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RONKONKOMA, N.Y. — Irving Weber Associates (IWA) has been working with local insurance brokers to offer their drycleaning clients protection at competitive rates for many years, but efforts to advise dry cleaners that they don’t need to fire their current broker to gain access to IWA’s insurance program hasn’t reached the audience it had hoped, the company says.

So, IWA has created a new division devoted exclusively to spreading the message that IWA wants to maintain local working relationships while providing dry cleaners and their local insurance brokers access to its coverage, says IWA President Adam Weber.

Christine (Tina) Brazier was selected to head the new division. “We want to educate the dry cleaners and their brokers about their access to our Fabricare Advantage Program, but also educate them on the many coverages designed to provide expanded protection to their business and that are rarely found in their current insurance products.”

John Leidner will serve as broker/agency liaison and Colleen Christner is responsible for marketing support.

FRANKFURT, Germany — Energy and resource efficiency are key factors in the professional textile care sector, and sustainable and efficient technology and processes for dry cleaners, laundries and textile service providers were on display as Texcare International opened its five-day run on Saturday.

There are 264 exhibitors hailing from 26 countries in Hall 8 and the adjoining Galleria. “The mood in the sector is very good,” says Wolfgang Marzin, president and CEO of Messe Frankfurt, who accompanied media members during a guided tour of the show floor. “Hall 8 is fully booked up. All international market leaders have registered and will present their cutting-edge technologies. They expect the world’s leading trade fair for their sector to generate powerful business impulses.”

Marzin likened Texcare to the “Olympics of textile care,” referencing the show’s every-four-years cycle.

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany — Sustainability will be the dominant theme of Texcare International — World Market for Modern Textile Care when it returns here in two weeks.

Show organizer Messe Frankfurt says all international market leaders—including the Alliance International brands, Barbanti, Beirholms Vaeverier, Ecolab, Girbau, Heprotex, Jensen, Kannegiesser, Kreussler, LG Electronics, Lavatec Laundry Technology, Macpi, Miele, Multimatic, Pellerin Milnor, Renzacci and Veit—have registered to exhibit during the May 5-9 show.

Altogether, Messe Frankfurt expects to welcome around 250 exhibitors and 15,000 trade visitors. As in previous shows (the event is staged every four years), the proportion of manufacturers from outside Germany will exceed 60%; the most important exhibitor nations besides Germany are Italy and the United States, Messe Frankfurt says.

IRVINE, Calif. — Several drycleaning and laundry services franchises were recently recognized by Entrepreneur Magazineas being among the top 500 franchise systems for 2012.

Making this year’s list were:

• Martinizing Dry Cleaning, No. 278
• ZIPS Dry Cleaners, No. 325
• FRSTeam, No. 333
• Comet Cleaners, No. 346
• Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network, No. 388
• 1-800-DryClean, No. 427
• DryClean USA, No. 461
• Pressed4Time Inc., No. 481

To be eligible for the annual Franchise 500® ranking, a franchisor must have a minimum of 10 units, with at least one in the United States, and must be seeking new franchisees, the magazine says. All companies are judged on financial strength and stability, growth rate, size of the system, and other factors.

To learn more about the Franchise 500®, visit the Entrepreneur website.

SAN ANTONIO — Richard Thum, co-founder and president of Five Star Cleaners, was recently elected president of The Southwest Drycleaners Association (SDA) at its annual convention.

The regional trade association, with more than 300 members, is an affiliate of the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI). The 96-year-old association serves the professional dry cleaners of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Thum served as first vice president of the organization last year, and has served on the SDA board in various capacities for 28 years.

He launched Comet Cleaners in San Antonio in 1981 along with his wife, Sharlene, and the name was changed to Five Star Cleaners in 2004. The Thums own 11 locations across San Antonio.

Thum holds a bachelor of science degree in real estate finance from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and has a real estate broker’s license in Texas.

LAUREL, Md. — A five-day Introduction to Drycleaning course, sponsored by the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute’s (DLI) School of Drycleaning Technology, will make a stop in Chicago April 30 through May 4.

Known as DLI On the Road, the course offers the opportunity to locals to train without expensive airfares, hotel accommodations, or time away from family to learn the basics of the drycleaning business.

The class, co-sponsored by the Illinois Professional Drycleaners & Launderers, will be held in the northwest Chicago suburbs. Sessions at Haiges Machinery in Huntley, Ill., and at Vogue Cleaners in Crystal Lake, Ill., are planned. Registration closes April 6.

The drycleaning course provides a solid foundation for the profession and is ideal for newcomers to the industry, DLI says. Some of the basics covered include sorting loads for dry cleaning; cleaning garments, including silk and satin; operating a drycleaning machine; removing stains, including coffee, ink and grease; pressing pants, coats and skirts; and using tensioning equipment to improve finishing quality.

DENVER — The cost of repairing and expanding U.S. drinking water infrastructure will top $1 trillion in the next 25 years, an expense that likely will be met primarily through higher water bills and local fees, an American Water Works Association (AWWA) report asserts.

The report, Buried No Longer: Confronting America’s Water Infrastructure Challenge, analyzes many factors, including timing of water main installation and life expectancy, materials used, replacement costs and shifting demographics, the association says. Nationally, the infrastructure needs are almost evenly divided between replacement and expansion requirements.

Water systems that were built in the latter part of the 19th century and throughout much of the 20th century have, for the most part, never experienced the need for pipe replacement on a large scale, the AWWA report says. “The dawn of an era in which the assets will need to be replaced puts a growing stress on communities that will continue to increase for decades to come.”

PHOENIX — Panda Dry Cleaners LLC, in collaboration with Procter & Gamble (P&G), recently opened its first Tide Dry Cleaners stores in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas, and has now opened a second, this one in the Phoenix suburb of Ahwatukee.

The franchise locations are the first of five that Panda Dry Cleaners LLC plans to build this year. Chief executives of Panda Express fast-food restaurants established the company.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to partner with Panda Dry Cleaners LLC to help us expand and further grow the Tide Dry Cleaners business,” says Jeff Wampler, CEO of Agile Pursuits Franchising, a wholly owned subsidiary of P&G. “Their expertise in real estate and development, coupled with our experience in consumer branding and understanding, will create a win-win opportunity for customers within the drycleaning industry.”

TAMPA, Fla. — Members of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists met here last month to celebrate the group’s 25th anniversary, elect new officers, and participate in presentations with wedding industry experts.

The nonprofit trade group, with members located in the United States, Canada, Ecuador, Mexico and South Africa, specializes in gown cleaning and preservation.

A highlight of the conference was the presentation of the annual Jack Barth Memorial Award of Excellence. Initiated by Linda Stokes-Barth in remembrance of her late husband’s achievements in the drycleaning industry, the award recognizes a member for outstanding contributions and service to the association and its members.

This year’s honoree, Ken Grippi of Dependable Cleaners in Boston, began his career 45 years ago with his father at Beacon Cleaners. Beacon merged with Dependable Cleaners in 1972, and Grippi is currently Dependable’s technical training consultant and preservation and restoration expert. A member of the association since 2003, Grippi serves as national training director.

ROCKVILLE, Md. – Ownership and administration of the Certified Rug Specialist (CRS) certification program has shifted to the Association of Rug Care Specialists (ARCS). The board of directors of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) recently voted unanimously to make the transfer.

“Given the RIA’s focus on the restoration sector, our board unanimously agreed that it is in the best interests of the rug care industry to transition this program without cost from our organization to the Association of Rug Care Specialists,” says Timothy Shaw, RIA executive director. “We know the CRS will be in good hands with ARCS, and we eagerly anticipate seeing the certification program grow under ARCS’ leadership.”

The CRS is the nation’s only certification program to focus on the study of Oriental and specialty rugs with an emphasis on the history of handmade rugs, rug identification, cleaning and repair techniques, and potential cleaning problems based on a rug’s origin and construction, according to the associations. Only 65 U.S. rug care specialists hold the CRS certification.

COLD SPRING, Ky. — Two valued Fabritec International employees and veteran contributors to the dry cleaning industry have died in recent months, the company reports.

Retired Vice President Bob Knippling died Jan. 12 at age 85. Knippling, a U.S. Army veteran who served during World War II, graduated from college with degrees in chemistry and biology. He joined then-Emery Industries in 1951 as a chemist.

While with Fabritec, he was in charge of the Stamford distribution and Emerbrite divisions, and he worked closely with Fabritec’s salesmen. Knippling made major research contributions during his 50 years in the industry. He served as Fabritec vice president for 20 years before retiring in 2001.

Retired Sales Support Manager John Geer died Oct. 22 at age 78. After receiving a physics degree, Geer began his dry cleaning career with his family’s business in Marion, Ohio. In 1976, he joined Fabritec (Emery Industries at the time), where he became director of technical services.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — North American Restoration Dry Cleaners (NARD), a national group of textile restoration professionals, has welcomed three new members in expanding its national coverage.

Urban Valet Cleaners, Buffalo, N.Y., has been in the restoration business for more than 10 years and services western New York and northern Pennsylvania.

Bobby Page’s Restoration in northern Nevada has been working restoration dry cleaning for almost 50 years.

Fabricare-Restoration by Margaret’s is recognized as Southern California’s premier dry cleaning institution and as one of the nation’s top cleaning establishments, NARD says. The business recently added a separate division focusing solely on insurance restoration cleaning.

“We are one step closer to our goal of providing national coverage with the finest restoration dry cleaning professionals in the country,” says NARD President Mark Folzenlogen.