In response to popular demand, the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI) has again picked Las Vegas as the host city for its annual Five-Star Management Conference, set for Feb. 23-25 at the Wynn Resort.
The event kicks off with a welcome reception on the evening of Feb. 23. Conference activities begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24, with opening remarks from DLI CEO Bill Fisher.
The first session, "Recession-Busting Ideas," follows promptly at 8:45 a.m., featuring USA Today small-business columnist Steve Strauss. A successful entrepreneur, Strauss will offer ideas developed among his network of business contacts and experts that can produce growth even in a recession.
At 11:15, Frank Kollman, partner in the law firm of Kollman & Saucier, will deliver a one-hour program, "Health Care Reform Is Making Me Sick," to help prepare operators for changes in healthcare laws. After lunch, Richard Fitzpatrick of Kreussler Inc. will discuss Kreussler's new SolvonK4 cleaning technology.
From 2:00-3:00 p.m., David Suber, of Los Angeles-based Perfect Cleaners, will offer details on how keeping his stores open on Sundays affected his staff, revenues and expenses in "Every Day Is Like Sunday." A brief roundtable discussion follows.
From 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Bill Bohannon, of Hollin Hall Cleaners in Alexandria, Va., will offer his viewpoints on business profit margins and pricing in "Increased Profits with Better Pricing."
On Friday, Feb. 25, John Howerton of Navman Wireless will start the day with "Using GPS to Monitor Your Vehicles in Real Time," from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Monitoring your vehicles' locations, speeds, fuel usage and times spent at each stop can result in extraordinary savings, he says.
At 10:00 a.m., Kollman returns to discuss "Hiring & Firing Dos & Don'ts." Following safe hiring and firing practices is simpler than fighting costly legal battles against former employees. The conference will then close at noon following closing remarks.
The event is open exclusively to DLI members; nonmembers may join DLI to attend. Members of DLI's Premier Club can send one representative to the conference free of charge; otherwise, the registration fee is $589. Additional members from the same DLI member company can take advantage of a reduced rate of $389 per person.
Those who wish to attend must register by Feb. 12 by calling Melissa Wagner at 800-638-2627, ext. 1603. The Wynn is offering luxury suites at $175 a night to attendees; call 866-770-7555 to reserve in DLI's block. The reservations deadline is Feb. 2.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].