National Clothesline

It will be a busy spring for the Michigan Institute of Laundering and Drycleaning as it wraps up its four-part management series and offers a finishing seminar, as well.

MILD will present the final two segments of its management series on Friday, April 7 and Friday, May 5; the two previous installments took place in February and March.

Conducting the informative training sessions will be industry experts Jan Barlow and Mary Beth Bolen.

Those who attend will meet from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the MILD office, which is located at 3225 W. St. Joseph in Lansing, MI.

The cost is $200 per person per session.

Also on tap for the association is a finishing seminar set for Thursday, April 27 at Lemon Fresh Cleaners in Holland, MI.

The program will run from 6 to 8 p.m. and will be taught by Gary Knight, formally of American Cleaners.

Cleaners who are frustrated with all the time and labor that goes into finishing garments will want to attend.

Knight will demonstrate methods to help produce a higher quality garment with fewer steps. By making fewer movements, finishers will be less fatigued and ultimately more productive.

Also during the program, Knight will emphasize the use of pressing aids including your hands and eyes.

The cost is $25 for MILD members and $35 for non-members.

For more information on any of the upcoming programs or to register, contact Allison Buhs in the MILD office by calling (517) 327-9207 or visit online at www.mildmi.org.

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has announced the appointment of six Wisconsin Fabriciare Institute members to the state’s Drycleaner Environmental Response Council.

The council will work in an advisory capacity on matters related to the Dry Cleaner Environmental Response Program (DERP), which is adminstered by the Wisconsin Deparment of Natural Resources and provides assistanance to drycleaning establishments for the investigation and cleanup of environmental contamination.

The six WFI members in the council include: WFI board member Jim Fitzgerald of the Herb Fitzgerald Company in Butler; WFI Vice President Richard Klinke of Klinke Cleaners in Madison; Jeanne Tarvin of STS Consultants, LTD in Slinger; Steven Plater of One Hour Fabricare in Mequon; WFI board member Jill Fitzgerald of Jill’s Inc. in Muskego; and WFI board member Kevin Braden of Wausau Chemical Corporation in Brookfield.

Braden replaces Jim Cherwinka, also of Wausau Chemical, who served on the Council from 1998 until his passing in October.

The Ohio Cleaners Association recently introduced its 2006 Scholarship Program designed to help a young man or woman attain a drycleaning education.

This year, OCA will award one scholarship valued at $2,000. The deadline to apply is May 1.

To apply, go to the OCA site at www.ohiocleaners.org and download the form in PDF format.

Haiges Machinery Inc. will host Clean Expo ’06, a live equipment show April 22-23 at its Huntley, IL, headquarters.

The show will feature equipment demonstrations, CEU classes, catered food and refreshments, factory representatives, equipment specials and door prizes.

The new Firbimatic TRIO, which washes, dries, and drycleans in the same machine, will be featured in the live demonstrations. Ken Bull of the Laidlaw Corp. and Nick Gagliano of R.R. Street & Co. Inc, will demonstrate cleaning and spotting techniques and factory trained technicians will be on hand to explain machine operation and maintenance procedures.

Admission is free. Show hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday at Haiges Machinery Inc., 11314 E. Main Street, Huntley, IL. Registration is required for CEU credit courses.

For registration or more information, call 847-669-3300.