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.
Playing the Numbers Game
A Closer Look at the Operational Metrics and Key Data Laundromat Owners Should Monitor to Stay on Track for Success In the February issue of PlanetLaundry, some of the most successful laundromat operators in the U.S. shared the key performance indicators they use to...
Pickup-and-Delivery Pricing Done Right
Are You Charging ‘By the Bag’ or ‘By the Pound?’ I don’t think any of us would be surprised to hear that pickup and delivery is the hot topic in our industry today. In fact, this month I presented a keynote presentation on this very topic at the inaugural Laundromat...
Smooth Operators (Part 2)
From Preventive Maintenance to Equipment Repair, Store Owners Share Key Strategies for Keeping Their Laundromats Running Smoothly and Profitably [This is the second of a two-part feature article. You can read Part One here.] In a continuation of PlanetLaundry's March...
Headlines
Cents Acquires Starchup, Expands PUD Platform
Venture-backed technology company Cents has acquired Starchup, a provider of pickup and delivery, POS and drycleaning software. Through this acquisition, Cents stated it will be able to bolster its existing pickup and delivery platform by adding functionality and...
Business Partners to Open Five LaundroLab Locations in St. Petersburg Market
Laundromat franchise LaundroLab has announced it will expand its reach in Florida – with four entrepreneurs bringing five new locations to the St. Petersburg area. Carlie Canfield, Matt Denault and their spouses had been flipping single-family homes since 2019, when a...
HappyNest Expands Presence in Tennessee
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded its availability within the Tennessee market east of Nashville through the company’s new laundromat partner, Antioch Coin Laundry. “We pride ourselves on offering unparalleled service from our staff, which...
Our Industry is Alive, Well… And Thriving
Having now had the opportunity to fully digest my time at last month’s Clean Show in Atlanta, I’m happy to report that the self-service laundry industry – as well as the residential wash-dry-fold and pickup-and-delivery segments of the business – are alive and well....
‘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...
Huebsch Honors Top Distributors
Huebsch recently honored its top-performing distributors of 2021 at an awards ceremony at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta, held in conjunction with this year’s Clean Show. The manufacturer presented Aaxon Laundry Equipment of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with its Distributor of...
HappyNest Continues Chicago Expansion
Laundry pickup-and-delivery service HappyNest has expanded within the Chicago market, now available in eastern portion of the city through its new laundromat partner, Easy Clean Laundry. The company had expanded westward earlier this year. “HappyNest was the obvious...
ARM & HAMMER Laundry Partners with Dress for Success
ARM & HAMMER Laundry has continued its support of Dress for Success, a global not-for-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence. Building on a two-year partnership, ARM & HAMMER Laundry will serve as presenting sponsor of the...
Whirlpool Named One of the Top Companies for Multicultural Women
Whirlpool Corp. recently was recognized as one of Seramount’s 2022 Best Companies for Multicultural Women. The award recognizes companies that create and use the best hiring practices while retaining and promoting multicultural women in the United States. “Inclusion...
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...
EVI Industries to Acquire Aldrich Clean-Tech Equipment Corp.
EVI Industries Inc. has announced that it executed a definitive agreement to acquire Aldrich Clean-Tech Equipment Corp., a commercial laundry distributor headquartered in Worcester, Mass. The acquisition will expand EVI’s sales and service presence within the...
Speed Queen Recognizes Star Distributing with Top Honor
Speed Queen recently honored its top distributors at an evening reception held in Atlanta, prior to this year’s Clean Show. “It was certainly an inspiring evening to have the whole Speed Queen commercial family in one room again and to celebrate their collective...
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This Month's Issue
- The Power of Promotions: Unleashing Creative Tactics to Keep Your Business Buzzing
- Digital Marketing: Six Strategies to Help Boost Your Business Without Breaking the Bank
- Business Profile: Modern Design and a Strong Community Focus Define New Jersey’s Bubbles Are Us Laundromats
- Industry Education: CLA’s WDF Workshop Enjoys Record Attendance in Nashville
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
Industry Mourns Bo Fosaaen
Industry veteran Knute Arthur “Bo” Fosaaen Jr. recently passed away at the age of 76. Born in California, Fosaaen’s family moved to Jacksonville, Fla., when Bo was just 3 years old. The oldest of nine children, Fosaaen served in the Florida National Guard after high...
CLA Promotes Hastings
The Coin Laundry Association has named Katherine Hastings the organization’s administrative and membership coordinator. Hastings, who joined CLA in 1997, is the association’s longest-standing employee, other than President/CEO Brian Wallace. During her tenure,...
CleanCloud Teams with Cobblers Direct on Leather-Repair Service
Laundry POS and pickup-and-delivery software provider CleanCloud has announced a partnership with Cobblers Direct, an online spinoff of the world’s largest shoe and leather goods repair company, The Shoe Hospitals. The agreement enables CleanCloud’s North American...
LIG Health and Wellness Roundup
The Coin Laundry Association works with LIG Solutions to provide CLA members with healthcare insurance, as well as prescription drug services. Below are some articles LIG has provided to help expand your health and wellness awareness, as well as your knowledge of new...
2ULaundry Raises $20 Million in Series B Funding
Mobile laundry pickup-and-delivery service 2ULaundry recently announced a $20 million Series B funding, which was led by Level 5 Capital Partners. To date, the company has raised $25.4 million. With this capital injection, 2ULaundry plans to continue scaling physical...
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
The Psychology of Risk
Mastering the Uncertainties of Laundromat Ownership “Ninety-five percent of thought, emotion and learning occur in the unconscious mind without our awareness.” – Dr. Gerald Zautman, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University It’s a well-accepted fact that all business...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: Cleaning Yoga Blankets
I have been approached by a potential commercial client about cleaning yoga blankets. They are heavy wool blankets about the size of a twin bed sheet. This client doesn’t want to dryclean the blankets. What’s the best way to wash them? And how would I dry these items...
Viewpoint
Partners in Laundry
To say the least, business partnerships of any kind are always going to be challenging. In fact, the majority of partnerships I've ever seen have failed, rather than succeeded. What's the problem? I believe the issue is that a business partnership is much like a...
Digital Marketing
Thriving in an Urban Setting
Simple, Effective Tactics for Building Business in Today’s Growing Metro Areas The data is clear. Pew Research recently shared that more people than ever are moving to urban areas and the diversity of our nation’s cities is increasing dramatically. For business...
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.
