National Clothesline

In 1915, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, the first international telephone call was made and the Illinois State Fabricare Association was formed to help drycleaners.

Now, 90 years later, the Red Sox are once again champs, over 60% of American households have cellular phones, and ISFA is still in business and preparing for it’s 90th annual convention.

The event is scheduled to take place from Sept. 17-18 at the Indian Lakes Resort located at 250 W. Schick Rd. in Bloomington, IL.

Prior to the convention itself there will be an on-site golf tournament from 6:30 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Sept. 17. The cost to golf, which includes a lunch, will be $125 for members and $150 for non-members.

Afterwards. from 12:30 to 7 p.m., ISFA’s allied trade exhibit hall will be open to the public.

Also, throughout the day, cleaners will have several educational programs to choose from, including a two-hour continuing education class on “The Big Picture and the Bottom Line” starting at 1 p.m.

Speaker Jan Caon-Barlow from Jan’s Professional Dry Cleaners will be on hand to give an interactive presentation covering topics ranging from financial management to plant and staff organization.

At 3:30 p.m., there will be another session on “How to Protect Yourself and Your Business.” Presenters Anthony Pennacchio of John Hancock Financial Network, Jeff Diver of Jeffrey R. Diver, P.C., and David Bell of American Insurance Co. will offer three different perspectives on how to insure products to your best advantage for asset protection.

Later in the evening, Paul Seidlitz of DCEO Industrial Services Division will deliver a presentation slated to start at 5 p.m.

He will discuss “Chemical Spill Response,” emphasizing the requirements cleaners need for a written Chemical Spill Response Plan. The discussion will include personal protective equipment, safe distances in evacuation situations and reporting requirements.

ISFA will conclude the day with a State of the Industry and Awards dinner from 7 to 10 p.m.

On Sunday morning, the association will host an open board meeting from 7:30 to 9 a.m., followed by a breakfast buffet.

Hotel reservations are available at the Indian Lakes Resort to convention attendees at a special rate of $129 per night. To make reservations, cleaners should call (800) 334-3417 and mention their affiliation with the ISFA conference.

Full registration packages are available for the 90th annual convention which include admittance to all education programs, the State of the Industry and Awards dinner and the Sunday breakfast.

The cost is $250 for the first member and $215 for additional members. Non-members pay $350; additional non-members pay $300 each.

For more information, or to register, contact ISFA at (800) 462-4732.

The Wisconsin Fabricare Institute will be headed to the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, WI, for its annual conference and golf outing from Sept. 23-25.

The busy weekend will begin on Friday with two hours of certification tests starting at 3 p.m., followed by a board meeting at 5 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., the association will host a Texas BBQ evening.

The educational sessions begin on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. when Jan Barlow and Mary Beth Bolen discuss “The Big Picture and the Bottom Line” for 2 1é2 hours. Part two of the session will run from 9:15 a.m. until noon on Sunday.

WFI’s golf tournament will be held at noon on Saturday at Quit Qui Oc, a course built in the early 1920s. The cost for 18 holes of golf, a cart, lunch and prizes is $60 per golfer.

On Saturday evening, attendees can enjoy a Road Racing evening with a Road Race buffet and a bonfire on the beach.

A continental breakfast will be served to attendees in the meeting room on Sunday morning at 8:45 a.m., followed by a general membership meeting at 9 a.m. The conference will adjourn following a noontime buffet lunch.

Special room rates at the Osthoff Resort are available for $119 per night for one bedroom suites. For reservations, call the hotel, (800) 976-3399. Because weekends are a busy time, WFI advises cleaners to call early.

Full convention registration packages are available at a rate of $145 for members and $160 for non-members, which includes admittance to everything but the golf outing. Member spouses pay $120 each. To register, call (414) 529-4722.

With its two-day convention looming on the horizon, the Indiana Drycleaning and Laundry Association is hoping that cleaners will find plenty of both business and pleasure at the Seasons Lodge in Nashville, IN, Sept. 9-10.

On Friday morning, golfers can enjoy the first half of the day playing a scramble tournament on the course. Then, later in the afternoon, IDLA will open its registrations booths and allow vendors to set-up their exhibits for the convention.

Once business is out of the way on Friday, attendees can enjoy a cash bar and poolside barbecue in the evening. At 8 p.m., the association will host a Follies “Road to Gnaw Bone” program.

Activities will resume the following morning with breakfast and more registration in the early Saturday hours.

At 8:45 a.m., the educational seminars will begin with Mark Stoddard and Paula Smith discussing compliance with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the state’s 5-Star Environmental Recognition for Drycleaners program.

Three more programs are set to take place at 10:30 a.m.. They will be repeated again at 3 p.m.

The first speaker is Bill Odorizzi, vice president of sales for FH Bonn. He will examine how to “Get the Competitive Edge Through Customer and Employee Satisfaction.”

Also making an appearance will be Neil Victor of Global Systems who will talk about point-of-sale computer systems.

Finally, Dennis Porter of Management Association and Nu Yale Cleaners will be on hand to speak on the topic of “Balance Sheets, Cash Flow Statements and P&L’s — How Do You Compare?”

Three additional educational programs have been slated to take place at 1:30 p.m, including one by Chris Birk of Peru One Hour Cleaners. He will discuss wedding gowns.

Also slated to speak will be Judy Deering of Deering Business Brokers who will offer her expert opinion on family succession planning.

The third seminar will cover the topic of alternative solvents and be presented by Ken Jones of R. R. Street & Co. Inc.

In the afternoon, cleaners will have time to relax after a long day with cocktail hour at 5 p.m., followed by a banquet, auction and musical and storytelling entertainment provided by Jacob Brown

For cleaners who have brought along their children, IDLA will also be offering separate children’s activities. Additionally, there will be an optional trip to the Little Nashville Opry at 8 p.m.

This year’s host hotel — the Seasons Lodge (www.seasonslodge.com) — is located at 560 St. Rd. 46 E. in Nashville, IN. For reservations, call (800) 365-7237.

IDLA has several different registration packages available for convention attendees. For more information, or to register, call the association office toll free at (800) 401-0703.

George Gardner, owner of Custom Cleaners in Bryan, OH, took office as president of the Ohio Cleaners Association for 2005-06 during Clean ’05 in Orlando.

Gardner joined OCA/IFI soon after buying Customer Cleaners in 1997 and has served as a district director and trustee of OCA since 1998.

He also is a board member of a several local organizations, including the Bryan Rotary Club, the Bryan Area Foundation, the Bryan Area Health Education Center and the Yokefellow Spiritual Retreat Center. He is a past president of the Bryan Rotary Club and the Bryan Area Chamber of Commerce.

Other association officers for 2005-06 include David Frick, president elect; Nikko Vlahos, vice president; Mark Kimmel, secretary; and Brian Butler, treasurer. Timothy Blankenship is the board chairman.

OCA will have its annual allied trades golf outing Sept. 28 at the Dornoch Country Club in Delaware, OH. Reservations must be made by Sept. 21. For information, contact Bekah McCurday at the OCA office, (614) 221-1900, ext. 212.