Education Opportunities at Clean ’22

ATLANTA — It’s been three years since the textile care industry has gathered together for The Clean Show, so there’s lots for attendees to discover this year during educational sessions at the Georgia World Congress Center.

“The association education schedule … can be found on the cleanshow.com website,” says Greg Jira, Clean Show director for Messe Frankfurt North America.

“Familiarize yourself with the layout of the floor, and then set up your show objectives … what educational sessions are can’t miss for you.”

Education at The Clean Show is provided by the five partnering industry associations: Association for Linen Management (ALM), Coin Laundry Association (CLA), Drycleaning & Laundry Institute International (DLI), Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA) and TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services.

Following is the list of nearly 30 hours of education that will take place during Clean July 30-Aug. 2.

SATURDAY, JULY 30

8-9 a.m., EDT—The Next Generation of Laundromats
Brought to you by CLA, Room B302-B305

With laundromats being designated as an “essential business,” the industry is experiencing growth in attracting new people. Many of these new owners come from other industries and bring expertise in technology, marketing and business acumen.

Attend this session to hear from the new generation of laundromat owners and learn some of the innovative ideas that they have applied to their businesses. Presenters include Alex Smereczniak or Dan D’Aquisto, Laundrolab—facilitator—Felicia Galitsky, Laundry Capital, and Nathan Garcia, The Laundry Room.

8-9 a.m., EDT—Best Culture Wins
Brought to you by DLI, Room B314

Workplace culture affects all aspects of your business and has never been as important as it is now. A positive culture will elevate productivity, decrease turnover, increase loyalty, and impact overall employee happiness.

Designed to inspire action, this presentation will share experiences on what it takes to make or break a thriving culture. Presenter is Sean Abbas, The Threads, Inc.

8:15-9 a.m., EDT—Laundry/Infection Prevention Forum
Brought to you by ALM, Room B308

During this open conversation among notable infection preventionists and laundry managers representing cooperative, hospital-owned and commercial laundry operations, you’ll hear the concerns and responses from these professionals as they address top concerns about textiles and their handling.

Presenters include Jason Hartsell, VP operations, UHS; James Mangini, director, Maine Medical Center Linen Services; and Rich Bott, consultant, Crothall Laundry Services.

8:30-9:45 a.m., EDT—State of the Linen, Uniform and Facility Services Industry
Brought to you by TRSA, Room B312

Leaders from the linen, uniform, and facility services industry serving uniform/workwear, healthcare, restaurants/F&B, and hospitality/hotels discuss their recovery and opportunities for expanding services.

Panel discussion facilitated by TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci, CAE, featuring John Clark, CEO, Prudential Overall Supply; Jim Ginnetti, CEO, Alsco; Brian Herrington, CEO, PureStar; and David Potack, CEO, Unitex Healthcare Linen Services.

9-9:45 a.m., EDT—Pardon the Interruption, Automation in Progress
Brought to you by ALM, Room B309

When customer demand and labor resources are not in sync, the only answer may be to increase automation. But how do you do and keep the operation going so that your customers get the textiles they need for their patients and guests?

Hear case studies and implementation plans that enable you to maintain operations, customers, and employees. Presenter is Alex Stephenson, service and parts director, TLC Tri-State.

9-10 a.m., EDT—Leveraging Community Engagement for Social Impact and Profit: Laundromats Doing Well By Doing Good
Brought to you by CLA, Room B302-B305

Laundromats have a unique reach into under-resourced communities and can upcycle their facilities with dedicated learning spaces and by hosting free laundry day events among other initiatives. LaundryCares Foundation (LCF) features many success stories that bring business owners and their communities together to impact families.

This program will focus on how laundromats can connect with their communities to benefit local residents and increase profitability through initiatives of the LCF. Session will feature Jason Mittman, Laundry Luv, and Michael Gregory, Denver.

9-10 a.m., EDT—Self-Service Technology Is Here
Brought to you by DLI, Room B315

Automated self-servicing kiosks for garment pick-up and drop-off can let you serve more customers with fewer employees.

This session offers insight into how one dry cleaning business is reimagining the customer service experience by increasing automation and convenience while decreasing employees and labor costs. Presenter is Nathaniel Dubasik, Burke Cleaners.

12-1:30 p.m. EDT—Hygienically Clean and Clean Green Certification Lunch
Brought to you by TRSA, Room B311

Learn more about TRSA’s facility, company and individual certification programs including Hygienically Clean, Clean Green and Certified Professional Laundry Manager (CPLM), as well as new Health & Safety and Certified Laundry Maintenance manager (CLMM) programs.

Gain insight into the inspection process, quality assurance manuals, and leveraging the value for a competitive advantage, especially with increased focus on hygiene and environmental sustainability, and employee training and retention.

The session will feature Bob Corfield, Laundry Design Group (LDG), and Samlane Ketevong, director, TRSA Certification and Accreditation.

12-2 p.m., EDT—LaundryCares Foundation Luncheon
Brought to you by CLA, Room B302-B305

Join LaundryCares for a FREE Lunch and Learn while at The Clean Show! You don’t want to miss this chance to find specific ways to connect to your community, learn customer social responsibility, and hear testimonials from owner-operators who have experienced these opportunities firsthand. Registration is required.

2-3 p.m., EDT—Attracting & Managing the New Generation of Workforce
General Session, Show Floor

Exploring ways to motivate, retain and attract the best people. Staffing continues to be problematic. Learn effective strategies to build your team with Jennifer Whitmarsh, The Route Pros.

3:30-4:40 p.m., EDT—Where to Start? Tips for Entering the Commercial Laundry Industry
General Session, Show Floor

Have you ever thought about what it would take to enter the commercial linen and uniform rental market? There are pros but also cons that come along with tackling a market you’re unfamiliar with.

Hear from industry experts on the best place to start this type of transition, how the industry works, and what competition already exists, to determine if it’s the right move for you. Experts will include Monika Manter, Balfurd Linen Service and Balfurd Dry Cleaner (DLI); Dan Campbell, Wash Around the Clock (CLA); and Andy Thorsen, Carolina Textile Care (TRSA).

SUNDAY, JULY 31

8-9 a.m., EDT—Everything You Need to Know About Your First Laundromat – and More!
Brought to you by CLA, Room B302-B305

This session is for potential owners and will cover everything you need to know to get started. From site selection to financing to closing the deal, this session will guide you through the basics of starting a self-service laundry.

Experienced owners will share their tips on what to do and more importantly, what not to do, to start off right. Bring all your questions! Rob Maes will moderate this session with Stephen Gramaglia, Clean Fresh Laundromat; Omer Khan, Bustinsuds Laundromat; and Jennifer Clarke.

8-10 a.m. EDT—12 Profit Activators: Guaranteed To Create An Immediate Cash Flow Surge
Brought to you by DLI, Room B314

If taking your business to the next level is your goal, then you don’t want to miss this session. First, a marketing expert will present 12 activators proven to grow your business. Then, a panel of drycleaners will discuss how they implemented these activators and the success they ultimately achieved. Featured will be Dave Coyle, Maverick Drycleaners.

8:15-9 a.m., EDT—Proven Strategies to Combat Hourly Labor Shortages
Brought to you by ALM, Room B308

A poll released in December 2021 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce indicated the worker shortage is unlikely to ease up anytime soon. Have you sharpened your strategies to explore new markets for workers, and doubled down on addressing barriers to employment?

Recruiting expert Robin McCord, Ed.D., SPHR, Chief People Officer, Ulab Systems, shares strategies that have been successful in manufacturing, healthcare and the professional cleaning industry.

8:30-10 a.m., EDT—Global National Association Initiatives
Brought to you by TRSA, Room B312

A panel discussion of linen, uniform and facility services national association CEOs offering updates on ongoing initiatives on circular economy and net-zero, circular economy, commercial vs. home laundering and research, as well as promotional activities and regulatory updates.

Sponsored by Deutscher Textilreinigungs-Verband (DTV-Germany), European Textile Services Association (ETSA), Textile Services Association (TSA-UK), and TRSA. Presenters will include Elena Lai, secretary general, ETSA; David Stevens, CEO, TSA-UK; Andreas Schumacher, managing director, DTV; and Joseph Ricci, president and CEO, TRSA.

9-9:45 a.m., EDT—The CDC Perspective on Textile Care Services
Brought to you by ALM, Room B309

Meet the CDC’s newest in-house expert on healthcare textiles—Janet Glowicz, Ph.D., RN, CIC, FAPIC, Infection Preventionist, CDC Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion—and hear, firsthand, her concerns and initiatives related to laundry processing and operations, and linen handling and management.

9-10 a.m., EDT—Tips and Tools for Evaluating New Laundromat Technology
Brought to you by CLA, Room B302-B305

With so many different systems available for laundromat management, accepting payments, point-of-sale software for WDF and pick-up and delivery, accounting, and more, it can be overwhelming to select the right system for your business.

In this session, Paul Hansen, Su Nueva Lavanderia, and Brian Henderson, Wash Dry Fold POS, will provide tips on what features to look at when evaluating systems, such as the technical and functional requirements, client references, support and training provided, and of course, price. You will leave this session with tools you need to evaluate your next technology purchase.

12-2 p.m., EDT— The Power Hour: How to Kick A** as Your Authentic Self, Women’s luncheon with Keynote Speaker Fawn Germer
Brought to you by CLA, Room B405

What you say and how you say it is everything as a woman in a male-dominated industry, so here’s a crash course in power with best-selling author and leading podcaster Fawn Germer. This Oprah book author shows you how to strike a power pose and add firepower to your language so you can be effective and real.

True fact: Women use weak language four times as often as men, and that costs their professional reputation and effectiveness. Fawn shows how to use your body to convey confidence and power, handle interruptions, protect your ideas from being stolen and surround yourself with the support team that helps you grow your strength. Registration is required; CLA members only.

12-2 p.m., EDT—Global Linen, Uniform/Workwear, and Facility Services Industry Recovery, Trends, and Expansion
Brought to you by TRSA, Room B312

Learn how the global linen, uniform and facility services industry recovered from the pandemic and lessons learned, as well as opportunities for expanding business. Gain insight into how organizations are leveraging increased interest in hygiene, and environmental and supply-chain sustainability to differentiate and grow their customer base.

Panelists Andreas Holzer, managing director, Bardusch (president, ETSA); Jim Kearns, executive vice president and CFO (TRSA vice chair); Juha Loria, president and CEO, Lindstrom; and Helen Wood, managing director, Johnsons Hotel Linen (DTV), will discuss employee recruitment retention, environmental social and governance (ESG) efforts, and building brand reputation contributes to growth.

Understand principles that limit and facilitate revenue-generation and cost-control strategies as panelists present short profiles of the industry in various geographic markets and the impact of supply concentration (chain vs. independent laundries), demographics (population, workforce), economic mix by industry (product- vs. service-producing) and supply costs.

2-3 p.m., EDT—2022 Economy - Are We Ever Going to See Normal?
General Session, Show Floor

It has been obvious enough that 2020 and 2021 were years of unprecedented turmoil. Thus far, 2022 has not been exactly stable. Halfway through the year, where does your business stand? Are consumers going back to their old habits or have these behaviors changed forever? Are the new patterns bad or good for the industry—or maybe a little of both?

We’ll present the answers to these questions and more with Chris Keuhl, Armada Business Intelligence.

3:30-4:30 p.m., EDT—Global Session Panel
General Session, Show Floor

More information coming soon.

MONDAY, AUGUST 1

7-8:30 a.m., EDT—Women in Textile Services & DE&I Breakfast
Brought to you by TRSA, Room B311

A diverse workforce is a reflection of a changing world and marketplace. Coretha M Rushing, SHRN-SCP, Society of Human Resource Management will provide tips and resources on how to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace in our constantly changing environment. Registration is required; TRSA members only.

8-9 a.m., EDT—Marketing through Your POS
Brought to you by DLI, Room B314

Are you using your point-of-sale system to its full potential? Your POS may provide valuable data about customer experiences, preferred services, and spending habits. This information can then be used to build targeted messages to boost repeat purchases and additional spending.

Hear experts, including Norman Way, Puritan Cleaners, share ways to use this powerful tool to create personalized interaction with customers and increase revenue.

8:15-9 a.m., EDT—Building a Business on Culture
Brought to you by ALM, Room B308

Does your company culture create an environment that not only attracts employees but also customers? ImageFIRST has built its company with a purpose, “positively impacting lives of our associates, our community, our customers, and their patients.”

A culture based on caring, and it all starts with putting their associates first, is a driver of ImageFIRST’s steady growth. ImageFIRST Executive Vice President Jay Jeffrey gives us a glimpse of how their culture and purpose have driven business development.

8:30-10 a.m., EDT—Maximizing Your Laundromat’s WDF and Pick-Up & Delivery Business
Brought to you by CLA, Room B302-305

Many store owners have taken their self-service laundromat to the next level by adding wash-dry-fold and pick-up and delivery services. And those who’ve offered these services in the past are raising the bar.

This next-level session will feature expert advice from Amy Martinez-Monfort, Tampa Laundry Company, and Dave Menz, Queen City Laundry, for reaching new heights in your WDF business: digital marketing, production, employee training, commercial vehicles, order packaging and more!

During this session, three experts in the WDF and PU/D business will share their best practices for adding efficiencies to your operations and maximizing your profits.

8:30-10 a.m., EDT—Legal Issues: Contracts, Labor Law and Other Legal Trends Contracts: Protecting Your Customers, Employees, and Business Assets
Brought to you by TRSA, Room B312

This session provides participants with current information regarding legal issues in the linen, uniform and facility services including an analysis of recent court rulings and state rules/regulations.

Gain insight into the most common legal issues and how to avoid and handle the latest contract, labor law and other legal trends impacting your business. Learn how you can help ensure your organization is protecting its assets, employees, customers, and others from Joseph Shelton, regional managing partner, Fisher & Phillips LLP.

9-9:45 a.m., EDT—Rejecting Business Opportunities: When it makes sense to say Goodbye or No Thanks
Brought to you by ALM, Room B309

Sometimes it is necessary to focus on your key customers, and weed out or decline business opportunities for the ones that strain resources, don’t meet your business objectives or that create challenges and difficulty for your staff and operations.

Learn how to identify who to let go of and feel comfortable having those difficult conversations while at the same time maintaining your image in the industry. Liz Remillong, vice president, Crothall Laundry Services, will moderate this session.

9-10 a.m., EDT—CINET PTC Global Best Practices Program
Brought to you by DLI, Room B315

The Retail Textile Cleaning industry is in need of new and advanced business models that guarantee high quality, sustainable and circular performance.

Over 150 companies worldwide are expected to participate, but only the best 50 companies will be invited by an independent international jury to do a presentation for the International esteemed awards in the categories Retail Textile Cleaning, Retail Textile Cleaning BIG and Industrial Textile Service.

At the Clean Show, CINET will present a selection of last edition participants, new global trends in retail textile cleaning as well as a variety of promising, innovative initiatives of PTC companies.

12-2 p.m., EDT—TRSA Next Generation Executives -Secrets to Chick-fil-A Hiring & Training for Exceptional Customer
Brought to you by TRSA, Room B311

Chick-fil-A is the highest-ranked U.S. fast-food restaurant in customer service and the fourth most-inspiring company, according to Forbes. Hear an actual franchise owner explain how they hire and train exceptional employees who are willing to give their best every day when they come to work.

2-3 p.m., EDT—Human Resources Strategy
General Session, Show Floor

Times are changing and so are employee expectations. Attracting and retaining new talent is exceedingly more challenging in today’s environment. Now is the time to rethink how you connect and engage with current and future employees.

In this presentation, Seay Management Consultants, a human resources specialist firm will share how to address the staffing shortage, which benefits employees desire and why, policy changes essential to retaining employees, and more. The session will feature Sue Boardman and Jonathan Boehmer from Puzzle HR.

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