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April 29, 2013

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. — More than 10 hours of educational sessions, networking opportunities and social events are planned

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. — The Coin Laundry Association (CLA) has unveiled its final schedule of events—including educational sessions, networking opportunities and social receptions—for June’s Clean Show in New Orleans.

“The Clean Show is the best opportunity for professionals in the laundry industry to grow their business in 2013 and beyond,” explains Brain Wallace, CLA president/CEO. “The educational programming alone is more than worth the price of admission, but coupled with tremendous networking opportunities and incredible equipment exhibits – you simply cannot miss Clean 2013.”

EDUCATION

As one of the Clean Show sponsors, CLA will provide more than 10 hours of education geared toward making laundry owners more successful, and will cover an array of topics pertaining to the coin laundry industry, including:

  • Coin Laundry Trends for 2013
  • Internet Marketing Success Stories for Coin Laundries
  • Social Media: Which Tools Should Laundry Owners Embrace?
  • Best Practices for Wash Dry Fold and Commercial Accounts
  • Advanced Laundry Lease Analysis
  • The ABCs for Potential Laundry Owners
  • The Keys to Successful Multiple Store Management

NETWORKING/SOCIAL EVENT

To make sure the Clean Show is not all work and no play, CLA plans to host a hospitality reception on Thursday, June 20, and a CLA Mardi Gras Party the following evening. This year’s members-only party will feature Big Band entertainment, an open bar with Mardi Gras-themed cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, strolling entertainers and revelers, a Tarot card reader, caricature artist, and more.

Member pricing for this event is $65 per person. Visit the CLA website to learn more and to purchase tickets.

CLA’s Clean Show programming would not be possible without support from the following “signature sponsors”: American Dryer Corp., Alliance Laundry Systems, Continental Girbau, Dexter Laundry, Eastern Funding, EasyPay, ESD, Laundrylux, Maytag Commercial Laundry, and Setomatic Systems.

“We greatly appreciate the many distributors and manufacturers who continue to support the CLA’s mission of providing superior education and networking opportunities to today’s self-service laundry owners,” says Wallace.

To learn more about the Clean Show, which is expected to draw 10,000 trade attendees from all segments of the laundry and dry cleaning industry, visit the show’s website.

April 9, 2013

CHICAGO — Majority of respondents see exhibits, education, networking plus other aspects as biggest factor in attending

CHICAGO — Just shy of one-third of those responding to this month’s American Coin-Op Wire survey say they are planning to attend Clean ’13 in New Orleans, while another 14.3% are unsure at this point.

Approximately 54% of those responding to the unscientific survey say they will not be attending the biennial event slated for June 20-22 at the Morial Convention Center.

Asked about the biggest factor in favor of attending (whether they were personally planning to attend or not), 32.1% of respondents named “Exhibits of equipment and supplies.” Roughly 14% listed “Combining business and pleasure” as the chief factor, while 7.1% look to Clean primarily for its “networking and socializing” opportunities. Just 3.6% of respondents see “educational sessions” as the main factor in attending. The top response, however, is “It’s all of the above,” with 42.9%.

The Clean Show has been shortened from four days to three this year, which is OK with 78.6% of respondents. Just 7.1% “don’t care for this change”—“Include Saturday and Sunday in the schedule (and) make it four days if necessary,” says one operator—and the remaining 14.3% are “indifferent.”

Among operators who do not plan to attend this year’s event, 52.4% “Can’t afford the cost,” 28.6% “Can’t spare the time,” and 4.8% have “made other plans.” The remaining 14.3% have “other” reasons, some of which include disliking the host city, having no expansion plans this year, and working two jobs besides running his/her laundry.

Among the eight educational sessions being sponsored by the Coin Laundry Association (CLA) throughout the event, Coin Laundry Trends for 2013 is garnering the most pre-show interest among respondents, at 29.6%. Other popular topics are The Keys to Successful Multiple Store Management (18.5%), Ask the Laundry Experts (18.5%) and Best Practices for Wash, Dry, Fold and Commercial Accounts (14.8%).

While American Coin-Op’s Wire survey presents a snapshot of the audience’s viewpoints at a particular moment, it should not be considered scientific. Subscribers to Wire e-mails—distributed twice weekly—are invited to participate in an industry survey each month. The survey is conducted online via a partner website, and is developed so it can be completed in less than 10 minutes.

The entire American Coin-Op audience is encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define owner/operator opinions and industry trends.

April 1, 2013

KENNER, La. — Coin Laundry Association to host free public meeting Thursday on potentially costly issue

KENNER, La. — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s tax reform proposal includes a broadening of the state’s sales tax base, including eliminating the exemption for self-service laundry, and the Coin Laundry Association (CLA) will be hosting a free public meeting here later this week to bring Louisiana laundry owners up to speed on this critical issue.

Like most states, Louisiana currently exempts coin laundries from collecting sales tax, CLA says. Gov. Jindal’s budget proposal centers around broadening the sales tax base to include scores of industries and services that are presently exempt (while raising the base rate from 4.0% to 5.88%).

The end result could mean that all Louisiana laundry owners would remit more than 5.88% of gross sales to the state each year going forward without being able to directly collect this tax from customers on a daily basis, CLA says. The association estimates it could cost the average laundry owner at least $5,000 to $10,000 per store annually.

The proposal is expected to be included in bills to be considered by the Louisiana legislature when its session begins next Monday.

The CLA will host the luncheon meeting beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Hilton New Orleans Airport. There is no cost to attend the event, but the CLA is requesting attendees to RSVP by calling 800-570-5629 or to e-mail.

January 21, 2013

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. — Industry trends, social media successes, best practices and more on agenda

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. — The Coin Laundry Association (CLA) will be providing 10 hours of education at the 2013 Clean Show, slated for June 20-22 in New Orleans.

Sessions on the agenda include:

Coin Laundry Trends for 2013

CEO Brian Wallace will discuss where the coin laundry industry is going and how that may affect attendees’ businesses so that they can plan for profits.

Internet Marketing Success Stories of Coin Laundries

What works in the laundry industry when it comes to Internet marketing and social media? Kim Fenolio, CLA’s director of Marketing and Online Development, will present case studies, offer examples with results, and analyze what it took to carry it all out.

Social Media: Which Tools Laundries Should Embrace

Where should laundry owners focus their time and energy when it comes to social media? Learn the must-dos and best practices of social media for laundries.


Best Practices for Wash/Dry/Fold and Commercial Accounts

Learn the best practices of marketing, sales, operation and production to follow when processing commercial accounts or wash/dry/fold orders.


Advanced Laundry Lease Analysis

Examine the fine print of a lease and learn how to secure one that works in the laundry’s best interests.

The ABCs for Potential Laundry Owners

What does it mean to invest in the laundry industry? A moderated panel will walk attendees through an in-depth look covering key numbers, reports, lease information and the due diligence that one would use when determining if getting into the laundry industry is right for him or her.

The Keys to Successful Multiple Store Management

Every laundry owner wants to grow their business and increase their profits. Many in this industry take it to the next level by expanding their business into a multi-store operation. Learn what it takes to grow a chain of laundries by taking a look at some of the most successful laundry owners in the country.

To learn more about the Clean Show, visit the event’s website.  

January 14, 2013

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. — Newcomers to volunteer time, talent in representing association membership in policy and decision-making processes

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. — The Coin Laundry Association (CLA) reports the election of two new additions to its 2013 Board of Directors: Michael Finkelstein and Ted Ristaino.

CLA’s board is comprised of association members who volunteer time and talent to represent the majority of the membership in policy and decision-making processes.

Finkelstein is a multi-store laundry owner based in Danville, Va. He serves as president and CEO of Associated Services Corp. In the past seven years, Finkelstein has been an active CLA member, participating in panels on multi-store issues for the association.

Ristaino is president of Yankee Equipment Systems, a distributor specializing in equipment for “an enormous range of industries,” CLA says. He has been involved in the laundry industry for nearly 45 years and has been an active member of CLA’s New England chapter for 20. As a NECLA board member, Ristaino has rewritten laws, retained a lobbyist, and enhanced the relationship between NECLA and CLA members.

Six other candidates—Jeffrey Barman, Deborah Dower, Joel Jorgensen, Ron Kelley, George Pierce and James Whitmore—were re-elected to the CLA board for their service and commitment to the industry.

November 19, 2012

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Attendees network, review table-top exhibits, and attend educational sessions focused on small-business success

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — The Coin Laundry Association (CLA) reports that it brought together 100 of the top laundry owners in the country at its Excellence in Laundry Conference last month. Laundry owners and a handful of new investors in the industry descended upon the Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa where they networked, reviewed table-top exhibits from leading manufacturers, and attended educational programs focused on small-business success.

“The location, format, speakers, seminars, attendees, and networking were each a cut above anything I’ve been part of before,” says Art Jaeger, owner of Santa Clarita Laundry. “I’ve returned home with several good ideas, an equipment/marketing idea that is currently being worked on, and many new friendships.”

The overarching theme centered on professional laundry owners and their successes. One such round table panel focused on how an owner can grow their own chain of vended laundries. Rated by attendees as one of the best educational experiences of the conference, owners learned the secrets to success from four leading industry multi-store owners.

Economist Alan Beaulieu’s Make Your Move educational session received the highest rating from attendees. He impressed with his knowledge, humor and ability to engage the audience, earning a standing ovation.

“I would like to see this type of conference held every year,” says William Bowen, owner of The Wash House, Greenville, N.C.

CLA says it will be designing and hosting an event similar to this in 2014.

July 16, 2012

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Fall event hopes to draw self-service laundry industry’s best

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — The Coin Laundry Association (CLA) has put together an event Oct. 11-13 that it hopes will bring together the self-service laundry industry’s most successful people for unmatched educational sessions, networking, exhibits and a unique opportunity to share best practices with their peers.

The Excellence in Laundry Conference is designed specifically for those laundry industry entrepreneurs who want to grow their business and succeed, CLA says. Attendees will rub elbows with some of the most successful laundry industry professionals and learn some of their most coveted secrets to success.

The agenda includes:

  • Robert Spector, author of The Nordstrom Way, will walk attendees through the principles of world-class customer service cultures, such as Amazon.com, Starbucks and Nordstrom. “Everything I do is based on the concept that all business practices should be driven by customer service,” he says. “You have to understand that customer service is provided by all employees. You need to offer consistent, multi-channel customer service and learn to retain your customers by establishing long-term relationships with them.”
  • Alan Beaulieu, president of economic consulting firm ITR Economics, will provide accurate, understandable and actionable economic forecasts to the laundry industry. He will talk about strategies and tactics that should be undertaken now if businesses are to maximize their profit potential for the future.
  • Industry professional Jeffrey Barman will host a roundtable discussion featuring some of the country’s most successful multi-store owners. They’ll share insider secrets to successfully adding multiple laundries, growing from being an owner with two or three stores to owning five, 10, 30 or more stores. Attendees will glean insights into real estate, acquisitions, finance, operations, staffing, accounting and other challenges that are faced by those looking to grow big.

The Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa will play host to the conference. More information about the event is available at coinlaundry.org/conference2012.

September 12, 2008

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August 15, 2007