The Coin Laundry Association held its inaugural ELEVATE conference on November 10-12 in Huntington Beach, Calif. at the beautiful Pasea Hotel & Resort. ELEVATE provided attendees the opportunity to meet more than 80 store owners representing over 300 stores and laundry industry professionals from across the country to navigate the changes facing the industry, while fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.
Topics included scaling up your business, building your management team, disruption in the industry, wealth management and exit strategies, and embracing new technology. One of the main themes of the conference was not maximizing profits, but finding ways to give back to the community you serve through Free Laundry Days, community health fairs, story time with local librarians or any event that benefits your neighborhood. Presenter Alaa El-Banna from New Jersey shared how he partnered with the LaundryCares Foundation for Free Laundry Day events in his stores. Co-presenter Jason Sowell from The Laundry Project invited laundromat owners in attendance to host events in collaboration with his organization.
In addition to the wealth of expertise shared throughout the event, attendees enjoyed numerous opportunities to network during the meals and evening receptions. The CLA celebrated its 60th anniversary during the Thursday night reception, and guests enjoyed good food, drinks and conversation during the festivities. Some attendees even found time to visit Perfect Wash – Express Laundry Center, a local laundromat owned and operated by Daniel Sofranko, who graciously opened his doors to guests.
The event can be summed up by one attendee’s comment: “Everything about this event was amazing – the venue, the food, the panels, the networking, the CLA staff. It was tremendous, and I look forward to the next event!”
