National Clothesline

Leading Cleaners Internationale (LCI) affiliates gathered in the Big Apple, the home of the Mets, Yankees, the Statue of Liberty and Hallak Cleaners for an in-depth educational meeting.

Barry Gershenson, executive coordinator, welcomed the LCI members and guests to the 2 1⁄2 day meeting that featured affiliate presentations and special invitational speakers. The program attracted LCI affiliates from across America and Canada seeking improvement of their ownership skills.

John Zimmerman of E-Rocket Fuel Inc. led the way with an informative presentation of “Social Networking to Enhance Your Business.”

Keeping with the meeting’s theme, “Disciplines of Business,” LCI affiliates presented a range of topics, including Jordan Wood of Davis Imperial Cleaners in Chicago, IL, on “2010 Growth Plan;” Surendra Kumar of Oakwood Cleaners in Nashville, TN and Jarrell Epp of New City Cleaners in Bakersfield, CA, on “Creating a Company Culture;” Kermit Engh of Fashion Cleaners in Omaha, NE, Jack Creed of Creeds in Toronto, ON, and Claude Foreman of One Cleaners in New Orleans, LA, on“2010 Strategic Planning;” and Wayne Edelman of Meurice Garment Care in New York, NY, “Customer Retention.”

One highlight of the meeting was the visit to long-time affiliates and founding members, John-Claude and Joe Hallak of Hallak Cleaners. Shown on the tour of this plant was their newly remodeled production department.

The Hallaks also shared their ongoing industry technological changes with their automated assembly and bagging system along with their state-of-the-art drycleaning and shirt laundry finishing equipment.

This group also focused on sessions for “Developing Your Leadership Role,” sharing their current strategies and successes, which then spun into a discussion of “Creating Your Ideal Management Team.”

At the LCI awards banquet, presentations were made to LCI’s new member Kermit Engh along with other LCI awards.

Awards for the Monthly Secret Shopper Program went to Surendra Kumar of Oakwood Cleaners; and Judi’s Cleaners, won LCI’s Multi-Store Shopper Award for three or more locations.

The Most Improved Award went to Lynda Wood of Davis Imperial Cleaners in Chicago, IL. Jack Creed of Creeds won the cleaning performance LCI On Target Award.

LCI sets a standard for specialized drycleaning services which centers on the training, development and acknowledgment of the world’s 5-Star Couture Cleaners. Drycleaners interested in becoming an LCI affiliate can visit www.leadingcleaners.com or can contact Barry Gershenson, (310) 734-6487.

Craft Cleaners of Princeton, NJ, received the Environmental Stewardship Award from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which recognizes Craft for efforts in being an environmentally responsible company, including its investment in the Solvair Cleaning System.

“This award was a pleasant surprise, since we did not go looking for it,” said Craft owner Tom Janick.

“In what was seemingly a bad start to 2010, we had an unannounced inspection by the New Jersey DEP in January,” he explained. “Three months later we received a large packet from the department and naturally expected problems rather than praises. Being at the forefront of cleaning advances is not for the faint of heart, but to have the state recognize Craft with such an award makes all of the extra effort worth it.”

The Environmental Stewardship Initiative is a recognition program developed by Compliance and Enforcement for use by all New Jersey DEP programs that conduct compliance assurance inspections.

According to the DEP’s website, environmental stewardship is defined as when a regulated entity voluntarily engages in activities that go beyond the minimum requirements, rules and regulations, resulting in a positive benefit to the environment.

The categories for which Craft received recognition were Hazardous Materials Reduction and Materials Conservation. The company received a plaque from DEP Assistant Commissioner Wolfgang Skacel stating, “The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection recognizes Craft Cleaners for its voluntary and proactive measures taken to go beyond compliance in an effort to improve the environment and ensure a sustainable future."

Janick has established a reputation for pioneering within the drycleaning industry and has been involved in the introductions of both wetcleaning and the Solvair Cleaning System. With the growing regulatory pressure on traditional cleaning and a belief in helping the environment, he has been determined to find viable alternatives for his operation that could handle the tough jobs required of traditional cleaning.

Craft installed the Solvair system in 2007 to replace a perc system. Janick reports that Solvair has allowed his organization to reduce manual stain removal by 30 percent, in turn reducing the amount of spotting chemicals used. Craft is determined to find and implement other green initiatives into its operation — limiting use of excessive packaging, recycling hangers, and using biodegradable plastic bags.

Craft has seen added success by marketing this green message and recently launched a new consumer website, www.craftcleaners.com, to educate consumers on green, quality clothing care.

After participating in 87 episodes of ABC-TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in 35 states over the past four years, the Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network (CRDN) has been named a season-long preferred vendor for season eight of the show starting this summer.

“We are extremely proud of the opportunity to help Extreme Makeover: Home Edition provide a fresh start for so many deserving families,” said Chip Bifano, president of CRDN, an international organization of textile restoration specialists serving the insurance industry. “CRDN’s involvement with the show has been a natural fit for us, from the corporate level down to the local communities where we live and work.”

“What allows Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to touch the lives of families time after time is the attention to detail that our partners provide,” said Diane Korman, senior producer for the two-time Emmy Award-winning show.

“From cleaning the family’s clothes and hanging them back in their closets to volunteering for parts of each project, without the dedication and professionalism of CRDN, we would only be building the houses; instead they help us build homes,” added Korman.

To see a list of CRDN participants and photos from the episodes, go to www.CRDN.com and follow the link under the “About Us” section. or visit CRDN’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CRDNTextileRestoration.

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It is executive-produced by Anthony Dominici. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. The show airs Sundays from 8 to 9 p.m. ET on ABC.