NORTHBROOK, Ill. — The Round Table of Launderers and Dry Cleaners gathered in Japan in March for its 84th annual meeting. Members convened at the Shima Kanko Hotel in the Ise-Shima region for an open exchange of ideas and best practices, along with robust discussions about meeting the challenges of today’s business environment.
The Round Table is an informal group of leaders from some of the U.S.’s most successful laundry, linen, industrial, and drycleaning companies.
“The Ise-Shima area of Japan was selected because of its natural beauty and peaceful surroundings, providing the perfect backdrop for a productive conference,” says conference organizer and Round Table Chairman Tom Zengeler, president of Zengeler Cleaners.
“The region has hosted several significant international events, including the 2016 G-7 economic summit. The U.S. delegation to the Summit also stayed at the Shima Kanko Hotel, and we were able to arrange for many Round Table attendees’ rooms to be located on the same floor as our country’s leaders.”
Round Table members arrived in Tokyo, then were transported via Japan’s famous “bullet train” to their hotel. Zengeler arranged for Round Table guests to be seated together in a private car for the journey of just under five hours. The high-speed train ride, the organization says, created a perfect opportunity for this year’s attendees to get to know each other even better before arriving in Shima.
This year’s conference included three 5-hour business sessions, including the usual open exchange of ideas shared freely among attendees. This unique practice is the lifeblood of the Round Table, the organization states, as each participant’s “price of admission” is to play an active role by leading at least one topic at each conference.
Participants agree that all shared information remains strictly confidential, thereby fostering an atmosphere that encourages an open exchange of priceless ideas. Round Table members are encouraged to further this learning process by subsequently visiting each other’s operations.
The conference continued with a presentation on “Drycleaning Business Worldwide,” led by Keisuke Uchikoshi, chairman of Sankosha USA. This session, the organization says, provided an important understanding of Sankosha’s global view of the industry. Following the presentation was a tour of the main office of Elite Cleaning, one of Japan’s leading operators. The day ended with a train ride back to Tokyo.
The conference concluded with a pair of tours. The first was to visit the home of Hakuyosha Clean Living, a leading dry cleaner in Japan. The second event was a tour of the Japan headquarters of Sankosha Manufacturing Company, LTD, including a reception for Round Table attendees and families.
The Round Table was founded in 1940 when Herb Koch, Lee Workman and Barrett Finn, industry leaders of that era, called a “Sales Managers Pow-Wow” in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The meeting moved to New York City for the next five years and became known as the Laundry Management Group. In 1950, the name was changed to the Round Table Conference. Today, many “second-generation members” are part of the group.
Chris Edwards, president of A Cleaner World, headquartered in High Point, North Carolina, is incoming chairman. He announced that the 2026 Round Table Conference will take place in the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao.
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