Clean ’09: Business Relationships, New Ideas Flourish in the Big Easy

By Bob Nieman | Jun 22, 2009

The Clean Show returned to a revitalized and rejuvenated New Orleans on June 18-21 for the first time since 2001 – bringing the textile care industry together in the Big Easy for the fourth time since the event was born more than 30 years ago.

About 400 companies and organizations brought approximately 5 million pounds of laundry equipment to the city’s Morial Convention Center for the industry’s biennial, four-day get-together.

More than 10,000 attendees had registered for Clean ’09 as the show opened for its fourth and final day, a figure that was down slightly from the previous Clean event in Las Vegas in 2007, due in large part to the current state of the economy. However, the quality of those walking the trade show floor this past weekend easily compensated for any possible loss in traffic.

“Most of the comments from the exhibitors on the show floor were that they had more potential purchasers coming into their booths than just people meandering around,” said Lamar Thomas of T&L Equipment, a laundry distributorship in Charlotte, N.C. “The quality of the prospects for them was better. Plus, it gave us a little more time to talk to the people in the booths, more quality time to talk about the products and the trends. It’s worth it for us to make that trip, because so much business is done over the Internet and telephone now, but it can never beat that one-on-one, face-to-face contact. That’s important.”

And, in fact, most exhibitors and attendees alike praised the event.

“While the attendance of the show was down, the consensus from the show’s attendees and exhibitors was extremely positive,” stated CLA Chairman Mike Floyd of Continental Girbau. “New Orleans truly was a great place to network, learn and do business.”

“It was my first time in New Orleans, so I can’t really relate to previous shows,” said Michael Viviano, a laundry owner and the president of the New York Coin Laundry Association. “But I found it to be perfect. I really enjoyed myself. It’s always great to network with people and to work with the CLA team. So, on all levels, it was time well spent.”

Illinois laundry owner Karl Keefer, who heads the Illinois Coin Laundry Association, added, “I got quite a bit out of this year’s show, in terms of changes within different product lines that I was curious about, along with card systems and their innovations.

“It’s always interesting to get perspectives from other markets,” he said. “So often, if we’ve been in the business for a while, we think we have a lot of answers – but to talk to others is always a quite positive, eye-opening experience for me. It’s always a challenge to justify the time it takes to attend, but I’m always uplifted by the show in general and glad that I went. I always look forward to the Clean Show, and this one was no exception.”

Keefer added that much of the buzz on the trade show floor centered on utility savings and environmentally friendly operating procedures.

“Certainly, there was a strong interest in being more ‘green’ and more ecologically prudent,” he explained. “That seems to be a theme out there. Also, water savings. That’s always a theme. Many of the exhibitors were introducing lines that are even more cost-efficient with respect to utility usage.”

Dave Fielding, who operates a laundry in Manchester, N.H., with his wife, Patti, seemed to echo the utility-saving theme of Clean ’09.

“We had some objectives, as far as what we wanted to see,” Fielding admitted. “We saw some water reclamation technology, as well as some heat-recycling equipment that we are interested in.”

He added that they also found a portable cooling system at the show to provide some much-needed relief for their wash-dry-fold attendants, as well as LED signage for their store’s interior.

“We learned a lot just from networking with the other members of CLA around the country,” Fielding noted. “Oh my God, we got some great marketing ideas from a fellow from New York – and even just sitting in the airport on the way home! We had a great time. Plus, we love New Orleans.”

CLA Salutes Industry Leaders

The Coin Laundry Association’s Mardi Gras Celebration Dinner at the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel on Friday night, June 19, also was an overwhelming success, with a sold-out guest list of 450 association members. Of course, the highlight of the gala was the awarding of special honors to some very deserving industry leaders. The evening’s big winners included:

• Clay Pederson and Jeff Hooper – The Chairman’s Award

• Chris Balestracci, Amy Gitlin, Alan Greenberg and Jay McDonald – The Distinguished Service Award

• Michael Viviano, Tom Turner and Tom Jessen – The Leadership Award

• Chris Balestracci – The Outstanding Director Award

• Harvey Gitlin – The Founder’s Award

• Duane King – Member of the Year

• The Missouri-Kansas Coin Laundry Association – The Outstanding Affiliate Award

• Jeff Gardner – The Richard H. Torp Memorial
Excellence in Education Award

And, looking forward to Clean ’11, the show’s management company, Riddle & Associates, has announced that the next event will be held June 6-9, 2011, in Las Vegas.

Two laundry owners sure to be there are Mary and Al Eggermont, who operate a couple of stores in Marshall, Minn.

“Al was at this year’s show every day, from the time he took in the morning seminars, and he was there on the show floor until the time they closed,” Mary said. “They were turning off the lights on Saturday night, and he was still in there talking to people.

“All of the exhibitors were there that we wanted to see. In fact, we didn’t get to all of the companies we wanted to see. Al is 74 years old, and he was there from start to finish every single day – just absolutely eating it up.”