The Coin Laundry Association has welcomed three highly respected industry leaders to its 2022 Board of Directors – each of whom agreed to generously share his industry knowledge during the association’s educational programming at Clean 2022 in Atlanta.
Brian Henderson, founder and director of operations at Wash-Dry-Fold POS, joined as a manufacturer representative. Alex Smereczniak, cofounder and chief executive officer at 2ULaundry and LaundroLab, and Mark Vlaskamp, partner, The Folde, joined as store owner representatives.
Clearly, all three are passionate about serving their fellow industry members and taking on the responsibility of guiding the CLA’s activities into the future – with Henderson presenting on new laundromat technology at Clean, and Smereczniak and Vlaskamp sitting on a panel discussion about the next generation of laundromats.
“The CLA has many amazing strengths including lobbying, networking, education, published resources and unity,” said Henderson, who learned the industry working in his family’s laundromat business, Liberty Laundry. “My career in the laundromat industry has benefited from the social connections made possible through the resources provided by the CLA, including in-person meetups and online conversations. In my new board role, I’d like to help continue encouragement and promotion of that community spirit, sharing and connectivity within this industry.”
Henderson’s primary goals and objectives as a director are focused on fostering continuous growth and adoption of technology and providing guidance for the CLA’s online discussion forums.
Smereczniak and business partner, Dan D’Aquisto, began their business in 2016 in Charlotte, N.C. and have since expanded into the Atlanta area. Smereczniak has been building and managing businesses in the laundry industry for more than 10 years and looks forward to expanding it into more U.S. cities.
“I’ve been impressed by the CLA’s community network that genuinely cares about doing good and advancing our industry for the better,” Smereczniak said. “After attending my first Elevate conference, I was absolutely blown away by the organization, the caliber of members, and mission that every member, vendor and partner is rallying behind.”
Smereczniak said he’d like to bring what he believes is an underrepresented perspective to the CLA Board of Directors by challenging the status quo and sparking conversations around modernizing the industry, while leveraging foundational business practices that have worked for decades.
“Organizations are most successful when they share a common vision but have a variety of experiences and skillsets to ultimately get there,” he added.
Vlaskamp, who also entered the laundry business in 2016, started with several questions that he couldn’t find answers to until networking with the community at the CLA. He recalls receiving immediate help and valuable resources for his Houston and Austin, Texas, stores that were critical in operating and growing his business.
“Simply put, the CLA filled the void that I originally hoped the local laundromat owners in town would fill,” Vlaskamp explained.
As a result of his challenging experience, Vlaskamp enjoys helping fellow industry entrepreneurs and loves talking laundry. He spends about five hours a week helping other owners with digital marketing and new software onboarding, skills he’s energetic about sharing to help the CLA reach its wide audience.
“I see incredible opportunity for the CLA to leverage digital communications,” he noted. “I’d like to help increase online engagement with information that’s distributed to audiences in a meaningful, consumable way. With the constant evolution of the digital world, new needs can be discovered and met.”
