MIAMI — Like many in the industry, Luis Aguilar didn’t plan to go into the commercial laundry business.
He had studied at Virginia Tech, worked for General Electric as an industrial engineer, and spent time in private equity.
But his goal was to acquire and successfully run his own business.
So, he learned the art of making business deals, practiced his skills, and finally took the plunge in 2022 — buying a laundry operation.
“I acquired Cy’s Linen and, over the years since, built on that foundation through a series of acquisitions rather than organic, single-family growth,” shares Aguilar.
He has accomplished this through the purchase of four more operations, which now operate under three customer-facing brands at five facilities under one ownership group.
But Aguilar’s ambition hasn’t diminished. Earlier this year, he rebranded the parent company that owns the operations as Elavo. He also unveiled a plan to establish a regional and, eventually, national platform for laundry owners looking to sell their businesses.
ELEVATION
Elavo’s roots have a long history behind it with Cy’s Linen, which was founded in Hialeah, Florida, in 1945 as a linen service for the local restaurant and hospitality community.
“After Cy’s Linen, I acquired Florida Keys Linen, extending our footprint into the hospitality-heavy Keys market,” Aguilar shares. “Next came SerClean in Medley, which sharpened our focus on hotel and hospitality customers in greater Miami.
“From there, I acquired Perfect Linen in Fort Lauderdale, which we brought under the Cy’s Linen brand, and most recently SurGlobal in Hallandale Beach, which we brought under the SerClean brand.”
Today, the acquisitions operate as three customer-facing brands: Cy’s Linen (Hialeah and Fort Lauderdale), SerClean (Medley and Hallandale Beach), and Florida Keys Linen.
The purchase of Cy’s Linen started it all, and when Aguilar added the Fort Lauderdale facility through the acquisition of Perfect Linen, he rebranded it under the Cy’s name.
“Cy’s Linen serves the restaurant, food and beverage, and spa markets, providing rental table linens (tablecloths, overlays, and runners), napkins, bar mops, microfiber cloths, chef coats and uniforms, aprons, kitchen towels, spa towels and robes, floor mats, and ancillary products such as first aid and restroom supplies,” he shares.
“The plants run a mix of equipment from several manufacturers, with side-loading washers from Ellis and Washex forming the core of our wash-alley capacity, paired with JENSEN, American Hypro, and Super Sylon ironers for finishing. Cy’s Linen serves customers from Key West up to West Palm Beach.”
SerClean is a hospitality-focused brand. The Hallandale Beach facility came onboard with the addition of SurGlobal and rebranded under the SerClean name.
“SerClean serves hotels across the greater Miami market, with a sweet spot in the 50-250 room range for high-end, four- to five-star hotels,” Aguilar shares. “The plants process more than 60,000 pounds of linen a day and run around the clock, 24/7/365, using new Girbau equipment throughout, and SerClean was even recognized as a Girbau Business Partner Award winner in 2022. The team’s focus is consistent quality and turnaround for hotel partners who can’t afford a service interruption.”
Finally, Florida Keys Linen serves the hospitality and hotel market throughout the Keys, a region where reliable, on-time service is especially demanding given the area’s geography and seasonal tourism swings.
“The Keys facility runs a tunnel-washing system for high-volume processing, giving it the throughput needed to keep pace with the market’s resort and hotel customers,” Aguilar points out. “Here we value our local heritage, where we count with loyal employees and customers due to our proximity and eco-friendly technologies, such as water recycling, a high-efficiency tunnel and low-energy-use equipment.
“Water is a scarce resource, and we help the local community save millions of gallons of water consumption every year, which is very valuable in a fragile ecosystem.”
A parent company was established as an umbrella for the business as laundries were acquired, but everyone involved knew that a solid brand was needed for the vision that was coming into focus.
“Earlier this year, we rebranded that parent company as Elavo — a single identity for what has become a true regional platform, and the foundation for a broader strategy of partnering with other well-run laundries across the region and, eventually, the country,” says Aguilar.
Elavo is derived from the Latin word “lavo,” meaning to wash or clean.
“We also chose it because it echoes ‘elevate,’” Aguilar explains. “Our main goal is to elevate the standard in the rental linen and laundry service industry, both in how we operate our own facilities and in how we partner with the operators who join us.”
In practice, he says, that means showing up for customers with consistent quality, on-time delivery, and responsive, hands-on service they can count on, day in and day out.
Read the conclusion Thursday about Elavo’s plans for regional and national expansion.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
