RACINE, Wis. — Imperial Laundry Services has seen a bump in business due to a new contract with Potawatomi Hotel and Casino in Milwaukee, the company reports. Imperial began processing guestroom linens for the property in July, and Gregg Salomone, vice president of Imperial, says the laundry will process more than 1.5 million pounds of linen a year—including bath towels, bed linen, robes, etc.—for Potawatomi.
Imperial, which serves Chicagoland and southeastern Wisconsin and operates from a 31,000-square-foot plant, has hired 20 new employees to help with the influx of business.
Imperial also purchased some new equipment to handle the higher volume. Salomone says more than $1 million was spent on new machinery, including a spreader-feeder from Jensen and some small-piece folders. The new equipment will increase efficiency but not reduce head count, he says, so that the laundry will be able to “retain [our] 120 employees, but process more capacity.”
To date, laundering linens for the Potawatomi Hotel has gone smoothly, Salomone reports.
“They’re very demanding in a good way,” he says. “And they’ve been very happy with our service so far.”
The boost in business has inspired Imperial to continue seeking out new opportunities in the hospitality market.
“Because of the Potawatomi name, it’s definitely opening up doors for us in the same market,” Salomone says. “It was a great acquisition, and we’re happy.”
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