MAC inducts new officers, directors in Charlottesville
During its recent Annual Membership meeting in Charlottesville, VA, the MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners announced its new officers and directors for the current term.
Long-time board member Buddy Gritz will be the new treasurer, a post he has held
in the past. He is the owner of Presto Valet in Alexandria, VA, a business he
took over in 1974. He has served on the MAC board since the beginning of the
organization close to 20 years ago.
He will join a group of returning elected officers that include: President
Michael McKay of Lavale Dryclean and Shirt Salon in Cumberland, MD; Vice
President Russ Kaplan of Zips Drycleaners in College Park, MD; and Chairman of
the Board Charles Smith, who owns Village Square Cleaners in Reston, VA.
There will be several new faces filling in various director vacancies. James
Crowder and Jamie Plaine will both now serve as Virginia Directors.
Crowder has been the owner of Edmondson’s Cleaners in South Boston, VA, since 1992. He is a pastor of a church in
Danville and holds a doctorate of ministry and three master degrees in the
fields of physiology and consulting, administration and divinity.
Plaine runs a third-generation business called Albano Cleaners, which boasts 33
stores in the Hampton Roads region. She holds a BS in business management from
Radford University.
Bennett Upston, owner of Annie’s Cleaners will be a new Maryland-DC director for MAC. He served on the MAC
board in 2004, as well.
New Allied Trades Director Robert Klinger is the owner of Klinger & Associates, a Mid-Atlantic independent insurance brokerage agency. Klinger has
a degree in Criminal Justice, and is a highly decorated combat veteran who
served as company commander in the 1st Infantry Division during the current
Iraq War.
During the meeting, MAC also welcomed its new committee members who will assist
the association and industry in a volunteer capacity.
Gary Glover of Puritan Cleaners in Richmond, VA, will work with the Legislative,
Environmental and Regulatory Committee (LER).
Also helping out on that committee will be Jeff Goldstein, a retired drycleaner
and allied trades representative from Smithsburg, MD. He is also on the
Membership Committee for MAC.
Benny Mehta of Clean N’ Brite of Harrisonburg, VA, will begin serving on the Budget and Finance
Committee.
Rounding out the list of new committee members are Andy Goldberg and Frank
Emanuele, Jr., of District Cleaners Equipment Co. They will assist the PR and
Program Committees.
Before the meeting concluded, MAC decided upon several of the future dates and
locations for its upcoming board and committee meetings throughout the year.
The board will meet on: April 11 and 12 in Sterling, VA; Aug. 14-16 in Morgantown, WV, in conjunction
with the West Virginia Launderers and Dry Cleaners Association’s annual meeting; and Oct. 25 and 26 in Atlantic City, coinciding with the
Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association’s 2008 Expo.
All members are encouraged to attend the meetings.
The MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners represents and serves professional
garment care specialists in The District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and
West Virginia. For information, call (800) 235-8360.
