PlanetLaundry Podcast
America’s #1 Resource for Vended Laundry News & Info
PlanetLaundry is the official publication of CLA and is trusted by thousands of laundry professionals to deliver the latest news and industry-specific topics.
Through Your Customers’ Eyes
Taking the Mystery Out of Customer Service In a former life, I used to sell mystery shopping services. And most of the mom-and-pop entrepreneurs I approached typically had trouble understanding why they needed it. However, they heartily agreed that “large” companies...
From Demographics to Dollars
Industry Experts Decode the Art and Science of Finding the Ideal Laundromat Location “Location, location, location.” You’ve heard it hundreds of times. It’s the key to retail success. It’s your magic wand to laundromat riches. Just find that ideal location. But what...
Born of Necessity and Innovation
Local Entrepreneurs Build Sustainable Alaskan Laundromat, Addressing Arctic Challenges and Community Needs In the heart of Fairbanks, Alaska, which is well known for evening skies painted brilliant hues by the Northern Lights and lit brightly by the midnight sun, a...
Headlines
Persistence Pays Off
When Owning a Laundromat, the Secret to Success is a Constancy of Purpose Famed American writer and lecturer Dale Carnegie firmly believed that “flaming enthusiasm, backed by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.” And I...
Wash with Wally: Drying Capacity, Business Hours, and More…
I’m short on drying capacity at my store. During the weekends, I have customers waiting for the dryers. Should I add more 30-pound stack dryers, which are what I currently have? Or should I replace at least some of the 30-pounders with larger-capacity stack dryers? If...
Shift from Employee to Owner
Transitioning Mindsets of Laundromat Leadership When I ventured to entrepreneurship by opening a storefront business, I thought I had fully prepared as an owner. After all, I drafted a business plan that the bank accepted, I received support from the company from whom...
Full Circle
Jason Dodge Launches Third Milwaukee Laundromat in the Neighborhood Where He Grew Up Jason Dodge has returned to his old stomping grounds. When seeking a location for his new Quick Wash Laundromat, Dodge chose a section of Milwaukee he was quite familiar with – the...
EVI Industries to Acquire Laundry Pro of Florida
EVI Industries Inc. recently announced that it has executed a definitive agreement to acquire Laundry Pro of Florida Inc., a laundry distributorship headquartered in Lakeland, Fla. The addition of Laundry Pro increases EVI’s market share in the state of Florida and...
Alliance Celebrates Manufacturing Milestone in Thailand
Alliance Laundry Systems recently celebrated a significant milestone, marking the five-year anniversary of its manufacturing plant in Thailand. The event featured the company’s top executives – including CEO Michael Schoeb, COO International Jan Vleugels, and Managing...
EVI Industries Acquires Ed Brown Distributors
EVI Industries, Inc. recently completed the acquisition of Ed Brown Distributors, headquartered in Dallas. “With the acquisition of Ed Brown, we add a team of experienced sales and service personnel and new product representations that combined are important to...
Industry Mourns Avner Wolanow
Industry pioneer and visionary Avner Wolanow – the founder of Dallas-based Atlas International Laundry – has passed away. A trailblazer in the laundry industry, Mr. Wolanow was renowned for his extensive knowledge and infectious personality. His journey began when he...
Clean & Green
Sustainability Practices for Today’s Laundromats In recent years, the laundry industry has undergone a remarkable transformation, propelled by a growing awareness of environmental sustainability. Across the sector, from bustling urban laundromats to specialized cloth...
B&C Technologies Honors Top Distributors
B&C Technologies recently recognized the achievements of its top distributors during the company’s annual distributor meeting, held at B&C’s headquarters in Panama City Beach, Fla. The top honor went to Laundry Systems of the Carolinas, Spartanburg, S.C.;...
ZIPS Teams Up with Mulberrys
Value Drycleaners of America, which operates and franchises the ZIPS Cleaners brand of garment-care centers, recently announced that it has become the exclusive developer of Mulberrys Garment Care franchise locations throughout the United States. Mulberrys – known for...
Curbside Laundries, The Laundry Boss Announce Strategic Partnership
Point-of-sale and wash-dry-fold pickup-and-delivery solutions provider Curbside Laundries and The Laundry Boss – a pioneer in payment systems, data intelligence, and laundromat management – recently entered into a strategic partnership. The collaboration will combine...
SPONSORED CONTENT
This Month's Issue
- Tech on the Rise: How Operators Are Using Innovation to Run Smarter, Faster Laundromats: From AI phone systems to real-time data tracking, operators and suppliers share how technology is reshaping the modern laundry business and what’s coming next.
- Business Profile: Delivering a Superior
Laundry Experience - Member Spotlight: Rick Rome –
Innovating Laundry, One Customer at a Time - Guest Column: How AI Changed Google Reviews (What Laundromat Owners Need to Know)
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
Industry Mourns Bill Brooks
William “Bill” Brooks, who served the laundry industry for more than 30 years, died last month at the age of 62. Brooks attended Berlin High School in Berlin, Wis., then Concordia College in St. Paul, Minn., where he played football. While studying at Concordia, he...
CSC ServiceWorks Appoints Chief Technology Officer
Laundry services provider CSC ServiceWorks Inc. has announced Andrei Girenkov as its new chief technology officer. Girenkov will lead CSC in strengthening and securing the company’s core digital systems, managing its payment technologies, and building on CSC’s...
Hynes & Waller Wins Top Speed Queen Honor
Speed Queen has announced Hynes & Waller as the winner of its 2023 Distributor of the Year award. The Maryland-based distributor earned Speed Queen’s top honor for exceptional sales performance last year, as well as exemplary representation of the brand in their...
EVI Acquires O’Dell Equipment and Supply
EVI Industries Inc. has completed the acquisition of O’Dell Equipment and Supply, LLC, a distributor of commercial laundry products serving the vended and on-premises laundry industries. O’Dell, based in Jeffersonville, Ind., is EVI’s 28th acquisition in the...
UniMac Honors Top Distributor
UniMac recently announced that Southeastern Laundry Equipment Sales has received the brand’s 2023 Distributor of the Year award. Southeastern, headquartered in Marietta, Ga., has been a leader in the on-premises laundry market since 1976, serving clients in a variety...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Planning for a New Normal
Key Considerations for Laundry Owners in the Post-COVID-19 World These days, I find myself spending a good chunk of my time thinking about my laundry business – not necessarily about what to do with my PPP stimulus money or how to run my operation in the middle of...
The Business Mind
Choose Your Words Carefully
Here’s What to Consider When Creating Your Laundromat’s Next Promotional Campaign One of the most tried-and-true adages in advertising is that what people hear is more important than what you actually say. After all, humans, by and large, are interpretive organisms....
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Making ‘Scents’ of WDF Laundry
My store handles a good amount of wash-dry-fold laundry, and lately I’ve been using a lot of detergent and softener. When I approached my laundry attendants about this issue, they told me that many of the customers indicated that they wanted their clothes to smell...
Viewpoint
Let’s Go to the Phones…
“Who you gonna call?” – Ray Parker, Jr. (Ghostbusters) The pandemic’s challenges have been well-documented within these pages. Given the Coin Laundry Association’s efforts to assure laundromats be deemed essential and open – along with your extraordinary work to...
Digital Marketing
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Unlock a New Level of Efficiency for Your Laundry Business with ChatGPT I recently was speaking with a seasoned laundromat operator who had reached a point in her business where she was having difficulty finding qualified applicants to offer wash-dry-fold services....
Strategic Corporate Allies Program
Our Strategic Corporate Allies support CLA’s mission through advocacy, education, and innovation to strengthen the industry, advance our members’ businesses, and prepare the next generation of laundry professionals for the future.
Interested in becoming a Strategic Corporate Ally of CLA? Contact President & CEO, Brian Wallace via email at [email protected] or call (630) 491-0499.
