LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. — The International Drycleaners Congress (IDC) has chosen Chicagoland for the site of its 2025 conference coming up next month. The Sheraton Suites in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove Village will host the Sept. 10-12 event.
The IDC, an organization dedicated to sharing best practices for dry cleaners, says the conference will feature educational seminars headlined by successful companies as well as providers of strategic equipment and services.
The scheduled presenters include:
- Norman Way, vice president of Richmond, Virginia-based Puritan Cleaners with 13 retail locations and 14 home delivery routes. He’ll speak on creating teamwork that translates into a superior customer experience.
- Heath Brolin, a 32-year industry veteran and owner of Sparkle Cleaners in Tucson, Arizona. Sparkle has 16 retail locations and five home delivery routes, all supported by a centralized production facility. Brolin is also a consultant to Metalprogetti and will share his expertise in automation and plant layout design.
- Tom Zengeler, president of Zengeler Cleaners, will discuss his company’s commitment to community organizations and events, and how that commitment translates into customer loyalty and longevity.
- Wes Nelson, president of Sankosha USA, led the equipment manufacturer’s North American market introduction several decades ago, focusing on Sankosha’s mottos of “Customer First” and “Supreme Quality.” He’ll discuss how that approach integrates with the company’s focus on innovation, automation and compassionate customer service.
- The CD One Price Cleaners operations team, led by Joanna Vasquez (responsible for onboarding new franchisees and providing training to support brand-new operators and long-term drycleaning pros), Michael Jackson (provides real-time support, ongoing coaching and guidance) and Daniel Fitzgerald (focuses on translating the company’s vision into implementable processes and procedures).
A key conference benefit, organizers say, is extrapolating information from the presentations into real-world experience by featuring on-location visits to facilities of some presenters.
Attendees will visit CD One Price Illinois locations in Schaumburg and Glendale Heights, as well as its first 24/7 automated location in Elmhurst. On the manufacturing side, the group will visit Sankosha USA, home of the company’s warehousing, distribution, administrative and service departments for the North American market, along with a showroom.
During a tour of all seven Zengeler Cleaners retail locations in Chicagoland, attendees will see the practical application of different processes at certain sites. These include Metalprogetti’s Giulietta system and state-of-the-art Sankosha finishing equipment, as well as the implementation of Sankosha workflow processes.
The agenda also includes a session on a series of “World Country Reports” that focus on the latest textile care industry developments. Attendees will be updated on global trends and future perspectives of a fast-changing industry. Organizers say the session will do more than simply highlight industry changes, it will offer potential solutions to address the changes while maintaining a profitable business.
To learn more about the upcoming IDC Conference, visit the organization’s website or contact Tom Zengeler at 847-272-6550, ext. 14.
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