Content about Ohio

WORTHINGTON, Ohio – Swan Cleaners has announced the opening of its new store at the city’s Shoppes at Worthington Place. But while the store may be new, the location is not.

Swan’s new facility offers a full range of garment care services, including same-day dry cleaning and pressing, shirt laundry services, alterations, leather and fur cleaning and storage, and drapery and household item cleaning.

Besides available parking at the front of the store, Swan has a side service door that allows for in-car service.

Swan Cleaners is no stranger to the location. The company built its first location at the Worthington Square Shopping Center in 1982. After Worthington Square fell out of favor with the community, the company then moved to its Worthington Hills location. When new management took over in the spring, Swan was asked to re-open with a new store at the redeveloping center. Years later, the company now stands just around the corner from where its original store was located.

Swan Cleaners also recently opened another store in Upper Arlington, Ohio.

CHICAGO — The filing deadline for 2011 federal income taxes is not far off, but you still have time to make sure you’ve done everything you can to keep Uncle Sam’s paws off as much of your money as possible. Here are some last-minute ways to do that by reducing your 2011 income tax bill:

Save More for Retirement

One of the most important tax-savings steps you can take is contributing the maximum to your 401(k) or other tax-deferred retirement plan. If you haven’t done so, max out your retirement savings now by bringing your contribution up to the legal limit. For 2011, you may put as much as $16,500 into a 401(k), 403(b) or 457 plan. If you’re over age 50, you may add an additional $5,500.

Every dollar you contribute means you will pay less income tax. Except for Roth IRAs, all contributions to tax-deferred retirement plans are tax-deductible in the tax year for which you make your contribution.

If you can’t come up with the maximum, bump up your contribution as much as you possibly can. It may seem painful now, but you’ll benefit greatly in the future.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The E.J. Thomas Co., a leading regional distributor of drycleaning and laundry supplies, announced last week that it has been sold to Randy Zimmerman and Matt Walter. Terms were not disclosed.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Obama outlined a new economic plan last week that includes a proposal to assist business investment, and won critical support for a small-business lending package in the Senate.

A new tax break would allow businesses to write off 100% of the cost of new capital investment, expanding upon stimulus measures that expanded business depreciation rules in 2008 and 2009.

BERKLEY, Mich. — The Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network (CRDN) has signed on as a major sponsor of the Collegiate Players Tour (CPT), a summer-long golf competition for students from more than 350 colleges and universities across the United States.

LOVELAND, Ohio — Entrepreneur magazine has ranked Martinizing Dry Cleaning at No. 319 in its Franchise 500 and No. 1 in the field of franchised drycleaning and laundry services, according to the Jan. 2010 issue. This is the fifth consecutive year that Martinizing has made the list.

NEW ORLEANS — Get the industry’s movers, shakers and up-and-comers together in one place, and what do you get? Buyouts, partnerships, splits and career shifts. Two were confirmed yesterday at Clean ’09 in New Orleans.

First, John Tipps, longtime operator of Clean Concepts in Dallas, a longtime distributor, plant developer and consultant, said he plans to retire from the supply business to concentrate on a retail restoration-services company.

With concerns about fuel prices, global warming and other issues, more consumers are demanding “environmentally friendly” or “organic” options. But as the “green” message has become an increasingly salient selling point, it has lost some of its meaning.

LOVELAND, Ohio — Martin Franchises, parent company of Martinizing Dry Cleaning, is pursuing expansion in several metropolitan markets nationwide. The franchiser currently operates 620 stores in the U.S. and 15 countries worldwide.