Alsco Uniforms: The It Pays to Keep Clean Podcast

Jim Kearns, Alsco Uniforms’ Chief Operating Officer and a veteran of branch operations, takes a lively western tour. Wildfires reroute Reno plans to Medford, where deep family roots and daily readiness stand out. He revisits Sacramento’s transformed facility, explores San Francisco’s room to grow, and recalls a memorable first visit there 28 years ago.

Jim Kearns, Alsco Uniforms’ Chief Operating Officer, shares observations from visits to branches in Indianapolis, Lanham, Wilmington, and Rochester. Topics include a new automated facility, the patience required to adopt technology, management changes, labor tracking, route optimization, customer retention, upbeat service representatives, and managing rapid growth across two facilities.

In this episode of the It Pays To Keep Clean podcast, Jim reviews his June visits to focus branches and flagship plants across the country. First, in Chicago, Jim commended the team for their resilience bouncing back from the disruption of their large soil and wash floor expansion last year. Next, in San Jose, Jim reacquainted himself with the facility and loved the flow of the plant. Finally, in San Diego, Jim started his visit in the route room and finished it with a math lesson.

In this episode of the It Pays To Keep Clean podcast, Jim reviews his visits to several focus branches for Alsco Uniforms in Region 1. In Seattle, Jim took a tour featuring some innovative technology. Happy to have warmer weather than on his last trip, Jim enjoyed a nice dinner and even better customer feedback in Anchorage. Last on the itinerary was Billings, where they are building a team of impactful, stable management professionals.

In this episode of the It Pays To Keep Clean podcast, Dana talks with Regional Manager for Region 5, Harland Norris, as he reminisces about his invaluable experience as an RSR early in his career, emphasizes the importance of having fun in sales, and celebrates the double-digit growth in his region.

Before he could drive a car, CFO Andrew Steiner found himself working for the family business. Now, he leads six departments in the General Office that support him in making strong financial decisions and considering all aspects of the company. Join us for this episode of the It Pays To Keep Clean podcast, where Andrew shares with Dana why safety is a cause near and dear to him, what his team’s 2026 outlook will bring, and how we can benefit most from AI.

Bill Pinti, Training and Development Manager at ALSCO/Alsco University, leads enterprise-wide learning programs and uses AI to streamline content. He outlines a 14-week office manager cohort, a new standardized RSR five-week curriculum with pilot plans, a backlog of training projects including production management, and how the team keeps materials current.

Melissa Mead, East National Sales Operations Supervisor at ALSCO who drives process improvement and Salesforce integration. Amanda Frye, West National Sales Operations Supervisor with nearly 20 years guiding onboarding and consistency. They discuss Salesforce adoption and moving reports into one system. They cover building stable teams, scaling support as sales grow, and proactive planning for high-volume periods.

In this episode of the It Pays To Keep Clean podcast, Jim recounts his Region 6 visits to Charlotte, Richmond, and Allentown. Together, he and Dana celebrate the decades of service by many RSRs in the region, the teams' lively, friendly nature and the promising expertise of the new hires at these branches.

Frank Gibbs, General Manager of Alsco's Stratford branch and seasoned uniform/linen leader, shares his journey into Alsco and building a new team. He talks about meeting customers face to face, shaping branch culture, hiring and training sales staff, shifting from handshakes to formal service agreements, and big growth plans for 2026.