Speed Queen has named multi-store owners Bob and Donna Wallner the winners of its Art of the Journey contest. Representatives from the commercial laundry manufacturer and the Wallners’ equipment distributor, Statewide Laundry Equipment, surprised the brother-and-sister business partners with the $100,000 grand prize.
“Bob and Donna Wallner have been in the industry for many years and understand the importance of reinvesting in their business,” said Jeff Harvey, brand manager for Speed Queen Financial Services. “Over the years, as they have expanded their business to multiple stores, the Wallners have seen the benefits purchasing new equipment provides their laundromats, including attracting new customers, increasing profitability and decreasing utility expenses. Bob and Donna have partnered with Speed Queen Financial Services for more than a decade, and we are thrilled to reward them for their hard work and dedication to their business by presenting them with the Art of the Journey contest grand prize.”
Harvey was joined by Brittany Pettineo, Rusty Parks and Jim Rogers of Statewide Laundry Equipment and Jim Rosenthal, Speed Queen Commercial North American sales manager, at Crystal Clean Coin Laundry in Orlando, Fla., to surprise Bob and Donna with the $100,000 check.
“We are so excited that we’ve been selected as the winners of the Speed Queen Art of the Journey contest,” said Donna, who created the winning artwork, a collage of the Wallners’ first store made entirely of dryer lint. “This portrait represents the beginning of our journey in the laundry business, one which we continue to travel with our partners from Statewide and Speed Queen.”
“Installing new, efficient equipment that provides our customers with more options to customize their laundry cycles has helped make our stores successful,” Bob added. “Speed Queen Financial Services has made it possible to continue to replace equipment and improve our stores in an easy and manageable way.”
“The Wallners are passionate about growing their business, serving their customers and community, and championing the laundry industry,” Rosenthal said. “There is no one more deserving of this recognition.”
This is the third annual contest Speed Queen has held that rewarded store owners for exceptional customer service and for reinvesting in their businesses. Laundry operators who reinvested in their stores with at least $2,500 of new Speed Queen equipment financed through SQFS were eligible to enter the Art of the Journey contest by uploading an original piece of art – photo collage/montage, video, poem, drawing or painting – showcasing their unique journey into the industry.
