In early March, Jim Vaudreuil, CEO of Huebsch Service of Eau Claire, WI, passed away at home surrounded by family and loved ones.
In a statement, the Vaudreuil family noted that, “Following a reoccurrence of esophageal cancer, Jim spent his remaining time sharing love, experiences and memories with the many people who have filled his life with adventure, fun, love and purpose. He led a serendipitious life, blessed with good luck, friends, adventure, love and fun. He will be dearly missed by so many.”
Vaudreuil, who served as Huebsch president and CEO since 1980, was a recipient of the Textile Rental Services Association’s (TRSA) prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award last year.
“One of my biggest honors as chairman of TRSA was presenting Jim Vaudreuil the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Annual Conference in October 2023 in Naples, FL,” said Jim Kearns, COO of Alsco Uniforms in Salt Lake City, UT. “I recounted many of Jim’s accomplishments at the awards ceremony. He generously shared his knowledge and insights with me and the TRSA Board. What I liked about Jim was his sense of adventure. He was an avid skier, sailor and pilot. Jim was a great operator. He will be missed by all of us at TRSA.”
An innovative leader of an independent family-owned business that recently celebrated its 125th anniversary, he was instrumental in the development of the uniform rental industry’s initial integrated barcode tracking system and the industry’s first integrated mat tracking system utilizing RFID technology.
“The industry lost a great innovator,” said Jim Buik, CEO of Roscoe Co. in Chicago, IL. “Carl-Johan Björkman (CEO of Hr Björkmans Entrémattor AB, Arlöv, Sweden) said it best at the celebration Jim and Chris hosted at their home, describing Jim Vaudreuil with one word ... ‘curious.’ Jim was always looking at life and business in an unconventional but brilliant way. I will miss his dry wit, adventurous spirit and gentle demeanor.”
Vaudreuil served on the TRSA Board of Directors from 2016 to 2022 and as its founding liaison to the TRSA Industrial, Uniform & Workwear Committee. He also served on the Uniform & Textile Service Association (UTSA) Board of Directors from 1998 to 2000 and secretary/treasurer from 2000 to 2006.
He also earned several awards for Huebsch’s positive impact on Eau Claire, including a 2022 Paragon Award from the Area Economic Development Corp. for its economic contributions, a 2018 Sustainability Award from the City Council and a Business of the Year Award in 2022 from the Chamber of Commerce.
Huebsch Services issued a statement that read, “Jim loved working with people and worked almost five decades in the family business applying his intellectual curiosity for innovation, dedication to environmental stewardship, and then his outstanding leadership skills that transformed the company into a locally and nationally recognized industry leader. He will be dearly missed by so many. Huebsch Services values the long-standing relationships we have built with our customers, vendors and community partners. We remain committed to serving our co-workers, customers and communities as an independent, local, family-owned business dedicated to excellence.”
Donations in Vaudreuil’s honor can be sent to Mount Ashwabay, 32525 Ski Hill Road, Bayfield, WI, 54814.