Two years ago, nearly 200 of the nation’s leading laundry owners and industry executives joined their peers for two days of networking and progressive educational sessions – all set amidst the tranquil beauty of Ojai, Calif.
On May 18, 2016, Coin Laundry Association President and CEO Brian Wallace welcomed attendees to the opening of the third Excellence in Laundry Conference, a biennial event hosted by the trade association and held this year on the spacious grounds of the 220-acre Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.
The event’s educational sessions kicked off with Dr. Alan Beaulieu, president of ITR Economics, who presented “Good Days Ahead” to a packed crowd in the Anacapa Ballroom. One of the nation’s foremost economic forecasters spelled out a few of the reasons why laundry owners today should be optimistic.
He pointed to “near-record levels” in the manufacturing sector, a strengthening on the service side of the economy, a healthy employment outlook, a rise in real personal income and the fact that the U.S. is virtually an energy-independent country as signs that much of the economic gloom and doom being portraying on the nightly news may be less than accurate.
The second speaker of the morning was Tim Greiner, co-founder of Pure Strategies, Inc., a company that has worked with businesses like Walmart and The North Face to create workable sustainability programs. He stressed three main areas in which running a greener, more sustainable laundry operation could help owners succeed. Those categories included productivity, risk reduction and growth opportunity.
The third keynoter, who spoke on the second morning of the conference, was demographics expert Paul Taylor – author of “The Next America” – who shined a light on the likely impacts of today’s quickly shifting demographics within the U.S.
The second day of the conference also featured a jam-packed session called “Doing Well by Doing Good,” in which successful store operators discussed some of the programs they’ve implemented that are making a difference in the communities they serve.
Similar to past Excellence in Laundry events, the numerous networking opportunities were the real stars of the show in Ojai.
The industry’s elite had a great chance to talk shop on the evening before the conference began, with a welcome cocktail reception held at the 10,500-square-foot, Tuscan-style Casa Elar, located on the Ojai Valley Inn property.
The next evening’s event featured an elegant poolside buffet dinner under the stars. Prior to dinner, attendees were treated to “An Evening with Kenny Aronoff,” in which the iconic drummer pounded his way through hit after massive radio hit – in between sharing stories about his well-traveled professional career in the music industry.
And the (drum) beat goes on – as the CLA is busily preparing for Excellence in Laundry 2018, which will be held at the Naples Grande Beach Resort in Naples, Fla.
To learn more or to register for 2018’s Excellence in Laundry Conference, click on the link below.
