The Cleaners' Clean Show Guide
of the show
showing
what
Educational
Programs
programs
speakers
at Clean 99
columnists
do demos
coalition's
Annual
Meeting
wetcleaners'
gathering
to be
a tourist?
Already billed as "the biggest Clean show ever," Clean '99 will be the central gathering point for all the world's textile and garment care industries, a massive exhibition that promises the latest and greatest on the cleaning scene.
The show opens Thursday, June 24 and runs through Sunday at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Weekend dates were scheduled to make it easier for working drycleaners to attend. The tourist attractions of the Orlando area, not the least of which is Disney World, should be an added draw.
"This is the greatest combination yet," said John Riddle, president of the show's management company, Riddle & Associates. "The biggest textile care show in the world in one of the world's most popular destination cities."
Sponsored every other year by six industry trade associations, each edition of the show has exceeded the previous one in both exhibit size and attendance.
Riddle said that 575 companies had contracted for 275,000 net square feet of exhibit space, up from 546 exhibiting companies in 255,265 square feet at the 1997 show in Las Vegas.
Attendance was on track to be a record-breaker, too, based on advance registration. Approximately 26,000 people should be on hand with industry members coming from across the country and around the world for the industry's largest international exhibition.
Advance registration closed in late May, but on-site registration at $60 per person will be available. The registration area will be open from 1 to 5 pm on Wednesday, June 23 and throughout each day of the show's run.
The registration fee buys entry to all four days of exhibit hall viewing, the opening day program and more than 40 hours of educational sessions arranged by the cosponsoring associations.
The Clean Show officially opens on Thursday, June 24, at 9 am Following introductory remarks by dignitaries, keynote speaker Jim Cathcart will address the topic "21st Century Thinking: Re-thinking Business for a New Era of Growth."
"New technologies require new ways of thinking," Cathcart has written. "Every day another standard practice becomes obsolete. To continue to grow and thrive we must learn to constantly rethink our markets, our systems, our relationships, our strategies and ourselves."
Cathcart 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. His other books include "The Acorn Principle," "Speaking Secrets of the Masters," "Be Your Own Sales Manager," and "The Winning Spirit."
In addition to speaking and writing, Cathcart has produced numerous video programs and, in 1995, he published some of his works in interactive computer software.
The Grand March to the Exhibit Hall for the ribbon cutting ceremony to open the exhibition will follow Cathcart's presentation.
The exhibit hall will open to all visitors at 11 am on Thursday and will remain open until 5:30 pm Hours on Friday will also be 11 am to 5:30 pm Distributor-only hall hours are set aside from 8 to 11 am on Thursday and 9 to 11 am on Friday.
The exhibit hall will be open for general viewing on Saturday from 9 am to 5:30 pm and Sunday from 9 am to 3 pm
What's new?
The Clean Show traditionally is a favored platform for rolling out new products and improved versions of older ones and this show should be no exception.
The companies that have been developing liquid carbon dioxide cleaning technology will showcase their systems in the exhibit hall. That includes Micell Technologies, which already has CO2 machines operating in North Carolina plants, and Global Technologies, which has been working with equipment and supply firms to bring DryWash CO2 system to market.
Two companies are touting new drycleaning solvents. Enviroclean Systems says it will have "Notox D.F., a non-toxic drycleaning solvent which is an isoparafin solvent."
Hoyt Corp. says it will unveil a new drycleaning solvent in conjunction with GreenEarth Cleaning Co. The solvent, the company said, is odorless and "environmentally friendly," and "allows whites and darks, cottons and silks in the same load with less production time."
While new cleaning solvents may be the star attractions, perc and hydrocarbon equipment should continue to dominate and many equipment makers will have "tuned up" versions of machines that use the more traditional and well known solvents.
Hoyt will have its entire product line of perc and hydrocarbon machines in operation as will Columbia/ILSA, which will be introducing two new machines billed as "the fastest drying drycleaning machines on earth."
Donini of North America will have its new "soft mount" cleaning machines at the show while Renzacci will have its "sixth generation" perc machines on the floor and Supermatic will bring its new MS series hydrocarbon machines to Orlando.
Union Drycleaning Products will show a new look and new design for its perc and hydrocarbon machines while Hoffman/New Yorker will introduce a new line of petroleum machines.
Hoffman also plans to introduce a new style shirt unit with a 20-inch buck and a new tensioning device for jackets and dresses.
The finishing department will also get a makeover from other companies that specialize in pressing equipment. Ajax will have a new hot-head press designed for cotton slacks and new manually operated drycleaning presses. Cissell will have its Suzie II form finisher in action and Unipress promises some new product introductions.
Clean Concepts will be showing a newer entry into the U.S. market with its Fimas finishing equipment while Veit will have a new shirt unit for smaller shops. Both companies will offer live demonstrations.
Forenta will be showing new shirt units, part of its Magna series "Cleaning Store" concept that includes other finishing equipment, petroleum and perc machines, conveyors and chillers.
On the computer scene, DCCS will have its new Windows touch-screen point-of-sale system while Westgate software will unveil its new Spot for Windows version.
Where to stay
Rooms in many of the official Clean '99 hotels are still available, according to the Clean Housing Bureau. Reservations can be made by calling (800) 258-7666 or (407) 363-5800. For Airline and care rental discounts, call Globetrotter Travel, (888) 242-5326.
Most of the rooms at the International Fabricare Institute's headquarters hotel, the Caribe Royale, were booked well in advance, but to check on availability of rooms there, call the hotel directly, (800) 823-8300 or (407) 238-8000.
In all, 26 hotels have committed rooms for the exhibition with accommodations available in the range of $69 to $165 a night, exclusive of local tax, for single or double occupancy.
Reservations for all hotels except the Caribe Royale must be made through the Clean '99 Housing Bureau to receive the special rates.
Headquarters hotels for the other cosponsoring trade associations are as follows:
More information about the show is available 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. Information is also available on the Clean Show web site: www.cleanshow.com.
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.
Clean '99 is a golden opportunity to see all the machinery, supplies and other products needed for a modern, successful garment care business. The show also provides another important element of the equation for success: the knowledge that is needed to make all that equipment work for you.
Each of the show's cosponsoring trade associations has lined up programs that will focus on key issues for their industry segments. Of particular interest to drycleaners, of course, are the programs planned by the International Fabricare Institute.
IFI will lead off its programs with a presentation by CEO Bill Fisher on Friday morning 8 am Addressing the topic "IFI in Your Future; Making it Stronger," Fisher will talk about IFI's service-driven initiatives and what the association's programs mean to the drycleaner.
The opening program will also feature the presentation of IFI's first-ever "Meritorious Service Awards" which will honor individuals and organizations whose volunteer contributions have improved the industry. IFI solicited nominations in several categories for these awards this spring and the selections of the nominating committee will be announced at the opening Clean show session.
"Separating Snake Oil from Reality" will be the topic of the second IFI program on Friday morning. Dr. Katy Wolf, director of the Institute for Research and Technical Association, will moderate a panel that includes speakers on Rynex, wetcleaning, petroleum solvent and liquid carbon dioxide.
The 9:30 to 11 am program will be an opportunity for cleaners who are considering switching to an "alternative" cleaning process to learn more and get their questions answered. Issues such as operating and energy costs, regulatory compliance and case studies will be highlighted to each of the various alternatives.
Saturday morning's program will focus on quality garment care and building a base of satisfied customers.
The first program, which begins at 8 am, asks the questions, "Lost Customers -- Is It Price or Is It Poor Quality?"
IFI experts qualified to answer will be presenting the program. Jackie Stephens, IFI's vice president of textile analysis, and Kelly Carney, a writer for IFI's communications and education departments, will have survey results that cover a quality checklist for a variety of garments and offer some strategies for improving customer satisfaction and customer relations at the counter, both before and after cleaning, and for dealing with dissatisfied customers at the counter and over the phone.
A fashion show of sorts will comprise the second program on Saturday morning. Chris Allsbrooks from IFI's garment analysis department and Laura Barron, president of a Tennessee-based consulting firm, will use the fashion show format to show how to communicate with owners of problem garments and leverage the situation to create customer loyalty instead of customer alienation. Specific techniques for developing long-term customer relationships will be provided at the 9:30 am program.
IFI's seminar set will wind up on Sunday morning with two more programs.
The first will be presented by Deborah Rechnitz, managing director of Methods for Management, and Eddie Mannis, president of Prestige Cleaners in Knoxville, TN, discussing "Reality Check: Do You Have A Quality Team? How Do You Get One?"
Rechnitz and Mannis will offer a practical examination of quality items -- what they are, when do they work, whether they are practical. Attendees will get the consultant's view from Rechnitz and the plant-owner's view from Mannis at the 8 am program.
At 9 am, Barron will return for a solo presentation on "Marketing Techniques You Don't Want Your Competitors To Know About." Her one-hour talk will tell how to transform problem-solvent into marketing opportunities and keep customers coming back. She will also show how incentives can bring in new customers and how "relationship selling" can deliver dividends.
IFI also plans several other activities during the show in Orlando. All members are invited to the Annual Meeting on Friday, June 25 at 6:30 pm in the Caribe Royale, IFI's headquarters hotel. Immediately following the meeting will be a special reception for members.
The Jolly Belin dinner, by special invitation only, will also be held Friday evening and the past presidents and directors dinner, also by invitation will be Saturday evening.
The IFI alumni breakfast will be at 6:30 am on Saturday morning. See the story on page 16 for more information.
Another first for IFI in Orlando will be administration of certification examinations. Candidates will be able to take the test for the Certified Environmental Drycleaning, Certification Professional Drycleaner and Certified Professional Wetcleaner on Wednesday, June 23. Advanced registration is required to take the tests.
During the show itself, IFI staffers will be at the booth in the exhibit hall (#3544) to meet with cleaners and to show some of IFI's newest products: CD-ROMS for technical and environmental information, web site services and distance learning.
Alumni Society breakfast
The International Fabricare Association Alumni Society will host a breakfast for members attending Clean '99 in Orlando, FL.
The breakfast will take place 6:30 am on June 26 at the Caribe Royale, IFI headquarters hotel for the show.
Jane Rising, an instructor with IFI's education department, will explain the "modular study" concept IFI is adopting in its training regimen.
"We know the hour is early, but, as always, we have a very worthwhile program," IFI Alumni Society president Jane Zellers said. "It's a nice time to renew friendships and see those people you haven't seen since the last convention."
The society will honor some of its own members at the breakfast, including people who have participated in it for more than 50 years.
In addition, a door prize of a three-week "complete IFI educational package" will be awarded.
The cost is $27.50 for tickets ordered before June 12 and $30 at the door.
For details, contact Cindi Busler at IFI, (800) 434-6222, extension 111.
Separating Snake Oil From Reality:
Is There A New Technology In Your Future?
Friday, June 25 9:30 am
Dr. Katy Wolf, the panel's moderator, is a director of the Institute for Research and Technical Assistance (IRTA), a non-profit organization that assists firms in converting to low- and non-solvent technologies in cleaning, drycleaning, electronics, paint stripping, coatings, and adhesives.
IRTA runs and operates the Pollution Prevention Center, which performs test and demonstration projects that focus on whole industry groups and holds conferences on emerging technical issues.
Panel members include the following:
Rynex
Jim Colletti is the Director of Sales for Rynex Holdings, Ltd. Colletti has been with Rynex for three years. Previously he was with Wascomat, Aqua Clean Systems, and Böwe Permac. Colletti has been involved in the laundry, wetcleaning, and drycleaning industries for 10 years.
Jeffery Battiston is a third-generation drycleaner with 12 years of experience in the drycleaning industry. Battiston's has 18 locations in the Hartford, CT, area. He is currently the Connecticut State Director for FLARE and is a Certified Environmental Drycleaner and Certified Professional Drycleaner. Battiston has been using Rynex in his West Hartford plant since September 1997.
Wetcleaning
Christopher Tebbs is the Chief Executive for Fabric Care Research Association (FCRA), a research and technology organization dedicated to providing technical support to drycleaners in England. He is a member of the UK Industry's Drycleaning Education Committee, the UK's Industry Health, Safety and Environment Committee, CINET, IDRC and works with various UK government committees such as trade, health, environment, transport, and education.
Deborah Davis is the founder and owner of Cleaner By Nature, a 100 percent wetcleaning operation in the Los Angles area. Cleaner By Nature participated in a one-year research and demonstration project that was funded by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, California Air Resources Board, and the U.S. EPA.
Petroleum
Petra Klein has training in the fields of physics and chemistry. She is a member of the research team at Hohenstein Institute in Germany working on issues concerning measurement techniques for hazardous substances occurring in textile care. The results of her work support the textile dry cleaning industry in solving environmental and human ecological problems. Klein was elected President of the IDRC in July 1996.
Liquid carbon dioxide
Timothy Romack, Ph.D, is one of the co-founders of Micell Technologies, Inc. He serves as the firm's vice president of technology development and as a member of it board of directors. Romack is credited on 10 U.S. patents and has several U.S. and foreign patent applications currently pending. He has authored and co-authored more than a dozen peer-reviewed scientific papers.
Ted Williams owns Hangers Cleaners in Wilmington, NC. His family has been in the drycleaning business since 1941. Williams became full owner of the operation in 1963. Last February, he became the first Hangers franchisee for Micell's CO2 cleaning process. He currently has seven plants and is doing all the cleaning for two of his plants in the CO2 system.
"Lost Customers:
Is It Price Or Is It Poor Quality?"
Saturday, June 26 8 am
Jackie Stephens has been with IFI for 10 years and is the vice president of textile analysis. She is responsible for developing test protocols for a variety of industry clients, such as fabric manufacturers, apparel manufacturers, and personal products manufacturers as well overseeing the operations of both the textile testing and textile analysis labs.
Kelly Carney worked at IFI for six years in the membership and publications departments. She wrote articles for Fabricare News, Clothes Care Gazette, Accent on Apparel, and other publications. When she left IFI to raise her children, Carney remained involved in the industry by serving as executive secretary of IFI's Alumni Society. Currently, she works with the communications and education departments at IFI as a free-lancer.
"Problem Garments:
How To Use Them To Build Customer Loyalty"
Saturday, June 26 9:30 am
Laura Barron is president of the Barron Group, a Tennessee-based consulting firm. She works with companies that want to improve their customer satisfaction and with managers who want their employees to take initiative and solve problems. Her 25 years of business experience in management, customer service, training and development, and project management enables her to apply first-hand knowledge and skills to meet her client's needs. Barron will also lead the Sunday morning program, "Marketing Techniques You Don't Want Your Competitors To Know About" on Sunday, June 27 at 9 am
Chris Allsbrooks is an Analyst in IFI's Garment Analysis Department. Chris has spoken extensively at seminars and conferences, and has appeared in television segments broadcast on ABC's "Good Morning America" and the BBC. National magazines such as GQ and Glamour have quoted her on fabric care-related issues.
"Reality Check:
Do You Have A Quality Team? If Not How Do You Get One?"
Sunday, June 26 8 am
Deborah Rechnitz is the managing director of Methods for Management Inc., an independent consulting firm that has been addressing the needs of the laundry and drycleaning industry for over four decades. Rechnitz has been assisting small- and medium-sized businesses for the past 17 years and is a nationally recognized speaker in the drycleaning industry. She contributes regularly to several industry trade publications.
Eddie Mannis is the President and founder of Prestige Cleaners in Knoxville, TN. He is both a Certified Professional Drycleaner and Certified Environmental Drycleaner. Mannis is past president of the Tennessee Fabricare Association, and currently serves as Board Member and Legislative Chair of TFA, appointee to the Environmental Response Program Board of Tennessee, and a member of the Certification Council of IFI. He has also been a speaker at Sanitone Licensee Conference and the IDC convention in Orlando.
Supporters of the Small Business Remediation Act (aka the Barton Bill) will be out in force at the Clean Show to talk to cleaners about the legislation and seek contributions to fund-raising efforts for the bill.
Volunteers will be on duty at a booth located in the cosponsors' pavilion, between the International Fabricare Institute and the Textile Care Allied Trades Association areas.
In addition to providing information about the bill, they will be selling chances to win a cruise this fall sponsored by the MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners, the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association and the North East Fabricare Association. The cruise ticket chances are being sold at $25 each. A maximum of 2,500 chances will be sold. The winner of the Sept. 26 drawing will receive passage for two, air fare included, for the Seminars at Sea cruise aboard the Royal Caribbean's liner, Enchantment of the Seas, Nov. 14-21.
All proceeds from the sales go to the Dry Cleaners Action Fund of America and will be used to support enacting soil and groundwater contamination liability limits in Congress.
As of mid-May, sales of chances for the cruise tickets had brought in about $20,000.
Organizers of the effort hope to raise at least $60,000. Contributions can also be sent directly to MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners, 7430 Little Chatterton Lane, King George, VA 22485.
IFI has invited Texas Congressman Joe Barton to speak at its opening session on Friday, June 25. Barton was the chief sponsor of the Small Business Remediation Act in the last two sessions of Congress and has pledged continued support for the measure. His availability was not confirmed at press time.
Two long-time National Clothesline columnists will be demonstrating their skills and imparting their knowledge on the floor of the Clean Show.
Ray Colucci will be at the Hoffman/New Yorker booth (#1854) demonstrating the classic "Coat-A-Matic" with live steam and vacuum. Hoffman's new steam-air tension type unit will also be demonstrated.
Stan Caplan will conduct spotting demonstrations at the Cissell booth (#2277) during the show. He will also have his complete stain removal course, which includes a book and video, available, and hopes to have his new finishing course, also in book and video form, ready in time for the show.
The National Coalition of Petroleum Dry Cleaners will holds its annual meeting on June 25 in Orlando, FL. The event was planned to coincide with the Clean Show with the Clarion Hotel as the site of the 5:30 pm meeting.
This is the third annual meeting for the group, which was founded in 1997 to represent the interests of petroleum-using drycleaners.
NCPDC said it "was initially envisioned as an industry vehicle to respond to petroleum drycleaning environmental concerns and related issues. Under its now-expanded mission, NCPDC serves as an educational and professional association for the industry."
NCPDC president Michael Jones of Louisville, KY, expanded on that issue.
"Much has changed since our formation in 1997," he said. "One major change regards hydrocarbon solvents in the industry."
Jones observed that petroleum it was not that long ago that cleaners were seen "as a dated and dying minority in our industry. Now many consider our solvents a major component for the future of drycleaning."
NCPDC executive director Russell Snyder called the annual meeting an opportunity for cleaners to learn more about the coalition's "mission, priorities and issues of interest."
The NCPDC steering committee is comprised of the coalition officers and two other members. It includes Jones, vice president John Fehlner, treasurer Larry Adler, secretary Sam Carraway, cleaner Lindley Smith and cleaner Jarrell Epp.
All cleaners and allied trades people are invited to attend the meeting. No formal registration procedure is required, NCPDC said. It did ask that those interested in attending contact the coalition so it can plan accordingly.
NCPDC is located at 401 Powder Mill Rd., Suite 404, Calverton, MD. 20705. The telephone number is (888) 256-2732.
The Professional Wetcleaning Network has announced it will hold a reception at the Clean '99 Show in Orlando.
The reception will be on Saturday, June 26, from 6:30 to 9:30 pm at the Caribe Royale Hotel. Clean show attendees are invited to stop by the PWN booth (#1891) for details.
PWN is a trade association representing the interests of wetcleaners. Marilyn Fleming is the president of PWN. Ann Hargrove is the executive director.
Seeing all of the Clean '99 could easily take up all four days of the Clean Show, but it's not secret that Orlando offers many other attractions that make it one of the nation's most popular vacation destination cities. Did somebody mention Disney World?
If you can steal some extra time -- a few hours or perhaps a few days -- and want to take in the sites, there are special discount attraction tickets available to Clean '99 attendees through Convention Planning Services Inc. Call (800) 777-5333 or (407) 851-5122 for details.
Information is also available on the web site of the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The drycleaning industry in the United States has reduced its use of perchloroethylene by 70 percent over the past 10 years according to a survey sponsored by the Textile Care Allied Trades Association.
Drycleaning demand for perc, the principal solvent used in professional garment care, dropped to 72 million pounds in 1998, down from 235 million pounds in 1988, according to the Johnson & Lambert Co. survey.
The industry's annual usage of perc is just one-fifth of the what it was in 1978 when 360 million pounds were consumed in drycleaning.
The decline in perc usage over the past 20 years can be attributed largely to improvements in drycleaning equipment technology, according to David Cotter, director of TCATA.
Cotter also cited improvements in work practices and the industry's efforts to reduce emissions of all types that have led to greater efficiency.
Cleaners report processing five to 10 times more clothes per gallon of perc today than they did in the 1970s, Cotter said.
Cotter also noted that up to 40 percent of the perc used in drycleaning is recovered by recycling filter and still wastes and reused in other industries such as metal cleaning.
Thus, from the perspective of environmental stewardship, the amount of perc actually consumed by the industry has fallen even more than the perc usage figures indicate.
Other stewardship measures like closed-loop delivery systems and the elimination of contact water disposal into sewers, represent further reductions in emissions of perc to the environment which are not readily apparent in perc sales data.
"These reduced emissions and lower worker exposures all mean good news for people and the environment and are further evidence that environmental performance continues to improve," Cotter said.
While alternatives to perc, such as petroleum solvents and wetcleaning, have made some inroads in the industry in the past few years, an estimated 85 to 90 percent of the cleaners in the United States continue to use perc as the primary solvent.
TCATA is a trade association of manufacturers and distributors of laundry and drycleaning equipment and supplies.
The association's offices are in Fairfield, NJ; phone (973) 244-1790 or e-mail tcata@ix.netcom.com
Congressional Democrats are planning once again to push for a $1 increase in the federal minimum wage this summer.
Senator Ted Kennedy, a leading proponent of raising the minimum wage, introduced legislation in the last Congress that would have increased the minimum to $6.15 an hour from the current $5.15 an hour over two years. That bill died, but Kennedy is ready to try again.
"We are strongly committed and we will not fail," the senator said at a news conference.
Kennedy has been joined by Michigan Representative David Bonior, the House Majority Whip, in promoting the legislation. They said they will use procedural votes to bypass opposition by the Republican majority leadership, a strategy they used successfully two years ago to raise the federal minimum to $5.15 from $4.25 an hour.
At a hearing before the House Committee on Education and Workforce in April, economists debated whether minimum wage increases can lower the nation's poverty level.
Two panelists said there is no real effect and that low-income tax breaks have more impact on improving standards of living, but another said a wage increase is a good anti-poverty tool.
Rep. William Goodling, a Republican from Pennsylvania, plans a series of hearings on the issue.
"I hope we can all take a step back and examine the policy aspects of the minimum wage, rather than rely on the political rhetoric that often dominates the issue," Goodling said.
Proponents say it would increase wages of low-wage workers without any decline in employment or inflation Opponents traditionally take the opposite view, but their case may be more difficult to make in view of the years-long record of low unemployment and inflation despite two increases in the minimum in the past three years.
There's no place better to go looking for what's new under the sun than the Sunshine State. And that's where Clean '99 will be, promising plenty of new things to see.
Nearly 600 companies from around the world plan to bring their goods to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando for a four-day exhibition that will include anything and everything one might need to operate a successful cleaning business. In this issue we have catalogued the plans of many of exhibiting companies who specialize in machinery and products for the professional cleaner and it is an impressive offering.
We'll be looking for refined developments of traditional cleaning technology in both the perc and hydrocarbon machines and anticipating the debut of liquid carbon dioxide cleaning machines ready for the real world of drycleaning. And our curiosity is aroused by exhibitors who say they'll have new drycleaning solvents at the show.
We'll also be taking a look at the so-called European-style finishing equipment that several companies plan to display. The growing interest in these machines makes them appear to be one of those "overnight sensations" that has been about 10 years in the making.
There will be plenty of other things to see, too, from store design to marketing programs. And we'll be watching the expansion of the use of computers in the industry, not only for tracking garments and managing the business but also in disseminating information and providing of education through the Internet and on CD-ROM.
But no matter how refined, state-of-the-art and 21st century the technology may be, it won't do a thing without one key element: you. Automation and computerization aside, it is still people who make things work. The Clean Show sponsors listened to cleaners and scheduled this year's show to run through a weekend which should give more working cleaners a chance to attend. And they scheduled it in one of the nation's most popular and easy to reach destination cities, which should add a little incentive (if any is still needed) to make the trip.
So everything is in place for a great Clean Show. The only thing that will could make it a disappointment would be you not showing up.
California does it. New York will be doing it. Will other states follow soon?
The "it" is mandated training for cleaners. In the case of New York, it's a certification test that requires both passing an approved training course (which itself must gain the state's approval) and an examination. There are five candidates vying to have their versions of the training course approved, among them the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International and North East Fabricare Association. These two associations have been busy amending their programs to comply with state critiques of their efforts. Because they have had to do so more than once is as good an indication as any that when certification of cleaners comes under government purview, the level of play goes up several notches.
Certification, education, training and professional improvement are regular themes of trade groups, allied tradespeople and industry media. There are private consultants, association schools, private schools and other projects whose objective is teaching people how to clean clothes, finish garments, act as business owners and understand and comply with environmental regulations. Canadian cleaner Ernie Ferguson led training into the internet field last fall with his introduction of on-line education. The International Fabricare Institute joined the process last month with its first set of training programs on the web. The education field continues to grow, even as the standards by which these offerings are measured are becoming stricter and of greater interest to the government.
The example being set by regulators in New York should be taken seriously. Training programs will be offered, but we need to keep the standards high. As we continue promoting star programs, certification and licensing, we must remember that credible programs are measurements of achievements, not certificates of attendance. And if we do invite the government to be part of the solution, we must remember that it comes at a price.
A wetcleaning seminar sponsored by Safety & Environmental Compliance Consultants was held in suburban Chicago recently with consultant Carolyn Schwass conducting the class.
The program was held at Plaza Cleaners in Frankford, IL. Plant owner Dave Betcher donated the use of the store for the program.
"Carolyn presented more than two hours of information on wetcleaning and drycleaning, discussing which is best for a customer's garments," S&ECC owner Henry Parker said. "The seminar dealt with everyday issues of sorting, spot removal and processing of garments in the real world, using customers' clothes."
Also examined were issues of care labels, cost comparisons between wetcleaning and drycleaning, the types of equipment and supplies needed for wetcleaning and the procedures and products used in stain removal.
Schwass operates the Blue Ribbon Fabricare Center in Alabama, a training facility for cleaners.
The Mid-America Fabricare Association has announced its slate of speakers for its annual meeting and conference in St. Louis, MO, this August.
The MAFA convention will take place at Harrah's St. Louis Riverport Casino Hotel on Aug. 6-7. There will be educational, social and recreational programs presented both days.
The seminar presenters include Everett Childers on Practical Business Management, Bill Fisher on the State of the Industry, Dean Jackson on Boiler Maintenance, Pat Moffet on suedes and leathers, Henry Parker on EPA and OSHA Compliance and an Alternative Solvents Roundtable covering CO2, high-flash petroleum and "a new solvent which will be introduced at Clean '99," MAFA said.
Details on the program are available from MAFA, (314) 832-1839.
The attempt to pass a bill in the Missouri legislature to regulate the cleanup of solvent-contaminated drycleaning sites was the subject of intense lobbying by cleaners last month. A bill passed the Missouri House and moved on to the Senate, but not with the wording cleaners hoped to see. As a result, a group of cleaners lobbied the Senate committee holding hearings on the bill and negotiated changes which they call "satisfactory to all sides."
Representatives of the Mid-America Fabricare Association said House Bill 180 passed in the House in late April and was sent to a Senate committee.
According to supporters of the bill, the original measure was replaced by a substitute bill which passed in the Senate committee without liability-exemption language in it.
Drycleaner and MAFA board member Steve DiNolfo said the Missouri Department of Natural Resources "didn't want a section on liability relief in the bill. They contend cleaners are looking to have a way not to clean up."
"We want liability in there," DiNolfo added. "The funding is adequate."
DiNolfo said the cost of cleanups would be covered by a perc surcharge and graduated fee structure.
"There would be a fee of $10 a gallon on perc and $0.50 a gallon on petroleum," he said. "The annual registration fee would be based on the number of gallons of solvent used."
The schedule proposes rates of $500 a year for cleaners who use less than 140 gallons of perc annually, $1,000 a year for cleaners who use more than 140 gallons of perc annually, and $1,500 for cleaners who use more than 300 gallons of perc annually.
The bill also mandates containment pans and prohibits disposal of separator water into sewer systems.
A fiscal note added to the bill would have allocated $477,000 a year and seven people to administer the fund. This cost "was cut and decision making was given to DNR," DiNolfo said.
Supporters estimated there are 570 drycleaning plants in Missouri and the measure would raise $1.3 million a year for the cleanup fund. The state DNR would suspend collection of fees after $5 million is raised and in the fund.
Information can be obtained from MAFA, (314) 832-1839.
A variety of programs for cleaners are planned in four states during the next few months.
The Dakota Fabricare Association will hold its annual convention June 11-13 in Fargo, ND. The program will include presentations by Ray Colucci, Greg Lorenz, Jane Zellers and a representative of the Heritage Insurance Co. For information, call Lynda Smith, (701) 298-9155.
The Illinois State Fabricare Association will sponsor a preventative maintenance seminar June 3 at Washburn Machinery in Arlington Heights, IL. Details are available from ISFA, (815) 729-0137.
Mid-America Fabricare Association will hold an eight-hour seminar on wetcleaning on June 12 in St. Louis and June 13 in Kansas City, MO. For details, call MAFA, (314) 832-1839.
The Ohio Cleaners Association summer meeting will take place July 9-11 at Quail Hollow in northern Ohio. The program will include golf, speakers, scholarship awards, induction of officers and more. For information, call (614) 221-1900.
The California Cleaners Association has developed several public relations programs cleaners can use in their stores. Among the items are customer cleaning tip brochures, preprinted hang tags and internet promotions on the CCA web site.
The brochures are being distributed to cleaners this month with new designs provided every three months. Cleaners wanting additional brochures can order them from CCA for the cost of printing and production.
The brochures are designed to give consumers practical information on problems with garments. The tips are meant to supplement the drycleaning process, not replace it, CCA added.
"Each quarter a new brochure will be developed using a common concept," CCA president Jackie Smith said. "All the while we're also promoting the industry as a whole and drycleaners as professionals."
The hang tags are designed along the same lines as the brochure. These will contain consumer-oriented garment care information.
CCA public relations committee members are compiling a list of the most common garment stains. Once completed, they will develop tips on treating the stains that consumers may use "before bringing the stained items to their drycleaning professional."
The web site activity reflects CCA's "commitment to cyberspace communication and outreach," the association said. "The association has committed time and resources to developing and updating its web site and offering free web site development for individual members."
CCA also announced that its annual convention will be held Aug. 12-15 at the Hyatt San Jose. Among the activities planned are educational programs and social events.
CCA said it plans a golf tournament on the Thursday prior to the opening of the convention. It advised potential players that advance reservations are needed with a minimum number of golfers required to schedule the event.
Seminars are planned on a number of topics, including route sales, customer service, financial planning and investing for retirement. A symposium on new cleaning technologies will be presented by industry experts, CCA added.
The convention will feature a tabletop exhibit area where attendees can "access new information and technology which will assist in the successful running of your business," CCA said.
The primary social function is the annual CCA awards banquet.
CCA also said its next major exhibit/convention will be the 2000 Fabricare show at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach.
In addition to regular programs, CCA announced a number of board decisions.
An organization review task force was charged with the developing changes in the association's organizational and management structure.
A $2,000 grant was donated in support of the Small Business Alliance effort "to provide a collective voice to more effectively communicate the small business point of view to the South Coast Air Quality Management District's governing board, advisory groups and task forces."
The board appointed Lynette Watterson of San Mateo to the open District 5 director position.
The directors also participated in a focus group with representatives of the California Employment Development Department. The group identified concerns on the department's services to small business and made suggestions on these services to the department's tax branch.
An amendment to Arizona Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund which eases financial burdens on "financially-strapped" potentially responsible parties has been signed into law.
Western States Drycleaning and Laundry Association members were told by attorneys Jim Vieregg and Van Wolf that "under the current law, a potentially responsible party (PRP) can obtain settlement only after the Department of Environmental Quality completes liability allocation proceedings for the state."
Applicants for a financial hardship financial settlement must submit "voluminous information to the DEQ." The attorneys said applicants have "a difficult burden of proving that payment of a potential WQARF liability could likely put the PRP out of business," they added.
If the DEQ denies a settlement request, the settlement applicant may appeal the denial to the Office of Administrative Hearings which can determine how much the settlor can pay.
The amendment authorizes the DEQ, within its discretion, to re-open the settlement and to ask the court to order the settling party to pay a greater settlement amount.
In re-opener proceedings, the settling party will be afforded due process of law by having the opportunity to inform the court that it can or cannot pay the additional liability amount requested by the ADEQ. To expedite re-opener proceedings, HB 2643 requires the DEQ to provide written notice to the settling of its intent to re-open a financial-hardship settlement within 30 days of the completion of allocation proceedings.
From the time of its introduction in the House of Representatives, HB 2643 was vigorously opposed by the Office of the Attorney General, the DEQ, the Sierra Club and other interested parties. One standard objection to the bill was that the DEQ would not have sufficient resources to implement the revised HB 2643 financial-hardship settlement process.
The proponents of HB 2643, however, informed the Legislature that the "lack of resources" argument was not well-founded because few financial-hardship settlement applications are likely due to the difficulty of meeting the financial-hardship standard. Also, the real issue, the financial viability of the applicant, is outsourced by the DEQ, so that agency staff can concentrate on the nature of contamination and the identity of PRP's, two issues that are irrelevant to a financial-hardship settlement.
HB 2643 was won on its merits, before both houses of the Legislature because it is a bill that assures Arizona business under the WQARF law and because this legislation increases potential early WQARF settlement monies for the state of Arizona (by converting allocation proceeding transactional costs into settlement dollars for DEQ ñ which monies can be used for site investigation and/or remediation).
The supporters of HB 2643 were the Arizona Association of Industries, the Arizona Cattle Feeders Association, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, the Arizona Rock Products Association, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Western States Drycleaners & Launderers Association and several highly experienced private-sector practicing WQARF lawyers. They greatly respect Governor Hull's decision to sign this bill based on its merits, and the strong leadership shown on this legislation by the prime sponsors, Rep. Christine Weason, a Democrat and Rep. Gail Griffin, a Republican; Sen. Russell Bowers, Republican; Sen. Linda Aguirre, Democrat; Rep. Laura Knaperek, Republican; and Rep. Jean McGrath, Republican.
HB 2643 was lobbied by Jim Vieregg; Samantha Fearn, state director of the Phoenix office of the National Federation of Independent Business; and Van Wolf.
For more information, contact WSDLA, (602) 253-9186.
A training program for California cleaners seeking first-time certification and recertification as mandated by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) will be offered seven times in Los Angeles this summer.
Drycleaning industry consultant Kenney Slatten will be the instructor.
The Wyatt-Bennett Equipment Co. in Van Nuys will host the program on three different occasions. The class will be held July 17-18, Aug. 7 and Sept. 25-26.
The John Kelleher Co. in Long Beach will host the class four times. The dates for these classes are July 19, July 25, Aug. 28-29 and Sept. 11.
Each class is four hours in length. First-time certification requires an eight-hour class. The ARB requires that one operator per plant be certified.
For information on the course, call the company. Wyatt-Bennett is available at (818) 778-0550 and Kelleher at (562) 423-4111.
The Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International has announced a new program schedule which includes training seminars, social programs and its biennial metropolitan New York trade show, Tex-Care.
The latest classroom courses are Principles and Practices of Drycleaning and the Principles and Practices of Pressing. The classes are held at the New York School of Drycleaning, 252 W. 29th St., New York City.
The drycleaning training course begins Aug. 16 and lasts 10 weeks. The classes are held Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7 to 11 pm Instruction will cover spotting, wetcleaning, drycleaning and fabrics and dyes. Tuition includes a student notebook and fabric book. The fee is $760. NCA-I chief garment analyst Dan Eisen is the class instructor.
The pressing course starts Nov. 2 and lasts four weeks. The classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday from 7 to 10 pm Students will be shown proper finishing procedures and methods students can use to teach others the processes. The class includes handouts for the students. Mel Bond is the finishing instructor.
The pressing department at NCA-I was recently updated "with sophisticated new finishing equipment," NCA-I noted. "We will be using this new equipment in the pressing course."
Information on either class is available from Vincent Beazer, (212) 967-3002, ext. 224.
The Tex-Care '99 show will take place Oct. 16-17 at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison, NJ.
"We anticipate that Tex-Care '99 will be the largest exhibit NCA-I ever produced," NCA-I claimed. It expects more than 375 booths.
The association also hopes to match its previous Edison show attendance of two years ago when its said "5,000 drycleaner attendees" were there.
As part of the weekend, NCA-I has planned a Saturday evening banquet in honor of executive director Bill Seitz's fiftieth anniversary with NCA-I. The Hilton Hotel in East Brunswick, NJ, will be the site of the Oct. 16 dinner/dance.
The hosts for the evening are the members of the board of directors of NCA-I.
Information on the event can be obtained from Arthur Weiss at (609) 890-8787, Russ Petrozzi at (716) 282-3802 or NCA-I, (212) 967-3002.
Certification of perc-using drycleaners is mandated by New York State drycleaning regulations and several groups have created training programs to help cleaners prepare for the process. Before this training can be provided, however, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation must approve the proposed programs.
The North East Fabricare Association and the Neighbor-hood Cleaners Association-International submitted training proposals earlier this year. Upon review by the DEC, the proposals were returned to the associations for corrections.
"We anticipate being up and running with the program in June," NEFA executive vice president Peter Blake said. He added that NEFA was told it had to revise its program textbook.
NEFA will use a direct mail campaign to let cleaners know when the classes will be available. It is starting a waiting list to handle people who have already asked to register for a class.
"We are going throughout the Upstate New York region as well as other locations," Blake said. "Each session will be held over a weekend with 18 hours of instruction."
The fee for the NEFA course will be $400 per person for members "with a significant discount for multiple attendees from a single plant," Blake said. "A premium will be charged for non-members of NEFA."
NCA-I director of special projects Robert Shooman said the association submitted its revised course in mid-May.
Once the course is approved, "we plan to start teaching," Shooman said. "We're working on a class schedule now." The fee schedule is being discussed.
Classes will be held at the NCA-I office and at locations across the state.
Owners and operators must take a course and the exam to receive a certification, with proof of having passed the course needed to take the test. Cleaners have nine months after the start of the program to take the course and pass the test.
"This course should be taken seriously because the test is a serious certification test," Shooman said. "When New York State cleaners receive their certification it will mean something."
The Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International held its spring, 1999, board meeting in Braintree, MA. It was hosted by the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of NCA-I, the newest chapter in the association.
This was the first meeting of the group with its new officers in place.
The new president is Anthony Vecere of Eastchester, NY. Jerry Levin of Philadelphia, PA, is the first vice president. The second vice president is Stephen Yudelson of Norwalk, CT. Olivia Shoemaker of Booneville, NY, is the association secretary. The treasurer is Arthur Epstein of Mineola, NY.
Among the topics discussed were the inter-association public relations program, the Federal Trade Commission Care Labeling situation, the events of Albany Day where NCA-I members went to the New York State capital to lobby legislators and community service activities, including Coats for Kids, Books for Kids, clothes for homeless and battered women, local public television fund raising auctions and other events.
The board also voted to salute NCA-I executive director Bill Seitz's 50 years with the association with a gala on Oct. 16 at the NCA-I fall trade show.
The MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners has announced a special by-laws meeting as well as the date of its annual membership meeting. In addition, the association refined the program agenda for its biennial exposition, MAXPO.
The special board meeting will be held July 18 in Fredericksburg, VA, with a vote on bylaws revisions on the agenda. The meeting will take place at the Sheraton Inn and start at 11 am
The proposed revisions have been reviewed by the association directors and they have recommended their approval. These changes have been forwarded to association members.
The annual membership meeting will be held Sept. 25 at the Baltimore Convention Center. It will begin at 8:30 am
MAXPO/4 will be held the weekend of Sept. 25-26 at the Baltmore Convention Center. The two-day event includes machinery, supply and service exhibits as well as education and training seminars.
Programs will be held both mornings of the show. Individual presentations and a panel discussion are on the calendar.
Among the speakers on Saturday's program is Ted Barry, a cleaning industry consultant and facilitator of cost management groups for several trade associations. He will discuss productivity, pricing and marketing.
Also presenting on Saturday is estate and tax expert Michael Collins.
"We're very excited about Michael Collins. His program is very business-specific in terms of doing anything you can do to avoid unnecessary taxes and complications," MAC executive vice president Dave Norford said.
Coin laundry owners will be offered a presentation by International Fabricare Institute instructor Jane Rising.
On Sunday, MAC programs will include a second presentation by Barry. Laundry owners will be offered a three-hour tour a local laundry facility. The program concludes with a four-member panel discussion on the state of the industry.
In a policy change allowed by a new state law, Norford noted that exhibitors may now sell and deliver products on the exhibit floor.
Information on MAC activities is available from Norford at (540) 775-2525.
The effort of four western Pennsylvania cleaning industry members to develop a professional cleaning course has resulted in the introduction of a Professional Fabric Care Careers course at a local community college.
The Lifelong Learning Program of the Community College of Allegheny County will present the eight-session fabric care career class starting June 9 at Erin Cleaners in the Belleview section of Pittsburgh. Each class will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 pm
The class description said "opportunities for full or part-time employment in the fabric care industry exist near or where you live." Students will learn how garments are cleaned and finished with hands-on training for students. At the conclusion of the class, the students will receive a certificate of completion from the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association, which provided staff work on the project.
Bob McBride is the instructor for the course. Lisa Dusak and John Donovan will provide finishing instruction. McBride is the field service representative for PDCA. Dusak is a consultant who performs in-plant training for cleaners and provides finishing demonstrations for Hoffman/New Yorker Co. at trade shows. Donovan owns Erin Cleaners.
Dusak and McBride were instrumental in the development and creation of the course. They began work on the project last fall.
The South Eastern Fabricare Association will hold four seminars this summer at locations across the south.
A finishing class will be held June 5 in Atlanta at Pinckard Morgan's Cleaners. Anne Weakley of the International Fabricare Institute will be the instructor. There will be two presentations that day. The class fee is $59 for members, $79 for non-members.
On June 19, a finishing course with Sam Schwartz of IFI will be held in Columbia, SC, at Ed Robinson Cleaners. This seminar will also feature two presentations with fees of $59 for members, $79 for non-members.
A wetcleaning course will be held in Savannah, GA, on July 10 at a location to be determined.
July 17 is the date for a finishing course in Montgomery, AL. at Jim Massey's Cleaners. The speaker and fee will be set later.
There will be a SEFA board of directors meeting at the Clean Show on June 25. The new officers will be elected at the board meeting and will take office July 1. Barry Morgan of Georgia is in line to be president and Ed Robinson the executive vice president. Vice presidents will be Jean Barr, Greg Myers and J.C. Strickland. The treasurer/secretary will be Lang Houston. Leland Waite will be chairman of the board.
For details, call Ruby Strickland at SEFA, (770) 998-9900.
The North Carolina Association of Launderers & Cleaners held a series of meetings across the state during May in which it solicited support for revisions to the state's solvent cleanup act. The association has been lobbying for changes in the insurance provisions of the law, based on the lack of such coverage.
"Insurance policies providing coverage for historical releases, which had been available at the time of the act's passage, can no longer be purchased," NCALC attorney and lobbyist Sam Taylor said.
New Bern cleaner Gloria Cowell hosted one of the meetings. She said "the meeting was great. We raised over $5,000 to support the legislation."
Denny Shaffer addressed cleaners' questions on the bill and the association campaign, Cowell said. "There were people attending our meeting and they stayed until 10 o'clock." She reported that the other meetings were similarly well received.
The Louisiana Mississippi Drycleaners & Laundry Association said its secretary/treasurer has taken charge of the local effort to build support for the Small Business Remediation Act, commonly called the Barton Bill.
Mississippi drycleaner Linda Ferguson said she scheduled a meeting between Rep. Joe Barton and Barney Deden, the official spokesperson for the industry coalition lobbying for the Barton bill. The idea was to have the two meet on an informal basis.
"This meeting was in the works for several weeks and we got a last minute commitment from Barton for the meeting," Ferguson added.
Ferguson said she is working on several other projects related to the bill coalition formed in Chicago.
"We need to put the coalition on a more formalized structure," she said. "The coalition is the client. Reports should be sent directly to the coalition. I don't have a problem hiring a lobbyist as long as we know where the money is going."
Ferguson said the people running the coalition effort are above reproach, but she wants to be sure "everybody is on the same page."
Another issue the local association is facing is unionization.
The Jackson Area Drycleaners Association June meeting will discuss the organizing effort with an attorney. The topic is of interest to cleaners because of concern over the growth of unionizing efforts among local laundry workers. Cleaners have reported that organizing efforts have already begun in New Orleans. Ferguson suspects some of the members are already involved.
JADA meets one Thursday a month. For information on its programs, contact Ferguson, (601) 939-0710. LMDLA can be reached at (601) 321-4625.
The summer session of the Southwest Drycleaners Association general fabric care course begins June 7 at the Texas Woman's University in Denton, TX. The class will be held June 7 - 18 at the Texas Research Center for Laundry & Drycleaning.
The curriculum includes identification of fibers and fabrics, stain removal, bleaching, drycleaning technology, management and other skills needed to operate as a cleaner. Also taught are the basics of a laundry operation. Both wetcleaning and drycleaning are covered in the class.
Jane Zellers is the chief instructor for the school.
Information on SDA training programs is available from the association at (210) 826-4684.
Kentucky drycleaner Bill Rogers sees the present as full of opportunity. From education to regulatory reform, the present economy offers cleaners an opportunity to redefine their relationship as business owners, association members and as a political influence. The problem is getting people to look at what they have and understand what they might achieve. Rogers suggested that the formula for achieving a successful resolution to a problem has two parts. The first is looking somebody straight in the eye while explaining an idea. The second is being consistent in what you are offering. As he begins his term as president of the Kentucky Fabricare Association, Rogers wants to take on a problem he sees as having a major impact on the political effectiveness of the industry -- the lack of a cohesiveness among cleaners.
"I know there was no unification in the industry more than a decade ago when the OSHA scare came," Rogers said. "Everybody wanted information. They wanted information and they wanted facts from their association." Rogers called this a good time for trade associations as cleaners joined "so they could get that information and feel protected." The boom cycle didn't last, though.
"When the scare was over they wandered off," he noted.
"As far as the associations go, they are changing," he claimed. "Nationwide associations are dispersing." His take is that drycleaners are an independent lot who like to do their own thing. It's difficult to get them to work together on one project, let alone join at a national level. The ten years that have gone by since the "OSHA scare" have brought in a number of new people to the industry. Rogers thinks this group lacks "an awareness of what other cleaners went through." "The new people in the industry have not had the scare," Rogers said, Barton bill notwithstanding. These new business owners have not experienced the cycles other cleaners have gone through. Rogers noted that other changes have been subtle, such as "a lot more pants than suits, more sports coats than shirts." And the change in the labor market has made hiring a critical management decision.
"The single largest thing is the labor force," he observed. "When you get a good person you keep them."
Rogers is a first generation cleaner, having become a drycleaner 22 years ago after working in the restaurant industry.
"I was looking for something else.," he said of his previous career. "I had a brother in the cleaning industry. My brother needed help and I decided to help him. I worked for him for a while and thought it was something I could get into." He didn't have to leave his home town of Louisville to get a start, either. An opportunity came up within a year when an established cleaner came on the market.
"I bought a store -- Zolk's Cleaners," he said "Then two years later I looked for another store and bought Parrot Cleaners. It was a lot larger." In addition, it was well-established in town. Parrot's had been in Louisville since 1928. Rogers thinks it may be the oldest cleaners in the area.
He was in business for himself, a situation he decided was right for him.
"I run it by myself. I am the ultimate decision maker," he declared.
Today, Rogers operates four locations and runs a route service with three routes.
"The route service is one of our major things," he said. " So are suedes and leathers. We do a lot of cleaning for independents."
Rogers became involved in the state association when OSHA came around, he recalled. "I threw my hat in ring and became a board member. I've been a board member for 10 years." He was concerned that the association was losing touch with cleaners.
" I could see we were struggling with membership," he said. It was at the point where "we get together or sink. KFA being independent hurt at first, but it's growing now. We give members the option of joining NCA-I." Roger's goal is building KFA. He said the membership numbers have gone up since they initiated monthly meetings. "We have the momentum going and we will keep going with it," Rogers observed. "We want them to feel they are getting something for their money." Four months into his term as president of KFA, he has an opportunity to reflect on how well his program is doing.
The board decided that it wanted to develop a new operating strategy. The goal was to create an association which was accessible and friendly. "We talked about it at the first of year. We broke the state into seven districts. Then we started having local district meetings," Rogers said. "From there, we took the director in that district and set him up as the person to have monthly or bimonthly meetings." "Kentucky is a long state and it's hard to get the guys from the western and eastern parts together," Rogers explained.
At the local level, he works hard to remind cleaners they're "friendly competitors. We're all in the same game and we're not trying to cut each others throats." "We've had a good response from people," Rogers said. "Since the first of the year, we doubled our membership." The district meetings are "the key to getting our enrollment up." Rogers said the meetings need to be worked. It isn't enough to just mail out a brochure and wait for results.
"You have to go out and talk to these people," he said. "You have to look them in the eye. You send something that the cleaner gets it in the mail, and he sorts the incoming receivables in one stack, the bills in another and the rest in a third stack. That third stack gets closer to the garbage can as time goes by." More likely than not, it ends up in the trash can, Rogers concluded.
The second part of a successful contact is consistency.
"You have to have your meeting every month. Be consistent," Rogers declared.
"You can only chip away a little bit at a time. Keep talking to people. Ask people to invite a neighbor," he said.
He does send out postcards. But then he follows that mailing up with a phone call. "The postcard is to give them something to stick on a calendar. The call comes a couple of days before the meeting. But you have to go out and talk to people." Rogers has been working the cleaners in his own district, where he estimates 85 people own businesses totaling 175 cleaning locations.
"KFA executive director Tom Underwood and I are going to try to see everyone in this district," Rogers said.
Rogers is a strong supporter of Underwood, calling him capable and talented. He also indicated that Underwood's work in the state capital was second to none. Rogers wants to move the agenda beyond cleaners feeling welcome in their own association.
His other major concern is creating education and training programs for drycleaners.
"This is not just to keep them out of trouble with OSHA and EPA," Rogers said. "We want them to be a better cleaner." According to Rogers, the training is needed because there are a number of cleaners who need to work on their basic skills.
"I hear horror stories. People take clothes to a cleaner and get one piece back one week, the second piece back the next week." There's a small problem, though.
"Every time we have a spotting seminar, it's the people who know how to do things right who show up. The ones who need the help aren't there. We don't get the ones who need it." But Rogers keeps plugging away, with help coming from a variety of people.
"Another source we have is suppliers. We have three main suppliers in Louisville on the board. When they go out they talk to people, they know who needs to participate." Rogers likes to keep the arrangements simple when it comes to the local meetings.
"For our meeting in the district we don't have a program -- it's an open forum," he said. "Someone had a sexual harassment problem so we talked about the problem." His goal for his local group is "to have a pretty strong following. We hope to invite our district congressional people." The second objective is introducing cleaners to the state association.
The monthly state association meetings are where "we compare notes and take the best things. If you can get all the things done, you'll be way ahead of the game." "An association needs membership," Rogers continued.
But it must show the membership that it is working in their best interests. Rogers said with certain issues coming up in the next year where it is "going to extend sales tax to cleaning, barbers and others who provide service," KFA can prove its worth.
"Between that and Barton bill, those are my two things to this moment," Rogers said. "The Barton bill is very important. We are trying to be unified." "Every legislator has to go to a drycleaner. We should be talking to them at the store," he reasoned.
Any association is a forum to express your ideas and learn.
"That is why we're there. It's a way to get information down to the cleaner. If we can achieve what I described it would be marvelous," Rogers said. "The main thing is I want to build membership and make us a presence so people know we are there."
Workforce issues continue to be a major source of problems for most employers today.
Since we are such a labor-intensive business -- labor is usually the biggest expense for a drycleaner -- it is understandable if this area occupies a majority of your time and effort. Worse yet, I do not see any relief in the foreseeable future.
I will address some ways you should be focusing on this problem in this and future issues.
There are many skills that must be developed by the business manager in dealing with this area. They include finding, interviewing, hiring, training, disciplining and terminating employees. Your skills must include both the traditional and forward-thinking methods of dealing with this perplexing problem.
What do employees want?
First and foremost, it is essential to always be aware that you can never know what a prospective employee is thinking about or looking for in a job. Your challenge then is to become a better communicator when dealing with these issues.
We often assume that a worker's values and goals will be similar to ours. Using this premise is a serious mistake. You must realize from the onset that what drives us to do what we do is what makes us very different from the average worker.
Our entrepreneurial spirit is not so commonplace in today's society. Therefore it can be a real culture shock when new employees do not pan out the way we thought they would after the interview.
Successful hiring must start before you even look for a new worker. The price you pay for not improving in this area will bear tremendous cost.
Poor practices will result in constant turnover, which is very expensive in time, energy and money. Turnover also tends to deteriorate the morale in your business. This problem alone has frustrated many business owners I know, and has forced their company to stagnate or even decline, or worse, force the owner to sell or close a business.
I will not profess to have all of the answers, since I too struggle with this problem in my business on a regular basis. We can not control the workforce or attitude of the applicant, but we can improve our abilities and turn the odds in our favor.
Beginning the search
Your plans must start with how you expect to search for new prospective employees. The traditional method is to run an ad in the newspaper or have a help wanted sign in the window.
Unfortunately that is no longer enough. You will be competing with every company in town for a declining field to chose from.
Another possibility is sending a letter or contacting the secretary of every church or religious organization in your town. They will be aware of good people who may have fallen on hard times, or someone just entering the workforce.
Another source is your town's or county's unemployment office where there is often an employment service to find jobs for unemployment recipients. There also may be a work training office or Private Industry Council in your county's Economic Development Office that runs an employment service.
These agencies may not always produce the best prospects, but it is worth a try, and if successful, you may receive some incentives that may include tax credits or on-the-job training reimbursements toward wages through a program such as The Job Training and Participation Act.
The search never ends
f this is not appealing to you I would try what we just did successfully. A large department store chain just went out of business in my area and during their last few days I spoke to potential candidates who I saw working in the store. Although only one of the many people I spoke to applied, I believe we have a good management trainee on staff as a result.
I would recommend that you always be alert for an energetic hard worker who may be on a job with skills similar to what you need who might not be happy at his or her present job.
All you have to do is hand that person a business card and let her know that you have a job that she may find more appealing than her present position. If she seems receptive, invite her to an interview at your location.
Next you must become expert with your skills in reading applications and interviewing. This is a sadly unscientific process, but there are skills involved that can be sharpened.
Although we can not predict the future we can learn from history, and as we are taught in school, history repeats itself. This is also true with job applicants.
For this reason, you must give serious attention to an applicant's work history. Pay special attention to the applicant's ability to hold a job, and reasons for leaving past employment. If someone does not have the ability to hold a job for any length of time or does not remember the approximate dates of previous jobs, be wary that they do not put any value on longevity.
Next review the applicant's reason for leaving past jobs. If the stories have a recurring pattern, expect nothing to change. Even somewhat believable reasons could be nothing more than excuses.
Your best applicant is usually someone who currently has a job, and has some history of staying in one place for some time, but who is looking for a better opportunity. This rule can be difficult to apply with a young person or mother who is just coming into or returning to the workplace.
Beware of people with adjustment problems or an inability to get along with coworkers or supervisors. Some people can offer believable stories of how horrible coworkers or supervisors were in past jobs, but I find it hard to believe that some people have been just that unlucky to fall into situations where everyone else was at fault but them.
It is tempting to like people who seem nice, but beware: many applicants are experienced at looking for a job. Many are even more experienced at being interviewed than you are at giving interviews.
Hire an employee, not a friend
You must resist the temptation to hire someone that you like. You are not running a popularity contest, you are an employer with a job to fill. Do not fall into the temptation of hiring someone you like, someone who seems like you. Often you are hiring people to do jobs that you should not be doing to free yourself for more important skills.
Therefore you are not trying to replace yourself but to find someone perhaps not at all like you.
This person should be able to fit in with your current work force, but remember, you are looking for an employee who will fit in as a team member, not someone you want to invite home to dinner.
If you find a job applicant who is socially appealing, that is an added bonus, but don't make that your first priority.
A 3-step process
To help in this, it might be a good idea to have other members of your staff assist in the interview process. I suggest never hiring someone on the first meeting. We do our hiring in a three-step process:
During the first half of this year I have been privileged to conduct several management seminars for local and regional industry trade associations throughout the US and Canada.
The best part of these seminars for me is meeting the drycleaning owners and managers who are truly the backbone of this industry.
These are the men and women who work 10 to 12 hour days, six and seven days a week and still make the time to attend educational seminars and trade shows.
You are the people who have prevented and will continue to prevent this industry from becoming McDonald-ized by wannabees with more money than brains.
Drycleaning is a hands-on, labor-intense business that requires constant attention to detail and superb customer service. It is not a business of burgers frozen in Australia and served in Duluth nor jeans sewn in China and sold in Austin.
The seminars I conduct are always interactive and the attendees always have lots of questions.
The three most frequently asked questions are:
1. We keep reading how strong the US economy is... why aren't we seeing the benefits?
2. Why does the drycleaning industry have such a poor reputation with the public?
3. How much money can you really make in this business?
Millions for casual
On the booming U.S. economy, the drycleaning industry is flat except in areas where the population is growing. The industry is flat because of the continuing growth of casual wear.
Companies like Levi Strauss spend more than $50 million a year to promote casual wear and khakis. Levi is just one company and they spend more than a million dollars a week to promote their products.
Another reason the industry is flat is because of the growth of the home office. More and more people are spending more time working at home which means they have less need to dress up. Translation... less need for drycleaning services.
Even though the demand for drycleaning services is flat, many drycleaners are growing 10 percent to 20 percent this year over the same period last year.
How are they doing it?
As is most often the case, these business owners are growing by using several good management and marketing tools.
A portion of every drycleaner's growth must be achieved through the use of "pricing power." Pricing power exists when a company increases its prices at a higher rate than costs.
If costs go up 3 percent and you increase your prices 5 percent, you will increase your sales by 5 percent and you will increase profits by 2%.
Stop! Don't even think it! No, your sales will not go down and you will not lose customers if you increase your prices 5 percent. As a matter of fact, sales will grow.
Furthermore, you will have the necessary resources to better maintain your equipment and train your employees. The results are improved quality and improved customer service.
The drycleaners who are growing their businesses are selling benefit. They are selling benefit by guaranteeing that the work will be done right (ready to wear) and that it will be done on time, or it is free. How important is that to the real drycleaning customers?
Fact: Real benefits have real value for which real customers are willing to pay.
A reputation earned
Another frequently asked question refers to the poor reputation of drycleaners. This reminds me of something that I've encountered more and more recently.
I travel a great deal on business and I stay in hotels that cater to business travelers. Among other things, these hotels give their guests a little package which includes two shirt buttons, a needle and different colored threads.
Why do they do this?
Because the front desk is bombarded with requests every morning from guests who need buttons, a needle and some thread.
Why?
Because the business traveler who has his shirts done by the "average" drycleaner has to replace broken and missing buttons before he can go to work.
The hotels are responding to a "real" need. To confirm the fact that the "average" drycleaner does not replace missing or broken buttons I have taken more than 80 shirts to more than 50 cleaners. Each shirt was missing two buttons.
How many of the 80 shirts with two missing/broken buttons came back with both buttons replaced? The answer is one -- one shirt out of 80. How bad is that?
This is the how an industry "earns" a terrible reputation. To combat this reputation you must do your job and do it right.
Next, you must sell the benefits of patronizing your store. You do not do that by knocking your competition. You do it by promoting the fact that you guarantee your work. What a strange and unique idea! What would happen if you advertised that you would do customers' next three or even five shirts free if they received any shirts back with a missing or broken buttons?
If you think such a guarantee would put you out of business, then it is time to do yourself and the industry a favor by closing your doors right now.
How much money can you make?
The third most frequently asked question is "How much money can you really make in this business?"
I'll answer that with some questions of my own... How hard are you willing to work? How long are you willing to work hard? Can you remove your fears from the decision-making process?
This may sound like a no-brainer, but the first two; working hard and working hard for as long as it takes to be successful are easy ones, especially for entrepreneurs.
Growing your business and making the kind of money you can and should requires the ability to make the hard decisions. The most successful drycleaners, those earning a 20 percent and up return on sales, play by the rules.
I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to come out and learn and ask questions. Californians: I am going to be conducting seminars in late September in California and I look forward to meeting you and taking your questions.
Remember, in the game of business, the more you know the better you can play the game.
Most of us do or have done some sort of market research prior to opening or purchasing a new store. But how many of us realize the importance of continuing our market analysis even after we've been in business five, 10, 20 years or longer?
Market research is the searching, gathering and analysis of business information that is needed to identify and target your market.
It will help you to identify new services which are being sought by your present customers and guide you in the development of new markets.
It is crucial to the creation of a marketing and advertising plan and will help you to stay ahead of the competition.
Ultimately, the most important reason for continued market research is to make informed business decisions that will best utilize your limited resources and maximize your revenue.
Your research should answer the following questions: Who are my customers and how large of a target market currently exists?
Develop a profile of your "typical" customer, not from your own opinion but from hard data supplied by your current customers.
Then, through the use of Census Bureau information, obtained either on-line or from public libraries, you can find out how large a pool your current customers come from, and what portion of this same pool are not currently using your services.
Where do they want to buy? That is -- is your current location convenient to everyone? Should you open a drop-store? Should you offer pick-up and delivery?
When do they want to buy? Are your store hours convenient to your customers, or are they designed only for your convenience? Should you consider opening on Sundays?
What do they buy? Any marketer will tell you that customers buy benefits. So find out what services your customers want that you are not presently offering, then offer it to them as a benefit.
An example might be storage services. If you find out that your customers are interested in storage services, which you don't currently offer, add this to your list of services and promote it as one of the benefits of doing business with you instead of your competitors.
How do customers buy? In large quantities? Monthly? Weekly?
Knowing the size and frequency of customer orders will assist you in developing a marketing plan to match your customers' needs.
Every cleaner wants the high-volume user, but maybe they're just not a part of your available customer pool. Knowing this allows you to develop a more effective marketing strategy.
Your advertising frequency should match how frequently your customers visit your store, (monthly, weekly, twice-weekly) with an emphasis on encouraging more frequent visits.
Why do they buy? Motivation is sometimes hard to predict. We generally think that customers use our services out of necessity, but that may not be as likely as you'd imagine.
The majority of our customers probably use our services to enhance their self-image. They want to dress as impeccably as possible, so as to be admired by others. And/or they further enhance their own self-image by not doing the chore of laundry or pressing. These are the benefits we should sell to our customers.
Market research can be either primary or secondary.
Primary research actually creates new information. This is accomplished through customer surveys of existing or potential customers.
These customer surveys can be in the form of a written survey handed out at your counter, or solicited by direct mail, a telephone survey, or an "intercept" interview, like when you're stopped in the mall by an interviewer with a clip-board.
Focus groups can also provide valuable information -- sometimes about things we don't want to hear!
The advantages of doing primary research is that it usually gives timely information. It gives a clear picture if done properly and it can give both quantitative (a large volume) and qualitative (high quality) information.
The disadvantages are that it can be expensive, as in the case of a professionally run focus group, and the collection time is usually longer than secondary research.
Secondary research is the most cost effective. It locates and gathers existing information, 90 to 95 percent of what you need to know is available if you know where to look.
Secondary research can be done either manually, by computer, or by telephone. Manually, you can go the library and begin by locating your store in the Haynes Criss-Cross Directory.
From there you can find out the names, addresses, and phone numbers of everyone in your neighborhood. Electronically, there are CD-ROMs for both the Yellow Pages and the White Pages (reasonably priced), Info-Trac, ABI Inform, and Disclosure. Consumer on-line databases can be found on CompuServe and AOL, not to mention the myriad of other sources available through the Internet.
The advantages of secondary research are that you can usually do it yourself, if you have the time; it is less expensive than primary research; and there are lots of sources available that provide both qualitative and quantitative information.
The disadvantages of secondary research are that it may not be quite as timely as primary research. In fact, it can often be a year or more old. It may not be as microscopically focused on your particular area.
Ultimately the results will depend on the abilities of the person doing the research.
This invaluable information will allow you to define who your customer base is and/or potential markets for your services.
You will gain a demographic profile of your customers by age, gender, ethnicity, income, education, type of employment, and geography. This will let you develop a more sophisticated marketing plan and sales strategy.
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.
The use of the syringe and needle can be perfected by practicing the application of the glue bead on a simulated open hem made from a piece of paper.
The amount of pressure needed on the syringe and the speed with which the needle is drawn across the hem line to get a 1/16 inch wide bead will quickly be determined. Then the technique can be used once the needle is inserted through the lining and behind the hem flap. As described, gluing cuffs and hems that are sewn to the lining is best done by using the syringe and needle applicator.
Practice gluing garments by using a piece of paper in place of the leather. Determine how much pressure to apply to the plunger to get the permanent glue to flow out of the needle. Move the needle in a straight line as you push on the plunger. Try to get the glue to flow on to the paper so that it forms a 1/16 inch bead which will become a 1/4 inch wide film when the hem is placed together. Practice until you feel comfortable gluing with the syringe needle.
With this practice under your belt, proceed to glue up the nearest hem or cuff that is sewn to the lining.
Insert the needle through the lining at the point where the leather ends. Then move the needle as far from the point of insertion as possible before applying pressure to the plunger to deposit a 1/16 inch bead of glue along the hemline. Repeat in the opposite direction.
Warning: Do not apply any side pressure to the needle or it will snap off at the end of the syringe and get glue where you don't want it.
Recommendation: Dull the point of the needle before using it to apply the glue. This will prevent it from catching as you move it after inserting through the lining and into the hemline
Dull the tip of the needle
If you don't get enough glue into the hem it will not glue together properly. If you get too much into the hemline, it will take much longer to dry and may bleed through the skin, making the hemline stiff and hard.
You can check the amount of glue you are depositing. As you apply the glue, try to slide the hem between your thumb and forefinger. If it doesn't slide, there is not enough glue. If it just slides, it is OK. If it slides like a greased pig, you used too much glue.
When you pull the needle out from the hemline through the lining, be sure that you have pulled the plunger back slightly to release the pressure and stop the flow.
Should you accidentally get the glue on the lining or the suede, do not let it dry. Immediately wipe up the excess with a paper towel or absorbent cloth. Then wipe up the residue with a moist damp cloth and allow it to air dry. If the glue dries before you notice it, it must be worked with an appropriate spotter that normally would not harm the skin. Dried glue on suede should be removed with abrasive spotters and volatile dry solvent (VDS).
Author's Note: Do not attempt to use products that are not specifically formulated for use on suede and leather. Royaltone suede and leather products are specially formulated to process suedes, leathers, furs and trimmed cloth. Other brands may not give the same results when used as described in this article.
Most employers exercise great care when discharging an employee.
Employers rarely, however, exercise the same degree of care when making a hiring decision, especially a decision not to hire a particular candidate.
Decisions not to hire, nonetheless, can form the basis for a lawsuit or charge of discrimination.
Further, a bad decision to hire an individual employee will one day become a difficult decision about how, when, and why to fire that employee.
Add to this that a "failure to hire" lawsuit is difficult to defend because hiring decisions tend to be more complex than termination decisions and also quickly forgotten.
These factors mean that hiring decisions need to be made with great care.
The foundation for a good hiring program is an effective, experienced human resources or personnel director. In small businesses, that person should be the owner or the general manager. Hiring decisions, like firing decisions, should not be made by lower level employees.
Job descriptions
A good hiring program also requires job descriptions.
First, the Americans with Disabilities Act relies on job descriptions to determine job qualifications and whether reasonable accommodations can be made.
Second, a good job description can help the interviewer ask pertinent, job-related questions. A good employment application, containing no illegal questions, is a must.
Trained interviewers are also essential to the foundation of a good hiring program. Interviewers need to know how to ask questions, how to evaluate answers, and which labor laws affect the questions they can and cannot ask. Training in record keeping is also important.
Sources of employees
With a solid hiring policy, a company can then turn to the sources for new employees. There are many, but unfortunately, in times of labor shortage, there are not nearly enough.
Some of the common sources are employment agencies, schools, newspaper advertisements, walk-ins, and current employees.
Employment agencies are fine, but they can be expensive, and they are frequently less than truthful about the quality of the people they send to you. Temporary agencies will sometimes allow you to evaluate the employee first, which is an opportunity you should not turn down.
Many high schools have vocational programs that are a good source of future employees. In fact, some programs even allow the student to work part-time during the school year.
The paperwork is sometimes annoying, but you can frequently find an employee whose initiative is not tainted by years of working for a series of employers.
Using current employees as a recruitment source has its hazards.
First, current employees have relatives, and if the referral is a relative of a current employee, keep in mind the potential conflicts that may be presented later.
Remember, if you must fire a relative of a current employee, you could find yourself with two slots to fill. Also, using current employees can be discriminatory, especially if most of your workforce is white.
Walk-ins and applicants who respond to newspaper advertisements present their own problems. There is virtually no pre-screening.
If you use newspaper ads, word them carefully. Do not allow the advertisement to become evidence of age discrimination or sex discrimination. "Young man needed for deliveries" is one bad example.
One final word on newspaper ads. Once you hire someone, pull the ad. Otherwise, you may have to explain in a lawsuit why you continued to advertise after you told a disgruntled applicant that someone else filled the job.
A policy for applications
he application process should be based on a written policy. Information obtained from applications needs to be meaningful to allow effective screening.
Obviously, interviewing 50 applicants for a single position is not effective. Although former employers may be reluctant to give reference information, you should nonetheless try to get it.
Many times, employers will give you excellent information with the simple words: "We would not rehire."
Once the interviewing process takes place, make that 20 minutes count. Talk to them about former employers for clues as to their reasons for leaving, relationship with other employees, and propensity to make excuses for poor work history.
Ask about their education, career goals, experience, and absenteeism. You might want to ask how many days a month they miss from work on average.
If the answer is not: "I may miss a couple of days per year, but not enough per month to count," consider going to the next applicant.
Testing of job applicants, which used to be discouraged, is now sometimes desirable.
You might want to consider written tests or even practical demonstrations of skills as part of the process. Lie detector tests are pretty much illegal, unless you run a law enforcement agency.
Wrong questions in interviews
Keep in mind the following interview don'ts:
1. Do not ask questions about the applicant's age, except to determine that he has reached the age of majority.
2. Do not ask questions that will indicate ancestry or national origin. "Where were you born" is an obvious problem. If the job does not call for knowledge of a foreign language, do not ask what foreign languages he speaks.
3. Do not ask questions concerning physical characteristics. Questions about height or weight should not be asked. Moreover, statements commenting on an applicant's attractiveness could lead to later charges of sexual harassment.
4. Do not ask questions designed to find out marital status. Do not ask a woman's "maiden name." At most, ask everyone interviewed, including a man, if he was ever known by another name.
5. Do not point out to a woman that "this is a man's job" or that "you'll feel uncomfortable in that position." You should describe the work and ask whether she feels she could do it. Of course, the same rules apply when a man seeks a job normally performed by women.
6. Do not ask about health and physical condition. If health is a bona fide consideration, require a physical.
7. Do not ask the applicant where he goes to church. You can, however, ask if there are any reasons he cannot work Saturdays (if Saturday work is required).
8. Questions about financial status should be avoided. Obvious examples are: "Ever had your salary garnished?" "Do you own your own home?" "Do you own a car?" "Where do you live?"
9. Questions about criminal convictions are permissible; questions about arrest are not.
10. Do not ask questions about his family, such as how many children does he have.
11. Do not ask the applicant how he feels about unions or whether he has belonged to one. If you have a union, by all means tell the applicant of any union shop rules. If you are non-union, you may tell the employee of that fact as well.
12. If questions about military service are asked, do not ask whether the discharge was honorable.
Be honest in rejections
Although you are not required to tell an applicant the reason why he is not being hired, a truthful answer could avoid later lawsuits. Document your decision, keeping a memorandum to show why a particular person was hired.
Lies to let the applicant "down easy" should be avoided; those lies will show up to haunt you in later litigation. "We hired a more qualified candidate" will rarely get you in trouble.
Good reasons for hiring or not hiring a person can include:
Good hiring practices are as essential as a good program of discipline and discharge. If the best available applicants are hired, the need for a good disciplinary program may become less important.
Because I've had such positive response to the articles about my life, I've decided to put it all down in a book. I'll let you know when it's ready.
Until then, let's talk about shirts.
I know a cleaner who makes over $100,000 a year doing 2,300 shirts a week.
I also know a whole army of drycleaners who lose money on every shirt they do.
They claim they have to compete with the 99 cent shirt cleaner and not knowing their true cost, they lose money on their shirt sales. That is, of course, if they are doing a top quality shirt.
If they are not, they are losing their best customers, the Big Tunas, who come in every week with four or five shirts and spend over $500 a year with their cleaner.
What a trade off!
Do a cheap shirt and not be able to hold your best customers, or... do a top-quality shirt and lose money on every shirt you do.
Sure you can do 50 and even 60 shirts an hour when you have a well trained operator(s), but what about the speed when you train a new operator? And what about the times the shirt presser doesn't show up or is on vacation or sick?
Don't tell me that you average 60 shirts an hour for the year, month, or even week.
Accept 40 top quality shirts an hour unless you have a bantam lay down unit, and then it will be difficult to get 20 good shirts an hour.
Your cost of the actual pressing of the shirts will run anywhere from 17.5 cents per shirt for just that one part of the job. For a bantam unit, the cost will be double that, or 35 cents per shirt at $7 an hour.
But what about all the other costs that go into shirt processing?
It has been documented and confirmed by many that the cost to produce a top-quality laundered shirt is about $1 to $1.10.
A very astute cleaner, who also tracks every cost on his computer, broke down his top quality shirt as follows:
This is based on his net revenue per shirt of $1.79 after specials and discounts. He broke his costs down to one shirt.
I know you may say you do it for less, but let's review the actual items to be covered in the true cost of producing a top-quality shirt.
The shirts have to be washed in a formula that produces a bright white shirt and removes all collar and cuff soil left after washing. Somebody has to do the washing, sorting and laying out of the washed shirts for finishing.
Then the shirt has to be finished by an individual or team of shirt pressers.
This usually calls for one or two operators and you can expect about 40 shirts an hour per operator.
The average plant gets from 17 to 20 shirts an hour when you include all the related work, such as washing, inspection, button replacement, sorting, assembly and bagging.
Now add up the cost of, say, 18 shirts an hour and the cost for labor now comes to 39 cents a shirt.
What does it cost for the rest of the process?
Add in overhead
Let's start with your general overhead. Every shirt done has to relate to the value of your basic overhead, such as rent, bookkeeping, insurance, etc. And don't forget the cost of marking in that shirt.
Now we can break down the costs beyond basic overhead.
You can delude yourself by not counting labor or forgetting the cost of repairs and depreciation or not allowing for any overhead, but all these and the other factors do prevail.
There are some owners who will stay half the night to press shirts and not allow a dime for their personal labor and think they are making a profit. They are not making a profit. All they are doing is working themselves to death and making about $7 an hour. You don't need to own a business to do this. As an entrepreneur, however, you certainly have the right to make a good return on your investment.
People doing shirts at a loss may be wise in some ways but they are not fully informed as to what it really costs. The incentive to be a drycleaning entrepreneur is that once past break-even, good profits can be expected.
Let's say that a true break-even for a package plant is $3,000 a week and this plant does one third of all sales in shirts, or 1,000 shirts a week for $1,000.
Additional drycleaning should bring in at least 65 percent profit so if this plant can increase its drycleaning sales by $500 a week, they should be able to pick up 65 percent of the increase in profits, to the tune of $325 a week.
But let's say this plant does a very nice shirt and its true cost is $1 each and it increases its shirt volume by 200 shirts a week.
The profit, if the charge is 99 cents, would be a negative. Not only for the extra 200 but for the entire 1,200 shirts they would now be producing a week.
Why should you charge at least $1.50 to process a top-quality shirt?
For one thing, tell me what a customer will tell you he paid for his shirt if you lose it? I'll bet it never cost them under $40 and many times, it cost $80.
True or not, if you lose the shirt you have to pay a claim and probably lose a Big Tuna customer in the bargain, especially if you delay settling or give them less than they want for this shirt that was cleaned "for the first time." Even honest people seem to feel that all lost shirts cost them well over $40.
Knowing the problems, you are entitled to make a fair profit for producing a top-quality shirt.
Based on the equipment and training and maintaining a good shirt crew, you should be able to get at least $1.50 and, in the right market, $1.65 and up.
You are entitled to get a fair price for the cost of your equipment, training your help, having the facility and working under hot and tough conditions in order to provide a worthwhile service.
Reacting to competition
I know an operator who was doing a top quality shirt in a very tough market and had over 2,000 shirts a week. He knew his cost and claimed that his packaging and the high wages he paid made his shirts cost about $1.10 to produce and he was getting $1.65.
At a profit of 55 cents a shirt, he felt comfortable, but he started losing business because he had several competitors charging 99 cents who were cutting into his weekly count of shirts.
After his shirt volume dropped from over 2,000 to about 1,600 shirts a week, and trying to explain to his customers why he felt he was entitled to charge 66 cents more than the competition, rage set in.
His competitors had signs in their windows -- Shirts... 99 cents -- and this infuriated him so he made the mistake of fighting fire with fire.
In a foolish move, he dropped his shirt price to 99 cents and quickly picked up his volume to get back to the 2,000 shirts a week, but at a substantial loss.
He saw his profit on shirts come to a grinding halt and actually go into the loss column.
He finally woke up and went to $1.25. He plans to inch his way back up to his old price and realizes he may never get there because he caved in to the heat of competition and competitive rage.
You may be reading this article and getting mad at me for trying to make you see the truth.
People have a tendency to defend any position they take and one of the biggest killers of profits in this industry is not understanding the difference between cash flow and net profits. My information is based on facts and not wishful thinking.
Those cleaners who use shirts as loss leaders, either knowingly or through lack of knowledge of the true cost, are giving up a wonderful opportunity to make a respectable profit.
A wedding gown is one of the most important and cherished articles of clothing selected by a consumer.
People attempt to preserve wedding gowns for the joy of remembrance and the possibility of passing the gown on for future use to members of the family.
The styles of wedding gowns have undergone some fashion changes, but not dramatic ones.
The wedding gown relies on lace and ornamental trimming such as beads, sequins, pearls and droplets to emphasis their uniqueness. The color is traditionally white but can range from pure white to beige, ivory, off white and ecru.
A wedding gown fabric is usually taffeta, satin peau de soie or faille and occasionally velvet or crepe is used. The fibers commonly used for wedding gowns are acetate, polyester, nylon, rayon, cotton and silk.
Fabric problems
Many wedding gowns are not labelled with care instructions nor are they styled for serviceability. The problems with wedding gowns may be due to:
Many wedding gowns are adorned with unserviceable trimming and accessories.
Glued on lace and beading. The adhesive binder used to hold the trimming is usually solvent soluble causing a loss and separation of the trimming in routine drycleaning procedures.
Solvent soluble beading. Some beading, pearls, and droplets are made of a solvent soluble plastic (polystyrene), which dissolves in drycleaning solvent causing staining of the fabric. The plastic trimming can have varying degrees of serviceability depending upon the plastic aid coating used on the plastic.
Glued on trimming. Some trimming is glued to the surface of the fabric by an adhesive binder. When this adhesive is soluble in drycleaning solvent loss of trimming occurs when the gown is drycleaned.
Sequins. They can deluster when drycleaned and can curl when steamed due to the heat sensitivity of the substance used.
Loss of dye on lace. Some wedding gown retailers or manufacturers will hand dye a trim fabric to match a color already used on the gown. These dyes are solvent soluble which cause a loss of dye and extreme contrast between the poorly dyed lace and the other sections of the gown.
Yellowing and discoloration of lace. Some lace is sized to give the fabric stiffness and body. Age, oxidation and routine drycleaning can cause the sizing to oxidize causing a discoloration and difference in the color at the lace.
Unraveling of lace. Many lace trimmings used on gowns are not properly bound or finished. The yarn ends will unravel after wear and routine cleaning.
Inspection
Examine wedding gowns for age, oxidation, wear areas, and staining. Inform the customer of risks in cleaning and obtain a signed release before processing.
All beading and trimming must be tested by applying a drop of amyl acetate to the finger tips and contacting the beading and sequins with the amyl acetate.
Note: Wait two to three seconds and note any tackiness of beading or loss of sheen an sequins and beading.
Any trimming that has any degree of solubility to the above testing or any trimming that is glued on must be cleaned with a customer's signed release or the gown must be refused.
A short run or immersion time (one to two minutes) is a necessary precaution against damage. Cleaning in petroleum solvent offers a greater degree of safety.
Prespotting
All wedding gowns should be prespotted since it is advisable to handle the wedding gown only once.
The train and hemlines should be prespotted with three parts of solvent and one part drycleaning soap. Add water to mixture if soil is ground in. Make sure the moisture is allowed to dry before cleaning. Test with water on any velvet fabric for possible pile distortion.
Work tannin stains in a routine manner. Even on white fabrics, oxalic acid, general formula and rust remover must be tested. These chemicals can deluster some satin fabrics that have been sized.
Use a soft headed brush or wrap a cheese cloth around a bristle brush. Work on the opposite side of satin fabrics to avoid chafing the delicate floating surface yams.
Use digesters on protein stains when areas are weak, tender and oxidized.
Drycleaning
Dryclean wedding gowns two to three minutes in a high solvent level. Glued on beading should be immersed for only five to 10 seconds.
Use a short extraction (top speed) and shut off. Dry at 120 degrees F. Clean netting separately in a net bag. Hand clean the crown with volatile dry solvent.
Restoration
An aged or oxidized fabric needs wet cleaning and bleaching. Make up a warm bath (100 degrees F) using two ounces of sodium perborate or a safety bleach (Snowy). Soak the gown four to eight hours. Rinse in warm water (100 degrees F) and then put in a bath containing acetic acid (sour).
Use two ounces of acetic acid per gallon of water. Follow with a clear rinse. Extract lightly. Place over a steam air finisher using air only.
Finishing
Use heat and head pressure according to fabric and fiber content. Avoid excessive head pressure on polyester and nylon. Use light head pressure and presses that have a soft covered head rather than a hard grid plate.
Use hand pads for touch up. Silks require more head pressure and hotter hand irons. Velvet should be lightly steamed and brushed with a soft velvet brush.
Sequins should be tested for heat sensitivity before steaming. Snip off a sample and steam the sequin.
Gown preservation
When wedding gowns are stored they should be properly cleaned and free of stains.
Use an acid free box with acid free tissue paper.
Do not cover or seal with plastic since this type of storage builds up an acid condition that hastens deterioration.
Emphasize to the customer the need to store her gown in a cool, dry place at home. Otherwise oxidation of the fabric will occur.
Many drycleaners, misunderstand how wedding gowns should be stored and preserved.
The primary requirements for wedding gown preservation are:
Proper cleaning of the gown. If gowns are not properly cleaned and stains removed, there will be oxidation and darkening of the stain and fabric. It is also necessary to make sure that all prespotting agents are carefully flushed and removed from the fabric, otherwise the chemicals left in the gown will oxidize and turn brown.
Proper storage. Proper cleaning and wedding gown box storage is usually nullified when the customer improperly stores the gown.
When gowns are placed in hot closets or attics, heat and fumes in the air will produce oxidation and readily affect fabrics. Basement areas, moisture and a lack of air circulation sets up conditions for mildew and mold as will as oxidation.
Several months ago, I attended a seminar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and one research scientist advocated special plastic or glass for storage. He, however, emphasized that the garment must be properly stored to prevent damage to the garment over time.
Some museums will encase textiles in glass. The glass, however, is specially treated to prevent penetration of ultraviolet rays of light. The textile also kept under controlled temperature and relative humidity.
The order of the day was issued: "Tomorrow there will be an extra ration of rum, for all the able bodied seaman and oarsmen. That's the good news. Now for the bad news... the Captain wants to go water skiing!"
Perc is not a carcinogen, so revealed Marshall Miller of the Baise, Miller and Freer law firm (a fact we had long ago attested to). It seems rodents have an activating enzyme that metabolically can convert perc to harmful substances.
The good news is that humans simply don't have it!
What does that do to the thousands of lawsuits and litigants who want cleaners to dig up and replace soil that is suspected of contaminating the water supply?
Bill #526 in New Jersey is considering certification of new machinery, that will make funds available for upgrading. What happened to those poor souls who scrapped good usable units with years of life left?
In Illinois a bill, #HB 437 would put the collection of solvent taxes on the drycleaner from the supplier of perc. What does it take to eliminate unfair taxes? Imagine, the Superfund was granted some $90 million dollars, $83 million was spent on legal fees and $7 million on clean up!
Rep. Richard Brodsky of New York has introduced a bill that would ban all drycleaning in residential areas in five years.
Is perc a killer of the ozone layer? No. Have we investigated carbon monoxide?
Banning drycleaning in residential areas is what the wholesalers using petroleum fought for in the '40s. They lost their case, but what has been so terrible and so damaging, in the last 50 years ?
Sense and non-sense
In the business of enacting new laws, perhaps we could have a "Sense and Non-sense" law on the books!
Truth in Labeling is useless due to the avalanche of foreign fabrics and manufacturers who don't bother with the unenforceable care label laws. I heard of the drycleaner accepting a "bathing suit" for dryclean-only labeled "Do Not Wash."
It comes down to the individual being self-educated or having confidence that the retailer will only sell "serviceable merchandise."
How about dealing with a knowledgeable drycleaner and a smiling counter sales person who takes the time to read "the label" and shows how informed she can be by sharing her knowledge and advice?
What an opportunity to educate in place of just writing an invoice!
Working in pajamas?
This bit of news I like the best as far as good news and bad goes.
For years we seen a steady increase in drycleaning revenue because of the "two-income" family and more women in the work force bring the combination of stylish clothes, more disposable income and a prosperous quality of life.
Without being a historian, we now see a trend -- more work at home.
How much drycleaning will pajamas bring in?
Next, we have an emergence of newcomers, struggling in our labor-intensive industry with an 89-cent shirt and $1-plus garment.
Talk about going back 50 years!
Now, to add insult to injury, some clown suggested summer dress-down on Fridays, which somehow has spread to the entire week!
You can't tell me you feel any prestige walking around in dungarees! But wear a clean pressed shirt and tie, have a clean shave, trousers with a sharp crease, and a shine on your shoes -- now you're dressed for success and to do your best work simply because you look your best.
For years we used a slogan If your clothes are unbecoming to you... then you should be coming to us!"
Reversing a trend
Fortunately, there is still some sanity among us. The ball is just starting to roll on this one... "Dress Up on Friday!"
In some of the offices and retail establishments, people are showing up (and showing-off their wardrobes) in full-length dresses, new hairdos, bow ties and the jewelry to match.
The nice part is that the trend is helping the fortunes of other industries, such as stylish tailored clothes, cosmetics, hair salons, and jewelry.
Our industry has always made a dismal effort in promoting good grooming, but together, combining with the fashion and accessory jewelry industries, great things can happen.
The "Dress the Part" campaign will be the start. How about a three- or four-color garment bag -- we only distribute a few million a week -- with a sharp message such as "I look better and feel great when I'm wearing my best and my drycleaner guarantees it!"
I can't help getting disturbed when in St. Louis, Chicago, Atlanta, and New York and a few more major cities, investigative reporters took a few garments, stained them with the usual coffee, tomato sauce, etc., on a serviceable blouse and presented them to 10 various drycleaners for processing.
The shameful results were that six came back just about the same way; four were corrected of the six when the cleaner was made aware of the condition. Only two came back perfect the first time.
And here's the killer: One counter clerk chastised the customer, "Hey lady, we did not put the stain in!"
Too many years have passed to say "there's a light at the end of the tunnel," only to discover that the light is an on-coming train!
Let's be optimistic! Let's be part of the millennium and be a driving force in the next century!
Much has been lectured and written on various incentive systems for motivating production workers in central feeder plants where, usually, the pressers press, the cleaner cleans and spots (or the cleaner cleans and the spotter spots), the inspector inspects, the assembly persons assemble and the baggers bag.
Even operator maintenance is performed by a separate person in larger plants.
But how do we motivate the workers behind the counter in a smaller package plant, whether in a shopping center or in a free-standing building, to increase production in an environment where every worker must do more than one job?
I write this article from my experience as an owner-manager of two busy package plants offering full-service drycleaning, laundered shirts and pants and tailoring in addition to a complete coin-op laundry and drycleaners at each location. In my high-volume production plant at Ft. Meade, MD, my incentive systems and on-the-spot supervision worked beautifully for all production areas.
My set production standards commensurate with the quality points required by the military were always met, and sometimes they were exceeded. This was easy for me since each worker had a specific job.
However, in my busy package plants it was much more difficult to motivate the plant workers if they had to be paid by the hour and no one person could perform just one particular job.
The problem was aggravated by the legal requirement to pay overtime at time and one-half the hourly rate.
I have always believed that a production worker paid by the hour is penalized when he or she works fast, and he or she is rewarded when working slowly. The penalty for working faster is less pay and the reward for working slower is more pay.
Therefore, I decided that I could not operate cost-effectively by paying my workers hourly, and the smaller number of workers did not justify a production supervisor's high salary to "ride herd" on the workers to maintain high productivity with reasonably good quality. These workers had to fill in all around, from drycleaning to assembly/bagging.
Go home when the work is done with no pay loss
I then implemented a system which I called "go home when the day's work is finished with no penalty in pay." Every worker was paid 40 hours per week and no overtime was permitted.
If they could finish the required day's work in six or seven hours, they could leave work with eight hours earned. The assembly person was also the inspector who was trained to quickly identify the quality points required. The general manager was the head clerk in the customer service area who also ensured that the quality points were accomplished.
In order to ensure that there was a strict attitude of cooperation among the workers, a family atmosphere was created with the general manager acting as the "mother."
There were Christmas Eve parties to give bonuses to the workers. All major holidays were preceded by a little get-together with refreshments. All birthdays of the workers were celebrated after work with a party and a gift from "mother."
My job was to see that all this was smoothly accomplished.
Each worker in the plant was evaluated for work effectiveness and periodic raises in 40-hour pay were given.
You would be surprised to see every one helping the other in his or her job in order to get the work for the day finished. The pressers helped the cleaner/spotter check for spots and hang the garments for pressing, and the cleaner/spotter helped the pressers when he was finished with his work. No one sat on his or her butt.
We promised regular service for 48 hours (every other day) and "specials" for the same day were cut off at 10 am After 10 am, specials were promised for the next day at 4:30 pm The production schedule, for example, was to take in work on Monday, to process it on Tuesday, and have it ready for delivery on Wednesday morning.
Specials were always processed first. Garments were marked in immediately after receipt. The cleaner/spotter always cleaned and spotted at least one load of "new work" after the previous day's work was gotten out, but that work was not pressed for two reasons:
1. I wanted the cleaner/spotter to have an edge on the next day's new work.
2. I wanted the plant workers to have the incentive to get the old work out and leave as soon as possible.
If we were into a higher-than-normal volume period, the manager was instructed to promise regular service for 72 hours and limit specials to no more than a few garments.
I learned a long time ago that working an employee past the normal eight hours was too costly and non-productive since the worker is too tired and burned out after working hard for a full day. It is better to send them home and bring them back fresh the next morning.
My National Clothesline article, "Plenty of Causes, But No Good Excuses for Orders Not Ready When the Customer Calls," (May and June 1990, Parts I and II), is available from the editor upon request.
In that article, I outlined the procedure for promising work to limit requests for specials by customers and how to run the production mode to finish the work on time as promised.
This article emphasizes the counter person's question to the customer: "Will Wednesday by all right?"
Never ask: "When would you like your clothes back?" The customer will usually say tomorrow. If the customer needs the order sooner than 48 hours, he or she will then ask to return the order earlier (special). In other words, specials should not be encouraged, but they also should not be denied.
Many operators brag about saving wage hours to less than six hour per day per worker. How can a person exist on 25 hours per week? What is the incentive to work harder?
My feeling always was that it is better to have a few well paid and satisfied workers rather than more under-paid and dissatisfied workers. Cooperation wins game and battles. The Marines call it "Gung Ho."
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.
The time has come for Sam Choi and his mission to be introduced to the drycleaning community.
Sam Choi is the vice president of Korean and Asian Affairs for the International Fabricare Institute. Sam Choi's mission is difficult but not impossible. His mission is to bring the Korean and American drycleaners to a better understanding by working together to build a strong meaningful industry for the benefit of consumers and, importantly, the drycleaners.
It's no secret that the industry is not producing enough new volume that's needed for existing drycleaners. We cannot continue to provide discount "cherry pickers" with low-low prices. What we need is more volume, new business, and better service. And, we must find new ways of getting it.
We can't blame Koreans for what we are now experiencing. Koreans are not hurting the industry. Attitude is. Koreans are a dressing-up people. They enjoy wearing nice clothes. And they are concerned about spots and stains -- just like the Americans. And just like the Americans, they are concerned about bad publicity.
Koreans are divided people and Korea is a divided country. However, most all of the people in Korea speak the same language. Korea is divided by the 38th parallel, called the "truce line," which makes Korea into two nations. The North is communistic and the South is democratic.
All Koreans who come to the United States are South Koreans. However, many of the North and South Koreans have family members in both countries. They have been separated because of the Korean war. After more than 50 years, Koreans have hope that families will be reunited. Time may be running out, but hope is not. Koreans will not forget family members.
Koreans are firm believers in family values and education is paramount. They keep their life progress in detailed genealogies. The records go back many centuries and include the date of birth, marriage, education, achievements, and the place of burial. Records are very important.
Sam Choi was born, raised and educated in the city of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Seoul, with its many universities, has been a capital since 1394.
It was in Seoul, during his growing up years, that he studied at the Seoul National University for his Masters Degree in Public Administration. He also attended and graduated from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. With diplomas in his pocket, he served with the Korean Diplomatic Corp. His diplomatic service includes Japan, Canada, Germany and the United States. He was also with the Korean Embassy in Washington, DC.
After 25 years of diplomatic service, Sam Choi retired and started his new career. He bought Neil's Cleaners in Beltsville, MD, and became a drycleaner, and soon a professional drycleaner.
Being a diplomat and a communicator, he had no problems in dealing with and understanding drycleaning customers. Neil's Cleaners has been pleasing customers for more than 20 years.
Koreans often use extreme modesty when speaking of themselves or their business. They are reluctant to accept high honors.
Sam Choi has a mission with vision. He sees things as they are and how much better they can be. His mission will benefit all of us. In the Korean culture, professional businessmen meeting for the first time, offer a handshake then a common greeting, "Annyong haseiyo," which means, "Are you at peace?"
The drycleaning industry, however, is troubled. When blaming is rampant and learning is ignored, there can be no peace. Sam Choi's mission is crystal clear -- the joining of cultures for better understanding and working for a common good. He can be reached at IFI, (301) 622-1900, extension 148.
The Wedding Gown Specialists Association held its annual three-day conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, this year where issues of technology and marketing were discussed.
Bill Seitz, executive director of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International, addressed the group on the challenge to the fabric care industry caused by changing fashion trends, increasing numbers of home-based businesses and more casual office wear. He offered remedies for a shrinking market and outlined new technologies and new solvents developed in response to increasing government regulation.
Other speakers included John Dunn of John Dunn San Juan Ltd. who presented selections from his collection of designs fashioned from luxurious fabrics, and Gerard and Eileen Monaghan, leaders of the Association of Bridal Consultants.
Malcolm MacGregor of Browns Cleaners and Tailors in Ottawa, ON, accepted a second term as president of the group. Accepting terms on the board of directors were Wayne Edelman of Meurice Garment Care in New York, Joseph Hallak Jr. of Hallak Cleaners in New York and New Jersey, and Chris Maxwell of Westside Cleaners in Tennessee.
The association is a not-for-profit trade group represented in 500 cities around the world. Members specialize in preservation of new gowns and restoration of vintage gowns.
Mats Bruce has joined Ipso USA Inc. as vice president of engineering. He has been with several major laundry machine manufacturers in the Unites States over the past 15 years. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Bruce will be responsible for design and development of new IPSO products, including its first line of washer-extractors for on-premise laundries to be introduced at Clean '99. He is also involved in the construction and design of the production facilities at the new 50,000-sq.-ft. IPSO manufacturing facility nearing completion in Panama City, FL. Full production of the new machine models at the new facility is anticipated by late summer.
The new facility will service as the North American Headquarters for Ipso USA, which was formerly in Baltimore, MD.
Plans for stages two and three of IPSO's factory development in Florida will add an additional 150,000 square feet.
IPSO-ILG is the parent of Ipso USA.
Suprema Technologies of Worcester, MA, has started operations as the importer of Suprema drycleaning machines for the United States and Canada. The company plans to establish a network of regional distributors in both countries to sell and service Suprema machines.
"For the past several years, Suprema's availability in the U.S. and Canada has been limited," said Robert C. Aldrich, president of Suprema Technologies. "Our network of distributors will be focused on bringing Suprema to all the drycleaners in their areas."
Currently Aldrich Clean-Tech Equipment is distributing machines to drycleaners in six New England states.
Suprema drycleaning machines are manufactured in Bologna, Italy, by Suprema S.p.A. Models designed for professional drycleaners are available in load capacities ranging from 15 to 75 pounds.
Suprema Technologies is located at 59 Webster Place in Worcester, MA; phone (877) 787-7362; fax (877) 463-2522; e-mail info@suprematech.com. The company's web site is www.suprematech.com.
One Hour Martinizing, one of the first neighborhood cleaners which helped change the face of the industry, is celebrating 50 years in franchising and garment care.
Before the advent of "neighborhood cleaning," garment cleaning plants were located away from populated areas due to the flammability of solvent used. Customers would drop-off their dirty garments at pick-up stations near their homes and, a week to 10 days later, be able to pick them up.
In 1949, Henry Martin, a New York chemist, develop an on-premise drycleaning process that resulted in plants being located safely near customer's homes. Martin's company, the Martin Equipment Co. of Buffalo, NY, opened the first store baring the Martinizing name in New York City.
Today, Martinizing has grown to approximately 600 stores within the Untied States and 200 locations in 17 other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Germany, Ecuador and Japan. Company headquarters are in Cincinnati, OH.
Today's Martinizing franchises have the backing of a national corporation and support services that include store layout and design, site selection assistance, and full marketing staff with targeted direct mail capabilities. Training includes store management and equipment maintenance. A toll-free hot-line provides access to Martinizing corporate staff.
"We continually develop new strategies and marketing and training programs to respond to a changing service industry," said Anthony Strike, president of One Hour Martinizing.
"We also have to evolve to support the growth of the system. These positive changes allow us to look forward with enthusiasm to the challenges and opportunities of the next 50 years of Martinizing," Strike said.
The company maintains a web site at www.martinizing.com.
The communications department of the International Fabricare Institute has three new staff members: Adam Spence, Margaret Clark and Paula Spencer.
Spence joined IFI in May as associate editor. He will write feature articles and departmental pieces for Fabricare and Clothes Care Gazette and will be responsible for copy editing and proofing for both periodicals. He will also contribute articles for IFI's web site: www.ifi.org.
Before joining IFI, Spence worked for the American Podiatric Medical Association as a staff writer. He earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Delaware where he made the Dean's List during his junior and senior years and was a three-year varsity letterman in tennis. He also won the school's Best of the Blue Hen award for outstanding academic and athletic achievements.
Clark joined IFI's communications department in December as the publications designer. She is responsible for the design and production of IFI's publications and provides design support for brochures, advertisements and flyers for other IFI departments.
Clark has eight years of professional experience as a designer. She previously worked for REJI USA Inc. as a graphic designer/director of creative services. Clark has a bachelor's degree in advertising design from the University of Maryland.
Spencer has moved to a full-time position in the communications department serving as advertising representative for Fabricare. She has been with IFI for three years, primarily in the marketing department, and has divided her time in the past year between the marketing and communications departments.
Realstar USA has moved its North American operations from Burbank, CA, to Owings Mills, MD. The new facilities feature expanded parts inventory and administrative offices to allow the company to increase its product sales through an authorized distributor network.
Realstar has also added technical support personnel with extended services hours to accommodate the North American markets.
Realstar SRL manufactures drycleaning machines in Bologna, Italy, and markets its products to more than 50 countries. Realstar USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Realstar SRL.
Realstar USA can be reached by phone at (443) 394-9433; by fax at (443) 394-9439; or e-mail at dryclean@realstarusa.com. Information is also available on the web at www.realstar.it.
Laidlaw Corp. has announced the appointments of Mike Achin as director of chemical products and Brian Massey as northeast sales representative.
Achin has worked for Laidlaw for 12 years, starting as a sales person in New England before his promotion in 1994 to regional marketing manager for the east coast. He has been involved in the drycleaning industry for 20 years, including experience in a family drycleaning operation and as a representative for the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International.
Before joining Laidlaw, Massey ran his own distributorship and also worked for many years for another New England distributor, Norton Supply. He will work with Laidlaw distributors from Virginia to New England and will direct six sales people in the drycleaning industry.
Hoyt Corp. presented its 1998 top distributor awards to Greg and Nancy Littlefield of American Commercial Equipment in Cleburne, TX; Ken Hovis of Boggs & Co. in Charlotte, NC; and Bob Haiges of Haiges Machinery in Huntley, IL.
Micell Technologies, Inc., of Raleigh, NC, has announced that S. Kirk Kinsell will join the company as president and chief executive officer.
Kinsell, who has nearly 20 years experience in the development of restaurant and hotel chains, will be responsible for overseeing Micell's expansion of its liquid carbon dioxide processes into the drycleaning industry.
Kinsell, 44, comes to Micell from Avado Brands, Inc., where he served for the past two years as president and chief operating officer and as a member of the Board of Directors.
Previous to Avado, Kinsell was president of the Franchise Division of ITT Sheraton and its Four Points Hotels, a concept he created that established 85 hotels in five countries in less than two years. He was also responsible for another 145 Sheraton hotels in North America.
Prior to ITT Sheraton, Mr. Kinsell was with Holiday Inn Worldwide from 1988 to 1995, and last served as the senior vice president responsible for more than 1300 hotels. From 1981 to 1988, he was a partner with Trammell Crow Company, a real estate firm, where he developed Wyndham Hotels.
"I am excited to be joining the Micell team, which is on the cutting edge of clean technology," said Kinsell.
"I bring my experience in systems, processes, and organizational structures for fast-growing businesses to the huge growth potential of Micell Technologies."
Micell Technologies, Inc., founded by Dr. Joseph DeSimone in 1995 with fellow scientists Timothy Romack, Ph.D., and James McClain, is developing carbon dioxide technology for industrial applications.
Through its Hangers drycleaning franchise, Micell is promoting carbon dioxide as an alternative cleaning solution. Micell launched its first Hangers store in Wilmington, NC, this year.
MARION, IN -- DynaClean Worldwide Inc. has developed a secondary treatment device, the Hydraulic Venturi Eliminator, that takes wastewater with perc concentrations below 150 ppm and reduces the concentration to below 0.2 ppm which is within most wastewater regulations.
The HV Eliminator uses recent advances in fluid dynamics to air-strip (vaporize) the perc from the wastewater. The company said that the discharge wastewater has been laboratory tested at less than 0.005 ppm after 40 minutes of treatment. It is engineered to be used in conjunction with the DynaClean Azeotropic Still, however, it can also work effectively with standard drycleaning separator water.
The company noted that increasing environmental regulations have created a concern over discharging wastewater with low concentrations of perc to the sanitary sewer system even though it is still legal in most cities and states.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product JN 107.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT-- SPOT for Windows is being unveiled by Westgate Software Inc. and SPOT Business Systems. The new version retains all the features of SPOT for DOS and introduces new ones including web interconnectivity, multimedia help, credit card processing, production forecasting, enhanced reporting with customization reports, fast order mark-in and menu navigation, and centralized database capability.
The new system supports touch-screen, mouse and keyboard user interfaces and retains compatibility with all standard SPOT hardware.
SPOT Basic will be demonstrated at Clean '99; the full featured product will be available this fall. Westgate will continue to support and sell SPOT for DOS.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product JN 103.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- Marvel Manufacturing Co. is introducing its new 100-lb. Petrol Claimer Recovery Dryer, which is also available in a 50-lb. model.
Standard features include closed-loop refrigeration, LEL monitor, secondary thermostat, stainless steel basket, reclamation and separators. The Petrol Claimer is also available with air-cooled refrigeration, making the need for a water chiller unnecessary.
The unit is built for use with Class III A solvents only.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product JN 101.
NORRISTOWN, PA -- Dry Cleaning Computer Systems has purchased the rights to FastTag, a tagging product from Sharp Tech Inc. of St. Petersburg, FL.
FastTag weighs less than six pounds and runs on a standard 100-volt outlet, using a foot switch so the operator can concentrate on handling and inspecting customer garments. The arrangement allows two-handed handling of garments and tags for better speed and safety in tagging.
FastTag uses fasteners designed for drycleaning that are made of 15-lb. test nylon, strong enough to withstand the forces of drycleaning but easily snapped by hand for detagging.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product JN 104.
TAMPA, FL -- Seitz Chemical's Wetset Top Size is a concentrated liquid retexturing agent for use in wetcleaning and suitable for all kinds of textiles.
Seitz said it prevents unpleasant electrostatic charges, minimizes the possibility of felting and shrinking and reduces the chance of color bleeding.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product JN 108.
SPRINGFIELD, OH -- FH Bonn Co., has introduced the Copper Works drycleaning press pad which is manufactured from open-cell latex that allows heat and moisture to pass through the entire pad.
The company said that optimum heat transfers means the pad wears evenly with other components, resulting in extended usage. The fabric cover cloth is produced from high-quality yarn which, in combination with the pad, generates both a fine finish and durability.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product JN 105.
OWINGS, MILLS, MD -- Realstar's new Ultra Diamond drycleaning machines feature a multiple-pass filtration system and high capacity distillation for optimum solvent conditioning.
Other features include an emission free still with muck transfer pump and built-in rake; Pulsar computer control with manual operation and a PC download card; Rapid Dry Axial drying system; Dry Guard dry control; and a secondary carbon vapor are recovery unit.
The machines include a safety containment system, refrigerated in-line solvent cooler, dual water separators, electronic level control, and available speed drive motors with inverter standard on hydrocarbon models and optional on other models.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product JN 106.
COOLIDGE, GA -- Hurst Boiler Co. Inc. is offering a Miniature 0.5 Series two-pass Scotch Marine boiler. Available in 3, 4 and 6 HP models with operating pressure from 15 to 100 psi of steam, the 875-lb. units will pass through a standard doorway and are easily installed. The space-saving design also allows for multi-boiler systems so that production areas can be isolated for efficiency, to control peak demands and serve as back-up units.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product JN 110.
PITTSBURGH, PA -- Liberty Pittsburgh Systems has announced Total Control Tags, a new innovation in tagging and assembling.
The Total Control System combines key features of lot control with the familiarity of convention piece-system tagging and assembly, providing a master tag on the working copy of the slip or invoice while also allowing for double-checking for mistakes.
The system was developed to work in a high-volume wholesale shirt operation where speed and accuracy are important but it also works at all volume and production levels for shirt and drycleaning.
Also offered by Liberty-Pittsburgh is back-office software for Windows 95/98/NT to be used in conjunction with the Total Control System. A particular tag can be permanently associated with a specific garment without needing to enter the information into a computer.
The cost of Total Control Tags is approximately the same as that paid for lot-control tags or piece tags.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product JN 111.
TULSA, OK -- Royaltone has announced that Soft Wash Detergent Plus Conditioner for wet cleaning cloth and leather is an Improved, all-purpose specialty liquid detergent with conditioner for wet cleaning cloth, leather, suede and trimmed articles in any laundry washer.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product JN 102.
DALLAS, TX -- Weben Jarco Industries has introduced its Vision 1500 and 2000 MBH water heaters and boilers.
The compact vision 3000 series gas-fired instantaneous water heater and boiler offers costs and fuel saving technology and a low NOx design, the company said. Other features include a broad input range, self diagnostics and quick trouble-shooting and energy management systems connectivity.
The Vision meets or exceeds all ANSI design certifications, has optional CSD-1 safety controls and is protected under warranty.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product JN 112.
DALLAS, TX --Clean Concepts is introducing the model 370 from Fimas which the company said can increase productivity per square foot while also improving quality.
The unit is designed to process pants and jackets, coats, or dresses. While one garment is being finished the operator loads the next piece. The pant side has waist and leg tensioning to produce a wrinkle-free pant and the mannequin side has an expanding bag for a quality finish.
Also included is a skirt bag attachment that will finish skirts, including lining with little, if any, additional touch up needed.
The 370 can be ordered to process pants only for high production plants or with two mannequins if desired.
For more information, send email to ncled@aol.com and request Product JN 109.Date created: May 26 1999 Copyright © 1999, BPS Communications Inc. National Clothesline ncled@aol.com
