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PAGE 4 / NATIONAL CLOTHESLINE / DECEMBER, 2020
National A national newspaper

Clothesline for drycleaners and launderers
December, 2020
Volume 62 Number 3

Even as Clean is postponed, cleaners gather virtually

Even by 2020’s standards, November was a strange time for the drycleaning As economist Kuehl pointed out, there’s about 75% support among the markets
industry. During the second week of the month, cleaners witnessed two historic and economists that there will be solid economic growth in the U.S. in 2021.
“firsts.” On the good news front, the North East Fabricare Association, the South It doesn’t hurt matters that there has been significant headway on the vaccine
Eastern Fabricare Association, and the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners front. Recently, Pfizer announced that its vaccine is safe and 95% effective with no
Association hosted the first-ever Fall Fest EXPO online, which proved to be an serious side effects following the culmination of its Phase 3 trial. Meanwhile, Moderna
enormous success. The event included over 20 hours of Clean Show-caliber achieved similar success, achieving 94.5% effectiveness in a 30,000-patient study.
programming that was as informative as it was ambitious — and it’s a good sign that During Fall Fest, Kuehl noted what we can expect soon: “The expectation is that
the industry is responding to adversity. we will probably see vaccine distribution maybe as early as December, certainly by the
But, being 2020, it can’t all be good news. Even while cleaners broke ground first of the year. The expectation beyond that is the first group of recipients will be in
with an impressive virtual trade show, Messe Frankfurt announced that it had made the the medical profession or first responders. Then, it will be the high risk population —
difficult decision to postpone the Clean Show for the first time since its inception in those who are elderly or have underlying conditions. After that is where we don’t have
the mid-1970s. a clue. It’s kind of like a free-for-all.”
The Clean Show has been pushed back until the summer of 2022, and, for the It’s easy to imagine life opening back up again soon beyond that, whenever that
time being anyway, will now take place on even-numbered years. ends up being. Until then, though, the drycleaning industry is in the process of
Both major events — postponing Clean and hosting Fall Fest EXPO — were the undergoing widespread renovations. As DLI Executive Director Mary Scalco predicts:
direct products of a pandemic that has turned 2020 into “the year of living “I think those who survive this will be well-heeled to do what they need to do.”
dangerously” (as coined by economist and Fall Fest speaker Chris Kuehl, who While the Clean Show seems like a long way away, cleaners aren’t exactly
borrowed it from the 1982 film with Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver). content to sit around and wait for it. It is good to see so many who are actively
Messe Frankfurt pondered for months about the fate of the show, discussing the attending informational webinars and networking meetings online — eager to tap into
matter with all five collaborating associations (ALM, CLA, TRSA, TCATA and DLI), new markets, fully use their POS system’s marketing capabilities, expand delivery and
exhibitors, and health and city officials. The postponement became inevitable in other convenient services, cust costs and evolve into a much stronger business.
November, however, as the number of COVID-19 cases in America skyrocketed. Over There is no sign of that slowing down, either, as the Fall Fest EXPO committee
one million new cases were reported in one week, bringing our nation’s totals to over already intends for a Spring Fest EXPO from April 14-16, 2021, and a second Fall Fest
11 million altogether with over 250,000 casualties. EXPO during the weeks of Nov. 1-12, 2021. Meanwhile, DLI members can zoom into
It’s hard to fault anyone for making a decision based on safety concerns, and weekly networking meetings and a multitude of new special online events this month
those concerns seem more than justified as COVID cases are rising fast in the vast (go to our site at https://nationalclothesline.com/dateline for a full list).
majority of the states. Still, it’s also hard to be patient and wait another year for the On top of that, America’s Best Cleaners continues to offers its informative
Clean Show when an extreme amount of patience has been required for most of this Leadership Forum series free to cleaners on the second Wednesday of each month at 4
year. But, this is the world we live in right now and until COVID-19 can be controlled, p.m. EST., drawing together various cleaners and allied trades leaders to discuss best
the future will continue to include lockdowns, restrictions and other logistical and practices and issues facing the industry. Finally, we would like to invite you to our own
economic complications. That doesn’t mean things are hopeless, though. If you upcoming webinar that we are hosting with EnviroForensics on Dec. 9. It is free to the
attended the Fall Fest EXPO, you already have reason to believe that there will be public and will help guide cleaners through the selling/buying real estate process and
economic growth next year (it may come on top of the economic fallout of a recession, Environmental Site Assessments. For more information and to register, go online to:
but at least it will be moving in the right direction). http://go.enviroforensics.com/NationalClothesline.

Contents

News & Features Columns

6 Wolves at the door After Ben Combs convinced his Don Desrosiers He might have to wear a mask this
wife Mary that buying a cleaners was a good idea, it wasn’t 8
year, but Santa has a big shirt department wishlist to fill

12 SCAQMD perc ban approaches Four Californian 10 Frank Kollman A shift in the presidency could mean
counties will soon ban perc drycleaning entirely
a shift to more labor regulations in 2021
Departments
16 Bruce Grossman With the right tools and knowledge,
you can pump life back into your boiler’s pump
26 Classified advertising
20 James Peuster There are three sides to every good
decision: the cost, the time and the expectation
Be sure to check out our new website,
www.nationalclothesline.com, for additional coverage and Dan Eisen Digestion is a method of stain removal that
news from the drycleaning industry. 22 relies on the use of enzymes

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EdITOR
Chris Pollay
communications [email protected] made in their advertising.
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