SAVAGE, Md. — Value Drycleaners of America LLC (VDA) reports it has named Mike Weisel president and CEO, responsible for overseeing its operations as well as those of ZIPS Franchising LLC, franchisor of the ZIPS Cleaners brand, and Gemini Cleaners LLC, franchisor of the Mulberrys Garment Care brand. His title applies to all three entities.
Weisel joined ZIPS in mid-2024 as vice president of operations and continuous improvement. He previously held senior roles at Tide Cleaners, including head of cleaning capability and franchise development director. Prior to working for Tide, he spent two years at Rent the Runway as senior manager of drycleaning operations and earlier ran his own drycleaning businesses for more than 30 years.
Since joining ZIPS, the company says, he has focused on building relationships with franchisees, establishing and enforcing adherence to higher operating standards, and bettering the overall system to drive growth, increase revenue, improve profitability and maximize operational results.
Weisel succeeds Bob Barry, who arrived in 2021 to strengthen and grow the ZIPS chain as the country emerged from the COVID pandemic and garment care faced the challenge of changing attire trends. Barry will shift his focus back to the restaurant/hospitality field, where he has spent much of his career.
“I am immensely honored to be granted the privilege of building on the leadership and success that Bob has brought to this company,” Weisel says. “His will be tough shoes to fill, but I’m confident that my past experience coupled with such a strong, cohesive and dedicated corporate team and committed corps of franchisees will let us continue elevating our system and stores to achieve even greater success.”
Weisel announced that Kathleen Razmus, director of technology and IT and previously director of operations and technology, will become vice president of IT, operations and training. The new title expands her responsibilities to include leading and supporting the Operations and Training teams at both ZIPS Cleaners and Mulberrys Garment Care. She is a nine-year veteran of the ZIPS organization.
Also, Jaici Kelly, who joined ZIPS in 2019 as store profitability manager and has served as franchise operations manager since 2024, will now be director of operations and store development, reporting to Razmus. She will lead the ZIPS and Mulberrys Operations teams, with a strong focus on upholding brand standards, optimizing processes and improving productivity. She will also oversee the design and construction, scheduling and successful execution of each store opening.
“Over the past two years, I’ve worked closely with both Kathleen and Jaici and know they will both excel in these new roles,” Weisel says. “They both possess many years of experience at the store and corporate level, have the respect of our entire system, and are steadfast in their commitment to helping every location achieve its full potential. I am grateful to have them on our team.”
In endorsing Weisel as his successor, the company says, Barry cited his extensive experience in the garment care industry, level-headed leadership, passion for excellence and the contributions he has made across all teams to date.
“It was an easy choice to appoint Mike to take on this important position,” Barry says. “Mike will play a key role in guiding our team toward continued success.”
He also thanked the system for contributing to the achievements of the past several years, including annual increases in same-store sales and garment counts; incorporation of Mulberrys as a sibling brand and opening of multiple East Coast locations; the launch of a 24/7 automated ZIPS concept; the introduction of in-store kiosks and growth of the ZIPS EZ Drop program; major boosts to both brand awareness and customer reviews; standardization of training and operational practices; and more.
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