American Coin-Op - February 2023

Capturing the

Vacation Rental Market ‘Home hotel’ clients require proper laundering, storage, on-schedule delivery

INSIDE: FEBRUARY 2023 YOUR VIEWS: SELFSERVICE BIZ BETTER FOR MAJORITY IN ’22

BUILDING INVALUABLE DISTRIBUTOR RELATIONSHIPS

POINTERS FROM PAULIE B: IF I HAD IT TO DO ALL OVER AGAIN

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CONTENTS FEBRUARY 2023 VOLUME 64 ISSUE 2

COVER STORY

CAPTURING THE VACATION RENTAL MARKET Housing rentals through Airbnb, Vrbo and similar marketplaces have skyrocketed in popularity, meaning guests’ dirty laundry is piling up. It’s a growing market opportunity for laundromat owners willing to stretch beyond their self-service customers.

(Cover image: © StudioLightAndShade/Depositphotos)

INSIDE

COLUMNS

14 BUILDING INVALUABLE

DISTRIBUTOR RELATIONSHIPS

Full-service distributors can offer many benefits to their store owner customers. And while a laundry owner’s relationship with his or her distributor may not make or break the business, this connection can prove helpful in many ways, particularly when the laundry is just getting started. It’s about finding common ground and building a rapport that lifts both parties.

DEPARTMENTS 4 VIEWPOINT 6 INDUSTRY SURVEY 22 CLASSIFIEDS

23 AD INDEX 24 NEWSMAKERS

2 AMERICAN COINOP FEBRUARY 2023

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8 18 POINTERS FROM PAULIE B: IF I HAD IT TO DO ALL OVER AGAIN...

They say hindsight is 20/20. Retired multi-store owner Paul Russo says he’s looked back over his long career several times over the past few years. While he’s happy that he was able to survive and prosper for 41 years, he does have some regrets. None of us can go back in time and change things, but his column this month lists what he would if he could.

DID YOU KNOW...

American Coin-Op releases a new podcast on a different topic of interest every other month? Give it a listen at AmericanCoinOp.com/podcasts.

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VIEWPOINT Charles Thompson, Publisher E-mail: cthompson@ATMags.com Phone: 312-361-1680

Donald Feinstein, Associate Publisher/ National Sales Director E-mail: dfeinstein@ATMags.com Phone: 312-361-1682

CLEANING UP WITH ‘HOME HOTELS’

Bruce Beggs

When my wife Sandy and I had been cooped up at home long enough during the COVID pandemic a couple of years ago, we would hit the road and book rental properties through Airbnb. Sometimes it would be an apartment, sometimes an entire home. It was a chance to see something new while honoring the medical guidance of the time.

Turns out we weren’t the only ones who became interested in vacation rentals. As pandemic restrictions began to lift, so did the number of home, apartment and condo bookings through marketplaces like Airbnb, Vrbo and others.

Specific to Airbnb, departing guests were often directed to toss the dirty laundry they generated into the available washer and start the cycle.

I didn’t have a problem with it but it turns out some Airbnb owners were requiring that and other cleaning chores while also charging a substantial cleaning fee.

When enough guests complained, Airbnb listened. It recently updated the guest checkout guidance for properties listed on its marketplace: “Guests should not have to do unreasonable checkout tasks such as stripping the beds, doing the laundry, or vacuuming when leaving their Airbnb.”

But if their guests don’t have to do that laundry and Airbnb owners don’t want to do that laundry, what’s the solution?

Well, you are, if you’re up to it.

This month’s cover feature, “Capturing the Vacation Rental Market,” will introduce you to three laundromat owners from the East, Midwest and West. They’ll explain how they sell to and service vacation rental properties and what the influx of this commercial wash/dry/fold work has meant to their bottom line.

Your “check-it-out” time is now.

Bruce Beggs Editorial Director

4 AMERICAN COINOP FEBRUARY 2023

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Bruce Beggs, Editorial Director E-mail: bbeggs@ATMags.com Phone: 312-361-1683

Mathew Pawlak, Production Manager Nathan Frerichs, Digital Media Director E-mail: nfrerichs@ATMags.com Phone: 312-361-1681

ADVISORY BOARD Douglas Pratt Tony Regan Sharon Sager

Michael Schantz Matt Simmons

OFFICE INFORMATION Main: 312-361-1700

SUBSCRIPTIONS SUBSCRIPTIONS

847-504-8175 847-504-8175 ACO@Omeda.com ACO@Omeda.com www.AmericanCoinOp.com www.AmericanCoinOp.com

American Coin-Op (ISSN 0092-2811) is published monthly. Subscription prices, payment in advance: U.S., 1 year $50.00; 2 years $100.00. Single copies $10.00 for U.S. Published by American Trade Magazines LLC, 650 West Lake Street, Suite 320, Chicago, IL 60661. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER, Send changes of address and form 3579 to American Coin-Op, Subscription Dept., 125 Schelter Rd., #350, Lincolnshire, IL 60069-3666.

Volume 64, number 2. Editorial, executive and advertising offices are at 650 West Lake Street, Suite 320, Chicago, IL 60661. Charles Thompson, President and Publisher. American Coin-Op is distributed selectively to owners, operators and managers of chain and individually owned coin-operated laundry establishments in the United States. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising for any reason. © Copyright AMERICAN TRADE MAGAZINES LLC, 2023. Printed in U.S.A. No part of this publication may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher or his representative. American Coin-Op does not endorse, recommend or guarantee any article, product, service or information found within. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of American Coin-Op or its staff. While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the magazine’s contents at time of publication, neither the editors, publishers nor its agents can accept responsibility for damages or injury which may arise therefrom.

www.americancoinop.com

1/12/23 11:26 AM

INDUSTRY SURVEY

SELFSERVICE LAUNDRY BIZ WAS BETTER FOR VAST MAJORITY IN ’22 M

ore than 88% of coin laundry store owners polled say that overall business was better for them in 2022 compared to the prior year, according to results of the latest American Coin-Op Your Views survey.

Roughly 38% say their total laundry business performed “much better in 2022” and 40.6% say it was “somewhat better.” Just shy of 10% say that business last year was the “same as 2021.” As for those on the red side of the ledger, 9.4% reported business being “somewhat worse in 2022” and 3.1% described it as “much worse in 2022.”

In terms of their expectations based on the economy, 56.3% of store owners say their 2022 business performance was “about what [they]

How diddid your How yourself-service self-servicelaundry laundry business business fare in 2022 compared fare in 2022 comparedto to2021?

2021?

It was much It was much 37.5% 37.5% better in 2022 better in 2022 It was somewhat It was somewhat 40.6% better in 2022 40.6% better in 2022 It was It was thethe 9.4% same as 2021 9.4% same as 2021 It was somewhat It was somewhat 9.4% worse in 2022 9.4% worse in 2022 It was much It was much 3.1% worse in 2022 3.1% worse in 2022

If your self-servicelaundry laundrybusiness business improved improved in If your self-service in 2022, what factors were responsible? (Check all that apply) 2022, what factors were responsible? (Check all that apply) Customer base

46.2%

Customerincreased base Competition 46.2% increased decreased 7.7% Competition Installed new 7.7% decreased 46.2% equipment Installed new 46.2% Costs/expenses equipment 7.7% decreased Costs/expenses 7.7% Offered decreased new service(s) 11.5% marketing 11.5% OfferedImproved new service(s) 19.2% efforts

Improved marketing 19.2% Raised prices 61.5% efforts Raised prices 15.4% Other 61.5% Other

15.4%

To read other Your Views survey stories, visit www.americancoinop.com 6 AMERICAN COINOP FEBRUARY 2023

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expected,” while 25% say it was “better than [they] expected.” The remaining 18.8% say it was “worse than [they] expected.”

Among store owners whose self-service business improved in 2022, raising prices (61.5%), installing new equipment (46.2%) and increasing the customer base (46.2%) were the top reasons; respondents were asked to select as many as applied to them from eight options.

About 19% chalk up their improvement to improved marketing efforts. Roughly 12% of respondents credit the performance to offering new services. Equal shares (7.7%) point to either decreased competition or lower costs/expenses.

Roughly 15% gave “other” reasons as to why they believe business improved, such as an increased emphasis on store cleaning or offering loyalty points for app users.

Among those whose coin laundry business worsened in 2022, 72.7% blame it on increased costs/expenses, and 36.4% point to competition cutting into it; again, respondents could select any from among a list of six factors.

Equal shares of 18.2% attribute the tough year to a decreased customer base, customers visiting less often, or extra-service income declining.

Under the “other” category, a respondent blamed increased payroll costs needed to keep good employees and to recruit new ones.

Just over 78% of store owners polled raised their washer vend prices in 2022.

If they were to grade themselves on how well they managed their business in 2022, 59.4% would give themselves a B, 21.9% would record an A, and 18.8% say it’s a C. Respondents were invited to offer additional comments about operating a self-service laundry in 2022. Here is some of what they had to say: • “Costs go up, and so do prices. We are not a charity.”

• “Like any business, you have to keep moving, check the competition, work with your customers (and) keep up with trends and opportunities.”

• “Utility increases combined with flat sales offset the benefit of a year of improvements and new equipment. New equipment prices have gone totally out (of ) range. Equipment prices and interest rates have worked to put any retooling plans on indefinite hold.”

• “Be sure you are staffed properly before starting a drop/fold business.”

• “Just like every year, it’s almost impossible for me to get away for any kind of serious vacation!”

• “Glad things are back to normal. Last year was a killer!”

While American Coin-Op’s Your Views survey presents a snapshot of store owners’ viewpoints at a particular moment, it is not scientific.

Qualified subscribers to American Coin-Op email blasts are invited to participate anonymously in a quarterly industry survey. www.americancoinop.com

1/11/23 11:53 AM

Capturing the Vacation Rental Market ‘Home hotel’ clients require proper laundering, storage, delivery on schedule

(Photo: © StudioLightAndShade/Depositphotos)

by Bruce Beggs, Editorial Director

8 AMERICAN COINOP FEBRUARY 2023

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A prerequisite to serving these accounts is the ability to perform wash/ dry/fold service, sometimes in large volume. That necessitates personnel; available wash capacity; the ability to receive, route and track orders; and processing/storage space. If a service offers pickup and delivery, then obtaining those vehicles is an added necessity.

PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES IN PLACE Tracy LeBlanc and husband Albert Ignacio own Monterey (California) Express Wash and Front Porch Laundry in Carmel, Calif., both renowned vacation communities. They’ve been serving vacation rental properties, mostly individuals, for several years now but that revenue stream surged when a company managing some 400-plus area Airbnbs grew unhappy with its then-laundry service and tapped them to take over.

“I mean, it really, it doubled our business immediately, the impact, and now they’re growing,” LeBlanc says. “So, every time they grow, we grow, and I think they’ve also doubled again.

Ignacio So, all of a sudden, we had to get much more

▼

H

ousing rentals through Airbnb, Vrbo and similar marketplaces have skyrocketed in popularity these past few years, meaning guests’ dirty laundry regularly piles up for the owners of these listed homes, condos and more. It’s a growing market opportunity for laundromat owners willing to stretch beyond their self-service customers.

To learn about serving these “home hotels,” American Coin-Op interviewed a trio of business owners spread throughout the country about their experience with vacation rental property customers and how they go about securing business from this niche market.

Instead of doing guest laundry themselves, owners of vacation rentals are turning to services to clean each unit’s bedding (such as sheets, pillowcases, comforters and duvets), bath towels and more in a timely fashion so these homes, condos or other dwellings can be rented out as soon as the next day.

How the service is provided ranges from individual properties dropping off and picking up goods themselves to a multi-property owner desiring its loads of dirty laundry be picked up LeBlanc and cleaned goods delivered.

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efficient. We actually would shut down part of the laundromat, and then just had machines dedicated to them. Our efficiency had to go through the roof.”

Most vacation rental work is processed at Monterey Express, which covers roughly 2,000 square feet. Having opened less than a year ago, Front Porch Laundry is used for pressing tablecloths and other fine linens, and it also has an automatic folder. At press time, more laundry equipment was due to be installed there so the laundromat could welcome self-service customers as well.

The owners cross-train their employees so they can assist self-service customers or process for commercial accounts at either site. LeBlanc says they try to keep the staff number under 15.

“It’s really important that you have software that can manage it and … that you have processes and procedures in place,” LeBlanc says. “And everybody needs to be cross-trained because [vacation rental accounts] are not as forgiving as a customer that it’s their own laundry, because they are going to lose money if you don’t have their laundry ready, and that is unacceptable.”

Because LeBlanc and Ignacio run the two laundries remotely from out of state, they rely heavily on their staff onsite: “We have an amazing manager who’s been with us for five years, and we have great employees who are just, you know, rock solid.”

Monterey Express utilizes a delivery van for its primary Airbnb client and is just starting to coordinate pickup and delivery through its multifunctional point-of-sale system. Storage space inside the laundry is at a premium, so the owners got permission to place a POD portable container behind the store to maintain separation between soiled linen and clean linen.

The business has benefited greatly from word-of-mouth, plus it’s produced a video demonstrating its commercial laundry capabilities that can easily be shared online or via email.

So what has the vacation rental boom meant to the couple?

“It allowed us to buy another laundromat,” LeBlanc says. “There’s no way we could have done it without the Airbnb. And without the software, because … there’s so much more that we can process. We’re not just using Excel spreadsheets and, you know, checking it off, right? It makes our employees extremely efficient. We can turn hundreds and hundreds of pounds of laundry in a few hours.”

(Photo: © Baloncici/Depositphotos)

(continued on page 21)

10 AMERICAN COINOP FEBRUARY 2023

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A BIGGER SHARE COMING? Todd Ofsink founded New York City’s Todd Layne Cleaners & Laundromat in 2006. Calling his business a “customized wash and fold center,” the laundromat has served vacation rental propOfsink erties “on a smaller scale” for quite some time but detected “sort of an explosion (in interest) within the last 12 to 18 months.”

As a tourist destination, Manhattan is home to a bevy of Airbnb and other vacation rental properties, Ofsink says. His laundromat has received business from individual apartment owners and building managers that offer all of their units as vacation rentals. In some cases, Todd Layne Laundromat processes a unit’s linens plus the guest’s personal items.

Using a staff of three, the laundry shares its equipment with self-service customers but sets aside certain machines as needed during peak times.

“One of the things that we like to have is consistency, clients that are using us on a regular basis,” Ofsink says. “So if you have someone with a building and they’re signing us up to do, you know, this towel and sheet service, we’re doing it on a basis of, let’s say, three times per week, we have a very steady schedule. So it’s definitely helping, you know, bring in additional revenue for us.”

Because everything is so dense and concentrated in New York City, a good portion of pickup and delivery is done by foot using carts, Ofsink says. But his business also sometimes utilizes a courier service, as well as DoorDash for deliveries that are further away.

Just a couple months ago, Ofsink directed his web developer to devote a segment of Todd Layne’s website to target Airbnb building owners as well as visitors who would be staying in one of the rentals.

“It’s been a short period of time but we’ve definitely had some interest, calls, texts, emails,” he says. “People just inquiring about how it would work.”

Ofsink also sends a representative to meet personally with reps of the larger “doorman buildings” in the area about their laundry needs, and to seek permission to market the laundry service to individual guests.

Vacation rental work accounts for 5-10% of Todd Layne’s wash/dry/ fold business but he’s hopeful that could be on the rise soon.

“People traveling to the New York City area, there’s been an incremental percentage increase in the amount of people that are visiting,” Ofsink says. “It’s sort of returning almost to 2019 (pre-pandemic) levels. So I see a lot of opportunity with that.

“I was in Central Park this weekend and it was flooded with tourists, and I haven’t seen that. You know, a lot of these things, there are all kinds of measures and KPIs, but the ‘Todd measure’ was Central Park is packed with tourists. We’re not really in a peak time of year for visiting here. It’s just a very good sign.”

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TRAITS TO LOOK FOR Before going about the work of forging a relationship with a distributor, it’s wise for an investor or store owner to seek out a respected business with the hallmarks of quality. Here are some traits to look for: • It’s Well Established — How long has the distributor been in business? Does it have an established history of providing equipment and services? Is it financially stable? Has it actively sold or rehabbed vended laundries in the last few years?

• It’s Capable of Data Collection and Analysis — Can it provide information on demographics? Is it familiar with the competition near a potential store site? Can it identify location options? Can it calculate revenue potential and assist in creating a vend pricing strategy?

• It Can Assist with Financing — Does it work with commercial laundry manufacturing partners that offer in-house

▼

F

ull-service distributors can offer many benefits to their store owner customers.

While a laundromat owner’s relationship with his or her primary distributor may not make or break the business, this connection can prove helpful in many ways, particularly when the laundry business is just getting started. It’s about finding common ground and building a rapport that lifts both parties.

Former American Coin-Op columnist Howard Scott once called the store owner-distributor relationship one of the most “pivotal” for what the distributor can produce beyond providing products and equipment in a timely fashion.

“He can be your eyes and ears to the industry,” Scott writes. “He can be a sounding board as well as adviser. He can help you solve some sticky problems. He can help you run your marketing events.

He can even point to good potential employees in the industry. The key is how you develop your distributor relationship.”

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finance programs? Does it otherwise have relationships with lenders familiar with the unique needs of laundry businesses?

It Can Design a Laundromat Layout — Does it have access to laundry design services if assistance is required beyond an architect and general contractor? Can it suggest an equipment mix based on the store design and the owner’s operational goals?

It Can Build a New Store or Remodel an Existing One — Does it have experience developing construction plans and working

16 AMERICAN COINOP FEBRUARY 2023

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and communicating with a contractor on a daily basis during a new build, a renovation or a retrofit?

• It Understands the Logistics of Opening a Laundromat — Can the distributor orchestrate all the details that go into getting a new store up and running?

• It’s Well Versed in Laundry Operations — Does it have operational knowledge on how a laundromat runs and how certain changes may be implemented to improve said operations?

• It Gathers and Shares Business-Building Information — Does it host events designed to share pertinent information about industry best practices and the latest management and operations trends? Does it host events or schedule store tours to display and demonstrate the newest equipment it’s selling for the manufacturer?

• It Provides Service After the Sale — Does it continue to support the equipment it represents well after the sale? Does it service equipment in accordance with the manufacturer warranty? Does it offer original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts?

• It Strives to Look Ahead at What’s Next — Does it continuously track industry trends and influences? Does it offer opinions on what the future of self-service laundry operations may be?

Once you have a distributor in mind, before making any decision about relationship-building, ask it for references. A distributor confident in its abilities won’t hesitate to direct you to other store owners it serves.

And don’t hesitate to reach out to other store owners in the area/region yourself about their experiences with the company you’ve identified.

www.americancoinop.com

1/12/23 9:35 AM

GET TO KNOW THE INDIVIDUAL It’s likely that a distributor will assign a representative to be your point of contact.

“Become his friend,” Scott writes. “Understand his needs. Relate to the individual as a person. This doesn’t mean that when John drops in, you take him out for lunch and treat him to a ball game, enjoying the beers and the woozy feeling you both share afterward. This means that you study the person, see what makes him tick, understand his inner needs, and develop strategies that enable the two of you to be friends.”

Like you, the distributor rep is an individual, unique in his or her way of thinking and doing things.

“This isn’t always the easiest thing in the world,” Scott writes. “You are two different people. One might be a quiet, self-contained introvert and the other might be a booming extrovert. One might hate politics while the other might think arguing Democratic vs. Republican values is just about the best thing to do.

“Plus, there’s an inverse relationship. You both want to do business together, but one wants bottom prices and impossible service while the other wants higher prices and less-urgent service.”

Should you find the distributor rep’s personality offputting and the prospects of friendship unlikely, find a path to toleration, Scott advises.

“You must overcome these obstacles, find common ground, and make that the basis of a friendship. At the very least, you have something in common—you are two individuals trying to make a living, often with families to support, and you both know that it is done through compromise. Certainly, that understanding can be a basis for a good relationship

(Image licensed by Ingram Publishing)

and mutual respect.”

Once the relationship is in place, keep the lines of communication open. Inform the distributor of how you like to receive information and how frequently (or infrequently) he/she should contact you, whether it be by text, email, phone, video conference, or in person.

An engaged, forward-thinking store owner draws on many sources of information in managing and operating their laundry but none may be as important as their distributor.

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1/12/23 9:35 AM

POINTERS FROM PAULIE B

IF I HAD IT TO DO ALL OVER AGAIN...

T

Paul Russo

hey say hindsight is 20/20. I’ve looked back at my career several times over the last few years, and while I’m happy that I was able to survive and prosper for 41 years, I do have some regrets: I regret not switching to high-efficiency boilers.

When I started back in 1976, many mats back then were using oil-fired Scotch marine boilers, mine included.

While these boilers were built like tanks, they weren’t very efficient. The best I could hope for was an efficiency percentage in the low 80s.

By the 1990s, gas-fired condensing boilers brought efficiencies up to 95%. They were expensive, yes, but this difference really adds up (depending on the price of oil vs. gas), so they would have paid for themselves with a much cleaner and more reliable function.

I regret not heating or air-conditioning my stores sooner.

There was no heating or air conditioning in any of the mats I bought. Being in New York City, a mat with no heat was acceptable maybe nine or 10 months out of the year because the boiler, washers and dryers supplied enough radiant heat.

But if it was colder than 35 outside, that would bring our store temperature down to as low as 45, requiring the customers to wear coats!

After a few years, the ridiculousness of this became apparent.

So, I installed gas-fired, hanging space heaters and, later on, HVAC units to maintain a mat temperature of 68. The space heaters also protected the pipes from freezing overnight.

A couple years later, I installed rooftop air conditioners. I had resisted spending that much money to improve store conditions only three months out of the year but I tried it. I dis-

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locations. I kept that mat for 31 years but I know I could have done much more business if customers could have driven there (in cars with big loads from outside the neighborhood). The vast majority of customers walked to the store with shopping carts.

I regret not upgrading my laundry equipment more often.

I took pride in keeping my equipment looking like new, but there comes a time when new technology that supplies higher G-force extractions, better programmability and lower water usage will outdate your beloved old machines.

Upgrading is a big move, but most of the time, your new equipment will pay for itself in utility savings and by attracting new customers.

I regret not having my own dedicated utilities.

If I were starting today, I would make sure that my mat’s utilities are not branched off in a building shared with other stores. I had quite a few shutdowns due to either incompetence or downright stupidity of other businesses sharing the lines.

I regret not considering bringing on a business partner.

I ran my mats all by myself. I had no family or friends to help. That made it hard to relax when I would take a vacation, because things do go wrong. Emergencies do come up. Every time I took a vacation, I would cross my fingers that there were no burglaries, robberies, floods, fires, or utility interruptions while I was away.

But I saw two problems with having a partner. One, it’s like a marriage. You hope both partners get along, agree on policies, and don’t steal from the other. Two, you have to split the profits, which obviously earns you less personal income.

I regret never “owning the dirt.”

I always leased my locations. Leases allow you to use less capital if funds are tight, and it’s easier to find good locations.

However, once I developed a winning business model, I should have pursued owning the properties.

Commercial leases can be brutal. There are fewer tenant protections when compared to

▼

covered that not only would the AC attract new customers during sweltering summers, coming to my store over those three months created a habit they continued to follow into fall and winter.

I regret not building bigger stores.

I purchased my first store—covering just 850 square feet and including 15 washers and seven dryers—in 1976. I didn’t have much money, and I was too young and inexperienced to see the risks in that.

Today, I would never buy or build a mat anywhere near that small. If attended, your store needs to be large enough, with enough machines, to support a crew of workers plus make a profit. I say at least 3,000 square feet.

I regret not having more parking available.

One of my stores that only had metered onstreet parking was a source of frustration. The neighborhood was so dense that even metered spots were rarely empty.

Apartment houses were as high as 27 stories, and people walked everywhere, so I figured parking was not as crucial there as at other

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POINTERS FROM PAULIE B

Paul Russo’s first store, Mr. Machine Laundromat, as it was in 1976. residential leases. Many landlords will give you a decent lease initially, but once you want to renew, they know it’s not easy for you to pack up and move. You end up at their mercy.

One of my mats was in a high-demand area where landlords were only offering five-year renewals. These people may also want your mat

(Photo courtesy Paul Russo)

for themselves at lease’s end after you’ve made it profitable. You get none of these headaches with your own property.

You may have noticed that most of my business regrets involved investing money, sometimes big money. If I owned my own property, I would have had the confidence to make these

investments. However, the money involved to buy my own buildings in less-trafficked areas scared me off, and years passed before I realized you could pool your money with other investors to purchase property.

If you don’t feel comfortable locating in a less-trafficked area, I think the best scenario is to buy into a strip mall and become landlord.

Every investor would have an ownership stake in the property but your laundromat, owned only by you, would benefit from a “sweetheart” lease written into the contract. In exchange, you could manage the whole property. I wish I’d thought of this deal years ago.

I guess my final regret is not having had enough courage to believe in my abilities, blow the lock off my wallet and take bigger risks.

There were times I played it too safe.

Paul Russo owned and operated multiple Laundromats in New York City for more than 40 years before retiring in 2018. You’re welcome to direct any questions or comments for Russo to Editor Bruce Beggs at bbeggs@atmags.com.

HOT-TOPIC TRIO: Livin’ Large, Reasonable Accommodations, and Caring for Money Makers Bigger Capacity Can Deliver Bigger Results

Alliance Laundry Systems’ Mike Hand relates how offering large-capacity equipment can help decrease turnover plus attract customers eager to clean bulky items their home equipment can’t handle.

Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act

New York City attorney Eric Sarver describes the ADA, identifies store areas most deserving of ownership attention, and warns of the problems that noncompliance could bring.

Every FREE episode... offers engaging, industryspecific conversation with an expert, including businessbuilding tips you won’t find anywhere else. And you can listen anytime, either online or download for later!

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Staying on a Maintenance Schedule

Planning for and properly executing a preventative maintenance program keeps a laundry’s money makers up and running.

Michael “Stucky” Szczotka of distributor Eagle Star Equipment describes what’s involved and the benefits.

Listen in at:

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GROWTH HASN’T OCCURRED BY ‘HAPPENSTANCE’ Randy Roberts partners with a cousin in operating Columbus Express Laundry in Whitehall, Ohio. Roberts says his partner owns the facility while he’s responsible for delivery of services there.

The company services vacation rentals through its public laundromat and a private, off-site facility, both at just under 2,000 square feet in size.

Columbus Express staffs between four and a dozen people at its private facility and three or four attendants at the public laundromat, which handles overflow work. Equipment used at either include the typical 20- to 60-pound washers and Roberts dryers most laundries have, Roberts says.

The company prefers to separate this commercial work from selfservice under the belief “that not having the distraction of somebody in there doing laundry at the table beside you improves productivity.”

It has a variety of vehicles available that can be used to pick up and deliver. Smaller vans can get into and out of neighborhoods where pickups are smaller. Sprinter vans and a box truck can handle the larger loads and more heavily weighted routes.

With the infrastructure in place, then it’s a matter of inviting and encouraging vacation rental owners to take advantage of a laundry’s service.

“A customer will ask you for something as quickly as you’re willing to deliver it, right? So some of it is expectation setting, and for us to be able to support a wide multitude of customers, residential business, Airbnb,

Vrbo, all of those different types of businesses.

“We put in place a standard practice associated with turnarounds. So there may be a special need from time to time that we might accommodate, but in reality, we use the same system, the same process, the same timeline.”

Columbus Express’ growth hasn’t occurred by “happenstance,” says Roberts, who brings a career of corporate sales experience to the laundry venture.

“The first and most important thing you do is you need to get your website optimized,” he says. “Meaning you’ve got to target the things that you believe there is significant value in and make sure that you’re found when you know the various search engines are searching for you. We believe we’ve done a good job there. We’ve selected a good partner for the website, we’ve selected a good partner for our search engine optimization company.”

Vacation rental work has become an important but complementary niche to Columbus Express, and Roberts says it’s as focused on growing that part of the business as any others.

“We believe there’s a significant opportunity not only with Airbnb, Vrbo, but we believe there’s a significant opportunity for residential services as well,” he says. “We’re trying to raise the ship with both sides of the business.”

Roberts offers this warning: “I want to caution people from taking that as an ‘only’ focus because there’s a lot of other business opportunity out there. And if you take your eye off that, you’ll miss some very important and significant opportunities. … I think (vacation rental work) is a very important component of an overall strategy for wash/dry/fold, but it’s not the only component to that strategy.”

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NEWSMAKERS ALLIANCE LAUNDRY SYSTEMS DISTRIBUTION RELOCATES DALLAS OFFICE The Alliance Laundry Systems Distribution Dallas office has gotten a new address recently. The equipment manufacturer’s regional operations previously located in Farmers Branch, Texas, are now in Coppell.

When the move was announced, Sam Husain, general manager of the Dallas office, said he couldn’t wait to open the Coppell site’s doors: “Our new facility will enable us to better serve customers.”

The Coppell office, located at 631 Southwestern Blvd., Ste. 140, features a more convenient pickup area for customers.

WHIRLPOOL CORP. RANKS 3RD ON ‘MOST RESPONSIBLE COMPANIES’ LIST FOR 2023 Whirlpool Corp., which includes commercial laundry equipment among the product lines it manufactures, reports it has moved into the No. 3 overall spot on Newsweek’s 2023 list of America’s Most Responsible Companies (up from No. 4 overall in 2021).

The annual recognition, acknowledging the top 500 most responsible companies in the United States across 14 industries, is presented by the magazine and statistics portal and industry ranking provider Statista Inc. “We feel incredibly honored and humbled to be named among the three most responsible companies in America,” says Marc Bitzer, chairman and CEO of Whirlpool Corp. “While a tremendous amount of work has been done over this past year in the area of environmental sustainability, governance and social responsibility, this public recognition ultimately reflects our lifelong passion for ‘doing the right thing’ ever since our company was founded 111 years ago.”

America’s Most Responsible Companies were selected based on publicly available key performance indicators derived from Social Responsibility Reports, Sustainability Reports, as well as an independent survey. The results are focused on company performance across environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and corporate governance (ESG) while the independent survey asked U.S. citizens about their perception of company activities related to corporate social responsibility.

This year, Whirlpool Corporation received its exemplary ranking due in part to continued progress on its ESG commitments.

App, to manage all the pickup-and-delivery timings and routes.

Mr Jeff is expanding its footprint within Florida, including Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville, plus into other states such as Massachusetts, Texas, New Jersey and New York.

CLEANTIE, PAYSTRI ENTER INTEGRATED PAYMENTS PARTNERSHIP Payment processing and integrated payment solutions company Paystri reports it has partnered with Cleantie, a cloud-based point-of-sale system for the laundromat, drycleaning, clothes alteration and shoe repair industry, for integrated payments.

The partnership enables Cleantie’s business clients to accept customer payments seamlessly and at an affordable price, Paystri says.

Drycleaning, laundry and alteration businesses use Cleantie software to run, manage, report, and grow. Its platform includes a selection of apps that are designed to empower a customer’s laundromat or drycleaning business.

Paystri partners with independent software vendors (ISV) like Cleantie to offer its customers seamlessly integrated payment experiences. Paystri’s solutions can be customized to meet the specific needs of ISVs and their customers.

“CleanTie is entirely focused on improving the daily operations of dry cleaners and laundry owners,” says Al Anjavi, CEO of Cleantie. “By partnering with an integrated payments provider with deep experience in the laundry space, we are able to deliver incredible value to the people who really need it.

“Integrated payments are a natural extension of our full-service offering. Paystri’s solutions integrate seamlessly with our technology to accept and account for customer payments quickly and easily. The payment technologies and comprehensive support services will both enhance our customer experiences and enable us to further our goal.”

Customers of Cleantie have 24/7 access to the Customer Success team at Paystri, which includes payment specialists, for service and support.

“We are proud of the ongoing success we have achieved as a result of our fantastic partners recognizing the value our organization provides in offering seamless integrated payment solutions, a passion for the laundry vertical, and collective customers we serve,” says Paystri President Chris Wheeler.

FIRST U.S. MR JEFF FRANCHISEE EXPANDS SERVICE AREA

CD ONE PRICE CLEANERS SURPASSES HEFTY WASHDRYFOLD MARK

Miami entrepreneur Sergio Aguirre, the first U.S. franchisee of Mr Jeff, is expanding his service territory into Miami’s Brickell neighborhood to meet the growing demand for mobile pickup/drop-off laundry.

The Mr Jeff laundry franchise says it has modernized the task in more than 30 countries through a 48-hour pickup and delivery mobile appbased service.

“Since opening, our Miami franchisee has already experienced early success in quickly growing a residential customer base,” says Peter Stern, managing director of Mr Jeff in the U.S. “Current entrepreneur Sergio and future Mr Jeff owner Christian (Santos) realize the growth potential for this tech-based laundry franchise in Florida.”

Mr Jeff offers an efficient and affordable turn-key laundry solution— with both a consumer-facing app and a sleek brick-and-mortar location—suited for today’s busy consumers.

Mr Jeff franchisees can take advantage of everything needed to run the business from day one, with three proprietary technology products: the Jeff App, for customers to schedule services; the Jeff Suite, a management software designed to attend to the needs of the business and cater its growth; and the Jeff Driver app, which is connected to Jeff Suite and Jeff

Chicagoland’s CD One Price Cleaners, which says it’s the Midwest’s largest laundry and drycleaning franchise, reports having accomplished a historic feat: washing and folding 5 million pounds of laundry.

A combination of new stores, the addition of pickup and delivery, and recent marketing efforts helped the franchise pull off the achievement, according to Jonathon Reckles, its vice president of marketing.

“With workers slowly but surely returning to the office and an increase in weddings and other formal events, we’re excited to see more customers through our doors every day,” he says.

In 2021 alone, CD One washed and folded over 775,000 pounds of laundry. The franchise continues to add to the grand total, with another store having opened recently in Lake Zurich, Ill. Since opening its first store over 20 years ago in Lincolnwood, CD One Price Cleaners has established its market presence throughout Chicago and the Midwest with a unique, one-price and fast turnaround model.

“Doing laundry is a chore that most people hate, especially folding,” Reckles says. “There are so many great things our customers will be able to do with their free time now that we’ve been able to take laundry off their to-do list.”

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