had Parkinson's disease so she was very dependent on me and I had a decision to be made."
Today she can look back on it with the comfort of her belief that "things happen for a reason."
In the span of an afternoon she gave up the idea of being a lawyer, something she had imagined since she was a little girl, and became a drycleaning store owner.
She realized that she would draw her strength from the lessons he taught her.
"All the bad things that happen, there's so much good that can come out of it. His death set a precedent for my life. Everything I learned came from him."
"Every time I seriously think of getting out, something happens. Even recently, when our business got so large and I had an offer on the store and things were moving, I couldn't do it," Ferguson said. "I couldn't give up the association and the people I know and spending all my time with different personalities."
She turned to her father's lessons.
"My dad would be the first to tell me to trust my gut instincts. You have to listen to your heart. If you can reconcile all your decisions with the right thing, you will make the right decisions."
Among her instincts is going to the drycleaners who have been in the business for decades for advice.
"You will listen to those guys about the silks, cottons, the naturals. My generation knows nothing about them. We're the polyester babies. The older ones, they can answer how to handle this, how to remove that stain," she observed.
It isn't just the older people who have something to say, though.
"My father used to tell me, 'Get the best professional advice and you listen to it.' These new guys come from other industries and bring their knowledge of associations with them. They join at a faster rate than people who have grown up in the industry."
Talking of the new industry members brings her to the point of associations.
"It's hard to get the cleaners to see the value of an association," she began. "I can't think of anything more important than being a part of their association. People need to realize they have a voice in their association."
She insisted that cleaners "need to develop political savvy. You're trying to balance it all -- but your family's future is riding there on what is going on in Washington."
She understands that people don't want to be part of the political scene. "But it's necessary nowadays as being part of the business scene."
Returning to the grassroots level, Ferguson said "local associations are the vehicle for retaining the members we have and keeping members."
With the Jackson group, "we just get together periodically and have a program on interests. The majority of what brings them together is the ability to have time to talk with other people, people who do the same thing you do."
"To make a local group work, take the first step," she offered as advice to people looking to create their own area association. "Pick up the phone, go down the yellow pages, talk to everybody, even your closest competitors. Break the ice."
She found a luncheon works best because cleaners can leave their plant.
They have no officers, no structure -- "just a bunch of cleaners getting together. Make sure you have a subject, something that's interesting. Soon they will be calling each other on their own."
Ferguson stressed that cleaners "should be working for a better image for ourselves, for more respect for the industry. For years we didn't."
"Small business employs 80 percent of the population but we really don't have that much political power. It scares me that we don't realize that the common goal we should work for is common respect, working to be the best drycleaner we can be. That should be the fundamental theme."
"We create a lot of jobs. A lot of us choose to stay in this business and ,make our lives here. Our goal should be to provide relief for people who have worked all their lives and have some agency knock on their door and say, 'it's all over.'"
A circuit breaker panel is the most expensive electrical apparatus in your plant.
This circuit breaker panel replaces the plug-type fuses and cartridge type fuses used many years ago in a cabinet. Plug-type fuses protected 110-volt and 115-volt service and the cartridge-type fuses protected the 220-volt, 230-volt and 208-volt service.
Today, single breakers work on 110-volt and 115-volt service and double breakers work on 220-volt, 230-volt and 208-volt service.
The master (overall) service box is usually controlled by heavy duty cartridge-type fuses rated for more than the overall amperage and it is operated by an on-off handle which either makes or breaks contact with the fuses and incoming master electric current.
Circuit breaker panels are manufactured in various quality levels and even the lower quality panels are quite expensive.
I say this from experience since I had the bad habit of using the circuit breakers as cut-off and turn-on switches for various pieces of equipment.
Eventually my entire panel's circuit breakers wore out completely and the whole component had to be replaced.
This was back in 1973 and the circuit breaker panel cost over $2,500, plus labor, to remove the old panel and install the new one. This was for a package plant and attached coin-op laundry with a total of about 800 amps (minimum).
The inconvenience and loss of operating time exacerbated the cost immeasurably. What do you think it would cost today?
My electrician explained to me that constant manipulation of a circuit breaker will wear it out completely in only a few years.
The only function of a circuit breaker is to instantly break the circuit during a power surge or overload -- nothing else, except when your machine is being worked on. In that case, the complete electrical circuit should be broken from the panel to the machine including its separate switch and cross line starter.
Individual switches should normally be used to turn off and on a piece of equipment. Single-phase switches should have cartridge type fuses as insurance against a power surge that is created beyond the circuit breaker and a three-phase switch should have a "cross-line" starter installed in the line just before it to prevent "phasing-out" the three-phase motor which it is protecting.
By phasing out, the motor runs on less than the three-phase built into it, and the motor has to be either repaired or replaced.
If there is a power surge, the cross-line starter will break the circuit (after the panel's circuit breaker) to the motor's switch. Then it will need to be reset by pressing in the reset button to the cross-line stater.
When power goes out
When your electric power supplier turns your power off in your neighborhood for any reason, you should immediately walk around your plant and manually turn off all of your equipment's switches.
When the power comes back on, begin turning each machine back on one at a time. Never turn two or more machines on a the same time.
Do not forget to turn off the main power switch and breaker when the machine is being repaired or having parts replaced. Put a sign on the machine telling everyone not to attempt starting or using it. This is called: Tag out/Lock-out.
Adequate amperage
When building a new plant or adding equipment to an existing plant, make sure that you have more than enough electric amperage, and purchase a good quality circuit breaker panel to match the total amperage (+). In fact, all switches and cross-line starters should be of good quality.
Switches and cross-line starters need no maintenance other than keeping them clean and occasionally operating them to test their condition.
Finally, if a circuit breaker keeps tripping to the "off" position, one of two things may be the cause:
1. The line is overloaded or shorted out.
2. The circuit breaker is worn out from being used as an off/one switch.
Note: My video, "The Caplan Method of Stain Removal, which includes my comprehensive test with handy spotting board reference, is now available. Please order from Dennis McCrory, Successful Management Group, (800) 646-5736, PIN 4615. Also, watch for my latest video on step-by-step shirt finishing using both a double-buck and single-buck unit with either one or two operators, soon to be released along with a comprehensive text.
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 IFI and the SDA 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 7341 Amberly Lane, Suite 310, Delray Beach, FL 33446; phone or fax (561) 496-2548. His e-mail address is: stancap100@aol.com
I see it everywhere! Prices are too low! The plant needs new equipment, not because the old equipment keeps breaking down, but because it will not conform to federal or local mandates.
The decision is about fixing up. It's about keeping up with equipment that must conform to current regulations -- and it's compulsory.
Of course, you are finally getting something for your big bucks, like 50,000 pounds of cleaning for 50 gallons of perc. (Thirty years ago it was 5,000 pounds!). Strange, how with more mileage and less use, the price of perc goes up accordingly. Do the perc manufacturer's know something about production with less volume, and the laws of "supply and demand?"
Now we have to concern ourselves with a market that wants no part of us with our hot, noisy working conditions and near minimum wages. The labor market wants nothing to do with working in a laundry or a drycleaning plant.
So let's take a closer look at our working conditions, the labor market and just what we can do about it. We can offer job security, and no seasonal layoffs and, if we carefully check our up-charges and make a brief study of our entire overhead, we will discover we can afford to pay more and assure our profitability.
All too often I find an operator charges exactly the same or less than his nearest competitor charges despite vast differences in convenience, quality and service. Why? Does he eat less? Do his people work for less? Does he pay less rent?
I smile (tongue in cheek) at the mechanic who has a sign reading. "Why are our prices so low? Because we always overcharge the other guy, and pass the savings on to you!"
Our prices have always been behind the times when compared with all other service industries, some 30 to 40 percent below the inflationary spiral. If we compare the cost of essential replacement parts or new equipment, we get some idea of how behind the times we have always been.
I think it's time we joined the new millennium. It starts with knowing the cost of doing business. Do you know, what it cost you to do a garment?
Your accountant can help. You can take a three-month picture, being sure to factor in those invoices you pay "once a year." Also, important is any settlement you have had to make, fines, penalty or taxes. Usually what's left over is yours. Right?
There's one other area, and I'm amazed that average plant owner simply will not add it on to his overall picture. Most operators will call it R.O.I. or Return On Investment. I know if I put a $100,000 to work anywhere, with some risk, I would expect to receive five to 10 percent and upward, in return and without doing a lick of work or worry. Yet some just think they are not entitled to a return. Perhaps they think that is the price of "buying a job."
What should you charge for a garment?
I would never say "as much, as you can get!" but I do say, compute the cost of doing business and add a commensurate Boss/Manager salary and, of course, the ROI. You just might find you are fully justified in raising prices. But there are some things you must do first. You must fully know your actual costs.
We have all learned, sometimes the hard way, that you have to G I V E, to G E T, so after surveying your market and our actual cost, you must start to clean up your act. Begin with a new front -- paint up, fix up. Insist your counter personnel wear a smock, a jacket, a vest, or a blouse with a company name tag -- and a smile!
Invest in air cooling, free coffee or a morning for customers, counter bags and a 24-hour drop off box. Offer a discount for credit card users. Provide new three-color custom-print garment bags with a logo and classy packaging with an attached "Because We Care" survey card.
Give an award to the Counter Person of the Month, with the winner's picture in the local newspaper and a gift of a hair dryer or walkman radio and Dinner for Two in local restaurant. New signs, new lighting to be on all night.
Once a week have a drawing with the winning number coming from a counter ticket stub . Make the prize $25 in free drycleaning and have the ticket drawn by a prominent popular local citizen, again with picture in the local paper. Offer free drycleaning for local cheerleaders and have them pictured in front of store. Have special promotions like Red for Valentines Day, Green for St. Patrick's, etc.
Now raise your prices -- always in small increments of 25 cents at a time and just about six weeks a part. I assure you perhaps one out 20 might question (if even that many).
If they ask, be prepared to explain how you conform to the new, safe EPA standards, your five-point inspection program, small tailoring on request at no charge (seams and buttons) and your guarantee of perfection, always as promised -- or no charge. And mean it!
Major cities in Europe and Japan charge upwards of $12 per garment. I paid $32 to have a raincoat drycleaned in Moscow!
Now review your employee salary structure and with your bottom-line costs before you, raise salaries accordingly and fairly. Reward those conscientious employees who have the team and family spirit in mind.
I think we all have learned the cost of "Hiring and Firing," usually after the promising effects of full training. (See last month's "Help is on the Way" article.)
The problem is the need for sharper management But good things are on the horizon. Garments have been getting easier to process, scarce are 100 percent cottons or wools which are being replaced by 60/40 blends -- easy to clean and easy to finish.
Those customers of ours have always been creatures of habit. They don't change for price and never for an increase unless they don't receive good quality drycleaning, sharp finishing and clean packaging. If you can add that welcome smile, their yours for life!
Ray Colucci, a consultant to the fabric care industry, has three booklets available that cover key topics. The titles include: "Up Front is Where it Counts," which tells how to train people to work at the counter and contains a pre-hiring personality test; "The Route to Success," which tells how to start hire, train and sell routes; and "Pressed for Perfection," which ends the dilemma of hire and fire in the finishing department and provides a quality control final inspection color coding system. The booklets are available for $10 each or all three for $25. He also has a slide presentation seminar entitled "Management and Motivation" and he is available for speaking engagements. For information, contact R.C. Consulting, 410 Warren Ave., Mamaroneck, NY, 10543.
There have been an increasing number of new problems arising with shirts.
Although some manufacturers have attempted to resolve these problems, others have not. NCA-I is interested in hearing from you so we can attempt to contact these manufacturers.
Yellowing on seams
Manufacturers are using an adhesive in the seams during manufacture.
The adhesive used is heat sensitive and will discolor and transfer during the pressing procedure.
I made a call to Van Heusen, who manufactures Geoffrey Beene, Van Heusen and Grant. I spoke to their quality control people who attempted to put the blame on the heat used in laundering. I explained that the heat in pressing a shirt cannot be controlled when the problem is disguised in the seams of only a few shirts.
They were receptive to the problem and returns to Van Heusen and to the stores.
Labels
Some manufacturers are using glued-on labels that contain heat sensitive dyes on the labels.
When laundered and pressed, the glue or dye transfers to the outer fabric. Attempts to remove the staining are usually not successful.
At this point, we have not found the problem to be widespread, but it could be. If the complaints increase, we will contact the manufacturer.
Bleeding dyes
The problem with poor dye fastness is increasing as the use of 100 percent cotton multi-colored shirts increases.
Sometimes the bleeding of the dyes occurs when the shirt is pressed. Some areas of double thickness will show the bleeding.
Some launderers have worked the shirts successfully or used a mild stripping agent to correct the problem.
NCA-I recently met with the quality people from Tommy Hilfiger. We are hopeful that we can work out a relationship that can promote better quality in producing these shirts.
Disappearing stripes
The new, low-alkaline laundering detergents and buffered sours have lowered the number of problems but not eliminated them.
The yarn deterioration occurs from the chemicals and dyes that are used in manufacture.
Some manufacturers are of the opinion that the laundering procedure is the cause of the problem and will not own up to the real cause. NCA-I is still attempting to convince people that the laundering process cannot be selective and only pick out one set of colored yarns on a shirt.
Yellow stains
The troublesome yellow stain that results in the most complaints is the oxidized oil stain. The oxidized oil stain is more difficult to remove on shirts due to several factors.
Some oil stains will oxidize and only appear from heat used in laundering. These are vegetable and cooking oils, such as salad oil, olive oil, linseed, corn, sunflower, sesame, etc.
The high heat used in pressing shirts will oxidize and set these oils after pressing, making the stains impossible to remove. The detergents used in laundering and for prespotting are usually not aggressive enough to have an effect on these oils.
Some cleaners have found it effective to prespot them with oily-type paint removers and alkali and handle them in drycleaning.
Fusible fabrics
The problem with resins transferring has decreased but is not eliminated.
The fusible areas are the collar and cuff areas. Some resins used in manufacture will transfer and stain the outer fabric. Sometimes the problem can be corrected by prespotting with an oily-type paint remover, amyl acetate and drycleaning, etc.
The problem, however, will reoccur if the shirt is re-washed and not pressed with reduced heat.
Yellowing on shirts
This type of yellowing is attributed to chlorine retentive resins used on shirts.
Some cleaners respond, "How can this occur when I don't use chlorine bleach?"
Cleaners can encounter the problem if the shirts have been previously home washed with chlorine bleach. Chlorine bleach does not rinse out of a fabric after washing and the chlorine is accelerated by heat used in commercial laundering. The problem usually can be reduced by use of anti-chlors such as sodium hydrosulphite.
Shrinkage
The complaint of shrinkage is common, especially on form-fitting or tailored shirts. How could the problem suddenly arise on shirts that have been laundered before without shrinkage?
The problem can be attributed to the heat used in one laundering to another. The increase in temperature of one launderer using water temperature of 130 degrees F and the other at 160 degrees F is enough of a temperature change to promote shrinkage.
On form-fitting or tailored shirts, 2 percent shrinkage can often be noticeable by the customer. Any shrinkage occurring is still the problem with the fabric unless reduced heat is specified on the care instructions.
Holes
The cleaner will encounter more complaints due to the nature of the item and inspections that cannot readily be done. Oxford shirts usually have an unbalanced wear and are subject to weakening during weave.
Other fabrics can be abraded during wear and brought in for laundering without the counter person being aware. Weakened yarns in cotton fabrics will unravel during laundering, producing much larger damages. To the customer, the extensive damage appears to be only something that laundering could produce.
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.
When I left off on my "Saga of Stan," I told you how my boss at Street's, sales manager Ernie Heidersbach, allowed me to take an outside job one night a week as a teacher at Northwestern University's Evening School of business.
Street's didn't allow outside jobs, so Ernie wrote an explanation as to why he allowed me to do this.
Here's a copy of the Streetletter Ernie sent to some 1,400 distributor salesmen to introduce my ongoing story of "Peter Piper, the Powerful Persuader."
Presenting Peter Piper's Pen Pal
Up until a week or so ago, I thought the one and only Peter Piper was the ancient legendary guy who picked the peck of pickled peppers. But now I know there's a brand-new Peter Piper. He isn't legendary yet, but he's liable to become so if the smiling chap at the left persists in his pen pal pennings... (but enough of such tongue-twisting... let's meet the guy.)
In case you don't already know him, the loyal lad at the left (there we go again) is none other than Stan Golomb (Fieldman #28 - Chicago). Stan started with Street's six (we're still doing it) years ago in our Manhattan-Bronx-Westchester territory in New York. In 1955, we transferred him to metropolitan Chicago, where he's since become one of our top dollar-volume producers.
But Stan wasn't always a top dollar-volume man... it took work, perserverance and education to get there. Yes, I said "education," for shortly after Stan moved to Chicago he recognized the need for some additional sales training, and enrolled in an evening course at Northwestern University.
Stan did so well in the sales course that the "perfessers" asked him to become a part-time instructor, which he did with our permission (you see, we have rules about "outside jobs" at Street's). Despite the fact that he "sales instructs" each Friday P. M. down at N. U., Stan still wanted to do more. Early this year he asked our permission to stage a special sales school for our Chicago distributors' salesmen.
We gave him the go-ahead, and he conducted a five-week sales clinic (one evening each week) during January and February. Twenty-three of the twenty-six Street's distributors' salesmen in Chicago attended the weekly sessions, and the majority (as well as their bosses) reported enthusiastically on them. In fact, most of them clamored for "more," so Stan promised to send each of the "graduates" a monthly review bulletin.
But Stan decided that the monthly releases would be more effective if they were personalized, rather than of the "text-book" type, so he dreamed up a mythical jobber's salesman named Peter Piper. When Stan's first two chapters on Peter Piper hit my desk a week ago, I immediately agreed that his Chicago "alumni" would probably be delighted with the novel approach. However, I suspected that a great many of our other STREETLETTER readers might also be interested, and you'll note that I'm running this "borrowed" copy on the pages that immediately follow. If you fellows outside Chicago like 'em, we may run some more in the future PROVIDED PETER PIPER'S PEN PAL PRODUCES PERIODICALLY.
Let me explain how I started this fictitious sales training presentation based on Professor's Bills methods.
Note that my story starts in 1963 but it was actually 1958 when I wrote the story about Peter. I started out with a flashback because I wanted to show what Peter went through to reach his position as a powerful persuader.
INTRODUCTION
This is "The Saga of Peter Piper, the Powerful Persuader." But Peter wasn't always known by that cognomen, for up until just a few years ago he was "just another salesman." But let's let Peter himself relate the story, beginning on March 11, 1963.
Chapter 1
Peter Piper's Pathetic Plight
It all began five years ago on a cold, bleak day in February, 1958. I had just finished paying the January bills, and had almost nothing left in our joint checking account. My wife had been asking for a new rug for the living room, and I needed some new clothes, but there simply wasn't enough money for such extras. I started to wonder what I was working for. Why wasn't there enough money? Would I ever be able to make enough for the things we wanted -- and needed?
For the four years before this, I had been selling drycleaning supplies in the metropolitan Chicago area. At first it was fun, and my sales volume grew each month. I had a real good year in 1956, but had started to slip about the middle of '57. By the end of the year, I actually wound up with less business in '57 than I had had in '56. There was a reason for this loss in sales, I kept telling myself. Retail drycleaning was down during the last half of '57, and my competition was getting tougher and tougher.
In addition to the reduction in sales, I started to lose my zest for the job. Calls seemed to become drudgery, and all I could think of was getting through the day, so I could get home. I found it tougher and tougher to make my calls, and the customers didn't seem as friendly as they used to be.
Well, that was the picture as of February, 1958... the month that later proved to be the turning-point in my sales career.
I felt definitely fed up with the drycleaning business, and decided to make a change.
In search of both sympathy and a possible new job, I decided to visit a neighbor of mine, a Mr. Benjamin Cook. Mr. Cook had just retired as the sales manager of a large plumbing supply house. He was about 63 years old, and had always been extremely successful in both sales and sales management.
I secretly hoped that maybe he could help me get a job in some business that was less competitive than drycleaning supplies.
Well, Mr. Cook was very attentive, for he listened to my whole story.. about how rough the credit situation was... and about how many competitors I was fighting against... and about how tough the customers were to do business with... and about how I had to keep shooting prices in order to get any business at all... and just about every other complaint I could think of at the time. And when I finished my tale of woe, I asked him:
"How about it.... can you do something for me?"
Being an educator in sales I was obliged to be a top sales producer. When I resigned from Street's in 1961, I was the top salesman in the company.
I was a faculty member of Northwestern University for seven years. It was during this period that I became interested in learning how to think creatively.
Earl Nightingale, the same person who got me interested in continuing my personal education, talked about a subject that was new to me. Many of you may not remember who Earl Nightingale was, but you may be familiar with the firm Nightingale-Conant, which he founded after he retired from radio.
One day on his radio show, he talked about a book titled, Applied Imagination, by Ph.D. Alex Osborne of the firm, BBD&O. Osborne was the "O" in this firm of Batton, Barton, Durstin and Osborne. They were one of the leading advertising firms on Madison Avenue at the time.
I bought and studied the book and then organized a neighborhood group to practice working on various "Brainstorming" subjects.
My wife helped me and recorded the ideas that tumbled out at an amazing speed for about 10 minutes. Within that time, we would generate about 80 ideas. Not all good and a lot of duplications but from those, we always found about a dozen good and usable ideas.
Then I took my show on the road and did brainstorming sessions for drycleaning groups, and then starting doing local municipalities.
People tell me I'm lucky that I'm creative but I don't consider it luck at all. I believe anyone can train themselves to be creative.
I was interested in the brainstorming technique and studied all I could about the subject. When Nightingale announced on his radio show that he was going to conduct classes on the subject, I was probably the first to sign up. That was a great experience for me because I was exposed to one of the giants of our time who understood self motivation and learning as a means to being a successful person.
I also took a class that Northwestern introduced on this subject and learned all I could about the subject of creative thinking.
This happened in 1959 -- 40 years ago. I was 34 at the time.
Leaving Street's
In 1961, I was offered a job as sales manager of a chemical manufacturing company who was looking to open a private label distribution.
I knew I had gone as far as I could go with Street's as the next job they offered me was to manage a group of territories and this meant being out of town nine weeks out of 10. My kids were seven and eleven at the time and I didn't want to be away that much. Besides, I wanted to take on new challenges.
However, working for Street's was a fantastic learning experience for me.
Not only did I learn engineering but I supervised and ordered all the special parts to convert belly washers with a separate extractor to a process known as extractor-rinse.
We would set up the washers on a strong soap solution and then rinse the garments while they were being extracted at high speed. This called for a special tank with distilled solvent and an installation of a special positive displacement pump so we had clean solvent coming right to the head of the extractor.
The trick with this type of installation was to time the rinse until the strong soap-charged solvent could go back to the soap tank. I found this one of the most challenging and fun to do things I had never done.
My new job was to set up special private label distributors in places like Denver and Minneapolis and eventually around the entire country and also manage the activity of the local sales force, which consisted of about 12 men.
After being on this job for only three months, my life took a sudden change.
It was a very hot day in July and I had played golf at an allied trades outing. By the time I got home, my chest started to feel very heavy. The pain got so severe that my wife called the doctor. He came to the house and arranged for me to go to the hospital the next morning.
I was told that I had a heart attack and it took three months for me to recover and go back to work.
A loss of confidence
And then a strange thing happened. I had always been a quick decision-maker and could analyze a problem and come to a decisive conclusion, but now I couldn't cope. The paper work overwhelmed me and I realized that I had changed emotionally. I had temporarily lost my confidence.
Two friends of mine had just started a national advertising marketing program for drycleaners and suggested I join them in this new venture. The year was 1962 and they were right. I needed to get my confidence back and it worked.
Now I was an advertising man and all my training and knowledge and creative imagination came into use.
But my partners had overextended themselves financially and a year after I joined them, they closed the business. I liked what I was doing, and since I had no financial interest in that enterprise, I was free to do whatever I wished.
I started an advertising and sales promotion company called Golomb & Garfield.
Maynard Garfield was the head of the sales department at Northwestern University and truly a brilliant man. We had become good personal friends.
But he had very strong conservative ideas and I was having too much fun to be held back, so I bought him out after three years.
I talked to him the other day and he told me he is now 70 years old but is still working for the sheer desire to be a contributor to society. Perhaps I should have been more conservative back then because after 10 years, I lost everything. For the first time in my work life, I was broke.
My reason for relating this part of my life is to show you the kind of people I was exposed to and the direction I learned from these very bright individuals.
The next part of my story will tell you what I did when I went broke. I was 47 with no job and nothing planned for the future. Put yourself in my shoes. Being broke at 47 with a kid in college and no income for the moment.
In the next episode, I will relate the story of my comeback.
(To be continued)
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
If the trend continues, employees will be allowed to take off more time than they are required to work.
The Family and Medical Leave Act already allows employees of large companies (50 or more employees) to take off up to 12 weeks a year for a variety of reasons without putting their jobs at risk. Other laws make it illegal to discipline or discharge employees for absences related to military service, jury duty, court testimony and so on and so forth.
Many union contracts do not even require employees to call in when they are absent as long as they call in by the third day. Imagine trying to run your business where employees can disappear for up to three days without paying any consequences!
Absenteeism is a serious problem. In addition, many employers find it difficult to deal with absences caused by illness or injury, balancing the need to run their businesses against the charge of being heartless. Employers need to know the basic rules for dealing with absenteeism so they can make the right decision when dealing with employees who "can't make it in."
Before discussing those rules, a word should be said about the Family and Medical Leave Act. If you have 50 or more employees, the FMLA provides a nightmare of rules and regulations for dealing with absences caused by illness, personal problems and parental obligations. For more information, consult our website at www.kollman-sheehan.com. Here are the basics:
Rule 1. You cannot discipline employees for leave caused by military service, jury duty, and witness duty (subpoenas can be required).
Rule 2. Absences caused by compensable workplace injuries can be the basis for discipline or discharge. There are, however, some special considerations. Most states make it illegal to discipline or discharge an employee solely for filing a workers' compensation claim. If the employee has a poor absentee record before the injury, it is less of a problem firing the employee for an absence related to a workplace injury.
Rule 3. The obligation to accommodate a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act does not require the employer to give the employee a "come in when you can" schedule. For the most part, if a disability prevents the employee from showing up for work on regular basis, discipline can be given.
Rule 4. Have a good absenteeism or attendance program. If the rules of the program are uniformly applied, regardless of the reason for the absence, the risk of violating the law becomes lower.
Rule 5. No absence should be automatically excused just because the employee is paid for the absence. Vacations, holidays, and personal leave days should not count towards discipline. But absences for any other reason, including sickness, may be. An absenteeism policy may state that illness pay does not affect the way the absence is treated for disciplinary purposes.
Rule 6. Keep records. When you evaluate an employee, you should look at his or her absenteeism record. Even in cases here there has been no discipline, it may be warranted to mention absenteeism as a potential problem at evaluation time.
Rule 7. Get rid of employees in the first 30 to 90 days if they miss time. Most employees serve a probationary period. This is the best time to evaluate their potential for absenteeism later in their employment. In fact, you can hold new employees to a much higher attendance standard than longer term employees.
Rule 8. You can ask employees why they were absent. Failure to disclose the reason could be grounds for termination.
Rule 9. Unless you are subject to the Family and Medical Leave Act, pregnancy can be treated just like an other temporary disability for attendance and leave purposes.
Rule 10. Get legal advice when you need it.
Running a small business is difficult, but running it without employees is impossible. Showing up for work is such a basic concept it is difficult to imagine that employees cannot be fired for failing to do so. Our federal and state governments, however, each year concoct more reasons why employees should be forgiven for their absences. Stay on top of your attendance problems by adopting a good program, uniformly applied, that demonstrates to employees that showing up is an essential requirement of the job.
Frank Kollman is a partner in the law firm of Kollman & Sheehan, PA, in Baltimore, MD. He can be reached at (410) 727-4391.
Most hems and cuffs on suede and leather garments are not sewn up. They are glued up by the garment manufacturer with a solvent-soluble (or water-soluble) glue. This type of hemming is used because it is cheap and easy compared to sewing the hems and cuffs.
The unfortunate thing is that the solvent soluble glue dissolves in drycleaning and the water soluble glue dissolves in wetcleaning, thereby causing the hems and cuffs to come loose. It is the responsibility of the leather cleaner to reglue those hems and cuffs.
If you cleaned the leather garment, you will have to reglue the loose hems and cuffs. They can easily be reglued at your shop using simple, time-saving, labor-saving techniques, tools and materials like the solvent- and water-resistant Perma Hold glue which will permanently hold the hems and cuffs in place through all future Leather drycleaning or wetcleaning.
This will eliminate the need to stupidly reglue hems and cuffs after each cleaning, leaving the option to take down the hems or cuffs at your discretion should there ever be a need to do so.
The glued hems that come loose during leather cleaning fall into two categories:
1. Open hems that are not sewn to the coat lining.
2. Closed hems that are sewn to the coat lining.
The open hems are the easier of the two types to reglue because they are not sewn to the coat lining and the glue can readily be applied with a variety of applicators. These include a squeeze bottle with a nozzle spout, a swab, a brush or a spatula.
The fastest and easiest applicator is the glue squeeze bottle with a nozzle spout. The glue can be applied by placing the nozzle spout against the inside of the seam and squeezing out the glue as the bottle is moved from one end of the hemline to the other.
The amount of glue applied should be limited to a continuous line (or bead) of glue no more than 1/16 inch wide. The size of this bead of glue can be controlled by limiting the diameter of the opening in the nozzle spout and by controlling the amount of pressure exerted by the hand on the squeeze bottle and by controlling how fast the bottle spout is drawn along the hemline.
After the glue is applied, the hem flap is folded up at the hemline crease and put in contact with the glue bead that was applied approximately 3/8 inch above the hemline crease. The two parts of the hem are then squeezed together by hand and allowed to dry thoroughly before pressing.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Do not attempt to use products that are not specifically formulated for use on suede and leather.
Frank Lucenta is president of Royaltone Co. Inc., a firm that manufactures products for drycleaning and wetcleaning suede, leather, fur and cloth garments. He also teaches plant owners to identify, accept, spot, wet clean, dryclean, press and recolor suedes, leathers, and furs at the two-day training academy. The next training session will be held June 10-11 in Tulsa, OK. For information on training sessions or the subject covered in this article, or information on handling suedes, leathers and furs, or for a free three-ring binder to hold copies of these articles, or for information on the Royaltone Instruction Book & Spotting Charts, call (800) 331-5506 or e-mail royaltone@royaltone.com. Information is also available at the company's website: www.royaltone.com
Gone are the days when an employer could hire or fire an employee solely on the basis of what is best for their company.
Today's business owners must be equally concerned about a disgruntled employee who decides to take an employer to court.
There are many more laws today than in the past that give employees greater rights -- and the opportunity to sue when those rights are violated. Equal opportunity, affirmative action, and OSHA are only three examples of rigid federal laws designed to protect employees and that give employees the right and incentive to sue employers who violate those laws.
There are many more complex social issues today than in the past. These issues cannot always be easily resolved. Drug abuse, AIDS testing, surveillance systems, and polygraph testing are a few examples of problems and technologies that employers of yesterday did not have to deal with.
Much of today's employee-employer litigation is the outgrowth of change in the legal relationship between employer and employee.
No longer are employees looked upon as servants who can be dismissed with impunity. In the 1970s, courts began a rapid erosion of the employment-at-will doctrine.
More rights for employees
Now courts consider employees to have far broader rights and security in connection with their jobs and are not reluctant to find employers liable for wrongful discharge.
An employer, no matter how small, must stay abreast of the various legal pitfalls in dealing with employees. These pitfalls can cause you considerable liability and financial loss.
More important, there are preventive steps you can take to avoid lawsuits. These simple steps can turn borderline mistakes into perfectly legal employment practices.
Potential legal problems begin as soon as you first consider hiring someone to fill a position. There are many federal and state laws that control the hiring process. Your procedure for hiring, the questions you ask an applicant and the criteria used to select employees can all cause legal problems.
Most employers realize that they cannot consider, age, sex, race, handicap, or national origin as part of the hiring process.
Moreover, smaller organizations usually have less need to be concerned about their minority composition than does a larger one, but every organization must avoid discriminatory hiring practices.
Seemingly innocent employment questions can be evidence of discrimination. The way you ask for information may seem reasonable, but the manner in which a question is phrased can be misconstrued as having an improper purpose.
To avoid difficulties, you must ask applicants questions in a legally safe manner.
Ordinarily there are no problems with questions concerning an applicant's education, work history, job-related skills, nor their willingness to assume tasks.
Age is the most common discrimination claim. It is perfectly legal to refuse employment to someone who is too young (usually under 18 years old), but you cannot discriminate against older job applicants. Avoid even indirect references to age.
Getting information
One exception to the law is your right to discriminate against older applicants if the physical demands of the job require stronger employees.
Ask to see the applicant's driver's license. This simple step will quickly answer many questions that are prohibited on employment applications. A driver's license contains a lot of valuable information. Take a close look at your own, and see how much information is actually there.
First, it allows you to verify the identity of the applicant. You may also be able to verify their Social Security number and home address. You will also see the date of birth as well as any major driving restrictions.
Note the applicant's appearance on the license. Has this person just cut his hair and taken out the nose ring for this interview?
Check the expiration date on the license. If the applicant does not follow the law on license renewal, will he follow your rules?
Failure to renew a driver's license may also indicate that the applicant cannot renew the license due to lack of liability insurance or outstanding tickets.
Look for staple holes on the license. A driver's license which has been taken by a police officer is often stapled to the ticket. This could be evidence of a serious violation such as D.U.l.
Criminal record. Employment applications can ask only if the applicant has been convicted of a crime. Arrests, not guilty findings, dropped charges and civil lawsuits cannot be considered in hiring.
When the applicant admits to a prior conviction, you can usually inquire about the facts surrounding the conviction.
Laws on this point can vary between states. You should check local laws before proceeding.
Financial standing. Some employers inquire about an applicant's financial affairs since financial stability can be important to job performance.
An employee who is in serious financial debt may be more inclined to help themselves to your cash drawer than one who handles money responsibly.
Nevertheless, it is illegal to use financial standing as a hiring criteria. You can, however, with written permission, run a credit check on an applicant. Additionally, you cannot dismiss an employee whose wages have been garnisheed unless it happens two or more times.
Testing. You can test for skills connected to the job. For example, finishing skills for pressers.
Polygraph (lie-detector) tests may or may not be legal, again depending upon state law. Only about half the states permit polygraph tests.
When faced with a testing question, the safest procedure is to check with an attorney specializing in employment law in your state.
Employment-at-will
Can you simply terminate the employment of an employee who is without a written employment contract? In the past an employer -- as well as an employee -- could simply terminate the employment relationship for any reason or even no reason at all. This was known as "employment-at-will."
Over the past two decades there has been a gradual erosion of this right on the part of the employer.
The employment-at-will doctrine applies only when no oral or written contract exists.
A verbal agreement between employer and employee does control, but the problem with a verbal agreement is that it's difficult to prove its terms in court and may be unenforceable if the employment term is over a year.
Written policies. There are, in many instances, a number of provisions that are implied as controlling the employer-employee relationship. One significant change in recent years is the trend towards incorporating provisions of the personnel manual in the employment agreement. As an employer, you are legally bound by all the terms in your employment manual.
In the past, written employment policies were not considered part of an employment contract. This view is rapidly disappearing.
Now the courts assess each situation to decide whether the parties intended the manual to be legally binding.
The trend is for courts to conclude that the manual is binding upon the employer only. While there is not obligation to issue a personnel manual, once it has been distributed, there is an obligation to adhere to its provisions.
An employer can counteract this by explicitly providing that the manual will not be part of any employment contract, and that the employee can be fired-at-will. This is best stated on the employment application and the policy manual itself.
Oral promises. Employers often make legally binding agreements without realizing it. Oral promises to an employee can be construed as a contract.
Statements concerning employment security or promotions are particularly dangerous subjects. The safest policy: Never speculate on future personnel policies or make statements that may be interpreted as promises.
When hiring employees, the employment application should clearly state that it is for an "employment-at-will" position. This negates any argument that the employee was promised the job for any specified period of time.
State clearly that their employment can be voluntarily terminated by either part at any time, and that this agreement supersedes any verbal understandings.
Most important, while you want to encourage the idea of long-term employment to good employees, do not unwittingly make promises that may be used against you.
The probation danger zone
The traditional "probation" period can be actually be a danger zone for employers. Employees on probation for 30, 60, or 90 days can be terminated within that period, without notice. This however, creates the implication that an employee who has made it through the probation period can be dismissed only for "good cause."
For this reason the "probation" period may be better named the "introduction" or "orientation" period. Most important, the employee must understand that he or she can be terminated for any reason after the introductory period as well as within this initial period.
There should be a written evaluation of the employee at the end of this period, and questionable performers should have their introductory period extended.
Progressive discipline. You must have a system of progressive discipline for unsatisfactory employees. Oral and written warnings may progress to unpaid suspensions and finally to termination.
Certain conduct, such as theft, would warrant immediate dismissal not withstanding a previously satisfactory record.
When you first realize you are having a problem with an employee, bring this individual behind closed doors and discuss exactly what it is that you want corrected.
The conversation should be brief and to the point. Make sure the employee understands what the problem is. And what improvements you expect.
Be specific with your comments and discuss only 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 get a positive outcome.
If this is the first meeting you are having with this employee concerning this 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 you're still having a problem with this same individual, bring them behind closed doors, again, and 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 reviewed 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.
Be sure the memo says, "failure to improve your performance will lead to termination." This makes your intentions perfectly clear. If you find that no improvement is being made, then termination may be the only answer.
Progressive discipline offers several advantages. It promotes an atmosphere of fairness and interest in helping an employee improve performance. Such a system carefully documents the employee's deficiencies or violations, the warnings given, and the lack of improvement on the part of the employee.
Documentation is all-important no matter which disciplinary procedures you use. Oral warnings and meetings are too easily refuted. Especially in court. Unless a written record is provided, the courts will always side with the employee over the employer.
Terminations
No business owner can forever escape the unhappy job of firing an employee. Although pre-employee screening is an indispensable tool, which can save you thousands of training dollars each year, occasional mistakes in hiring can be made. There will, eventually, be an unsatisfactory employee who has to be fired.
While firings are inevitable there are some ways to make them less traumatic for you and the employee.
First, consider alternatives. Does the employee deserve another warning? Could the problem be alleviated by a transfer to another department or supervisor? Would some time-off improve the employee's performance?
If discharge is the only answer, make the termination swiftly. This person's attitude can be detrimental to the moral of your team. Their poor attitude will negatively affect the other employees.
Take the problem employee aside and let him know that they are being terminated. Make certain that the meeting is brief. Be candid about the reasons for dismissal, but be careful not to be abusive. Have a final paycheck and any other necessary paperwork ready.
Be prepared for unpleasant reactions. And consider how you will deal with the employee before you begin the procedure.
Don't let a discharged employee go back with the other workers. If they have to go back to get personal belongings, go back with them.
Do not allow prolonged conversations with other employees, and walk them to the door.
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.
Take the time to ask yourself, "Was this person the best candidate for the job, in the first place?" "Did we give this person proper training?' "Could you have done anything to change the course of this situation?"
By asking these questions, positive improvements can be made in your store. Naturally, employee terminations and the investment to hire a new person is expensive, and should not be taken lightly.
Once an employee has been fired, you are likely to receive inquiries from prospective employers. Your comments about the employee must be carefully guarded. Limit your comments to performance on the job. Don't comment on the employee's personal life. State only facts and avoid opinion or speculation.
There is nothing in the law that compels you to give a reference, and it may be advisable to avoid all negative references. It is probably better that a new employer gets a bad employee, than for you to be made the defendant in a liable case.
Dennis McCrory offers several programs and products to assist drycleaners. For more information or to place an order (credit cards accepted), call (800) 646 5736, PIN 4615. Identify the package you are interested in as follows:
Package A: Pre-employment Screening Kit, $18.
Package B: "The Caplan Method of Stain Removal," video tape and handbook. Produced by Stan Caplan and Dennis McCrory, $174.
McCrory writes for several industry publications, both here and abroad. He also speaks and does consulting on marketing and management. In addition to the phone number above, he can be reached through The Successful Management Group, 3925 Lake Trail Dr., Kenner, LA 70065.
What I like most about working with drycleaners and with the industry as a whole is that every day brings new experiences and challenges.
One of the biggest challenges for me is having to read all the misinformation that is delivered by so called industry experts.
When a person puts up a sign that says he is a drycleaner, he is making a promise to the general public that he will properly clean and care for customers' clothes. That is his promise and his responsibility.
People who provide consulting services to business owners are making the promise that they will provide their clients with informed knowledge in their areas of expertise. That is their promise and their responsibility, which means they should not be wandering off into areas in which they are not expert.
What has set me off on this tangent today is reading, once again from an "expert," that you can't set production standards in terms of pieces per hour or labor costs as a percentage of sales.
When put to the task of stating what production standards or labor costs should be, the expert responds with, "It depends on your quality, it depends on your market, it depends on your equipment -- there are no standards."
To say that you cannot establish standards because pay scales vary from region to region is wrong. Pay scales do vary, but where wages are lower prices are also lower; likewise, where wages are higher prices are higher. It is all relative.
What these experts are really saying is that they don't know the answer to the question and they don't know how to calculate it.
Furthermore, I suspect that some of these experts do know that standards can be established but are reluctant to deliver bad news to their client. This would be especially true when one does not know how to fix the problem.
Production and quality standards can and must be established in order to be successful. To begin you must know:
How much you are paying each operator per hour.
Your average price for each piece of drycleaning and shirts.
The number of pieces each operator processes per hour.
If you don't have all of the above information, get it! You cannot manage your business wandering around in the dark.
Start with the basics. Your drycleaner/spotter should process 75 quality pieces per hour. Multiply your average drycleaning price times 75.
Example: Average price for a drycleaned piece equals $3.65. Thus, 75 x 3.65 = $273.75.
Your drycleaner/spotter should be producing $273.75 worth of retail sales every hour.
If you pay your drycleaner $10 per hour, his cost as a percentage of sales should be 10 divided by 273.75, or 3.7 percent.
This is what your cost as a percentage of sales should be.
To calculate your actual cost, divide your drycleaner's earnings for last week by drycleaning sales.
Example: if your drycleaner was paid $400 last week and drycleaning sales were $6,570, your drycleaner cost you 400 divided by 6,570 or 6.1 percent of sales.
To analyze this example another way, take the $6,570 in drycleaning sales and divide it by your average price per drycleaned piece or $3.65 in this case: 6,570 divided by 3.65 = 1,800 drycleaned pieces.
Because your drycleaner/spotter should process 75 pieces per hour, divide 1,800 pieces by 75 and you get 24 hours (1,800 divided by 75 = 24).
Now you know that your drycleaner/spotter was productive for 24 hours and non-productive for 16 hours. Therefore, you paid your dry-cleaner/spotter for 16 hours more than you should have.
You are now confronted with a management dilemma. This person is a good employee who has been with you for five or six years and he or she needs a full week's pay, not a 24-hour work week. Furthermore, you're going to need this person when you get busy.
What's a manager to do? The bottom line is that it's your money. You can:
Reduce this employee's hours and risk the employee looking for another job.
Continue to overpay the employee.
Require them employee to be productive in another area.
If this person is as good an employee as you think, he or she will be more than happy to be productive by pressing or doing maintenance work. An employee who is not willing to work in another area is a prima donna. Prima donnas are not good employees.
The next question is: How do you measure the productivity of someone who is processing drycleaning and shirts? Once again, you must calculate how many retail dollars the operator is producing each hour.
Normally, shirt sales make up 25 percent of your sales dollar volume and drycleaning is about 75 percent of dollar sales volume.
Ironically, your shirt piece volume is usually pretty close to your drycleaning piece volume. If the people who are tagging or marking-in are doing both shirts and drycleaned items, you must calculate the retail value of their work.
People who mark-in items should process 70 pieces per hour. If 50 percent of the items are drycleaning pieces with an average price of $3.65, then that portion of their work is worth: 35 pieces x $3.65 = $127.75.
If the other 50 percent of their work is shirts with a price of $1.35, then the retail value of the shirt work is 35 x $1.35 = $47.25.
The total retail value is $127.75 + $47.25 or $175. The average price per piece (drycleaning and shirts) is $175 divided by 70 = $2.50. If this individual is being paid $7 per hour, then he or she should cost you $7 divided by 175.00 = 4 percent of sales.
The biggest line item on your Profit & Loss statement is labor. This is also the most manageable line item. If your labor costs exceed 34 percent of total sales then it is time to calculate what your actual labor costs are at every work station.
Once you have identified the problem areas you can begin to manage those areas and improve your bottom line.
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 contact him with questions or comments by telephone at (508) 753-6619 or e-mail at: agrobson@ma.ultranet.com
Alex Reid Ltd. has joined the group of companies working to bring the DryWash liquid carbon dioxide cleaning process to market.
Alex Reid has served the laundry and drycleaning industry in Europe for more than 100 years. The Elliott family purchased the company in 1967; Tom Elliott is the current owner/manager. The company has three depots within the United Kingdom -- at Croydon near London, Leicester and Glasgow -- and a depot in Dublin, Ireland. The company reported sales of 16 million pounds in 1998 and has 90 employees.
Elliott said his company must keep abreast of developments that have implications for the industry. "The DryWash cleaning process technology is likely to be the most important new technology in my business life and I am delighted that we have been able to take on a key role," Elliot said.
He added that the company's technical support program positions it to help the DryWash technology into the market.
Patrick Dowling, sales director for Alex Reid, will be in overall charge of the project and is working on expansion of the Alex Reid DryWash Cleaning Process distribution network in Europe.
James Carroll has been promoted to national sales manager for Union Drycleaning Products USA. He has been east coast regional sales manager for the past 2 1/2 years.
In his expanded capacity, Carroll will be responsible for the sales and marketing of all Union products on a national level and will continue to expand and develop the company's distributor network and promotional activities. He will continue to reside in Norwell, MA with his wife and four children.
Union reported that it reached an all-time high for sales of drycleaning machines in 1998 with more than 600 machines shipped and sold in the United States and Canada. The company's factory in Bologna, Italy, shipped more than 1,400 drycleaning machines to drycleaners and distributors around the world in 1998.
To meet the demand for hydrocarbon machines, the factory has added 20,000 square feet of production facilitates to its existing 70,000-sq.-ft. plant.
Bright Computer Inc., as part of an expansion of its distribution, has appointed J.C. Equipment as a dealer covering Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Bright has supported sales and technical training to J.C. Equipment in December, 1998 and this February. Jay Park, president of J.C. Equipment, and his technical manager have attended the training seminars which were conducted by Video Jang, general manager at Bright, and Robert Maggi of marketing. Training covered product information market situations, technical and customer support, selling skills and territory management.
As a drycleaning equipment supplier, J.C. Equipment is expanding coverage to Atlanta, GA, and Charlotte and Greensboro, NC. The dealership will provide product information and customer support. The company has set up the latest DCS-Express 9.0 demo unit in Atlanta and Charlotte.
The phone number for the North and South Carolina area office in Charlotte is (704) 672-9953. The number for the Georgia area office in Atlanta is (770) 480-4422.
Appointments announced by USAClean of Pittsburgh, PA include Kevin Modany, president; Ron Hamm, executive president, sales and marketing; and Emidio "Emit" Ricci, director of corporate development.
Modany previously was executive vice president of USA-Clean. He has management experience in distribution, specifically the implementation of logistics technology into distribution networks.
Hamm previously was regional sales director for Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Inc., a pharmaceutical company. He will work to strengthen the sales teams within each of USAClean's distribution regions to make customers aware of the company's product range and services and provide timely delivery.
Ricci has worked for USAClean and its predecessor for the past 30 years.
USAClean is a full service distributor of laundry supplies, chemicals, new and used equipment and parts to drycleaners, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, country clubs and coin laundries.
With recent consolidations of Frontier Supply and Equipment of Buffalo, NY, and Warehouse Point Supply and Equipment of East Windsor, CT, into USA Clean, the company encompasses 14 states through five regional distribution centers. It is owned and operated by Gemini Holdings Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA. The company was formed earlier this year through a consolidation of Carman Supply and Equipment Co. Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA, and Havnaer Supply and Equipment Co. Inc. of Richmond and Roanoke VA
For more information call USAClean at (800) 837-7627 or visit the company's website at www.usa-clean.com.
The Professional Wetcleaners Network elected its board of directors and named Ann Hargrove its executive director at a Feb. 8 meeting.
Hargrove, of Lyons, IL, also was elected to the board. Board member Marilyn Fleming of Brookfield, WI, will serve as president.
Other board members include Dawn Hargrove-Avery of Lyons, IL, David Nobil of North Andover, MA, Edward Boorstein of Silver Spring, MD, and Ed Share of North Olmstead, OH.
Fleming invited anyone interested in assisting the network to contact her by phone at (414) 783-5575 or e-mail at natural@thepark.net.
PWN will have a booth at the Clean Show in Orlando. The group also as a web site at www.tpwn.net.
Anton's Cleaners, the largest drycleaning company in New England, has appointed three new managers for its stores.
Antonia L. DeTeso will manage the new Anton's Cleaners on Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington, MA; Jennifer A. Dennis will manage the Burlington Anton's Cleaners on Winn Street; and Kathleen King will manage the Westford Anton's Cleaners on Brookside Road.
DeTeso joined Anton's in November, 1995, starting as a clerk in the Westchester location. Two years later she was promoted to manage the Burlington Anton's cleaners. She is a 1996 graduate of Winchester High School.
Dennis has been at the Burlington store for two years, starting as a clerk in 1997. She will supervise shifts and ensure that quality work is performed at the store.
A graduate of Lexington High School, she is a freshman at Middlesex Community College.
King has been with Anton's since 1997, starting as a clerk. As manager, she will oversee shifts and work quality.
A Milnor washer-extractor service seminar in Bangkok, Thailand, was attended by about 70 service technicians, laundry managers and purchasing executives from throughout Southeast Asia.
Regularly scheduled training seminars in Asia are part of Pellerin Milnor Corp.'s expanding coverage of the region. The four-day courses provide training in rapid and accurate diagnosis and treatment of field problems and understanding of how the equipment operates.
Information on U.S. training seminars is available on the company's web site: www.milnor.com.
Anthony Terrell is marking his 25th anniversary with the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International.
Born in Batavia, NY, he was one of 18 children in the family. After attending college he entered the army where he processed legal papers.
After his military service, he applied for a job in the stock room at NCA-I. For his interview with NCA-I executive director Bill Seitz, he borrowed a suite from a much taller brother and had with him only enough train fare for a one-way trip. In the years since, Terrell has risen to assistant to the executive director at NCA-I.
His duties include coordinating projects with all departments and as the "out of area" liaison, he calls on out-of-state members twice a year.
He also derives a sense of accomplishment from the Coats for Kids program which he has been involved in for 14 years and has watched participation grow from a mere handful of cleaners to more than 200.
Outside of NCA-I, he is a dedicated marathon runner, having participated in the New York City marathon for 20 years. He also enjoys classical music, reading and painting. He and his wife of 25 years, Gwendolyn, have twin 15-year-olds, Manon and Julien.
Unipress Corp. has announced that it has amicable resolved it differences with American Laundry Machinery Inc./Ajax regarding Unipress's U.S. Patent 5,675,918 directed to a shirt cuff pleater pressing assembly.
American Laundry Machinery Inc./Ajax is now licensed under that patent.
WORCESTER, MA -- Wet-Tech has developed an ozone generator specifically for the small washing machine. The EnviroSaverII SW is a self-contained unit with a single ozone cell, axial blower for cooling, heat regenerated air dryer, air dryer monitor, flow meter and mode indicator lights. It can be mounted on the washer or on a nearby wall. Floor space of 8 x 24 inches is required for the recirculating pump. No compressed air feed supply is needed.
Wet-Tech said the unit can be installed on a wetcleaning system or a conventional washer in the 55- to 125-lb. range. The unit can be retrofitted to accommodate wash wheels of up to 250 pounds capacity.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product AP 103.
GIG HARBOR, WA -- Methods for Management has published "50 Ways to Maximize the Value of Your Business," a coat-pocket size booklet designed to provide ideas for business owners.
The booklet is written by Deborah Rechnitz, managing director of Methods for Management Inc., an independent business consulting firm that has specialized in the cleaning and laundry industries for more than 45 years.
Topics covered include profitability, in the plant, dry stores, routes, administrative practices, dealing with contamination, standards for an industry, sales ideas, business contracts, employee policies and practices, vehicles, executive planning, the "little extras," and a glossary and forms.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product AP 106.
MORRISTOWN, TN -- Forenta is introducing its new Magna Series Shirt Unit with the Mag-Forse drying system.
The unit is designed for ease in dressing the shirt by beginner operators as well as professional shirt operators, allowing both to obtain a quality shirt finish.
The Mag-Forse drying system uses steam and electric heating for efficiency and quality. The wider and longer buck size allow finishing of small to large size shirts (14 1/2 to 20).
An adjustable mirror provides a rear view of the shirt when dressing.
Other features include a "dimple" style steam chamber and flat-head design, a buck designed with yoke and side-drying air bags, a collar clamp is closed by a foot control when dressing the shirt that opens automatically when the finished shirt comes to a rest position.
A new head closing pressure system generates more head-to-buck pressure and eliminates head closing snubber.
Mufflers decrease noise on the blower intake and exhaust lines.
A single switch provides complete start-up of the machine.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product AP 102.
CHARLOTTE, NC -- Wetset Main is Seitz Chemical's main wash detergent for wetcleaning. The company recommends it for especially gentle wetcleaning of sensitive textiles, including colors made from wool and silk as well as rainwear, outdoor wear and carpets.
Wetset Main contains amphoteric and non-ionic surfactants and has no bleaching agents, optical brighteners or phosphates nor does it contain any wool-deteriorating enzymes.
Garments with a care label that allows wetcleaning can be treated with Wetset Main. The company notes that care label provisions will be decisive for wetcleaning..
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product AP 108.
PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Apparel Machinery is offering the HSL-620 lightweight, all-steam, two-in-one hose from Naomoto. The iron has a base radiused in both directions and is 35 percent larger in area than a standard iron. Ergonomic features include a molded urethan handle and a swing lever operation of the steam valve for volume control and selection of continuous steaming when required.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product AP 105.
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA -- Iowa Techniques has developed a Bagger Caddy that fits existing bagging stands and provides instant access to items needed during bagging -- twist ties, rubber bands, spotting tags, stapler and safety pins. The unit keeps all items neat and orderly to facilitate production. The Bagger Caddy is height adjustable and comes with a spot tag dispenser and a free roll of tags. It can be set up for with right-hand or left hand use.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product AP 104.
MIDLAND, MI -- The Dow Chemical Co. has published a special issue in Korean of its Spot News quarterly newsletter directed to drycleaners.
The second annual Korean issue of the newsletter has been distributed to Korea-speaking drycleaners who use Dowper solvent.
Dow has other drycleaning literature in Korean including a translation of the company's "Basic Handbook fir Drycleaners," a poster for display in cleaning plants that explains safe handling of perchloroethylene and a brochure on the new Closed-Loop Delivery System for Dowper solvent.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product AP 107.
KEARNEY, NJ -- TarGo Dry is a new, improved formula of TarGo for Drycleaning from A. L. Wilson Chemical Co. TarGo is formulated to remove stains from ink, oil and greases, paints, lipstick, make-up, shoe polish, crayon, grass, tar and most other oil-based stains.
The new formula is offered in 12-oz. applicator bottles in addition to quarts and gallons, It can be used on the spotting board before or after drycleaning and can also be used in the drycleaning wheel for ink and lipstick loads. The company said it is safe for use on most colors and fabrics.
A.L. Wilson said the improved effectiveness of solvent-based TarGo is a product of the company's research program to make its stain removers better and more environmentally friendly.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product AP 101.
