National Clothesline

One year after initiating the Award of Excellence program, the International Fabricare Institute reports that 225 locations — plants, drop stores, routes and independent drop stores — have earned the award and a total of 331 locations are listed as accepted or pending

Launched at Clean ’05, the Award of Excellence program sets an objective standard that helps garment care professionals demonstrate their commitment to consumers and the industry.

To achieve the Award of Excellence, plants must meet specific criteria, including passing tests for cleaning performance and stain removal. Many cleaners have had difficulty passing the stain removal test, which helps to prove IFI CEO Bill Fisher’s point that the program is not intended for every drycleaner in the phone book.

“The whole reason for starting the program was to give good cleaners a way to stand out in the marketplace and start attracting new customers, and we’re pleased that is happening,” IFI CEO Bill Fisher said. “I’m extremely happy with the industry’s reception in the inaugural year, but we need to continue to grow the program in order for the Award of Excellence to become a clearly identifiable symbol of quality in consumers’ minds.”

The Clothing Care Council, the public face behind the Award of Excellence, sends press announcements to media outlets chosen by the AOE recipient. As a result, many awardees have been the subject of feature in local media. For example, Dave Beatty of Murrysville Cleaners in Murrysville, PA, was prominently featured in his local paper, including a full-color photo of him and his team.

“We have had quite a few customers coming in and saying what a nice article it was. I think we had six new customers the day after it came out. How cool is that!” Beatty said.

In a profile on his business in the Brookfield (Connecticut) News-Times, Paul Bagley, owner of Ship Shape Cleaners’ was quoted as saying achieving the Award of Excellence was “one of the hardest things we’ve ever done.” Titled “Owners of local dry cleaners keep customers coming back,” the article recognized Paul and Roberta Bagley for more than 30 years in business and having received the Award of Excellence.

Beyond the publicity efforts of the Clothing Care Council and articles in local papers, the award has opened other doors for some cleaners. “Dryclean Dave” Silliman of Uptowne Cleaners in Phoeniz, AZ, landed an endorsement with the Arizona Diamondbacks after the team discovered he had received the award for cleaning plants.

“The Award of Excellence is a tremendous asset,” Silliman said. “I always take advantage of every opportunity IFI offers to create the perception of even the smallest amount of separation between [my competitors] and Uptowne. This certainly hit the mark for me.”

Becoming the “Preferred Drycleaner” of a Major League Baseball team certainly has its advantages. At every home game the fans in the stands hear special announcements about the great service they can expect from Uptowne Drycleaning. In addition to the Award of Excellence promotional materials, Silliman enjoys radio and print support from the team. How is Silliman making out? “I’m working my [behind] off keeping up with all the new work,” he said, “but don’t get me wrong, we’re all very happy about it.”

From concept to implementation, the focus has been to help drycleaners acquire and keep more customers. Creating a program with so many facets required months of work by many people to make all the parts come together. Coming up with meaningful, credible criteria was the first step. Creating branding elements like the logo, decals, and Customer Service Principles poster came next. As the applications poured in, the evaluation process started.

The Clothing Care Council and IFI are ready to help any drycleaner who wants to take the challenge. For more information, contact Susan Bale, Award of Excellence administrator, (800) 638-2627.