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.
Excellence in Laundry ’24: Industry Insights and Innovations
CLA Conference Attracts a Record Number of Laundromat Owners and Industry Professionals to Palm Beach, Fla. More than 200 of the leading laundromat owners and industry professionals from across the U.S. recently joined their colleagues for two days of high-level...
Future-Proofing Your Laundry Business
How a POS System Can Add Value for You and Your Customers “What gets measured, gets managed.” – Peter Drucker If you already have a point-of-sale system, you know how valuable they are. Unfortunately, many laundromat owners still use paper and pen – and the laundromat...
‘You Better Have Great Insurance!’
The Art and Science of Managing Slip and Fall Injuries It’s a typical Tuesday afternoon. You’re a couple of hours away from your laundromat, and your employee calls you. His voice is a bit shaky: “Hey, boss, a guy just fell and hurt himself. He’s pretty mad and says...
Headlines
Standard Change-Makers Appoints New Sales Team Members
Standard Change-Makers recently announced new additions to the company’s sales team. Robert Lessard has been named the company’s new sales representative for Canada. He takes over for Paul Thompson, who retired after 28 years with Standard. Lessard brings extensive...
Setomatic-SpyderWash Names Regional Sales Manager
Setomatic Systems-SpyderWash has appointed Sam Husain its new regional sales manager for the Southeast and Midwest markets. Husain, who is based in Dallas, entered the commercial laundry industry in 2018 as a sales representative for Commercial Equipment Company. From...
Home Sweet Home
How to Make Your Laundromat Feel Like Home to Your Customers… No Matter Where Home May Be Last summer, I decided to jet off to the Mediterranean. I thought it’d be cool to pick up a little bit of every language before I went. Trust me, my Italian was more spaghetti...
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...
SPONSORED CONTENT
This Month's Issue
- Reimagining the Laundromat Experience: Technology, Design, and a Strong Focus on the Customer Have Set a New Standard for Store Amenities
- Business Management: Building a Positive Workplace Culture
- Digital Marketing: Make Your Laundromat a Place People Love
- Company Close-Up: The Vision Behind Masters Laundry Equipment
- And More…
THE LATEST ON LAUNDROMATS
Industry News
Laundry Industry Mourns Bob Cowen
Laundry industry pioneer Robert Clifford Cowen, an ownership partner in B&C Technologies, passed away peacefully at his home on September 13 at the age of 102. Cowen began his career in 1956 as an engineer and quickly became a driving force in the commercial...
Eastern Funding Hosts Successful Workshops in California
Eastern Funding continued its Laundry Business Workshop series in Los Angeles and Orange County on September 10 and September 11. Both events drew strong groups of attendees, which included laundromat owners, prospective investors, and other laundry industry...
EVI Announces Cash Dividend
EVI Industries Inc., headquartered in Miami, has announced that its Board of Directors approved a special cash dividend of 31 cents per share on EVI’s common stock, a 10 percent increase over the amount of the special cash dividend paid by EVI last October. The...
Library of Congress Honors LaundryCares with 2024 Literacy Award
The LaundryCares Foundation recently announced that it has been awarded the David M. Rubenstein Prize as part of the 2024 Library of Congress Literacy Awards. This prestigious award honors the Foundation’s innovative efforts in promoting literacy by transforming...
Alliance Laundry Systems Acquires Utah Distributor
Alliance Laundry Systems recently expanded its direct distribution in the western portion of the United States with the acquisition of Alliance Laundry Equipment, headquartered in Salt Lake City. “Alliance Laundry Equipment has done an excellent job of representing...
FROM YOUR FAVORITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Columns
The Laundry Doctor
In Your Face
Never Stop Looking for Creative Ways to Get Your Brand in Front of Your Customers – And Potential Customers If you’re a regular reader of PlanetLaundry, you know that my fellow columnists Stephen Bean and Dennis Diaz are always talking about the importance of your...
The Business Mind
Relatively Speaking
How to Navigate the Minefield of Working with Family Members Years ago, after earning my master’s degree in clinical psychology, I went to work in my father’s foundry business as the company’s director of sales. At the time – and as is likely the case today as well –...
Wash With Wally
Wash with Wally: How to Starch Tuxedo Shirts
I’ve recently been offered a tuxedo rental account, which would require me to wash and starch about 400 shirts each week. How do I starch these shirts in my washers? During which cycle would I need to insert the starch? To starch the shirts in your laundromat’s...
Viewpoint
What Can the CLA Do for You?
“What can Brown do for you?” That was the popular slogan for UPS from 2002 to 2010. Simple in structure yet far-reaching in scope, the slogan engaged UPS’ multi-platform customer universe to think about its relationship with the company and how it might be expanded....
Digital Marketing
Cooking Up Success with Your Laundry Promotions
Creating Irresistible Promotional Programs for Your Business I love cooking. But, to be honest, I’m not a huge fan of following recipes to the T. I prefer to keep it simple and to add my own twist with different ingredients – a dash of this, a sprinkle of that… and...
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.
