Workplace Security 101: What to Do, How to Do It, and Why You Should
Security begins with the garment care location. Alex Yearout, owner of Complete Cleaners, discusses leadership, the power of a smile, having lighting to reassure clients and staff, and using video to solve "the mysteries of missing pieces." Security, he adds, is about providing a safe workplace.
Counter Dream Team: Be Unforgettable to Clients at the Front Counter
Coaching, collaboration and teamwork help create an unforgettable front counter team, relates Todd Ofsink, CEO of Todd Layne Cleaners. To nurture that customer-first mentality, he says it's sort of like being a parent. And he's looking for that caring, special person who can shine at the front counter.
Having Backup Equipment: If You Have One, You Have None
Let redundancy permeate your cleaning operation and all throughout your business, relates Zach Kinzer, owner of Bridgestone Cleaners. He describes having backup coverage in equipment and people as the key. Always "be able to flow," he says.
Opening New Channels: Lockers, Kiosks
Consumer habits have changed. It's a convenience-first society today, says Wayne Wudyka, CEO of The Huntington Company, the Martinizing franchise and CRDN. He talks about new opportunities for owners to diversify. One he calls, "Life-changing." Find out why.
Machine Technology Equals Team Member Efficiency
Machine technology has taken enormous leaps in recent decades. Scott Bell, owner of Bryan's Cleaners, discusses the biggest advances in dry cleaning, but reminds us of the importance of your team members, who make it all happen.
Find Great Help: Hiring Tips for the Drycleaning Owner
Practical, real-world tips, from today's new hiring market, on how to find the right employee to fit a drycleaning operation from Sasha Ablitt, owner, Ablitt's Fine Cleaning.
Finishing in Drycleaning Operations
Finishing is an essential part of processing a professionally cleaned garment. Mike Tungesvick, national sales manager at Sankosha USA, talks about the skill and pride of the finisher, and the various types of finishing equipment in use at drycleaning plants today.
Wet Cleaning in the Dry Cleaning World
Learn how wet cleaning can fit into your operation so you can more fully serve your clients today, with Michael "Stucky" Szczotka, owner of Eagle Star Equipment and Poseidon Textile Care Systems.
Distributor Relations
Discover what it takes to be an effective partner today in the supply chain from Mike Ross, owner of Aristocraft Supply. He'll talk about those vital relationships distributors develop with both vendors and drycleaning owners.
Press Pads 101
Press pads are an essential part of the last step in processing a professionally cleaned garment. Michael Oh, owner of Air World Pads and Covers, talks about why you need them, when to replace them, and reminds you that your customer always looks for that finely pressed garment at pickup.
Spotting: The How and Why
Learn about the different spotting tools and types of garment stains, along with some "magic words" (tips for spotters) from the Stain Wizard himself Jeff Schwarz, regional vice president for A.L. Wilson Chemical Company.
Boiler Sizing and Selection for Dry Cleaners
Learn practical tips on how to choose the right boiler capacity for your drycleaning operation from Mike Leeming, national sales manager with Parker Boiler Company.
How to Buy a Drycleaning Business
From leases and locations to transitional costs and welcoming a new team into your operational family, Dan LaCarte, president of the drycleaning division of Model Cleaners, talks you through the highs and the learning experiences of making a buy in the drycleaning market today.
Build Your Drycleaning Business Identity
Kyle Nesbit, senior vice president of business development at Edit Texas LLC, a franchisee of Tide Dry Cleaners, tells you what it takes to "brand and expand" in today's drycleaning market, and why it's important to have a consistent and complementary company identity across all your marketing channels and at all your client touchpoints.
The Man Behind the Clean Show
John Riddle, owner of Riddle & Associates, and the man behind the Clean Show for decades, is the special guest of host Bruce Beggs, editorial director of American Trade Magazines. Riddle discusses professional baseball, the coming Clean Show, and his retirement.
Networking with Peers
How do you reach out to peers in the fabricare industry to get help and discuss ideas? Nora Nealis, executive director, National Cleaners Association, shares ways drycleaning owners can connect with colleagues.
Insurance for Drycleaning Owners in the Age of Convenience
Are your routes covered? Your tech? Your customers’ clothing? Ann Hawkins, vice president, NIE Insurance, talks coverages, claims, and drycleaning owners’ most commonly asked insurance questions.
What It Takes To Build A Plant Design Award Winner
From site selection to cutting the ribbon, what it takes to design a drycleaning plant, told by the grand-prize winner of American Drycleaner's 58th Annual Plant Design Awards, Tide Dry Cleaners, Sarasota, Fla.
Want To Make 20% Profit? Start By Looking Within; By Taking A New View Of Yourself and Your Team
Do you want to drop 20% profit to your bottom line? Dave Coyle, owner of In The Bag Cleaners, shows you by sharing his views on, not "cost controls," but on managing "investments," and on being a caring, trusted advisor to your clients and team members.
Dust Control Tips, New Hiring Trends, and Changes She's Seen in the Drycleaning Industry, with Jan Barlow
Jan Barlow, owner, Jan's Cleaners in Clio, Mich., former DLI president, chair of NFPA 32 for fire safety, and an owner in the drycleaning industry since 1981, talks about changes, new hiring trends, and reminds fellow owners of dust control tips.
