The American Laundry News Podcast

In the ever-evolving world of laundry services, understanding how to optimize operations and enhance customer satisfaction is crucial. In this episode, Liz Remillong, a veteran in the laundry industry with over 40 years of experience, shares her journey, the challenges faced in linen management, and the vital role of education in our industry.

Randy Bartsch, chair of both Ecotex Healthcare Linen Services and TRSA’s Board of Directors, shares valuable insights into the evolution of healthcare linen services, the challenges of workforce scarcity and the impact of technology on operations.

A May shooting at an industrial laundry that killed two workers and wounded three others brings the possibility of workplace violence back into focus. Carol Dodgen of Dodgen Security Consulting and Jay Juffre from ImageFIRST discuss warning signs, training, prevention and more.

Bryan Cutsinger, assistant professor of economics at Angelo State University in Texas, and Mike Knowles, COO of Superior Linen Service in Oklahoma, talk the economy, the possibility of recession and ways to ride out the downturn.

Events of the past three years have changed workplace dynamics along with employee attitudes and expectations. Human resource managers Annette Jones from Huebsch Services and Katie Rowland from Plymate Inc. talk challenges and solutions in laundry HR today.

Bill Sullivan, fire protection engineer for the City of Madison Fire Department in Wisconsin, and Markus Tarin, CEO of MoviTHERM, an innovator in fire detection technology, based in Irvine, California, talk about steps to take in the event of a fire along with detection/prevention ideas.

Duane Houvener, national sales manager for American Dawn, provides insider discussion about modern textiles and how performance and processability have been improved.

A commercial laundry today, no matter the size, needs to create its unique brand to stand out, and this discussion with Asit Goel, vice president of marketing at UniFirst, will examine what steps to take.

Guest Joseph Ricci, president and CEO of TRSA, talks about the current state of laundry hiring/training/retention, offers ideas and looks into the future of laundry labor.

Greg Jira, show director for The Clean Show owned by Messe Frankfurt, talks about how laundry and linen service operators can be as effective as possible when attending industry trade shows, along with details about Clean in Atlanta.

Jeff Landry, managing director global supply chain for textile provider American Dawn, talks about the lessons learned from the supply-chain interruptions experienced in 2020 and how to be prepared in the future.

In this podcast, Steve Alvarado, a lawyer at Fisher Phillips, talks about what OSHA is looking for in terms of laundry safety and how laundries can be proactive to be “OSHA safe.”

Guest Donald Bock, principal of Seabright Safety Solutions, shares key points for laundry operators to investigate, and ways to improve shortcomings, to help ensure a facility is as safe as possible.

It’s important for laundry operations to have balanced revenue, and this conversation with Rick Snyder, owner and general manager of U.S. Linen & Uniform in Richland, Washington, will explore how operations can expand wisely.

Guest Susan Fahey Desmond, a principal in the New Orleans office of Jackson Lewis P.C., shares her expertise on laundry management and safety in an era of increasing substance abuse.

Rocco Romeo, CEO of HLS Linen Services based in Ottawa, Ontario, and a member of the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council’s (HLAC) Board of Directors, provides an update on healthcare laundry during COVID-19 and what lies ahead for the industry segment.

Guest Josh Steinhardt, a sales development manager of on-premises laundry at Alliance Laundry Systems, draws on his 20 years of experience to share washer-extractor advice for throughput, efficiency and quality.

Tina Brazier, business development manager for fabricare insurance provider Irving Weber Associates, talks about how insurance has changed for laundries, specific needs and how to evaluate current insurance coverage.

John Goetz, global product manager for Hydro Systems, takes listeners to a number of locations in a laundry operation that are prime for optimizing processes and efficiencies.

Listen to a conversation with Dave McAllister, director of services and project management for Girbau North America, about essential laundry equipment tasks to keep your machines processing goods—and doing it well.

Guest Dave Balliet, director of customer relations for Hospital Central Services Cooperative (HCSC), offers his insights into enhancing customer service at all levels of a laundry operation.

Guest Paul Jewison, vice president of engineering at Healthcare Linen Services Group and general manager at Textile Care Services in Rochester, Minnesota, discusses ways to keep a laundry operation clean.

In this episode, Steven Fellman from the Washington, D.C., law firm GKG Law P.C., shares key elements of laundry and linen services contracts, negotiation tactics and more.

Guest Terry Slosson, director of human resources for the Northern Pacific Region of Cintas Corp., discusses methods and strategies to best handle conflict in an operation.

Bill Brooks, director of customer solutions and business development for commercial laundry equipment manufacturer Alliance Laundry Systems, talks about important KPIs in a laundry/linen service for efficiency and quality.

In this episode, Keith Ware, vice president of sales for Lavatec Laundry Technology, talks about ways to ensure laundry machinery is handled properly to get the most life out of the equipment, and your linens.

Sylvia Williams, human resources manager for Prudential Overall Supply, a uniform and facility services company headquartered in Irvine, California, joins us to talk about strategies for seeking out employee candidates and training them for long-term growth.

Learn about the challenges and benefits of both processing on site and outsourcing laundry with guest Sam Spence, a senior consultant with TBR Associates, which specializes in consulting services to improve processes, people and company-wide performance.

Listen as guest David Bernstein, president and chief propeller-head of Propeller Solutions Group, a provider of engineering, training and consulting services for the laundry industry, talks about how educating customers can help create a better laundry/linen partnership.

In this episode, Gregory Gicewicz, president and CEO of Sterile Surgical Systems in Tumwater, Washington, talks about the common causes of rewash and ways laundry/linen services can eliminate rewash as much as possible. 

In this episode, learn the difference between “leaders” and “managers” and how each style impacts laundry employees and their productivity with guest Deana Griffin, president of The Griffin Group, a recruiting firm that specializes in the rental uniform and linen/textile industry.

As laundry/linen services grow and technology advances, they look to build new plants or renovate existing structures. Find out from Ed Kwasnick of ARCO/Murray what operators are looking for in design and construction today, and into the future.

In this podcast, guest Bri Curington, social media director for Infinite Laundry, a marketing agency that works exclusively in the linen and uniform industry, offers help for industrial/commercial and OPL laundries with effective social media strategy.

The industry is facing a gap when it comes to trained, skilled workers. Guest Doug Waldman, president of Superior Linen Service, examines how an operation can find essential employees, like maintenance staff and supervisors.

Guest Troy Lovins, founder and CEO of Performance Matters, talks about how opening the laundry plant doors and showing off what makes an operation great can turn potential customers into actual customers.

At some point, a laundry is going to face a disaster, at least losing power. In this episode, guest Bob Corfield, principal of Laundry Design Group, talks about ways to keep goods moving during these challenging times.

Get an inside look at what healthcare laundries are doing to ensure linen cleanliness and how they can educate the public in the face of negative media reports from Jason Hartsell, director of operations at United Hospital Services.

Guest Brian Polatsek, CEO of EcoBrite Linen, talks about the effect of automation on laundry/linen services and what the laundry of the future will look like in terms of equipment, labor and more.

Retiring show manager John Riddle talks Clean history and reminisces about his long career, including his time in pro baseball, stadium management, rodeo production, and more with guest host Bruce Beggs.

Explore how a laundry can operate at a better level of energy efficiency with guest Seth Willer, national sales manager for Girbau Industrial.

Distributors provide essential equipment to laundry/linen services, but there is more to the equation. Find out more from guest Craig Dakauskas, president of CLEC.

Kris Boesch, CEO and founder of Choose People, a company dedicated to helping change company cultures so employees feel good about going to work, talks about creating a positive workplace culture.

Jon Witschy, sales manager for data technology company Spindle, reveals ways laundries can enhance productivity today and in the future.

In this episode, Phil Jones, director of laundry for Sheraton Vistana Resort in Orlando, offers his view of hospitality laundry, from its challenges to its future.

Todd B. Jenson, laundry supervisor at the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Minnesota, talks about the challenges and rewards of jail laundry operations.

Richard Warren retired earlier this year after 53-plus years in the industry. In this podcast, he shares some observations and insights from his career.

Richard Engler, textile processing department manager for JPS Health Network in Fort Worth and a Panel of Experts author for American Laundry News, talks about his life in laundry services.

David Potack, president of Unitex, offers his take on what’s happening with the enactment of tariffs on some foreign goods.

Get to know Eric Frederick, who has written for American Laundry News for more than 30 years and spent 44 years in the industry.

Dianne McKay, owner and president of Mustang Marketing, shares how laundry/linen services can up their online marketing game.