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

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.

Charles Crowell, the vice president of Milliken Table Linens, and Ben Fox, the director of sales and marketing at Alsco, discuss the state of the food-and-beverage market, as well as the importance of hygienically clean linens and uniforms as restaurants reopen across the United States and worldwide. For more COVID-19 news, information and resources for your linen, uniform and facility services company, visit www.trsa.org/covid19.

Karen Griffiths, the human resources and safety director at Loop Linen Service in the New Orleans area, and Angela Howard, the vice president of people development and human experience at Spindle in the Chicago area, discuss the policies their respective companies are putting in place as they move toward ramping up operations. For more COVID-19 news, information and resources for your linen, uniform and facility services company, visit www.trsa.org/covid19.

Catalina Dongo, the director of human resources at UniFirst Corp., shares tips on communicating with your employees during the COVID-19 crisis, and outlines best practices and policies to implement at your organization. For more COVID-19 news, information and resources for your linen, uniform and facility services company, visit www.trsa.org/covid19.