National Clothesline

Prestige Preservation LLC, a purveyor of licensed products and processes for cleaning and preserving bridal gowns and memorabilia, has announced a multi-year agreement with Tokyo Wholesale, a division of Hakuyosha Co. Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan, that grants exclusive rights to use and market Prestige Preservation in the Japanese national market.

The Hakuyosha Co, though Tokyo wholesale, has more than 30 years of experience in developing and refining technologies for drycleaning companies.

“We believe Tokyo Wholesale is well positioned for growth in bridal garment and formal wear cleaning and preservation using Prestige Preservation products and many of our recommended processes, ” said Karen Maxwell, general manager of Prestige Preservation.

“A huge number of Japanese brides want their western wedding attire to be preserved, ” said Len Muto of Ken Muto International, the managing representative for Tokyo Wholesale. He added that Japan ’s many competitive ballroom dancers like to preserve their costumes for later generations to enjoy.

Muto was instrumental in negotiating the agreement after meeting with the chairman of the Hokuyosha Co. and principals of Prestige Preservation, including Jim Douglas, a founder of GreenEarth Solutions and other drycleaning technologies.

Prestige has headquarters in Kansas City, MO, and operates worldwide through licensed affiliates. The company specializes in cleaning formulations and training methods help licensees clean and preserve textile memorabilia, including bridal gowns, formal wear, school and military uniforms and infant christening gowns. Prestige is endorsed by TheKnot.com, an internet resource for wedding planning.

The annual meeting of the international Association of Wedding Gown Specialists, held this year in Miami, FL, featured the presentation of a new preservation armoire by The Bridal Armoire Co.

The company has designated the Association’s Certified Wedding Gown Specialists as the cleaners of choice for brides who choose to preserve and display gowns in its new preservation unit.

The Bridal Armoire meets all published standards for a ventilated museum display case and provides a stress-free, mini-museum environment in the bride ’s own home.

The humidity-controlled display case features solid wood construction and UV-protected glass coated with chemically-inert safety film as well as display lighting with zero UV beams and virtually no heat output. A self-adjusting environmental stabilizing system with a humidistat and an analog hygrometer keep heat and humidity constant so the gown ’s fibers are not exposed to changes that cause them to expand and contract.

The armoire also includes a custom-fitted dress form for displaying the gown inside. It is made from wood varieties specially finished for the storage and preservation of textiles, and details such as beveled glass, crown molding, raised paneling, rope trim, antique brass hardware and a spacious, dove-tailed drawer add character and style.

Special features are a triple, full-length mirror that reflects the beauty of the gown from every angle and a satin-lined drawer for storing a large photo album, shoes or any other precious mementos from the bride ’s most treasured day.

“The success of any gown preservation depends upon proper initial cleaning” noted Michael Barnett, CEO of The Bridal Armoire Co. “We are delighted to partner with the association to assure that bridal gowns stored in our Bridal Armoire retain their original beauty. ”

Marty Wade, president of the association, said the partnership “further enhances our commitment to quality and personal service. Our MuseumCare logo appears only on preservation materials that are completely acid-free, not just pH neutral, and the Bridal Armoire meets the same museum-quality standards we have always recognized in our work. ”

Other featured speakers at the conference which was hosted by Joe and Jessica Lancaster of Coral Gables LaSalle Cleaners, included Lisa Light, author and CEO of DestinationBride.com, an Internet resource for couples planning destination weddings, Guy Manchester, a financial advisor who specializes in advising brides, and Jennifer Marder, executive director of fashion advertising for Conde Nast Bridal Media, which includes Bride ’s, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride.

Others who made presentations to the group were Suzanne Nelson of 3M Protective Materials Laboratory, Ken Holder of Kreussler G.m.b.H., and Gary Gellman of Gellman Images.

Also at the meeting, Wade recognized retiring members of the board of directors for their service and presented the incoming board members.

Retiring members are Sasha Ablitt of Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners in Santa Barbara, CA, and Judith Rose of Vogue Cleaners in Mill Valley, CA.

Incoming members are Bailey Dempsey of Twin City Cleaners and Wedding Gown Specialists and Chuck Horst of Margaret ’s Cleaners in La Jolla, CA.

Members attending for the first time included the Lancasters; Candice Barker of Dry Cleaning by Dave in Cochrane, Alberta; Kurt and Jodie Lucero of The Cleanery in Albuquerque, NM; Lauren Respess of Southside Cleaners in Lakeland, FL; Jenna Robinson of Ed Robinson Dry Cleaning & Laundry in Columbia, SC; Jim and Susan Rossman of Anderson Cleaners in St. Paul, MN; and Sajid, Shaheen, and Yasmin Veera of Door to Door Cleaners in Manhattan Beach, CA.

Members of the association, a not-for-profit trade group with members in the United States, Canada, Australia, and South America, specialize in gown cleaning and preservation. Each member honors the guarantee of other members, which includes taking the gown out of the container and pressing it at no charge when the gown is to be worn again.

For brides outside of market areas with local service, the association offers AWGS Courier Service, which makes the association ’s MuseumCare gown preservations available via both telephone and the Internet.

More than 70 specialty gown manufacturers recommend MuseumCare preservations, which are also Endorsed by the Association of Bridal Consultants For information, call the association (800) 501-5005, or visit www.WeddingGownSpecialists.com.

The Textile Care Allied Trades Association announced the recipients of its two annual college scholarship funds. Anna Kelly Bledsoe of Devol, OK, was selected as the 2007 recipient of the Dean Allen Education Fund and Danielle Alyssa Lutfi-Proctor was chosen as recipient of the 2007 Max Zimmerman Education Fund.

Bledsoe, an Oklahoma Academic Scholar for 2007, was valedictorian for her graduating class, secretary-treasurer of the student body her senior year and president of the National Honor Society at her school.

The daughter of Michael Bledsoe of Washex, Inc., of Wichita Falls, TX, her goal is to attend the University of Oklahoma and major in accounting.

Lutfi-Proctor was first in her class for all four years of high school and was valedictorian of her graduating class. She was involved with the drama club, the National Honor Society and plays piano. She also volunteered to help needy people in New Orleans rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

Lutfi-Proctor, who plans to major in biology at Eckerd College in Florida, is the daughter of Steven Harris of Pellerin Milnor Corporation, Kenner, LA.

TCATA President Alex Atwater of A-1 Products in Birmingham, AL, commenting on the continued impressive pool of students who apply for the TCATA scholarships, said that the association is pleased to be able to help these college students meet their educational goals.

Both recipients will receive $1,000 annually for each of their four years of college. Employees and the children of employees of companies who are members of TCATA are eligible for this scholarship.

DryClean USA’s has reported that its 2007 yearly earnings increased 10 percent and that the company enjoyed record revenue for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 3007.

The Miami-based industrial laundry, drycleaning distributor and retail franchisor and licensor said its revenues for fiscal 2007 increased to a record $22,748,527, an increase of 11.4 percent over last year ’s revenues of $20,414,890.

Net earnings increased to $880,990, or $.13 per diluted share for fiscal 2007 from $803,981 or $.11 per diluted share in fiscal 2006, an increase of 9.6%.

Dryclean USA Chief Financial Officer Venerando J. Indelicato said he expects growth to continue in 2008.

“Although the rate of economic growth in the United States is expected to slow and the delivery of certain laundry equipment will tighten in fiscal 2008, we believe the company will experience another successful year given its current backlog and the level of business activity, ” Indelicato said in a release.

The company also announced that its board of directors declared a $.04 per share semi-annual dividend, payable on November 1, 2007 to shareholders of record on October 12, 2007.

DryClean USA, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is a distributor of industrial laundry, drycleaning machines and steam boilers.

The company’s subsidiary, Dryclean USA License Corp., currently consists of over 400 franchised and license stores in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America.

The Cleaners Care Group of distributors has announced the addition of two new member companies.

National Supply of Doraville, GA, and Transco Distribution of Grand Prairie, TX, joined the group at its recent meeting in St. Paul, MN.

National Supply is represented by I.C. Park, its president, and Transco Distribution is represented by its owners Charles Tak and Stacy Kuyawa.

Cleaners Care Group is an association of independent laundry and drycleaning distributors. Member companies are privately owned businesses that distribute supplies and equipment to commercial, institutional and coin operated laundries and drycleaners.

Other members include Allyson Supply Co., Ferguson McKenna Supply, Garland Supply, The Minnesota Chemical Co., Mobile Solvent and Supply, Morewhite Inc., Nu-Way Products Co. Inc., Sun State Supply Co. and Tschopp Supply Co.