Vince Mak, owner of Hong Kong Cleaners of York, PA, passed away following a heart attack on March 13. He was 44 years old. Born in Mechanicsburg, PA, in 1976, Mak was an avid car enthusiast and owned a company called AfterMarket Concepts before he joined Hong Kong Cleaners, which had been in his family since 1990.
With Spring comes a new influx of vaccinations, more stimulus checks and, perhaps, for the first time in a long while, a feeling of hope for the future of drycleaning businesses that have struggled to stay afloat for the past year. But, that doesn’t mean things will necessarily become any easier for cleaners, or, for that matter, allied trades. During a recent DLI panel discussion among industry suppliers, one of the main topics was the ongoing disruption of the supply chain caused by various shortages.
Due to the poularity of last year’s Fall Fest EXPO, the North East Fabricare Association, the South Eastern Fabricare Association and the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaning Association have decided to offer an abridged Spring version, set to take place this month from the 28th to the 30th.
As I enter my official 20- year anniversary in this industry, I continue to go with this saying: “A driver has to do more than just drive.” Running successful routes includes customer service, sales, inventory control and self-accountability. For Mark Albrecht and I, we have the pleasure of coaching and learning from some of the best in the business
The Occupational Safety and Health Act is 52 years old. There is talk that much of federal regulation of COVID in the workplace will fall under OSHA’s safety umbrella (or in state programs, the state agency charged with enforcing federal safety and health regulations). There will be new regulations and an expansion of enforcement efforts.
It was during the 1940s when a young man named Horace Bowers hitchhiked from Florida to California, a prospect much more dangerous than it sounds. After all, Horace was African American and the roads he traveled were rife with unwelcome Jim Crow laws. During the journey, he overheard somebody mention the city of Los Angeles — a city he had never heard of before — and he decided that would be his final destination.
Shirts are a pain because it takes a while to train a presser. Pressing shirts is more of a specialty than other items, so much so that we sometimes overpay a shirt presser just because we have found someone that is good and we want to keep them on the staff.
I must commend DLI for the fine job they have been doing with their online training efforts. Drycleaners have been able to improve their quality and have been exposed to handling difficult items such as wedding gowns. In these difficult times, it becomes more important for drycleaners to improve their expertise and quality
The next series of articles will be devoted to the safe use of meters in preventing and troubleshooting common problems encountered in the operation of your plant. Included will be the different tests and measurements required, why they are necessary, how to take them, and the meaning of the results discovered.
As we roll into the second quarter of the year, you may be finally starting to consider your business goals for this year.
Given how 2020 has gone, maybe your primary ambition is to survive in 2021. Perhaps you’re going to create a recurring revenue stream or finally hire that general manager. Or maybe you’ve decided to start preparing your exit strategy.
In late February, the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute hosted its first meeting for its new Inner Circle virtual management group program. The new service is spearheaded by veteran management group director Diana Vollmer of Ascend Consulting Group. It is composed of 13 members from the U.S. and Canada.
On March 11, it was the one-year anniversary of the day the coronavirus outbreak was officially declared a pandemic. Needless to say, the toll it has taken on this country has been overwhelming. Over half a million Americans have already died from COVID, and millions more struggled financially to stay above water
The Route Pros has announced that Jennifer Marquardt is joining the team as the customer service expert for continual and onsite training. "We know it is vital for our clients to have access to an expert who has hands-on experience at the counter, as well as retention," James Peuster said.
"Jennifer is exactly what this industry needs — a fresh and positive spirit," added Mark Albrecht. "The addition of Jennifer to the Route Pros team is so exciting! Now, more than ever, Route Pros members are looking to achieve superior client relations and separate themselves from their competitors."
"I am very happy to be joining the Route Pros Team," Marquardt noted. "With a combination of James, Mark and myself, we are excited to offer members the tools they need, but only to grow... but to thrive. Thank you James, Mark and all the Route Pros members for putting your trust in me. Together, we are going to accomplish amazing things. I can't wait to get started."
ByNext, the leading technology-enabled home services company, providing eco-friendly laundry, dry cleaning and residential home cleaning, announced that it has acquired WashBox, a Los Angeles-based laundry and dry cleaning delivery company. The WashBox acquisition will accelerate ByNext's expansion into a new market and solidify its position as a national leader in the home services space.
Perfect Eucal Laundry Powder Concentrate contains eucalyptus oil, an essential oil that has been used for centuries for its health and antiseptic qualities. The detergent is 100% soluble even in cold water so it leaves no residue on your clothes. Its eco-friendly formula is greywater and septic water safe. It is hypo-allergenic even for a very sensitive skin. It contains no artificial perfume or dye, yet its powerful formula offers you an exception performance.
You can use half the amount of other detergent and still get a better cleaning performance. You can use half the amount of other detergent and still get a better cleaning power, making it very economical. It even cleans and protects the inside of your machine. For more information, please visit www.TeamProductsUSA.com or call Shellie Hong at (201) 313-7191. Her email address is [email protected].
John Roth, owner of Suede Products, LLC. has made an arrangement with Colorex Chemical Co. to manufacture and distribute their leather, suede, and fur cleaning product lines. Colorex Chemical Company, Inc. has dedicated itself to the manufacture and distribution of the highest quality cleaning and refinishing products for the leather, suede, and fur industries since its founding in 1962. Suede Products original founder started in the business during the great depression and since has become the worlds largest supplier of products and training for the professional leather cleaners worldwide. Over the coming months Suede Products will combine both product lines into one being able to supply the best suede, leather, and fur cleaning products to it's customers across the globe.
For more information Suede Products can be reached at: Suede Products, LLC www.suedeproducts.com (877) 710-8200 [email protected]
Foster-Stephens announced its 85th anniversary as a national supplier of textile preservation products.
Foster-Stephens, Inc. was founded in March 1936 by Elmer (Bill) Jones in Chicago, IL. Mr. Jones began by selling posters door to door to dry cleaners. Over the years, Foster-Stephens product line expanded, and he introduced the first wedding gown preservation box, the Keepsake Pak, at a national dry cleaners show in 1947. Since then the company has specialized and innovated products for the preservation and protection of clothing and textiles.
“Reflecting on where we’ve been in 85 years and where we intend to go in the decades ahead, we believe we have a solid foundation for the future built on generations of trust,” commented Nancy L Jones, President of Foster-Stephens. “We are proud of all the hard work and dedication our employees have shown the company and our customers over the years, especially this last year with the pandemic.”
To learn more about Foster-Stephens lines of wedding gown preservation boxes and muslin bags, please check out our website at https://www.foster-stephens.com/wholesale-clients/
The first completely contact-free system for bag pickup has been created. SecurePik enables touch-free retrieval of both standing and hanging bags, a capability that is crucial during the pandemic, and will be valuable thereafter. There are two versions of the technology: one designed for standing bags used by dry cleaners and apparel stores; the other developed for hanging ones utilized by restaurants and a wide variety of retailers. More Information is Available at this Link
Nearly 15,000 cleaners and their suppliers throughout the United States and around the world read Clothesline
