Content about United States

SAN FRANCISCO — America’s Best Cleaners (ABC) Affiliates from across the United States gathered in Scottsdale, Ariz., last month for three days of networking and presentations around industry and general business best practices.

The March 13-15 meeting included presentations by consultants from various industries and businesses that support dry cleaning, as well as a tour of local Affiliate Z Cleaners’ new production facility and a dinner hosted by Frank Dubasik of Metalprogetti.

Speakers included Nicholas Regine, technical design and application specialist from Swarovski Crystals, who discussed the latest trends in fashion embellishments and application techniques. He also talked about how Swarovski supports ABC Affiliates across the country and applied a custom ABC’s crystal transfer to a shirt owned by ABC’s executive director, Christopher White.

CHICAGO — The gut-wrenching volatility in the stock market over the past few years has been a tough challenge for busy business owners and professionals. That’s probably why so many are looking for professional help in dealing with investment decisions.

Business for “financial advisers” has been booming since the 2008 market meltdown. The problem is that searching for the right adviser can be almost as difficult as searching for the right stocks.

In most states, anyone can declare himself or herself a financial adviser without the need for a license or any formal credentials, even to the point of creating an official sounding title. At most brokerage firms, employees who used to be called stockbrokers are now called financial consultants or advisers. Whatever they are called, it’s important to remember that they are essentially salesmen who earn their money by getting you to buy and sell equities.

CHICAGO — Sales grew in two of four regions of the United States in November, according to this month’s StatShot survey. Dry cleaners in the West reported the biggest surge, with sales up 5.3% from November 2011. Sales in the South were up 2.9%.

“A few years ago, I competed against other dry cleaners,” says an operator from the South. “Now, I compete more with restaurants, movie theaters, gas stations and any other business that is fueled by discretionary spending.”

In the Northeast, sales were virtually flat, with operators there reporting a 0.3% decline. “High-end business is good, if you can handle the risk,” says one operator there.

Midwestern operators saw their November sales fall 1.5% from the previous November. Views of the future in that region appear mixed.

CHICAGO — STUNNING FORECASTERS, the unemployment rate dropped to 7.8% in September, the lowest rate since January 2009.

“Our nation's labor market added 114,000 non-farm payroll jobs in September,” Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said in a statement. “Additionally, 86,000 more Americans found jobs in July and August than had been previously reported.”

SHOWING MODEST ECONOMIC GROWTH, the 12 Federal Reserve Districts of the Federal Reserve Bank reported consumer spending was generally good for the October report. Only the New York, Chicago and Kansas City districts reported flat or soft sales. Existing home sales were stronger in most districts, with prices steady or increasing, and overall loan activity was steady to stronger in most districts.

CHICAGO — If U.S. voters agree with the majority of dry cleaners who responded to this month's AmericanDrycleaner.com Wire survey, Mitt Romney will be elected the 45th president of the United States next month.

Nearly 62% of dry cleaners polled in the anonymous, unscientific survey say they are supporting the Republican ticket of Romney and running mate Paul Ryan. Roughly 24% are supporting Democratic incumbents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and the remaining 14.3% are not sure at this time. No one who took the survey said they would not be voting for president, or that they are supporting a third-party or write-in candidate.

In comparison, four years ago, 80.8% of dry cleaners supported Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin to only 14.1% for Obama/Biden and 5.1% for third-party or write-in candidates.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — A civil environmental lawsuit stemming from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) cleanup at the Stanton Cleaners Area Groundwater Contamination Site in Great Neck, N.Y., has been settled, authorities report.

The lawsuit was brought against the estate of Lillion Wiesner, John P. Maffei, and the property at 110 Cutter Mill Road in Great Neck, where hazardous substances were disposed of by former dry cleaning operations, according to Loretta E. Lynch, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Judith A. Enck, regional administrator, EPA Region 2.

The complaint alleged the Wiesner estate was liable for EPA's response costs under the “Superfund law” as a current and past owner at the time of disposal of hazardous substances. Maffei was liable, authorities assert, because he is a de facto current and past owner of the property.

CINCINNATI — According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), more than 1,000 eye injuries occur in U.S. workplaces every day.

“Oftentimes, eye injuries can be prevented, or in many cases minimized,” says Nancy Petersen, senior marketing manager, First Aid & Safety, Cintas. “Understanding the causes of these injuries and ways to reduce their occurrence and impact will benefit both workers and businesses.”

Cintas offers these tips for promoting eye safety:

IDENTIFY WORKPLACE HAZARDS

Eye injuries can be caused by many different hazards, including chemical exposure or contact with work equipment. Conduct a safety walk-through to locate areas and tasks that pose as risks to workers.

SELECT APPROPRIATE EYEWEAR

Eyewear must protect against the specific hazards employees will encounter and be properly fitted to the individual. Since different styles have varying levels of comfort and must help protect certain eye dangers, purchase multiple types of eyewear, including prescription lenses for workers who require them.

Sanitone, a division of Fabritec International, will hold its Seminar for Sanitone Certified Master Drycleaner Licensees on Sept. 21-22 at the Embassy Suites – RiverCenter in Covington, Ky., near Cincinnati. Professional speakers and distinguished owners will discuss a variety of topics.

The 2 1/2-day event kicks off with golf or a visit to a local cleaner on Thursday and a reception in the evening at the Embassy. Friday is the Seminar followed by an option to watch the Reds in action against the Dodgers that night. The Seminar continues Saturday morning, ending with optional Oktoberfest Zinzinnatifestivities in the afternoon.

CHICAGO — In February, after 14 years of study, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) named perchloroethylene a “likely” human carcinogen in its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database. And after more than two decades of increasingly stringent regulation on the industry’s solvent of choice, the announcement seemed like the final nail in perc’s coffin.

Ironically, the decision actually protects perc’s position in dry cleaning, at least for the time being. “Everyone has the misconception that the category perc is in has changed,” says Faye Graul, executive director of the Halogenated Solvents Industry Association (HSIA). “It has not changed at all. The report says perc is safe for use in dry cleaning.”

EPA expressed no concerns about consumers wearing clothing cleaned in perc, and the IRIS report could ease the drinking-water standard required for environmental cleanups. And with a recent, recessionary lull in regulatory activity, only co-located facilities and plants in California and a few other areas see the possibility of a full phaseout ahead.

Drycleaning & Laundry Institute Seal of Approval Webinar: Social Media Marketing, Part 2.

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.

The Wisconsin Fabricare Institute will host its Fall Conference Sept. 14-16 at Lake Lawn Resort, Delavan, Wis. Call 419-529-4707 or e-mail info@wiscleaners.com for more information.