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BERKLEY, Mich. — The Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network (CRDN), an international organization of textile restoration specialists serving the insurance industry, has added two new staff members to its corporate management team: Shawn Fair, director of training, and David Grant, national sales manager.

Fair is responsible for the development and implementation of internal and external training, enabling CRDN to enhance the breadth and depth of its educational programs. Prior to joining CRDN, Fair spent 15 years in executive sales, management and training in the telecom and wireless industries. He has served as a director of sales and as training executive.

NEW YORK — Family businesses enjoy many advantages: a shared joy of success, a common pride in tradition, and a stability and loyalty that’s the envy of their clan-free competitors. Even so, there’s a flip side to the coin. Sibling rivalries, parent-child conflicts and charges of nepotism by a non-family staff can interfere with the smooth running of any family enterprise.

Has your dry cleaning business encountered such issues? Let’s discuss how to solve three of the most common problems.

THE LEADERSHIP BATTLE

The time has come to select a leader from the next generation. Several sons and daughters, now in their 40s, want to take charge. How do you avoid creating hurt feelings among the siblings?

“The transition to a new leader can be extremely difficult in a family business,” says Stacey A. Lundgren, a former family business owner and now a consultant in Howell, Mich. “The decision needs to be made on job performance and on the duties that each sibling has taken on over the years.”

LAUREL, Md. — Jan Barlow, CGCP®, owner of Jan’s Professional Cleaners, Clio, Mich., has become the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute’s (DLI) second female president, and the organization has welcomed a host of new faces to its governing body.

DLI’s board of directors recognizes valued contributions and inducts new volunteer leadership. New directors are sworn in as their predecessors move to an executive office or become DLI senators, an exclusive title for previous board members.

Barlow succeeds Charlie Smith, owner of Village Square Cleaners, Reston, Va., who completed his one-year term as president.

David Machesney, owner of Pratt-Abbott Cleaners, Westbrook, Maine, became DLI’s president-elect. Allan Johnson III, owner of Peerless Cleaners, Corpus Christi, Texas, became treasurer.

DLI membership elected two dry cleaning professionals to district directorships: Brad Ewing, CED®, Nu Way Cleaners, Greeley, Colo., representing District 7, and David Suber, CED®, owner of Perfect Cleaners in Los Angeles, representing District 8.

ATLANTA — The Clean Executive Committee has selected Global Experience Specialists (GES) to serve as the official services contractor for the 2013 Clean Show in New Orleans.

Three companies submitted proposals for the June 2013 show. “GES did our show in New Orleans in 2009 and did a great job,” says John Riddle, president of Riddle & Associates, the Clean Show’s management company. “We look forward to working with them again in 2013.”

Chicago hosted the first Clean Show in 1977. United Exposition Service Co. was the official services contractor for that event and subsequent shows. GES purchased United in 1993, and the Las Vegas-based company has continued its partnership with the Clean Show for many shows since.

GES produces 3,000 exhibitions and events annually.

The Clean Show—officially titled the World Educational Congress for Laundering and Drycleaning—attracts people across all segments of the textile care industry, from single-owner, coin-operated laundry and drycleaning establishments to giant industrial and institutional laundries and textile rental companies.

BERKLEY, Mich. — The Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network (CRDN), an international organization of textile restoration specialists serving the insurance industry, has named Robert Murray its national sales and operations manager.

Murray spent four years as select customer sales executive with The Hartford. His background includes advanced marketing and business development skills, as well as operational expertise.

“To this position, Rob brings diverse experience with finance and environmental services in addition to his strategically important insurance expertise,” says CRDN CEO Wayne Wudyka. “He also provides hands-on knowledge of franchise ownership and multi-location business management, which will be particularly relevant for the CRDN operations he will guide and direct.”

LAUREL, Md. — The deadline to take advantage of early registration for the 2011 Clean Show, set for June 6-9, 2011 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., is approaching fast. Attendees can preregister for $99 per person through May 13; after that date, showgoers must register on-site for a fee of $149 per person.

CHICAGO — Affiliates of Leading Cleaners Internationale (LCI), a consortium of high-end operators, came together recently in Chicago for an in-depth educational meeting.

This fall program brought LCI affiliates to the Windy City from throughout North America for ongoing development of ownership skills. LCI executive coordinator Barry Gershenson welcomed members and guests to the two-and-a-half-day meeting.

CHICAGO — I like business. I’ve spent most of my adult life helping grow businesses—first as an advertising executive, where I got to learn about high-end stereo chains, foot-pad manufacturers, hair salons and real estate; then as a personal manager, where I was the ad hoc chief executive officer in charge of developing the careers of actors, writers, directors and comedians.

With just under a year to go until the ribbon-cutting, the 2011 Clean Show has sold more than half of its available exhibit space. The show is set to take place June 6-9, 2011, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

EDGEWATER, N.J. — The CBS reality special I Get That A Lot showcased drycleaning last week, with celebrity chef and talk-show host Rachael Ray working the counter of a small New Jersey plant.

The show puts famous people in everyday jobs, where they are inevitably recognized by patrons. The celebrities attempt to trick customers into believing that they are not famous — often doing a poor job on purpose — until they reveal the truth for the hidden cameras.

Saturated with drycleaners of every shape and size, the Chicago market can be tough for a new operation to crack. Going up against the hundreds of Mom-and-Pop shops, chain stores and couture cleaners can seem like an impossible task.

But with focused market positioning and a strong brand, a new operation can still carve out a niche for itself. Now two years old, DryClean Direct has done just that with a green-hued value proposition that’s designed to appeal to urban consumers.

ATLANTA — The Clean Show’s management company, Riddle & Associates, recently contracted with the Clean Executive Committee to continue management through the 2015 show. In addition, it's moved its office and the show's headquarters to 3091 Maple Drive, Ste. 305, Atlanta, GA 30305. Telephone and fax numbers and e-mail addresses did not change.