WFI installs new president at conference
During the association’s General Membership meeting at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Brian
Cass of Martinizing was given the president’s gavel from Richard Kline, who served the post for the past two years.
Cass, who is a “lifer” in the drycleaning industry, was first elected to the Board in July of 2002. He
and his brother, David, work for the family operation started by their father,
Charles, who was also singled out during the festivities with an Honorary
Membership to WFI.
Charlie Cass, a retired WFI president, was honored for his longstanding service
to the association. In particular, for his efforts to spearhead and serve as
the auctioneer for the WFI annual auction held each February.
To date, it has raised over $173,000 for WFI and its programs since it started
in 2003. During its first year, the auction brought in $6,100, which was used
for a positive newspaper ad campaign that promoted drycleaners.
Each year since, the program has brought in from $20,000 to $25,000 annually.
“Charlie Cass has been essential to the continued success of WFI and our ability
to serve our members with quality programs and services,” said WFI Executive Director Brian Swingle in the latest Impressions newsletter.
In addition to installing Charlie’s son Brian as the new president, WFI also announced two new board members.
Rick Nettum of Leather-Rich and Jeff Seidensticker of Ol Tyme Cleaners will
replace Ron Kantor of Leather-Rich and Sue Doolin of Packard Way Cleaners.
Nettum has been with Leather-Rich for over 15 years. Seidensticker has been in
the drycleaning industry for two decades, most of which has been spent with Ol
Tyme, a third-generation business previously run by his parents and
grandparents.
With the new president and board members ushered in Friday evening, the
association was set to unleash its educational programs the following morning.
Melanie Platt-Gibson, the director of marketing and communications for the
Wisconsin Dells Visitor Bureau, was the first scheduled speaker.
She was faced with the difficult task this year to keep attendance numbers up
for the Tommy Bartlett Shows. Despite the catastrophic draining of Lake Delton,
the show resumed without its signature water shows.
Platt-Gibson admitted that there was great concern about reduced revenues
following the disaster, but overall, the number of visitors was not drastically
less than it had been in previous years. The difference was largely due to an
ad campaign from the Visitor and Convention Bureau that emphasized that the
Dells resort area was still stunning despite the lack of water shows.
For cleaners, the lesson was simple: in order to stay afloat in tough times,
many will have to improvise and expand their products and services.
Afterward, Michelle Dhein, a professional clothier from the Tom James Company,
took the podium to discuss upcoming fashion trends that could affect the
drycleaning industry.
Accord to Dhein, one positive aspect has been an increase in suit sales, which
should boost the cleaning industry. She also noted that 80 percent of her
business comes from repeat customers, which cleaners can certainly appreciate.
Internet marketing
On Sunday, Steve Robinson, the Regional Development Director for Constant
Contact, was on hand to discuss “The Power of E-mail Marketing.”
“There are three reasons to use e-mail marketing,” he explained. “First of all, it boosts repeat business. Second, it creates and increases
awareness of your business to your customers. Finally, it drives revenues and
profit.”
Robinson noted that e-mail marketing is inexpensive and efficient, but it is
only an adjunct to other marketing programs already in use; not a replacement.
If implemented properly, Robinson said an e-mail marketing effort can produce an
average ROI (Return On Investment) of $52 for every dollar spent.
Also on Sunday, Shane Fell posed a series of questions designed to test the
effectiveness of Web sites. Fell is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for
Top Floor Technologies.
Perhaps the most important question is: What will people be looking for on your
Web site?
According to Fell, the answer is: products; pricing; services; hours of
operation; tips on covered garments; signup for e-mail contact; coupons; and
locations.
He also noted the importance search engines play in generating site traffic. He
explained that Google is used by 58.7 percent of Internet users; Yahoo is used
by 17.6 percent; MSN is used by 11.2 percent; and AOL is used by 5.2 percent.
