National Clothesline

Ann Campy has been appointed director of client services for Methods for Management, a new position designed to consolidate customer service efforts and provide a high level of customer support to clients.

Campy has been with MFM for ten years. As director of client services, she coordinates all management bureau activities, works with every meeting host and responds to customer enquiries.

“Ann is a master at providing support to our clients as well as communicating with prospects as to how MFM can best meet their unique needs, said Deborah Rechnitz, managing director of MFM.

Methods for Management Inc. has been addressing the needs of laundry and drycleaning business owners for 50 years by helping companies improve, addressing the diversity of organizations, integrating personal goals with those of the business, and providing insights and directions from a financial and operational perspective.

MFM currently coordinates management bureaus in 35 states and three countries with a focus on quarterly business reviews, facilitates operating managers meetings focused on specific job responsibilities such as customer service, production, and route sales, and provides Executive Councils on strategic reviews

Rising demand for Kreussler detergents in Germany, Europe and the United States has necessitated an expansion of the company’s production capacities.

Although more than 60 percent of the company’s products are exported, Kreussler decided to strengthen its existing production base and continue to produce all products in the company facilities in Wiesbaden because of the infrastructure and experienced and qualified personnel.

The production expansion in Wiesbaden also allows for benefits resulting from larger material flow, increased efficiency and improved use of internal logistics from which the rest of the Kreussler product range can benefit.

The photograph shows the new storage facility with two fully automatically controlled silos. In connection with an additional spray mixer, the capacity for producing Kreussler detergents (TREBON brands) could be increased by more than 50 percent.

David Carter has joined Tri-State Technical Services as senior sales engineer to cover central Georgia and western North Carolina.

Carter has 14 years of laundry equipment experience and is a recipient of the Milnor Key Man Award. He was formerly employed by Chicago Dryer Co. as director of sales development.

Tri-State/TLC also has announced sales awards that were presented at the end-of-year banquet.

Top sales volume awards were presented jointly to Barry Speizman and Prescott Spigner from the Carolina TLC Division. Don DeLavergne received the Horizon Award for top drycleaning equipment sales.

Diana Anthony was recognized as top parts producer as was Phil Huguley for top billed service.

Other long-term service awards went to Ron Conroy, Chris Duffett, Christine Davis, Paddy Griffin, Kim Grigg, Opie Hickox, Darren Robertson and Jodi Scruggs.

Tri-State Technical Services/TLC is the Milnor, Chicago, and American Dryer distributor for the states of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Southern Virginia.

Zoots is initiating two new business ventures in New England — carpet cleaning and water-damage restoration services. The company will initially focus its carpet cleaning business on residential households in the Mass-Metrowest area, and will offer water-damage restoration services to commercial and residential properties throughout New England.

The carpet cleaning and water restoration business will operate in both industrial and residential settings and will feature a toll-free emergency “flood hotline” customers can use 24 hours a day. In a similar venture in Ohio, Zoots has seen sales increase from $300,000 to over $9 million in the last three years.

Since it was founded in 1998 by Todd Krasnow and Tom Stemberg, creators of Staples office supply stores, Zoots has grown from a one-store drycleaning business to a multi-faceted cleaning business that operates 72 stores in 11 states and home delivery routes in more than 200 communities. Zoots also performs garment cleaning for premium hotels, military bases, and smoke/fire restoration.

“Zoots has been voted ‘Best Dry Cleaner’ in over 75 reader’s choice awards,” said Jim McManus, Zoots’ CEO. “Carpet cleaning and water-restoration services are natural extensions of the Zoots brand.”

The company said its revenues grew by 26 percent in 2005, with a portion of growth coming from acquisitions. Last year it acquired Monarch Natural Cleaners, in the Cherry Hill, NJ, and Philadelphia, PA, areas. The acquisition of a plant and delivery routes from Monarch marked Zoots entry into the Philadelphia market and was its third expansion to areas outside of New England in recent years. Over the last five years, Zoots has opened stores and routes in Virginia Beach, VA, and acquired Widmer’s Cleaners and Prime Valet Cleaners in Cincinnati, OH.

Last year Zoots purchased and integrated a half dozen large home delivery routes in Connecticut, northern New Jersey and Ohio and several high-volume stores in Massachusetts and Ohio. Zoots has made public its interest in making additional acquisitions in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

Myron Blankenbaker has been named vice president of business development for the Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network (CRDN). He will be responsible for national sales and marketing initiatives, and the supervision of CRDN’s regional manager team.

Prior to joining CRDN, Blankenbaker spent the past 16 years with Paul Davis Restoration, serving most recently as vice president of marketing where he was in charge of national marketing and sales. Before joining Paul Davis Systems in 1989, he spent nine years in the property and casualty insurance business.

The new position will let CRDN increase its focus on national, regional and state sales efforts, and enhance the coordination and direction of regional managers, said Wayne Wudyka, CRDN’s CEO. “Importantly, Myron brings a wealth of talent and relevant experience to our organization. His expertise in developing and managing a diversified network of service providers will be a valuable asset to our CRDN partners,” Wudyka added.

While traveling extensively to meet with insurance company executives, Blankenbaker also will commute to the new CRDN home office in Berkley, MI.

Blankenbaker is a former board member of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC). An affiliate member of the Property Loss Research Bureau (PLRB), he also serves on the PLRB Planning Committee.

He resides in Jacksonville, FL.

The Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network (CRDN), an international organization of textile restoration specialists serving the insurance industry, has completed construction of its 12,000-sq.-ft. corporate headquarters office in Berkley, MI.

CRDN’s new office serves as the organization’s central location for a staff of more than 20, including executive management, IT, training, operations, marketing, franchise services and franchise development. Regional managers and other field operations members are based throughout the U.S.

“As CRDN continues its noteworthy growth, our new office will create a centralized hub for all of the vital services we provide to insurance adjusters, contractors, contents cleaning companies and homeowners, as well as our franchise partners,” said Wayne Wudyka, CRDN’s founder and CEO. “The significant investment we have made in this location demonstrates our long-term commitment to providing the highest level of service and response as we expand the textile restoration niche of the insurance industry.”

Launched by Wudyka in 2001, CRDN offers a single-source solution for textile restoration. In 2004, CRDN handled nearly 14,000 insurance claims and surpassed 15,000 claims in 2005. Considering that restoration drycleaning costs an average of only 16 percent of replacement—a savings of 84 percent— and that clothing and textiles comprise the fastest growing category on insurance claims, restoration can save insurance companies millions of dollars annually.

With more than 140 franchises covering 90 percent of the United States, as well as the U.K. and Canada, CRDN provides insurance restoration laundry and drycleaning services for all types of loss. By restoring textiles damaged by fire, smoke, water or exposure to mold and other contaminants, CRDN members offer a solution for insurance professionals seeking to reduce costs while closing claims quickly.

CRDN was named the fourth fastest growing new franchise by Franchise Times in 2005. Entrepreneur magazine ranked CRDN in their 2006 “Franchise 500” list. In separate categories, Entrepreneur listed CRDN at #13 of Top New Franchises, #60 for Top Low-Cost Franchises, and #165 among America’s Top Global Franchises.

CRDN is based on the restoration laundry and drycleaning processes and procedures developed at Huntington Cleaners in Huntington Woods, MI. As president of Huntington Cleaners & Shirt Laundry since 1992, Wudyka and business partner Jeffrey Snyder developed a program to meet the needs of the insurance industry by providing comprehensive textile restoration services. Their business has achieved double-digit growth for nine consecutive years largely because of its insurance restoration division. The CRDN concept was founded on this success.

On a loss site, CRDN members capture the loss by conducting thorough, on-site, room-by-room inventories that save time for insurance adjusters and provide a reliable record of a home’s clothing and textile contents, including a range of specialty items such as window treatments, shoes, purses, hats, belts, leathers, and furs. The CRDN comprehensive system includes inventory, “rush” service, restoration and storage of fabric items until the insured is ready for them to be returned. CRDN also offers a “restored or free guarantee” for insurers.

CRDN’s new home office is located at 2060 Coolidge Highway, Berkley, MI 48072; phone (248) 246-7878 or (800) 963-CRDN.