National Clothesline

The MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners will host an educational program this month in conjunction with a combined board meeting with the West Virginia Launderers & Drycleaners Association (WVLDA).

The event will take place on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 15 and 16, at the Lakeview Resort in Morgantown, WV.

MAC has enlisted Andrew Bauer, Ph.D., to deliver a program on “How to Survive and Prosper in This Economy” starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Bauer is a regional economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

He will focus his presentation on the status of the regional economy and how its current conditions will generally affect the service industries — in particular, the drycleaning industry.

Following up Bauer’s session will be a panel discussion on how drycleaners can not only survive a difficult economy, but can improve and prosper, as well.

The panel will be comprised of representatives from both MAC and WVLDA’s board of directors.

Attendees of the weekend event will be able to check in to the Lakeview Resort at 3 p.m. Later that night, there will be a cookout from 7 to 9 p.m., followed by a hospitality.

There will be plenty of time for socializing on Saturday. Breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. and lunch will be at noon. The board meeting will run from 1 to 3 p.m.

The weekend will conclude with a banquet and entertainment from 6 to 8 p.m. followed by another hospitality.

Rooms are available on Friday and Saturday night at a rate of $109 nightly ($10 extra for a King bed). To take advantage of the discounted cost, attendees should call (800) 624-8300 and mention their affiliation with WVLDA.

Registration for the event will cost $100 per person, which includes the cost of all meals.

For more information, contact (800) 233-8360 or (304) 342-6115.

There are still a few months to go before the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association hosts its Expo 2008 event, yet exhibit space is dwindling rapidly. Already, over 170 booths have been reserved for the event, which will feature up-to-date drycleaning equipment, products and service.

It will be held at the Atlantic City Convention Center Oct. 25-26.

The exhibit hall will be open to attendees from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The headquarters hotel is the Sheraton Atlantic City, which is offering a room rate of $161 nightly for single or double occupancy for those who contact the hotel by Sept. 22 and mention their affiliation with Expo 2008.

This year, the event will boast a full educational schedule featuring seminars from various industry experts, including: DLI President Barbara Harvey; Trudy Adams, director of customer service and supplies at Cleaners Supply; Joe Schmidt, past president of PDCA; and Sto Fox, executive director of the North Carolina Association of Launderers and Cleaners.

Registration will be free for all PDCA members. For more information, call (215) 830-8495 or visit www.pdclean.org.