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

Kevin Schwalb, TRSA’s vice president of government relations and certifications, and Bill Spencer, TRSA’s federal legislative counsel, discuss legislation and regulations that impact the linen, uniform and facility services industry and what TRSA is doing to advocate on behalf of the industry. For more information on policy issues at the federal and state levels, contact Schwalb at kschwalb@trsa.org.

Eric Kurjan, the president of Six Disciplines Consulting Services, shares his expertise in leadership development within the commercial laundry industry. He discusses the vital role of nurturing internal talent and the impact of structured training programs. Kurjan highlights the common misconception of treating leadership training as a mere obligation, stressing the importance of investing in it for organizational success. Innovative training methods are also explored, promoting inclusivity and enhancing emotional intelligence among leaders at all levels.

A recap of TRSA’s Ninth Annual Legislative Conference, held on March 27-28 in Washington, DC. The two-day conference featured an industry awards dinner, meetings with high-ranking members of Congress and a keynote address by Chris Stirewalt of Fox News. Stirewalt gave an update on the latest news impacting the nation’s capital, with a look ahead to the 2020 presidential election and potential strategy for both parties. For more information on TRSA’s government relations initiatives, contact Kevin Schwalb at kschwalb@trsa.org.

An overview of Lean Six Sigma with Audrey Carmichael, a client coach with Six Disciplines and a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and American Society for Quality (ASQ) Quality Auditor. Carmichael shares her thoughts on the benefits of running Lean in a commercial laundry operation, how Lean Six Sigma can improve safety as well as production, and more.

A deep dive into the hospitality market, with a focus on the latest trends in this sector and potential areas for growth for linen, uniform and facility services operators focused on serving the hotel space. Based on a presentation given by Greg Eubanks of Standard Textile and Chris Kane of the PureStar Group at TRSA’s inaugural Hospitality Conference in Orlando, FL.

Marketing and sales leaders from many of the linen, uniform and facility services industry’s largest companies, including Jim Divers, director of sales and marketing at Alsco; Ryan Flaherty, vice president of sales, marketing and business development at Aramark Uniform Services; Dave Katz, senior vice president of sales and marketing at UniFirst; and Bob Mitchell, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Cintas, discuss converting non-programmers to uniform renters; expanding the market for linen, uniform and facility services; innovations in sales and marketing; and more. TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci moderated the discussion, titled “Identifying and Expanding Markets: Converting Non-Programmers,” at TRSA’s Marketing and Sales Summit, held in December 2018 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

A look at TRSA’s government relations strategy on a federal level, as well as specific issues of concern to the linen, uniform and facility services industry in states such as California, Indiana, New York, Texas and more. TRSA’s Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb, TRSA’s Federal Legislative Counsel Bill Spencer and TRSA’s California Legislative Counsel RJ Cervantes take a deep dive into policy issues affecting the commercial laundry industry. For more information on contributing to the TRSAPAC, contact Schwalb at kschwalb@trsa.org.

Several commercial laundry operators discuss how they survived disaster, while reflecting on the effectiveness of their company’s emergency preparedness plans and lessons learned for the future. The panel featured Mark Carter, the president of Up To Date Laundry in Baltimore; Mike Lang, a process analyst at Unitex in Elmsford, NY; Michael Shulevitz, the president of Cadillac Uniform and Linen Supply in Puerto Rico; and Tim Topornicki, the owner of Topper Linen Supply in Toronto. The panel was recorded live at TRSA’s Seventh Annual Healthcare Conference and moderated by Joseph Ricci, the president and CEO of TRSA. For more information, visit www.trsa.org/podcasts.

A rundown of the economy, recent mergers and acquisitions, and key financial metrics for the linen, uniform and facility services industry based on numbers from publicly traded uniform companies and survey data gathered from commercial laundry operators. This episode was recorded live at TRSA’s 105th Annual Conference & Exchange in October and features Andrew Wittmann, a senior research analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. Share your thoughts on the podcast by sending an email to podcasts@trsa.org.

Nancy Roberts, also known as The DISC Wizard, is a certified behavioral analyst that helps clients use assessments, coaching and training to navigate the hiring process and get better performance from their staff. Roberts joined the podcast to talk about her recent article in Textile Services magazine and her upcoming educational session at TRSA’s Healthcare Conference, as well as to share her insights on improving your organization’s recruiting and hiring practices. For more information on the Linen, Uniform & Facility Services Podcast, go to www.trsa.org/podcasts.