Western State Design Adds Van Merrill

By PlanetLaundry staff | Nov 18, 2009

Western State Design has named Van Merrill its vice president of self-service laundry development. In this new position, Merrill will lead the development of card- and coin-operated laundries for WSD. Merrill’s duties will include providing assistance in site selection, lease terms and language negotiation, laundry design and construction, as well as laundry management and marketing. The company’s goal is to provide a comprehensive platform that sets the stage for its customers’ success in the coin- and card-operated laundry segment.

Merrill’s experience includes owning and developing successful laundries for more than 20 years in the southwestern United States and Chicago. He and his colleagues have earned many national awards for their efforts in laundry development.

“The key is to recognize that the state of the art in the laundry development business is continuing to change and improve,” Merrill explained. “It’s all about our customers being able to reap the benefits of a well-thought-out laundry that incorporates the best equipment and innovations available today.”

In addition to hiring Mr. Merrill, recent enhancements to WSD’s coin laundry business include the opening of a showroom and “Express Lab” in Cerritos, Calif. The showroom includes a full-line of coin laundry equipment with operational Dexter washers and dryers connected to metering devices measuring both water and gas consumption.

“The Express Lab brings a totally unique buying experience to our customers,” said Executive Vice President Tom Marks. “We believe we are providing a unique solution to a competitive marketplace that can best be understood in person at our Express Lab showroom with fully operational equipment.”

Western State Design serves California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and western Idaho. As a licensed general contractor, the company also provides laundry design, construction and consulting services worldwide.