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.
‘Helping Youth in Need’
New York Laundry Owner Shares His Thoughts on Adding a Literacy Element to His Business Model Multi-store owner Steve Levine may be the perfect role model for the LaundryCares Foundation’s literacy programs and Family Read, Play & Learn Centers. After all, he’s...
Life of a Salesman
An Interview with Bryan Maxwell of Western State Design Bryan Maxwell is the senior laundry specialist for Western State Design, a major laundry equipment distributor, headquartered in Hayward, Calif. Maxwell began with Western State in 1988 – selling industrial OPL...
Word to the Wise, Part 2
Laundromat Owners Share Best Practices for Long-Term Success [This is the second of the two-part feature article. Read Part 1 here.] Several leading laundromat owners share their best business and operational advice, tips and strategies for new store operators and...
Headlines
Milnor Honors Top Distributors
At this year’s Clean Show in Atlanta, Pellerin Milnor Corp. hosted a banquet and awards ceremony to celebrate outstanding sales efforts by its distributor network. “Pellerin Laundry Machinery Sales Company had a tremendous level of sales activity for 2021,” said Rick...
Business Bio: Avenue O Laundry
Jim and Melanie Cobb Avenue O Laundry Fort Madison, Iowa Before Getting into the Laundry Business… Jim is an operations manager for a general contractor, and Melanie is a realtor and property manager. Both owners remain in those positions. Store Opening June 2022...
Clean Brands Offers Laundry Services at U.S. Military Bases
Clean Brands has begun offering an array of cleaning and garment-care services at the Exchanges at U.S. Army and Air Force bases across the U.S. As part of the agreement, Clean Brands will provide laundry and drycleaning services in several formats. Those could...
CLA Member of the Year
An Interview with Colleen Unema of Brio Laundry in Bellingham, Wash. Colleen Unema is the owner of Brio Laundry in Bellingham, Wash. She’s also a nationally certified teacher, who taught the sciences for nearly 25 years – from the high school level to college classes....
Laundry Luv, LaundryCares Team Up for Free Laundry Event in Texas
The LaundryCares Foundation will welcome the community of Abilene, Texas, to experience a Free Laundry and Literacy Day event at Laundry Luv on December 7. Guests can enjoy complimentary laundry services and cleaning products, plus free food and fun activities for...
Whirlpool Named to 2022 Seramount Inclusion Index
Whirlpool Corp. has been recognized as an inclusive workplace by Seramount’s sixth annual Inclusion Index. The Inclusion Index helps organizations understand trends and opportunities in demographic representation; creates a road map to drive internal change; and...
CLA Hosts Inaugural WDF Workshop
Trade Association Holds Two-Day Event Focused on Full-Service Laundry Operations Nearly 200 laundromat owners and garment-care professionals – as well as those simply doing their initial due diligence on the wash-dry-fold, pickup-and-delivery, and commercial accounts...
CSC ServiceWorks Names Co-CEOs
CSC ServiceWorks Inc. recently announced that its board of directors has appointed Eric Robinson and Rod Castellanos co-chief executive officers and members of the board. “I’m honored to join Rod as co-CEO to lead and accelerate our company toward the opportunities...
Ohio Bank Donates Books to Local Laundromats
The Kiwanis Club of Southern Hills Region in Ohio has received more than 100 books donated by the Southern Hills Bank in Georgetown. The bank recently collected books from its employees, clients and the Brown County (Ohio) Public Library. The books will be given to...
Laying It on the Line
Why Laundromat Entrepreneurs Take the Risks They Do Starting or buying a business is… well, risky business. After all, research tells us that roughly one-third of all small businesses fail within the first two years. So, why do people do it? What could these...
Growing Your Full-Service Laundry Business
Nine Suggestions to Help Maximize WDF and Commercial Accounts Profits The real question isn’t whether or not you should grow the full-service side of your laundromat business. It’s why wouldn’t you? Harnessing the right technology and equipment, you can enter new...
Wash with Wally: Maintaining Your Main Drain Line
Is there a chemical and/or preventive maintenance procedure that will keep our main drain line clean? Occasionally, we experience a backup of water, which seems to be due to a buildup of a black greasy residue within the line. Would you recommend a periodic flush of...
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This Month's Issue
- House of Laundromats: Real Estate Trends and What to Watch
- Member Spotlight: Bringing a Century of Expertise to the Evolving Laundromat Industry
- PlanetLaundry Podcast: Reimagining Community: How the Hub Laundromat Cafe is a Change Catalyst in Detroit
- Women In Vended Laundry: How Adrienne Hurrington Keeps the Wheels Turning as SAMCO
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
WashClub Expands DoorDash Partnership
WashClub, a New York-based on-demand laundry and drycleaning service, recently announced the expansion of its partnership with DoorDash to serve laundry customers in the Bronx. The laundry service first launched this offering to residents of Brooklyn and Queens in...
American Trade Magazines Names New Publisher
American Trade Magazines, LLC – the parent company of textile-care B2B publications American Coin-Op, American Drycleaner, and American Laundry News – has announced a change in leadership. Effective August 1, Associate Publisher and National Sales Director Donald...
HappyNest Hosts Annual Partner Conference
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest, headquartered in East Greenwich, R.I., hosted its 2nd annual Partner Conference on June 20-22 in Newport, R.I. – with more than 50 of the company’s laundromat partners from across the U.S. gathering for the event. The...
Wash-Dry-Fold POS Names New Sales Representative
Wash-Dry-Fold POS has hired Rebecca Clay as a sales representative. To ensure that every member of its team grasps the challenges that laundromat owners face daily, Wash-Dry-Fold POS follows a unique approach to training. Immediately after hire, Clay underwent an...
EVI to Acquire ALCO Washer Center
EVI Industries Inc. recently announced that it has executed a definitive agreement to acquire ALVF Inc. – dba ALCO Washer Center, a distributor of commercial laundry products and provider of related technical installation and maintenance services to the laundromat and...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
Maximizing Your Wash Dry Fold Labor
How to Build Key Efficiencies into Your Full-Service Laundry Business In last month’s column, I wrote about the keys to partnering with your local drycleaner, which will be one of the educational topics discussed at Clean 2017 in Las Vegas. This month, I’d like to...
The Business Mind
Keep Your Customers Coming Back for More…
…Or Why You Should Eat Pizza with a Knife and Fork I recently popped open a very good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and poured myself a glass. That first sip was amazing. The flavor was beyond overwhelming. Unfortunately, a few minutes and a few sips later, I hardly...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Cleaning in Cold Water
I’m considering switching to a cold-water detergent for my wash-dry-fold business in order to save some money on my natural gas bill. Does this make sense? I don’t want to sacrifice the quality of the wash I offer my full-service customers. No, that does not make...
Viewpoint
Building Strong Connections
More meetings in more places for more people. This is the goal of the reinvented affiliate program and the new meeting concept that the Coin Laundry Association is excited to launch. In the May 2018 issue of PlanetLaundry, CLA President and CEO Brian Wallace wrote the...
Digital Marketing
Marketing During Times of Crisis
Some Promotional Do’s, Don’ts and Considerations as We All Try to Navigate the COVID-19 Crisis It’s easy to get downhearted about the state of the world in the middle of COVID-19’s madness. With social distancing measures, self-quarantines in place and a heightened...
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.
