Page 1 - Clothesline - November 2020

National

Clothe sline

November 2020 Volume 62 Number 2 www.natclo.com

Fall Fest releases full schedule

For less than the cost of many airline Chris Kuehl discussion from 5 to 6 p.m.
tickets, the inaugural Fall Fest EXPO will Beth Z Trudy Adams Tuesday will be devoted to business
present a busy week full of live virtual development with a program on “Har-
workshops, demonstrations and presen- nessing the Power of Your POS” featur-
tations designed to improve several as- ing SPOT POS, SMRT Systems and
pects of your business and provide vital Fabricare Manager.
training for your entire staff. In addition to learning about ways to
The event is the brainchild of the North utilize your computer system to increase
East Fabricare Association, the Pennsyl- business, the discussion will be followed
vania and Delaware Cleaners Association by breakout sessions from each company
and the South Eastern Fabricare Associa- FALL ! that will provide more detailed and tar-
tion. It will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. geted instruction.
EST daily, Nov. 9 to 13. EXPO “Marketing and Promotion: Lessons
The cost to register is $359 per DLI Learned During a Pandemic” will take
member plant, which includes unlimited WITNESS THE FUTURE place later that day. It will be a broad-
attendees from your plant. Non-members Peter Blake Frank Kollman based session on making marketing work
must pay $599 each, but that includes a with guidance coming from David Coyle
three-month Silver DLI membership. of Maverick Marketing, Lou D’Autorio
Even when the event concludes, video of Sage Drycleaning and Peter Blake.
recordings of the sessions and added con- Team building and behind the counter
tent will be available for a minimum of will be areas of emphasis on Wednesday,
three months to anyone who registered when Trudy Adams of Blue Egg Consult-
for the event. ing presents “Achieving Legendary Cus-
The schedule for the 2020 Fall Fest Mark Albrecht James Peuster tomer Service in a New Era.”
EXPO will focus on a different theme She will cover scripting, handling cus-
each day. The first day of the event, Mon- “Your Nerdy Best Friend,” a renowned It will examine sales trends, diversifi- tomers empowerment and diffusing diffi-

day, Nov. 9, will begin with an introduc- productivity expert. It will be followed by cation and employee relations and be cult situations and will be followed by
tion of the participating vendors. a “State of the Industry Fireside Chat” moderated by Peter Blake, executive di- breakout sessions for role-playing exer-

Afterward, the first session will be that will feature Larry Fish from Pier rector of NEFA, SEFA, MAC and CCA. cises. Later that day, Route Pros James
called “Technology Tips to Drive Per- Cleaners, Wash Respess from Southside The day, and the four that follow, will Peuster and Mark Albrecht will explore
sonal Productivity” by Beth Z, a.k.a. Cleaners and other key industry leaders. all conclude with a daily recap and open Continued on page 10

EPA residential perc ban begins next month

It was close to 15 years ago when the are located in one of the five boroughs of system to be installed on the premises. ever, NCA made progress with the NYFD
EPA established regulations to ban all New York City. These systems can be very expensive and over time to see if a less costly solution
perc drycleaning facilities that are co-lo- Many drycleaners with locations sub- are not necessarily a financially feasible could be found.
cated in residential buildings in the dis- ject to the ban have converted those to option for those who are renting and not “For the past 15 years, NCA’s been
tant future. drop stores or have closed them down al- guaranteed a renewed lease. going round robin with the fire depart-
That distant future arrives next month. together. According to the NY DEC, most “A full sprinkler system in New York ment in New York trying to get them to
As of Dec. 21, 2020, the ban begins and are choosing to do this; otherwise, they City — depending on what your water adjust their requirements for installations
it stands to affect New York cleaners the have the option to install an approved al- line was — you’re looking at anywhere of Class III machine,” Nealis noted. “As
most. According to the New York Depart- ternative solvent replacement. from a $70,000 to $100,000 investment,” of August of this year, the fire department
ment of Environmental Conservation, For those doing so with machines that noted Nora Nealis, executive director for finally came around and prescribed the
their records indicate there are 233 perc operate Class IIIA alternative solvents in the National Cleaners Association. conditions under which they would issue
co-located residential cleaners in the state New York City, they face additional com- With new machine costs and permit a variance for existing cleaners.”
(meaning there is an apartment on the plications; the New York City Fire De- fees factored in, that could put you in the The resulting reduced requirements
premises) and about 75% of those (175) partment requires an automatic sprinkler ballpark of a $200,000 investment. How- Continued on page 10

The Cowboy Cleaner rides away Sneak Peek

He was a remarkable man who positively influ-
enced the drycleaning industry for many years, Inside
but now that Kenney Slatten has passed on he
leaves behind a vacuum that will be hard to fill. 12 A potpourri of problems
He was often described as a happy and kind in-
dividual and he was always instantly recognizable Miscommunication and a host of work-related labor law
as the “Cowboy Cleaner,” a clever marketing tech- problems have not taken the pandemic off.
nique that drew on his childhood growing up on a 18 When shirts don’t add up
ranch in Houston, TX. He always wore his signa-
ture cowboy hat and a disarming smile. Too many owners/managers make grave errors when
Slatten followed in the footsteps of the previous calculating costs without realizing it.
generations of his family when he married into a
family drycleaning business in Houston in1970. 22 The strength to survive
“It was a large outfit in Houston,” he told this Right now, information and communication are the two
publication in November of 1996. “I went on to best tools to help keep your business moving forward.
own a plant seven years in Houston. That was my
beginning on my own.” 24 Time to Grow or Go?
Later in his career he made the transition to be- You can blame Covid for your current woes or take
come one of the industry’s leading consultants. steps to grow your business before its too late.
Kenney Slatten
Continued on page 10