ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Focusing on corporate, professional and personal development, the Textile Rental Services Association’s (TRSA) Annual Conference & Exhibits will be presented Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
The event draws hundreds of executives, owner/operators and management from textile services companies serving various sectors, according to the association. The conference programs aim to provide expert views on strategies and tactics to help companies improve their bottom line.
Keynote speakers will discuss economic/technological trends and leadership/management concepts, and panel discussions aim to fuel “productivity and profitability,” according to TRSA. The event also provides many networking opportunities and social events, including a welcome reception, a TRSA Political Action Committee (TRSAPAC) VIP reception and the Chairman’s reception and annual awards dinner. The spouse/guest program offers a Zumba class, a Hoover Dam and Powerplant tour, and a “Julie and Julia” cooking class.
Additionally, a tour of Brady Linen Services will be offered as part of the annual conference. Brady handles 60% of the Las Vegas area’s hospitality market, according to TRSA. Tour attendees will see the company’s 180,000-square-foot Mayflower Avenue facility, which produces 475,000 pounds of linen per day for 29 customer hotels. The plant employs 360 people for its hospitality and F&B linen business, and makes use of three nine-module (260 pounds) tunnel washers.
Table-top exhibits will showcase the products and services of 50 TRSA Associate member companies on Tuesday, Sept. 30, and attendees can take advantage of dedicated exhibit-only hours in the morning and afternoon.
The Chairman’s reception and annual awards dinner are slated for Wednesday, Oct. 1. Individual awards to be presented are the TRSA Operator Lifetime Achievement Award, the Maglin/Biggie TRSA Lifetime Achievement Award for Associates and the 50+ Years of Industry Service Award.
Honors for companies/facilities include the SafeTRSA Zero Incident Awards, the SafeTRSA Innovation Award and the LaundryESP Innovation Award.
For individuals who have earned the Certified Professional Laundry Manager (CPLM) credential, TRSA offers 12 credit hours for conference programming on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.
Four credit hours are offered for committee members who attend the meetings on Sept. 29.
Activities begin the morning of Monday, Sept. 29, and include a TRSA welcome and committee meetings. The afternoon will feature a TRSA Board of Directors meeting, exhibit booth set-up and an association committee meeting. Monday evening’s welcome reception will be presented from 5 to 7 p.m.
The agenda for the rest of the conference includes:
Tuesday, Sept. 30
- 7–8:15 a.m. — Breakfast/exhibits
- 8:30–9:30 a.m. — Jack Uldrich, founder of the School of Unlearning, will give a keynote presentation on Preparing for Profound Change.
- 9:30–10 a.m. — Break/exhibits
- 10–11 a.m. — Mike Jensen, principal, Innovation Leadership, will present Leadership Commitment to Continuous Innovation.
- 11 a.m.–1 p.m. — Lunch/exhibits
- 1–2 p.m. — In Hero of the High Seas, Captain Richard Phillips will tell the story of his capture by Somali pirates in 2009.
- 2:30–5 p.m. — Attendees are invited to take a tour of Brady Linen Services.
Wednesday, Oct. 1
- 8–9:15 a.m. — The morning’s keynote address will be presented by Andrew Wittmann, investment analyst, on Textile Services Bottom-Line Performance.
- 9:30–10:30 a.m. — Innovation in Practice is the focus of a panel discussion by Paul Jewison, Textile Care Services, and Bill Lange, Brent Industries. Mike Jensen, Innovation Leadership, will serve as facilitator.
- 10:45–11:45 am — A second panel discussion will feature Patrick Dempsey, Dempsey Uniform & Linen; Richard Senior, Morgan Services; and Larry Steiner, AmeriPride Services, in Legends of the Industry. Steven Fellman, GKG Law, P.C., will serve as facilitator.
- 12:30–4:30 p.m. — Attendees are invited to attend the Hoover Dam and Powerplant tour.
- 6–11 p.m. — After the Chairman’s reception, attendees can enjoy the black-tie-optional annual awards dinner and dancing to live music.
To learn more about the conference, or to register, visit www.trsa.org/annualconference.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].