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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One Good Turn Daily

Jan 29, 2015

Originally posted - Apr 04, 2012 Many of us – even the uninitiated – know the Boy Scout motto to "Be prepared." However, few, if any, probably know the Scout slogan, "Do a good turn daily." And, with the day-to-day grind of running an American self-service laundry (or...

Marketing a Rural Location

Jan 29, 2015

Originally posted - Sept issue/2012 Written By: Scott and Penny Williams Laundry Owners Share How They've Grown Their Business in a Small, Tourist Community Until recently, there was no laundromat in the town of Alton, N.H. If members of this 5,300-person community...

Securing Financing

Jan 29, 2015

Originally posted - Apr 17, 2012 When starting a new business venture, the initial capital investment is one of the first preparatory measures an investor will need to research. Your research will lead you to a reputable equipment distributor who will want to know how...

Headlines

KeeWes Named Speed Queen Distributor of the Year

Speed Queen recently named KeeWes Equipment Co., Inc. its 2015 Distributor of the Year. "KeeWes' impressive sales performance and customer service have earned them the title of 2015 Distributor of the Year," said Jim Rosenthal, Speed Queen's North American sales...

Whirlpool Bolsters Commercial Laundry Division

Whirlpool's Commercial Laundry Division recently added three new team members - Trey Northrup, general manager; Chad Lange, director of sales, service and parts; and Matthew Conn, senior manager of product development and marketing. "Trey, Chad and Matt bring not only...

‘Wow!’ Your Customers

16 Ways to Improve Your Laundry Business – And, More Importantly, Your Customers' Perceptions of It When was the last time a customer actually blurted out "Wow!" when he or she walked into your laundry for the very first time? My guess is that this probably doesn't...

In the Service of Others

As we wind down the selection process for the Coin Laundry Association's 2017 Board of Directors, I'm reminded of the many directors who have donated their time and talents to this organization over the years. Our Board does so much more than just oversee the...

Wash with Wally: Removing Food Oil Stains, Dealing with Smoke Odors and More…

I have a great drop-off laundry business. Up until recently, I had no problems with stain removal. However, last month, I picked up a restaurant account and now wash a great deal of their linen. My problem is that I can't seem to remove the food oil stains from the...

How’s Business?

Owners Discuss the Current State of Their Laundry Operations, While Sharing the Specific Indicators They Use to Gauge Success The small-business half of the economy seems to have clawed its way back to a somewhat normal level of economic activity. According to the...

You Become Part of the Fabric of the Community

Philadelphia Laundry Owners Are Changing Lives in the Neighborhoods They Serve The Laundry Café is the creative vision of owners Brian Holland and Tyrone Akins – two former Big Pharma executives who grew up in the inner city and share a commitment of providing an...

Get the Conversation Started

3 Customer-Engagement Tips Designed to Boost Your Store's Digital Marketing Success Economies rise and fall – and, thus, businesses have to weather the good and the bad. At this point, the most recent economic downturn is a few years behind us, but that period brought...

Risky Business

Unless You Regularly Tackle Tough Commercial Laundry Stains, Chlorine Bleach Most Likely is an Unnecessary Risk to Your Wash-Dry-Fold Service I recently received a phone call from a CLA member who had just ruined a wash-dry-fold order. As it turned out, one of her...

Risky Business

Although Biohazard Laundry Poses Some Obvious Challenges, With the Proper Procedures in Place, It Can Become a Profitable Segment of Your Full-Service Laundry Operation One of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make with regard to your wash-dry-fold and...

Yankee Hosts 38th Annual Vended Laundry Trade Show

Gerry Guertin Named SpyderWash Salesperson of the Year A record number of registered attendees – coupled with a throng of store owners and potential investors who registered at the door, as well as experts from all segments of the industry – created a highly energized...

WASH Laundry Names Vice President of M&A, Business Development

WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems, headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., has named Miles Oh its new vice president of mergers & acquisitions and business development. Oh will lead WASH's growth efforts through strategic mergers and acquisition activity and expansion...

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

Statewide Laundry Equipment Hosts Investment Seminars

Statewide Laundry Equipment recently wrapped up two successful investment seminars in the Atlanta area. These educational sessions featured more than 30 attendees and were held in order to present some key insights for those considering investing in and looking to...

Western State Design to Host Service Seminars

Western State Design will host four free service seminars developed to help vended laundry operators learn best practices for optimal operation and maintenance of Dexter Laundry equipment. These training sessions will be conducted by Dexter factory representatives and...

CSC ServiceWorks Adds Hawkinson, Graf to Board of Directors

CSC ServiceWorks, Inc. has appointed two new members to the company’s Board of Directors. They are Alex Hawkinson, founder and former CEO of SmartThings, the largest consumer Internet of Things platform in the world; and Rick Graf, president and CEO of Pinnacle, one...

Dexter Laundry Salutes Top-Producing Distributor

Western State Design, headquartered in Hayward, Calif., recently received Dexter Laundry’s 2018 “#1 in Dexter Sales Worldwide" Award at the manufacturer’s annual conference in Waikiki, Hawaii. It marked the 12th consecutive year that WSD has achieved this honor. The...

Laundrylux Acquires Automated Laundry Systems

Laundrylux recently acquired Automated Laundry Systems, based in Jacksonville, Fla. The distributorship is led by Don and Kristen Packard. “We are delighted to partner with Don and Kristen, who are sophisticated business leaders aligned with our strategic vision,"...