Linen, Uniform & Facility Services Podcast - Interviews & Insights by TRSA

We recently sat down with TRSA's current Chair Noël Hammer Richardson, president of Shasta Linen Supply in Sacramento, CA, to discuss several topics, including family business dynamics, weathering the COVID crisis, the future of the food-and-beverage industry, as well as her vision for the association and the industry moving forward. For more information on TRSA's Linen, Uniform & Facility Services Podcast, contact podcasts@trsa.org.

Joe Geraghty, the chief operating officer and chief people officer at ImageFIRST, shares how establishing a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program with buy-in from the company's senior leadership team has helped ImageFIRST boost employee morale and productivity. For more information on TRSA's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, contact Salita Jones at sjones@trsa.org.

Dan Gonder, the chief operating officer and co-owner of Six Disciplines Consulting Services, joins the podcast to discuss the importance of teamwork in successful organizations and outlines best practices that will help your company build a cohesive team.

Casey Mackert, Director of Baldrige Services at Six Disciplines, joins us to discuss the pillars of performance excellence and how following these methods can help your operation achieve its goals. She explains how not having these pillars in place is like running with scissors – potentially dangerous to your organization's well being.

An update on TRSA's advocacy efforts to get the linen, uniform and facility services industry included at the top of the priority list for the continuing rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. Kevin Schwalb, TRSA's vice president of government relations, gives an update on TRSA's efforts. For more information, visit TRSA's Coronavirus Resource Center at www.trsa.org/covid19.

Strategy encompasses two sides of the same coin when it comes to defining both short-term and long-term strategies. Linen, uniform and facility services companies need to continue to closely manage the nine key elements of operational focus in a pandemic – also known as the pandemic operational checklist – but you also need to lay out your recovery strategy for 2021. The approval of vaccines and the optimism of a gradual economic recovery indicates a need for solid, well-defined strategies ahead of the curve. You need to protect and prepare yourself for short-term challenges and long-term opportunities. Eric Kurjan, the president of Six Disciplines Consulting Services, joins us to discuss strategic planning and more.

An update on the latest news from the nation's capital, and a look at what to expect moving forward as a new administration takes over the White House in January 2021. Joining us to discuss these issues and more is Chris Stirewalt, the digital politics editor at Fox News. Stirewalt has worked at Fox News Channel's Washington bureau since 2010, and will give a keynote address at TRSA's 11th Annual Legislative Conference, scheduled for March 24-25, 2021. For more information about the Legislative Conference, visit www.trsa.org/legcon.

TRSA's Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb gives an update on the latest news from Washington, DC, including the potential for additional stimulus funding, as well as state-level initiatives impacting linen, uniform and facility services businesses. For more information on TRSA's government relations initiatives, contact Kevin Schwalb at kschwalb@trsa.org.

A panel of linen, uniform and facility services operators discuss the industry's response to COVID-19, lessons learned from the crisis and how the industry can move forward. Panelists include Jim Buik, the current TRSA chairman and president of Roscoe Co.; Jim Cashman, president and CEO of ImageFIRST; P.J. Dempsey, president of Dempsey Uniform and Linen Supply; and Cory Acton, vice president of operations, Magic Laundry Services. The panel was moderated by TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci. For more COVID-19 news, information and resources for your linen, uniform and facility services company, visit www.trsa.org/covid19.

Anna Walker, the marketing manager at Cosgrove Partners in Indianapolis, discusses the importance of retaining your customer base in the post-COVID sales and marketing environment. Walker talks about the critical pivot your marketing and sales teams must make, how to develop marketing messages that resonate with your customers in this climate and why adding new product lines may be a smart move for your business. For more COVID-19 news, information and resources for your linen, uniform and facility services company, visit www.trsa.org/covid19.