National Clothesline

With temperatures in the 80s and a clear blue sky, about 90 cleaners gathered in Puerto Rico for the first-ever joint conference by the National Cleaners Association and the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute.

The Gran Melia Resort was the venue for a weekend of workshops and socializing with NCA and DLI members basking not only in the warm sunshine but also the camaraderie that flowed as they worked together to better their businesses. Previously the two associations have sponsored separate winter conferences — NCA’s Brainstorming and DLI’s Five-Star. Hence the Jan. 12-15 conference became the Five-Star Brainstorming Conference.

“It was great to be able to bring NCA and DLI members together in one space,” said Brian Johnson, DLI’s director of education and analysis. “It’s interesting how businesspeople, no matter where their businesses are, all come up against the same issues.”

The joint gathering was an outgrowth of conversations that began at last summer’s Clean Show in Las Vegas as the two associations discussed cooperative ventures. Plans for the joint conference were announced at NCA’s Texcare exhibit last fall where DLI CEO Mary Scalco joined with NCA Executive Director Nora Nealis in a presentation during the show’s seminar program.

Scalco and Nealis were both pleased with the results.

“I think we can safely call it a success,” said Nealis. “Personally, I found it was a wonderful opportunity to get to know folks I’d only a passing acquaintance with. Whether it was at the airport, sharing a meal in the restaurants or just walking around the resort, everyone had a ready smile and was willing to spend a few minutes making a connection. It was a treat to get to know these folks in a leisurely setting.”

Added Scalco: “It was really, really great. Everything went smoothly, the weather was great, hospitality was fantastic, and everyone was able to learn more about the business and meet some of their peers. Everyone had a chance to get to know each other at the reception the night before the first meeting. That helped everyone feel more comfortable in the big meeting room.”

The weekend began on Thursday evening with a cocktail get-together at the Welcome Villa, then got down to business on Friday morning with presentations from the first of three scheduled speakers.

Attendees heard from Brian Carter, author of Facebook Marketing and The Like Economy, on how to benefit from using social media sites.

Also speaking at the morning sessions were Paul Carpenter, a partner at Cornerstones Management Institute, who discussed how to incorporate and maximize different management styles to get the best results, and Krista Clive-Smith, an expert on branding, organizing and productivity.

The schedule left plenty of time to enjoy the amenities of the Gran Melia Spa and Casino Resort, situated on Puerto Rico’s northeastern coast in Coco Beach, Rio Grande.