Content about Louisiana

KENNER, La. — Norvin L. Pellerin, the co-founder of laundry equipment manufacturer Pellerin Milnor Corp., died Feb. 11, the company reports.

“Norvin took pride in offering the very best to his customers, family, and friends throughout the world,” Milnor says. “He was a true visionary, who held 18 patents for various laundry machinery and pioneered top-transfer continuous batch washing. … Norvin’s design and engineering expertise, as well as his leadership, revolutionized the laundry industry.”

Pellerin won many awards, including Tulane University’s School of Engineering Alumnus of the Year in 1996, the National Association of Institutional Linen Management (now the Association for Linen Management) Hall of Fame in 1998, The Rudolph Maglin Lifetime Achievement Award for Associate Members from TRSA in 2004, and the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame Laureate in 2012.

Surviving Pellerin are his wife of 63 years, Sue; two sons, Jim Pellerin and Curtis Pellerin; two daughters, Julie Bukrey and Renee Gordon; 13 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Southwest Drycleaning Association/FabriClean Supply Educational Series Seminar - Baton Rouge; Topics: Why solvent levels matter - Detergents are important - Load by load operations - Proper spotting tools & techniques - Pre-treating vs Pre-spotting - Spotting & Product demos.
 

LAFAYETTE, La. — A Louisiana dry cleaner pleaded guilty last week to negligently causing and allowing the discharge of hazardous waste—perchloroethylene, also known as perc—into a publicly owned treatment works or sewer system, according to U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley.

Jason Prejean, 38, of Lafayette owns One Low Price Cleaners (OLPC) and entered the guilty plea on behalf of him and his Lafayette business.

At the hearing, Prejean admitted that he acted negligently in failing to ensure the proper and lawful disposal of wastewater containing perc and that he failed to train OLPC employees on the lawful disposal of perc waste. He also admitted that he had not used a disposal company since February 2007.

Investigations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) revealed that from December 2007 through May 2009, perc was improperly stored on-site at OLPC and that employees routinely poured perc wastewater down the toilet inside the store.

World Educational Congress for Laundering and Drycleaning, to be held June 20-22, 2013, in the Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, La. Visit www.cleanshow.com for information.

WASHINGTON — Public watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint last week with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against U.S. Dry Cleaning Corp., Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) and the senator's campaign in connection with an alleged violation of campaign-finance laws.

NEW ORLEANS — FRSTeam by King Fine is opening a new FRSTeam fabric restoration location, called FRSTeam of Central and Southern Louisiana, to serve customers from Alexandria through southern Louisiana.

FRSTeam by King Fine and FRSTeam of Central and Southern Louisiana provide specialty fabric restoration cleaning for clothing, window coverings, taxidermy and textiles soiled by fire, smoke, water, mold and other contaminants.

CHICAGO — AmericanDrycleaner.com will be posting live updates on Clean ’09 from the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans June 18-21.

Our entire editorial staff will be on location, reporting on educational sessions, news from the exhibit hall, and industry events held in conjunction with the show. We’ll post multiple updates on the website each day of the show, so even if you’re unable to attend this year, you won’t miss a thing.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf shores downstream from New Orleans, its storm surge weakening and eventually breaking through the system of levees protecting the city. And slowly, New Orleans — built in a “bowl” two to 12 feet below sea level — began to fill with water.

Editor’s Note: This letter was distributed to members of the Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA) last Thursday and is being reprinted here with permission.