ALLISON PARK, Pa. — The America’s Best Cleaners Leadership Forum, a free online video forum to be presented for the next six months, will be conducted via the Zoom platform beginning September 16.
It was created for thought leaders of the drycleaning and laundry industry to come together and share how they have reacted to and managed the current business environment, and what steps their businesses are taking to plan for the future, explains Christopher White, executive director of America’s Best Cleaners.
“In our calls with affiliates, I learned that manufacturers, vendors and suppliers are out there doing unique things to cope and manage with the crisis,” White says. “I wondered why no one knew about these things and decided to give back to the industry with a forum where anyone—dry cleaners or launderers—could come together for a stronger sense of community.”
Each forum will spotlight leaders from various sectors of the industry as they share what they are doing to maintain continuity and how they are pivoting to meet the challenges of the future.
America’s Best Cleaners Leadership Forums are scheduled at 4 p.m. Eastern on:
- September 16
- October 14
- November 11
- December 9
- January 13
- February 10
Panelists for the Sept. 16 forum include Richard Fitzpatrick, vice president, Kreussler Inc.; Wesley Nelson, president, Sankosha; Dave Troemel, partner, BeCreative360; Tom Beidle, general manager, Spot Business Systems; and Sasha Ablitt, CEO, Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners & Launderers.
The Oct. 14 forum will feature Victor Williams, vice president, Union Dry Cleaning; Harry Caranza, president, Select Risk; Jeff Shapiro, president, Cleaner's Supply; Ryan Luetzow, owner, Luetzow Industries; Dan Miller, CEO, Mulberrys Garment Care; and White, partner and executive director, America’s Best Cleaners.
“We don’t have face-to-face contact at any shows till the June 2021 Clean Show in Atlanta,” says White. “Hopefully, the forum conversations over the next six months will show what the future will look like for these businesses moving forward.”
The forum’s agenda will be a free-flowing discussion, with the panelists receiving questions in advance to prepare. The goal is to create a smooth dialogue regarding participants’ leadership philosophies and principles, economic indicators and future outlooks, White says. An audience Q&A will conclude the forum.
Registration opened two weeks ago and there are approximately 250 attendees signed up for the free Sept. 16 event.
Whether interested in attending a forum event or applying to participate as a panelist, more information is available by visiting the event’s webpage.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].