National Clothesline

The Drycleaning and Laundry Institute has announced results of recent certification examinations and the introduction of a new logo that can be displayed by cleaners who have received all three certifications.

Receiving certification as a Certified Environmental Drycleaner were Gary P. Futterman, Brady M. Horrall, Edwin S. Longanecker and David M. Nemec. In the CED examination, a cleaner must demonstrate knowledge of environmentally appropriate ways of operating drycleaning equipment, disposing of hazardous wastes, and industry-related EPA and OSHA regulations.

Receiving the Certified Professional Drycleaner designation were Brady M. Horrall, Mu Y. Jung, Abraham Kim, Stanley E. Lonappan, Roy McLain and Daniel Renteria. CPD cleaners must demonstrate knowledge of professional drycleaning and prescribed drycleaning standards for physical plant facilities and safe equipment operations.

Certified as Professional Wetcleaners were Michael G. Erstad, Brady M. Horrall and Stanley E. Lonappan. In the CPW exam, a cleaner must demonstrate knowledge of professional wetcleaning practices, fibers and fabrics, and customer service.

DLI also announced two additions to the ranks of Certified Garment Care Professionals, which includes all cleaners who have successfully completed all of the above examinations. Achieving CGCP status were Edwin S. Longanecker and Brady M. Horrall.

DLI has created a new logo to help CGCP cleaners promote their achievement to the public. The new logo is reminiscent of the CPD, CPW, and CED logos.

DLI will offer certification examinations during two two-week periods in 2010. Tests can be taken at thousands of testing centers in the United States. Contact DLI for study guides or more information on testing centers or the tests in general.

Multiple tests may be taken in the same two-week window. A handful of cleaners have actually completed all three tests in the same two-week period and attained CGCP status.

The application deadline for the first round of tests in 2010, which will be given Feb. 6-20, is December 31. For the second round of tests, which will be given Aug. 7-21, the application deadline is June 30.

Contact DLI Registrar Melissa Wagner for more information at 800-638-2627, ext. 1603.

In a continuing quest to educate themselves about the construction and proper maintenance of garments while developing relationships with top designers, manufacturers and retailers, America’s Best Cleaners toured the St John manufacturing facility in Irvine, CA.

St John is a global luxury brand offering the latest in fashion, accessories, eyewear and fragrance. The factory in Irvine produces their world-renown knitwear, where photos are prohibited to protect their patented processes. ABC affiliates did, however, get to preview the Fall 2010 line.

Mary McGee, company-wide manager of customer service for St. John, told the ABC group, “I love the passion you exhibit about your business and wanting to know all there is to know about the garments you care for.”

Phil Cote of French Cleaners in West Hartford, CT, summed up the feeling of the affiliates stating, “Where most garments are made from bolts of cloth, I was amazed to see the fine quality within each and every piece. St. John knits are actually made from small, high quality ‘blankets’ (squares of knitted material produced on looms in the St John factory and then used for the garment patterns).

“The care and precision that go into every garment is truly incredible. Having traveled throughout Europe with some of America’s best drycleaners, to the finest mills in order to gain more knowledge, I now feel I have one more arrow in my quiver in dealing with some of the finest garments made.”

Cote accompanied ABC when it toured the Zegna mill in Northern Italy, Hermes in Paris, the last silk factory in France (Tours), the Brioni factory in Abruzzo, Italy, the Ferragamo Museum in Florence, the Hugo Boss factory in Cleveland, Liste Rouge, a custom shirt maker in Normandy, France, and a number of other manufacturing/design and retail facilities. These tours helped educate ABC affiliates about the inner workings of high-end designers and manufacturers.

Robert and Marie Gray founded St. John in 1962. A knitting machine inspired Marie St. John, then a young fashion model, to design simple knit dresses. Her entrepreneur husband, Robert Gray, recognized the strong business potential and began taking orders from specialty retailers. The brand found success among customers who appreciated the elegant, versatile knits.

Marie Gray served as both the first face of St. John and the chief designer. The Grays worked out of a 500-sq.-ft. factory in Southern California, with six knitters. From the beginning, she focused on creating designs of impeccable quality. Constant innovation led to the discovery of the Santana knit, St. John’s signature blend of wool and rayon.

St. John continued to expand and in 1971 moved to Orange County. Their constant striving for perfection led to twisting and dyeing the yarn in-house, when suppliers could not meet the company’s standards.

To create vibrant colors, the brand opened a dyeing plant complete with a paint lab. Paillettes became the signature embellishment for evening wear, and St. John’s offerings expanded to include the Evening Collection, launched in 1983.

The 1990s saw sales double to more than $200 million by the end of the decade. The number of St. John Boutiques increased to 18 by 1997 and employees numbered over 3,000. The brand continued its vertical integration by purchasing the Swiss-made machines which create the paillette embellishments that are unique to St. John.

The majority of St. John was acquired by Vestar Capital by the end of the millennium. The company re-launched its signature fragrance, along with eyewear, footwear and accessories. With 3,600 employees, St John expanded distribution to 27 countries and has 28 boutiques and 14 outlets with sales exceeding $400 million dollars.

Robert Gray retired in 2002, and co-founder Marie Gray and Kelly Gray now serve as design consultants.

Evans Garment Restoration, LLC, awarded several of its associates for outstanding performance at its sixth annual franchise meeting.

The Regional Excellence Award was bestowed on Evans’ Mid-Atlantic Franchise for being chosen by the Crawford Contractor Connection for its Excellence in Achievement Award, which is a distinction given to the top 100 performers in Crawford’s national network.

Tammy Wooldridge and her production team at the Springfield, IL, plant were presented with the Team Development Award for their ongoing support and development of Evans’ other garment restoration plants.

Ryan Fish and Kristy Fish of the Minnesota management team received the Excellence in Operations Award for their commitment to Evans’ systems and quality management.

Anna Rozhansky and Tina Johnson of the Chaska, MN, sales team were given the Market Sales Leadership Award for achieving the highest average sales of any account manager in the company.

Reese Johnson of Evans’ Sharpsburg, GA, facility was awarded the sales growth award in recognition of his hard work and perseverance that resulted in a 300 percent increase in sales over the last six months.

“We’re delighted to take this opportunity to recognize the high caliber of work being carried out by our associates all across the country,” said Mike Rusciolelli, managing member of Evans. “Our team is dedicated to providing the best service to all of our clients and we want to make sure that they know how much we appreciate their efforts.”

Evans Garment Restoration features a patented process that utilizes special equipment, cleaning agents and procedures. Evans has also developed a proprietary system for the restoration of more than 95 percent of soft goods — shoes, belts, purses and bags — that it processes. Evans provides emergency disaster response with crews on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The company’s web site is www.evansgarmentrestoration.com.

Andrew Mengason has been promoted to director of operations for the Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network (CRDN).

Before joining CRDN earlier this year as a national operations manager, Mengason spent two years as chief operating officer with a regional textile restoration and drycleaning operation. He also spent several years with a national commercial moving and storage company where he was responsible for sales, marketing, operations, human resources and accounting.

“Andrew’s in-depth experience, along with his knowledge of CRDN and interaction with our operators and staff over the past several months, made him a natural fit to lead our Operations Department,” said CRDN President Chip Bifano.

CRDN is an international organization of textile restorers who specialize in insurance restoration laundry and drycleaning services for all types of loss. CRDN members offer a solution for insurance professionals seeking to reduce costs and improve margins while closing claims quickly. The organization’s Web site is www.CRDN.com.