PHOENIX — Parker Brubaker, of Brubaker Linens, located here, grew his commercial laundry business from the ground up.
He started by cleaning hair salon towels and capes at a local public laundry before delivering them to clients using the family van. He got the idea while in college when he made Brubaker Linens his capstone business school project.
In the three years since, Brubaker Linens has grown exponentially — making expansion and laundry automation investments necessary next steps.
COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY FACILITY MOVE
“Once I had a full year of revenue, I got a loan to buy my own washers and dryers,” says Brubaker. “I bought a 30- and two 60-pound-capacity Continental Girbau E-Series Washers and three 90-pound-capacity ProDry2+ Dryers.
“I got a 1,000-square-foot facility in Phoenix, built it out to house the washers and dryers, and gained three employees. All four of us operated the washers and dryers and folded the laundry. Then I delivered everything myself.”
Brubaker Linens started by serving hair salons, spas and chiropractic offices by providing rental towels and massage sheets. The company has since expanded into hospitality, with customer-owned goods (COG) making up 75% of business and rental the other 25%.
In April 2023, Brubaker landed a big account with a vacation rental management company overseeing 450 properties, which necessitated two additional 80-pound-capacity E-Series Washers. He says he stuck with the workhorse machines he knew offered high-speed extract and flexible programmability.
Continental Girbau West, in Tempe, Arizona, provided the equipment after analyzing Brubaker Linens’ needs and future anticipated growth.
“E-Series Washers are soft-mount machines that generate powerful extract speeds reaching 408 G-force,” says Tod Sorensen, CG West’s vice president. “They also bring superior programmability for complete control over the washing process.”
Brubaker Linens’ washers are programmed by item type and automatically inject the correct chemicals at appropriate times in the wash process. Moreover, the soft-mount washers aren’t bolted down, so they are easy to move and relocate if necessary.
When compared with hard-mount washers, which are bolted down, they generate faster extract speeds for greater moisture removal, according to Sorensen. This shortens drying time by up to 50%, which results in maximum daily throughput.
They’re paired with two 85-pound-capacity ProDry2+ Dryers. The dryers are highly programmable, offer moisture-sensing technology, and offer smart engineering so heat stays inside the dryer for shorter dry times and lower energy bills, according to Sorensen.
SECOND SPACE EXPANSION, ADDING AUTOMATION
Next, Brubaker streamlined the folding process.
“I realized I was paying a lot for labor because we were still in the Stone Age folding everything by hand,” he shares. “I needed to move away from that and automate.”
In doing so, he leased a second building next door and installed a Girbau Industrial (GI) FT-Maxi auto-sort, dry-goods folder. The wash line occupies the original, 1,000-square-foot facility, while the FT-Maxi occupies the new, 2,500-square-foot building.
The washers and dryers amp laundry production while the FT-Maxi sorts, folds and stacks. In an hour, the FT-Maxi single-handedly processes what previously took four or five employees to accomplish in the same time frame, according to Brubaker.
“The FT-Maxi is a game-changer,” he says. “It runs flawlessly all day with two operators and automatically folds pool towels, hand towels, bath towels, and king and queen pillowcases. It has freed up three employees and saved $1,200 per month in labor.”
PLANS FOR DOUBLING PRODUCTION
Brubaker is now in talks with a hospitality account that would double volume — necessitating additional automation. In order to increase volume from 80,000 to 140,000 laundry pounds per month, he plans to add two 130-pound-capacity GI HS-Series Washers, two 170-pound-capacity GI Drying Tumblers and a CompactPro All-in One ironing system.
The new CompactPro will not only launch production and enhance quality, it will significantly reduce labor hours and allow him to go after new business, according to Brubaker. Similarly, a second FT Maxi will provide redundancy in case the first is down and, when used simultaneously with the first, will maximize production.
“If another contract comes in, we can start them immediately and pull the trigger on new jobs quicker,” he says.
Three years in, Brubaker is thankful for his commercial laundry journey.
“Did I know how to do 60K in laundry? No, but I told myself I’d figure it out,” he says. “I’m not going to know everything, but CG West and Girbau North America have helped me out an insane amount. My business has grown dramatically because of quality equipment and automation.”
Look for more about Brubaker Linens’ growth journey in August.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
