Boyd named regional manager for Wascomat
Wascomat has hired Rich Boyd as regional business manager responsible for the western
United States.
Boyd has a sales and service background and industry knowledge based on 17 years
experience. He will work with the company
’s dealers and customers to build their business and the Wascomat brand.
Before joining Wascomat, Boyd served as vice president of sales for a
distributor where he was responsible for sales and new store development in
Arizona and New Mexico.
Rich Boyd started as a service tech in 1990 and worked his way up through the
ranks in various companies and in every aspect of the business. He has
extensive experience in new store development and was instrumental in expanding
his San Diego business by more than 400 percent in three years.
“Rich has designed, installed and sold some of the finest large coin laundries in
southern California and Arizona,
” said Dan Goldman, Wascomat’s national sales manager. “He also ran an office in Albuquerque primarily selling OPL washers and dryers to
the hospitality industry.
”
Wascomat made its first washer in 1902 and has installed over a million in North
America alone. In addition to commercial laundry and wetcleaning equipment, the
company offers financing and business planning support.
US Dry Cleaning buys four-store chain in Hawaii
U.S. Dry Cleaning Corp. has signed an agreement and plan of merger with Robinson Corp., doing business
as Caesars Cleaners, a Honolulu, HI, drycleaning business that has four stores
and a central operating plant.
Under the agreement, U.S. Dry Cleaning would acquire Robinson Corp. for $2.1
million, which is to be paid in cash, convertible and assumed debt, and shares
of common stock of U.S. Dry Cleaning.
When concluded, the acquisition would add more than $2.2 million to U.S. Dry
Cleaning's existing $10 million annualized run rate and increase the expected
revenue for the company's Hawaiian operations by 40 percent.
Along with the previously announced acquisition of a central California
drycleaning business with revenues of $6.5 million, this transaction is
expected to bring U.S. Dry Cleaning's annualized revenue run rate to more than
$18.7 million.
Caesars Cleaners, the brand name of Robinson Corp., has been owned and operated
by Thurston John Robinson since 1972. Robinson followed in the footsteps of his
father and grandfather, who had worked in the laundry and drycleaning industry
since 1930. He is retiring after 35 years of building his business.
Theresa Paulette, who has been general manager for 18 years, will stay on to
manage and expand the operation.
“The acquisition will expand our market share in Hawaii, and is expected to
increase revenues to more than $7.6 million,
” said Michael E. Drace, chief operating officer and president of U.S. Dry
Cleaning, Inc.
“The drycleaning industry has been a stable market since its inception, and it is
poised for growth in an era where personal service is valued at a premium,
” he added.
Drace said the company’s strategy is “to become the first national chain of premier drycleaning businesses."
U.S. Dry Cleaning is focused on acquiring profitable businesses that hold
leading shares in their individual markets. Each acquisition target is expected
to be self-sufficient and field management is expected to remain in place to
ease the assimilation.
Over the last year and a half, U.S. Dry Cleaning has completed acquisitions with
combined annual revenues of more than $9 million. The company plans to rapidly
acquire profitable, positive cash flow operations, identifying acquisition
candidates by revenue stream, location, market share, quality of work,
productivity and customer loyalty.
In July the company completed a $6.1 million initial public offering and is
trading on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board under the symbol UDRY.OB.
Leggio joins Lieberman
Alfred Leggio of Nashville, TN, has joined B&G Lieberman Co. and will cover the territory of western and middle Tennessee, Kentucky, southern
Indiana, southern Illinois, northern Alabama, St. Louis and Kansas City, MO,
and Greater Atlanta.
M & L marks 70th
M & L Supply Co., a distributor of laundry and drycleaning equipment, supplies, parts, and service
in northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia is marking
its 70th year.
The company was originally formed in 1937 to supply the drycleaning and
tailoring industry. Albert S. Berardi, former president and owner, led the
expansion that brought M
& L to its current position. Currently, the company, is owned and managed by John
and David Berardi and Stephen Michalec. All three have been with the company
for more than 30 years.
DCCS users meet in Vegas
An open exchange of ideas was the foundation for DCCS Windows Users meeting at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas in October.
The 2 1⁄2-day meeting, facilitated by Brooksher Banks of Banks & Associates, focused primarily on database management, tracking customer
retention, identifying new customers, customer profiling, management tools and
future DCCS product development. DCCS has been holding regular User Group
meetings since 1999. The regional groups meet three times per year.
“Consistent and regular meetings are invaluable to our customers and our company,
said Jeff Markman of DCCS.
“The interaction between managers and owners and the management of our company
has helped all involved. Our customers are able to understand the tool DCCS
provides and we are able to understand what software enhancements will provide
the best return for our customers. Regular meetings are much more effective
than once-a-year meetings.
”
“Getting the fullest use of the DCCS system is our focus,” said Banks. “Many cleaners use their system for ticket writing and as a cash register, but
the DCCS software offers so much more. To get the best return on your
technology investment, you have to use the information from the system and
implement best industry practices.
”
The next DCCS User Group Meeting will be held in February in Reno, NV. For
information, call Banks, (501) 758-8467, or Lenny Gershater, (800) 451-8431.
FRSTeam announces national staff
Fabric Restoration Service Team (FRSTeam), a national franchise specializing in
restoration drycleaning for the insurance industry, has named its national
account team.
Lenny Towle is national sales manager. He joined FRSTeam from the tech industry,
where he managed marketing, sales, and business development, working for Oracle
Corp. for nearly six years. He is experienced in brand development, sales, and
systems management.
“I’m proof that catastrophic situations can have silver linings,” he noted. “I met my wife through a fire at my neighbor’s house. At our wedding ceremony we handed out fire extinguishers as party
favors.
”
Holly Carhart also carries the title of national sales manager. Since joining
FRSTeam in 1996, she has worked as branch manager, start-up specialist, job
coordinator and sales manger and has experience in all aspects of the business.
“While working for FRSTeam, I saved the life of a customer we were working with,” she said. “I was there to do a delivery and noticed that our customer was disoriented and
the left side of her mouth looked awkward. I thought she was having a stroke,
so I called 911.
”
Dionda Rosenbloom, midwest regional account manager joined FRSTeam from the
restoration industry.
Mark Hargett, southeast regional account manager, has worked as a national sales
manager for Servpro and was an adjuster for State Farm and Farm Bureau.
FRSTeam has more than 20 years experience in restoration drycleaning. Since
introducing its license program in April, 2006, FRSTeam has grown to more than
31 offices and now covers 70 percent of the U.S. market with international
representation in the United Kingdom and Canada.
FRSTeam provides the insurance industry with a solution for managing the
fabric-related items affected during a fire, water, sewage, or mold loss.
Facilities, equipment and services are tailored to meet the needs of the
insurance industry by delivering customer satisfaction and cost savings.
“The support from the insurance industry has been phenomenal,” said Courtney Nicholas, CEO of FRSTeam. “We’re meeting their need by delivering a consistent and predictable service across
all locations.
”
Distributor signs on for Drysolv
SMF Energy Corp. has entered into an agreement with Enviro Tech International to
distribute its
DrySolv drycleaning solvents in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
SMF, formerly known as Streicher Mobile Fueling, Inc., is a provider of
petroleum product distribution services, transportation logistics and emergency
response services to the trucking, construction, utility, energy, chemical,
manufacturing, telecommunication and government service industries.
“SMF Energy Corporation is a major player in the delivery of chemicals to the
drycleaning industry in eastern and central Texas, including the major
metropolitan areas of Houston, Beaumont, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio and
Austin,
“ said Richard E. Gathright, SMF’s president and CEO. “This distribution agreement provides us with an excellent opportunity to
leverage our network of operating locations and expand our distribution of
chemicals into the North Carolina, Georgia and Florida markets.
”
Envirotech, based in Melrose Park, IL, is offering DrySolv as a direct
alternative to perchloroethylene and other solvents predominately used in
drycleaning.
SMF has a fleet of custom specialized tank wagons, tractor-trailer transports,
box trucks and customized flatbed vehicles that deliver to customers on a
regularly scheduled or as-needed basis. The company
’s fleet also provides heavy haul transportation services over short and long
distances to customers requiring the movement of over-sized or over-weight
equipment and manufactured products.
