The Coin Laundry Association recently welcomed two highly respected industry leaders to its Board of Directors for 2022. Those new directors are Brian Henderson, founder and director of operations for Wash-Dry-Fold POS in Broken Arrow, Okla.; and Amanda Konczal, director of marketing and customer support at Dexter Laundry, headquartered in Fairfield, Iowa.
Henderson served as operations manager for his family’s chain of three laundromats in Oklahoma from 2010 to 2018. In 2016, he founded Wash-Dry-Fold POS – a provider of point-of-sale systems, which currently serves approximately 500 laundromats across the country in 43 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“I have first-hand experience in helping grow a single laundromat, staffed mainly by family members, into a three-store chain with 25 employees,” Henderson said. “I developed technological and operational systems to help achieve that growth at a high level in just a few short years.
“I feel my writing and speaking communication skills, my online and in-person networking skills, my network of industry contacts, and my understanding of technology may prove useful to the association,” he added. “My career in the laundromat industry has benefitted from the social connections made possible through the resources provided by the CLA. I wish to help continue encouraging and promoting that spirt of community, sharing and connectivity for this industry.
“I wish to contribute more to the CLA than just my annual membership dues – through active service and volunteer work. And I wish to do so from a spirit of gratitude for what I’ve received from the association and its members, and a desire to protect and grow what has already been established.”
Konczal, who began her career in the commercial laundry industry in 2007, joined Dexter Laundry in 2015. Over the years, she has held a variety of management roles in brand and product marketing, as well as in customer support. During her time with Dexter, she has participated in a number of CLA and LaundryCares Foundation events.
“I believe I offer a unique perspective on the Board,” Konczal explained. “The look of laundry owners is changing. We are attracting more diverse individuals with a variety of backgrounds. My experience in corporate management has provided me a diverse array of opportunities. Plus, I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a variety of experiences that allow me to view the industry from several different angles. Not only can I relate to manufacturers, but I also can relate well to the changing look and diversity of our store owners.
“At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this industry didn’t just need a voice to help independent operators be successful, it needed one that enabled laundromats to keep their doors open,” she continued. “The CLA was that essential voice. Without its advocacy, millions of families would have lost access to a basic need many of us take for granted, and thousands of independent business owners would have faced financial hardship. The work the CLA did in the early days of the pandemic rescued this industry.
“I was a believer in the CLA’s mission in the past, but 2020 showed me just how crucial it is. I want to be a part of that mission – to help give back to an industry that has given so much to me.”
The CLA Board also announced its Executive Committee for 2022. These officers include: Ted Ristaino, Yankee Equipment Systems, Barrington, N.H., chair; Brian Holland, The Laundry Café, Philadelphia, chair-elect; Robert Maes, Express Laundry Center, Houston, treasurer; and Dennis Diaz, Spynr, New York City, Executive Committee appointee.
The remainder of the 2022 CLA Board includes: Neal Shapiro, Bubbleland on Fullerton, Chicago; Todd Fener, Laundry Owners Warehouse, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Ken Barrett, Washin Oxford Coin Laundry, Anniston, Ala.; Paul Pettefer, Laundry World, Lake Charles, La.; Paul Hansen, Su Nueva Lavanderia, Chicago; Daniel Marrazzo, Laundry Depot, Morrisville, Pa.; Yvette Morton Williams, Wash & Spin Coin Laundry, Atlanta; and Alex Harris, Professional Laundry Systems, Deer Park, N.Y.
