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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.

National Cleaners Association DEC Certification course.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has awarded more than $62,000 in grants to help 31 small businesses across the state, including some dry cleaners and laundries, invest in energy-efficiency or pollution-prevention projects.

“This program empowers small-business owners to invest in important upgrades that make the most sense for their business,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer says. “It gives them the opportunity to lower the costs of production, which makes them better environmental stewards and more competitive.”

Receiving grants were:

LAUREL, Md. — As of April 2, the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute’s Encyclopedia of Drycleaning will be open to most DLI members as another new, free member benefit, the institute reports.

“We’ve very pleased to present this information to our members at no additional cost,” says DLI CEO Mary Scalco. “Members identified DLI’s technical bulletins as the greatest benefit to membership in every survey we’ve ever conducted. When Fabricare [DLI’s magazine] arrives in the mail, members turn immediately to the bulletins. By taking advantage of online technologies, we were able to reduce our production costs. Now we’re able to open the information to most of our members free.”

The term “most” refers to all U.S. operating plants and their associated sub-plants registered as current DLI members in good standing. International memberships still require an additional online subscription.

SAN FRANCISCO — Dry cleaning consulting firm Methods for Management (MfM) has established the Smart Women’s Network as a forum for focused networking to help build profit and sales in their businesses.

The group covers major issues affecting industry management, including sales and marketing, customer engagement, finance, human resources, production, site selection and environmental impact.

Through Peer Management Bureaus and independent project assignments, MfM bureaus provide a non-competitive environment where members receive profit-enhancing tools while sharing information, issues and concerns with peers they trust and respect.

National Cleaners Association Bed Bed Cleaning Basics 101 course, to be held March 4 in New York City. Call 212-967-3002 or e-mail ncaiclean@aol.com for more information.

National Cleaners Association DEC Certification course, to be held May 20 and June 3 (two days). 

National Cleaners Association Extreme Stain Removal/Intensive Bleaching course, to be held March 18 in Bronx, N.Y. Call 212-967-3002 or e-mail ncaiclean@aol.com for more information.

National Cleaners Association Nuts & Bolts of Routing - Practical Principles course.

National Cleaners Association Technical Training at the Counter/Innovative Packaging course, to be held April 29 in Nanuet, N.Y. Call 212-967-3002 or e-mail ncaiclean@aol.com for more information.

National Cleaners Association Technical Training at the Counter/Innovative Packaging course, to be held May 6 in Portland, Ore.