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

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 and more.

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.

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; Mike Lang, a process analyst at Unitex; Michael Shulevitz, the president of Cadillac Uniform and Linen Supply; and Tim Topornicki, the owner of Topper Linen Supply. The panel was recorded live at TRSA’s Seventh Annual Healthcare Conference.

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.

A discussion on equipment innovations, plant design and renovations featuring Bob Corfield, CEO, Laundry Design Group; Ed Kwasnick, director of business development at ARCO/Murray; Chip Malboeuf, president at Turnkey Industrial Engineering Services; and Gerard O’Neill, president and CEO at American Laundry Systems. Moderated by Dan Farnsworth, vice president of sales and marketing at Leonard Automatics. This episode was recorded live at TRSA’s Production Summit & Plant Tours in Philadelphia.

Titled “Rising through the Ranks: What it Takes,” this panel discussion features Scott Farmer, chairman and CEO of Cintas; Jim Kearns, CFO at Alsco; Juha Laurio, president and CEO of the Lindstrom Group; Steven Sintros, president and CEO at UniFirst; and Tom Watts, president at Prudential Overall Supply. The discussion was moderated by TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci, and recorded live at TRSA’s inaugural Leadership Summit in June 2018 in Chicago.

The former CEO of AmeriPride Services Inc., Bill Evans, shares his thoughts on leading change in your organization. The speech was recorded live at TRSA's Executive Management Institute (EMI). Evans will also be a featured speaker on the Legends of the Industry Panel at TRSA's upcoming Annual Conference in Napa, CA. Learn more about TRSA at trsa.org

Vivek Wadhwa, a technology and innovation author and expert, academic and futurist, joins us to discuss the technologies that will shape the laundry of the future and how to prepare for those potential disruptions so that your business is primed for success. Wadhwa also will share his insights with TRSA members at the 105th Annual Conference and Exchange.

David Varner is the chief strategy and development officer at TRSA operator member company Superior Linen Service. Before joining the Superior Linen Service staff, Varner served for 21 years in the U.S. Navy, including a stint on the Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels. With many companies in the linen, uniform and facility services industry interested in hiring veterans, Varner talked about his military background and his successful transition to the laundry industry.

A tech entrepreneur, venture capitalist and New York Times best-selling author, not to mention a talented jazz guitarist, Josh Linkner joined the podcast to share how laundry companies can use innovation to their advantage, as well as his experience serving as a mentor to up-and-coming tech entrepreneurs. Linkner recently gave a keynote address titled “Harnessing Innovation: Turning Raw Ideas into Powerful Results” at TRSA’s inaugural Leadership Summit in Chicago.

Here’s a preview of what’s coming up on the Linen, Uniform & Facility Services Podcast from TRSA. We’ll talk with industry leaders on the latest issues of importance to your business, as well as go in-depth with thought leaders from outside of the industry to get their perspective on topics affecting the broader business community. Subscribe now.