NORTHBROOK, Ill. — During its recent 83rd annual meeting, the Round Table of Launderers and Dry Cleaners elected Tom Zengeler as its new chairman. Zengeler is the president of Northbrook, Illinois-headquartered Zengeler Cleaners.
In addition to selecting Zengeler to lead, The Round Table, an informal group of top executives from laundry, linen, industrial and drycleaning companies, met in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, where the 19 members assembled convened to discuss mutual concerns and exchange ideas.
Responsibilities of the incoming chairman include organizing the following year’s conference, including site selection, activities, entertainment and setting the agenda for the next conference. Zengeler succeeds David Machesney, the owner of Pratt Abbott Cleaners, as chairman.
“I am extremely honored to lead the Round Table in the coming year,” says Zengeler. “Zengeler Cleaners has benefited tremendously from our 20+ year membership in the Round Table, thanks to the open exchange of strategic initiatives and best practices in the industry. Plans are already underway to continue that path next year’s conference, which I am proud to announce will be held at the Shima Kano Hotel, Japan. We selected this location because it offers a unique opportunity for Round Table members to also experience best practices in operations and manufacturing in Japan, as well as those we share about our operations in the United States. We look forward to a very exciting conference next year.”
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 NYC for the next five years, and became known as the Laundry Management Group. In 1950, the name was changed to the Round Table Conference and has remained that way since. Today, many “2nd-generation members” are part of the group.
The trade organization notes that it has never had a paid facilitator; rather, that responsibility is passed from member to member. Since no two companies attending the Round Table conference are direct competitors, it’s a common practice to share what otherwise would be highly confidential information. Attendees are also encouraged to visit each other’s operations to further the learning process.
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