Longtime Laundromat Owner on 23 Years of Service, Challenges, Community Impact

For more than two decades, Lee Ann Geurts has been a steady force in her Brooklyn Park community in Minnesota, running three laundromats that have become known not just for clean clothes, but for connection, comfort, and care. What began as a business venture for her...

Green is Good Business

Green Operations Increasingly Important to Feed Consumer Demand When Green Laundry Lounge co-owners Pulin and Krishna Dasai got into the vended laundry industry, they wanted to change a narrative: laundromats are water and energy-intensive businesses. “The...

Leveling the Playing Field

John Um wanted to make sure small business owners could get fair pricing and access to reliable suppliers without needing to have significant buying power. As a leader whose career spanned several major retail and e-commerce companies, he had seen firsthand how hard...

Staying Fierce: Haley Gould Finds Perfect Fit in Vended Laundry

Haley Gould is the Director of Partner Success for HappyNest. She manages an internal team while leading more than 100 partners across the United States building a successful pickup and delivery operation in addition to running their laundromat business. A consummate...

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My Coin Laundry Success Story

Jan 29, 2015

Originally posted - July issue/2012 I have owned a small, unattended laundromat for four years. I am by no means an expert in the field. However, there are two bits of advice I might be able to give regarding what could potentially cause a business to fail, and...

Seeing the Light

Jan 29, 2015

Originally posted - Feb 26, 2014 An energy-efficient retrofit from T8 fluorescent lighting to state-of-the-art LED tubes at Holmen Coin Laundry in Holmen, Wis., will deliver savings on the owner's electric bill of more than 60 percent. Owner Karl Maas operates 31...

‘A Darker Shade of Green’

Jan 29, 2015

Originally posted - Aug 08, 2012 When I was asked to share some tips and strategies about our green laundries, I went to work listing all of the cost justifications. I thought I might motivate existing laundry owners reading this article to call their local...

Headlines

Changing with the Times

A Roundtable Discussion with Today's Leading Bill Changer Manufacturers After washers and dryers, your store's bill changers are arguably the most vital pieces of equipment in your store. After all, they make it possible for many of your customers to actually use your...

Building a Winning Team

Here's How to Improve Your Chances of Hiring Quality Attendants - And Starting Them Off of the Right Foot [This is the first of a three-part series on hiring and training laundry attendants.] To me, employee training actually starts with the hiring process. And that...

When You Look at Your Business, What Do You See?

Maximize Profits by Changing the Way You Personally View Your Self-Service Laundry Operation As the story goes, two young salmon were swimming along one day when they were passed by a much older and far wiser fish coming from the opposite direction. The older fish...

Equipment Marketers Show Enjoys Record Attendance

Equipment Marketers' 23rd annual Commercial Laundry Trade Show and Service Seminar was held May 5 at the company's headquarters in Cherry Hill, N.J. It was a record-setting event, with nearly 350 laundry owners and potential investors in attendance. The theme of this...

Great Lakes Commercial Sales Hosts Successful Product Expo, Service Schools

Great Lakes Commercial Sales Inc., headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., welcomed more than 200 laundry owners and potential investors to its annual product expos, which were held throughout the Midwest during the months of April and May. The company hosted three events...

WashClub Brings App-Based Laundry Service to Ohio Market

WashClub – an app-based, on-demand laundry and drycleaning service – recently opened its newest branch in Akron, Ohio. This new WashClub branch is owned and operated by lifetime Akron resident Brenda Schwarz. The company said it chose Akron for its latest market...

WASH Laundry Names New Sales Manager

WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems, headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., has appointed Michael LaBraé its district sales manager for the Sacramento, Calif., region. "I'm delighted that Michael has joined our Northwest sales team and am confident that he will have a...

WASH Laundry Names New Sales Manager

WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems, based in El Segundo, Calif., has named Daniel Moulton its district sales manager for the Grand Rapids region of Michigan, as well as northern Indiana. “We are pleased to welcome Daniel to the WASH sales team,” said Ross...

Excellence 2016: The Best of the Best

The Industry's Leaders Descend on Southern California to 'Look Forward' Nearly 200 of the nation's leading laundry owners and industry executives recently joined their peers for two days of high-level networking and progressive educational sessions - all set amidst...

Alliance Board OKs Largest Expansion in Company History

Alliance Laundry Systems has announced that a proposed $62.6 million expansion to its Ripon, Wis., campus has been formally approved by the company's Board of Directors. Investment incentives from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Fond du Lac County...

WASH Appoints Sales Manager for Houston Region

WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems, based in El Segundo, Calif., has named Michael Hustedt its district sales manager for the Houston market. Hustedt will be based in the company's branch office in Houston. "Michael brings operational proficiency to his new role, as...

Excellence: At a Glance

Here's a look at the complete Excellence in Laundry Conference schedule, including times and locations: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Welcome Cocktail Reception (Casa Elar, Ojai Valley Inn & Spa) Wednesday, May 18, 2016 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.:...

Scaling Wash & Fold Operations

Learn how to grow your wash & fold from an offering into a money-making operation.

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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

Continental Welcomes New Team Members

Continental Girbau Inc., based in Oshkosh, Wis., recently named Geanie Wilson as its new shipping receiving specialist, while Joanne Wilson has been appointed accounting assistant. Geanie Wilson assists with receiving and the fulfillment of equipment and parts orders,...

SAMCO Announces Change in Leadership

SAMCO recently announced that Adrienne Gibbs and Melissa Roberts have assumed management of the company’s day-to-day operations, with future plans of total ownership of the distributor. Gibbs, who has been with the company since 2000, started out answering the phones...

Imonex Debuts Animated Payment Video

Imonex, headquartered in Sealy, Texas, has taken a colorful approach to laundry payment marketing by employing an animated video to acquaint operators with dollar coin and token vends, as well as to kick-start the company’s YouTube channel. The professionally produced...

Speed Queen Expands Territory for Yankee Equipment into Pennsylvania

Speed Queen recently expanded the sales territory for Yankee Equipment Systems, Inc. The distributor, headquartered in Barrington, N.H., now represents Speed Queen vended laundry equipment in various counties of Pennsylvania, as well as Speed Queen on-premises laundry...

Huebsch Honors Store Owners of the Quarter

Huebsch recently named John and Ceara Templin as its Store Owners of the Quarter. A year ago, the Templins opened Laundry Lounge in Winslow, Maine. And, since then, the store has become a destination for many customers – some who travel more than an hour to use the...