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December 10, 2012
SBA Approves $150 Million in Sandy Disaster Loans; Application Deadlines Near

WASHINGTON — Filing deadline for physical property damage is Dec. 31 in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and Jan. 15 in Rhode Island

WASHINGTON — A month after Hurricane Sandy devastated the East Coast, the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved more than $150 million in low-interest disaster loans to about 2,500 homeowners, renters and businesses in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

If your dry cleaning business was damaged by the storm, there are several ways to apply for SBA disaster relief assistance:

March 28, 2012
StatShot: Dry Cleaning Sales Take Shine to Mild Winter

CHICAGO — The Northeast leads healthy gains across the country in February

CHICAGO — What a difference a year makes.

Heavy winter storms affected every region of the nation in February 2011, plunging dry cleaning sales to bone-chilling depths. But thanks to an unseasonably warm, dry winter in most parts of the country this February, sales rebounded in a big way, according to results of this month’s AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.

Every region posted healthy gains in February compared to February 2011, with the Northeast’s 8.7% increase leading the way. Next was the Midwest with a 7.8% gain, followed by the South at 6.6% and the West at 4.3%.

Nationally, 76.2% of respondents posted year-to-year sales increases.

“The mild winter produced better-than-expected sales in 2012,” says an operator in the Northeast. “Last winter was so harsh on the East Coast, we lost almost 10 days of work between blizzards and power outages, that this winter season was a breeze. Although there was much less heavy-coat and winter-garment cleaning, we did pick up volume just because we were able to stay open and people were able to get to work.”

October 12, 2011
East Coast Drycleaners Educational Conference a Learning Bonanza

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — East Coast Drycleaning Equipment hosted the 2011 East Coast Drycleaners Educational Conference at its headquarters. The three-day event opened with a golf tournament before the educational conference.

On the agenda for the opening round of educational sessions were:

  • Air Quality & Maintenance, by Compressed Air Quality.
  • Safe & Effective Pre-Spotting at the Counter, by Dan Eisen.
  • Marketing & Social Media, by the South Eastern Fabricare Association (SEFA).
  • Receiving and Handling Specialty Items, by Radiant Leather Care.
  • Barcode Automation, by Iowa Techniques.
  • Basic Spotting Techniques, by Seitz Chemical.
  • State Environmental Regulations & Compliance, by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Sunday's agenda included:

July 26, 2011
ZIPS Signs Expansion Deal Targeting Mid-Atlantic Markets

GREENBELT, Md. — ZIPS, a Mid-Atlantic drycleaning franchise with more than 28 locations along the East Coast, has propelled its regional expansion plans via the signing of a 20-unit development deal.

The multi-unit deal was signed with Pilgrimage Development LLC, a Maryland-based investment and retail development group.

The agreement’s first location is slated to open in August in Pasadena, Md., and additional units planned for Greater Baltimore and Glen Burnie, Md., will open in second-quarter 2012.

January 31, 2011
Dawson Retires from R.R. Street & Co.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — After a career with Naperville, Ill.-based R.R. Street & Co. that has spanned more than 35 years, David Dawson announced his retirement from the company last month.

May 25, 2010
ZIPS Dry Cleaners partners with Hot Dish Advertising

GREENBELT, Md. — ZIPS Dry Cleaners, a franchise with 26 East Coast locations, announced a new partnership with Hot Dish Advertising, an advertising agency specializing in the franchise industry.

January 23, 2009
48th Annual Plant Design Awards: Special Honors Winners

Outstanding Central Plant: DC Center Cleaners, Woodside, N.Y.

Operator Albert Lee had already consolidated production into a central plant once to handle growth, and his continued success recently forced the operation to move again. This time, the company — now one of the largest on the East Coast — faced a massive project. The 20,000-square-foot space Lee had located in Queens required a complete overhaul, but it was the blank slate onto which he could draw the plant of his dreams.

April 4, 2008
Zoots Set to Complete Liquidation

NEWTON, Mass. — Zoots Corp. sold its Virginia stores and plant to Palm Springs, Calif.-based U.S. Dry Cleaning Corp. (USDC) this week and will auction off equipment and supplies at its former Wallingford, Conn., production facility early next week.

USDC paid $1.9 million to assume control of Zoots’ 11 retail locations in Hampton Roads, Va., and plant in Portsmouth. The purchase represents U.S. Dry Cleaning’s first entry into East Coast markets in its effort to become a nationwide consolidator of drycleaning operations.

August 13, 2007
Dawson Takes TCATA's Biggest Honor

NAPA, Calif. — David W. Dawson, of Naperville, Ill.-based R.R. Street & Co., was honored with the J. Morry Friedlander Award at the Annual Management & Educational Conference of the Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA), held earlier this month in Napa, Calif. The award is the association’s highest honor.

June 25, 2007
Organized Cleaning?

EVANSTON, Ill. — Legislation is now being introduced to change the rules by which unions can organize private employers — including those in the commercial laundry and drycleaning industries. The bill was scheduled for a vote on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives at the beginning of the month.