On Dec. 11, William J. McCann III (Bill), a second-generation owner of Best Cleaners in Connecticut, passed away at the age of 82.
Bill was born in Southbridge, MA, and raised in East Hampton and Middletown, CT. After high school, he joined the Navy and served for 4 years before joining the family’s cleaning business in 1966. Along with his father, William McCann Jr, his mother, Esther, and brother, Tim, Bill helped fine tune Best’s operations around same-day service and cutting-edge cleaning techniques. Through the 1970’s and 80’s he acquired land and built locations throughout central Connecticut and brought onsite tailoring to all locations.
In 1997, Bill bought 100% of the company shares and hired his son, Shawn McCann, who has served as president of Best Cleaners for the past 15 years. Together, they expanded the business to 13 locations and free home pickup and delivery service, growing the Best family to 100+ employees and providing the opportunity and resources for them to thrive.
Bill’s reinvestment in the company was driven by his vision to push the envelope by using new technologies to enhance quality and customer service. In 2001, he converted all locations to the environmentally friendly GreenEarth Cleaning method, being the first chain to do so in the U.S. and earning the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Green Circle Award for voluntarily implementing a facility-wide pollution prevention plan. He started experimenting with barcodes and automation in 2007 and cleared a path for the next generation of family and staff to provide the highest level of efficiency. Bill was a founding member and active board member of Management Concepts, a national industry cost group. He also served on the board of the North East Fabricare Association (NEFA). According to NEFA President Peter Blake, “Bill’s voice was always a steadying current in dealing with Connecticut Legislature especially with the CT Clean-Up Fund.”
A press release issued from Best Cleaners noted, “Bill’s strong values and leadership beliefs served him well in both his business and personal relationships. He saw the good in everyone and made those he encountered feel capable of achieving anything. With a strong sense of right and wrong, incredible patience, and a habit of performing random acts of kindness long before it became a popular slogan, he touched countless lives.”
Business was always personal for Bill and supporting his community was one of his greatest passions. Under his leadership, Best Cleaners’ annual Coats for Connecticut collection was started, providing free cleaning and delivery of hundreds of thousands of donated coats to Connecticut’s most needy over the years.
He is survived by his wife, Susan, and their children Kelly (John), Jill (Michael), and Shawn (Jennifer); his sister Margaret, brothers Patrick and Charlie, and eight grandchildren. Funeral services were held on December 18, 2024 in Middletown.