National Clothesline

Gary Dawson of Bellair Bluffs, FL, took the reigns as IFI’s president for the 2005-2006 term while in Orlando for the Clean Show.

“I hope I’m able to lead and guide this organization to the level that you expect — and I thank you for being members because you’re the reason we’re here,” said Dawson, a third-generation drycleaner and Certified Garment Care Professional (CGCP), at IFI’s membership meeting.

Barbara Harvey, CED, CPD, became treasurer, replacing Steven Poulos in that office. Harvey, of Severna Park, MD, represents District 2.

Poulos becomes president-elect. He is from North Canton, OH.

Dan Martino, outgoing president,will serve his final year on the board as IFI Chairman.

Ed Robinson and Rick Armstrong were installed as the newly elected directors of Districts 3 and 4, respectively. Robinson is from Columbia, SC; Armstrong is from Richmond, IN.

In addition, James Hericks of Dallas Tailor & Laundry Supply in Dallas, TX, joined David Dawson of R. R. Street & Co. Inc. in Naperville, IL, as a second allied trades director on the IFI board. Dawson will step down from his post next year.

Directors continuing on the board include Peter Velassares of Chicago, IL, District 5, Ross Markle of Leavenworth, KS, District 6, Dave Silliman of Phoenix, AZ, District 7, and Barry Gershenson of Los Angeles, CA, District 8.

The Association of Wedding Gown Specialists announced the affiliation of four new members: Sharlene Thum of Five Star Cleaners in San Antonio, TX; Ed Robinson of Ed Robinson Laundry and Dry Cleaning, Columbia, SC; Bill Vincent of Terra Bella Cleaners, Charlottesville and Gordonsville, VA; and Bill Wright of Royal Fine Cleaners in Northport, AL.

The new members will meet with Cynthia Schillig, director of the associations national training center, this month for a two-day orientation at her plant in Gahanna, OH.

The not-for-profit association serves as both a marketing cooperative and a buying cooperative.

The association’s trademarked MuseumCare preservations are endorsed by the Association of Bridal Consultants and the National Bridal Service.

More information is available by calling the association, (800) 501-5005, or e-mailing info
@weddinggownspecialists.com.

Jim DeSanto has joined Hoyt as its southeast and midwest sales manager. His industry experience includes more than 13 years with Kleen-Rite and 12 years as sales manager at Marvel.

A native of Chicago, his family owned and operated drycleaning plants in South Chicago for many years.

Zoots has acquired Monarch Natural Cleaners, a family-owned and operated drycleaning business with five retail stores and seven home delivery routes that has served the Cherry Hill, NJ, and Philadelphia, PA areas for three years. Similar to Zoots, Monarch conducts all cleaning operations off site at a centrally located plant.

The purchase marks Zoots entry into a new market where it will develop a network of stores and home delivery routes that surround its production facility.

During the past year Zoots has purchased a half dozen home delivery routes in Connecticut, northern New Jersey and Ohio and several stores in Massachusetts and Ohio. Zoots is interested in more acquisitions in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and northern Rhode Island.

Since it was founded in 1998 by Todd Krasnow and Tom Stemberg, creators of Staples office supply stores, Zoots has become one of the larger drycleaners on the East Coast, serving communities in ten states with 60 retail drycleaning locations and 150 pick-up and delivery routes.

Krienik Advertising recently won Gold and Bronze Awards at the Second Annual Service Industry Advertising Awards. The Gold Award recognized a series of radio spots for Widmer’s Drycleaners in Cincinnatti while the Bronze Award was for the overall 2004 advertising campaign for Widmer’s, which included radio, outdoor, print advertising and direct mail.

By using visuals to capture the consumer’s attention, the advertising campaign pointed out the differences that distinguish Widmer’s from other cleaners. Widmer’s had been voted “Cincinnati’s Best” by readers of a local publication.

Krienik’s work in the drycleaning field has helped Widmer’s grow from its beginning as a small carriage trade cleaner in 1981. The agency has also produced marketing programs for Sanitone and Fabritec International.

The Service Industry Advertising Awards received entries from all 50 states and four foreign countries. A national panel of over 40 judges evaluated and rated entries for execution, style, creativity, consumer appeal and overall break through advertising content. Entries were judged in ten groups and 25 categories.

For 23 years, Krienik Advertising has served clients in the fields of advertising, strategic planning, direct marketing, outdoor marketing and media buying.

Fabritec International has announced the winners of drawings for Apple mini-iPods at Clean ’05. Winners were Wayne Edelman of Meurice Garment Care in New York; Skip Cox of The Cleaners in Florida; and Matt Pappas of Bell Laundry in South Carolina.

Drawings were held at the Fabritec booth which, in addition to showing the company’s line of products, also offered route seminars for Clean Show attendees.