CHICAGO —Laundry Locker Inc., doing business as Drop Locker, and Starchup recently announced that the two companies have agreed to merge and form a new company, SUD Systems LLC. According to their statement, the two companies will immediately start working to take the best elements from both companies to better serve their clients in the dry cleaning and laundry industry.
The move comes just a few months after the companies entered into a licensing partnership where Starchup began to use Drop Locker’s intellectual properties for locker pick-up and delivery.
“The strategic value of bringing the two companies together as one became evident as discussions around this agreement progressed and we began working closer together,” says W. Tad Jenkins, CEO of Drop Locker. “The shared vision and passion of delivering technology-rich tools and solutions to help the everyday operator grow and expand their business while making it easy for customers to transact with them was evident from our first conversations.”
“At Starchup, our primary goal is providing the best possible service to our clients to help them grow efficiently,” says Nick Chapleau, CEO of Starchup. “The Drop Locker team has operational experience, including over 10 years growing laundromats and dry cleaners, patented locker technology and expertise behind it, and an eagerness to invest in product innovation, making Drop Locker a perfect partner to what Starchup already offers.”
Customer software and support will remain the same for clients, the companies stated, and all employees from both teams will be joining SUD Systems. The companies will be evaluating their operations over the next 6-12 months, streamlining and merging their platforms to maximize the customer experience.
“For clients of both companies, this means better software and a team of experienced professionals to support, implement and consult,” Chapleau says. “This combination is truly an example of one plus one equalling three.”
“As a collective team of founders, small business owners and former laundry and drycleaning operators we empathize with the challenges that operators face. This just makes sense,” Jenkins says.
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