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May 14, 2013
Survey: Majority of Dry Cleaners Report Boosting Employee Pay

CHICAGO — Nearly two-thirds of dry cleaners have given pay raises on individual basis in last six months

CHICAGO — A majority of dry cleaners report they have given raises in the last six months, according to data from this month’s unscientific American Drycleaner Wire survey.

When asked if they’ve reviewed employee compensation in the last six months, 64.7% of respondents replied yes, saying they “raised pay on an individual basis,” while 23.5% “raised pay across the board.” Only 11.8% replied no, saying that they “did not raise pay.”

Coinciding with this trend, more than half of cleaners (52.9%) report that they pay their employees more than other plants in their market area. Roughly 41% of respondents have kept their pay rates about the same as other area plants. Just 5.9% report paying their staffers less than other plants in their area.

Just 17.6% of respondents report having had to lay off employees in the last 12 months for financial reasons.

January 28, 2013
The Numbers: Economy Adds Jobs in December but Unemployment Rate Unchanged

CHICAGO — Unemployment rate remains unchanged in the final month of 2012

CHICAGO — DECEMBER SAW THE NATION’S ECONOMY adding another 160,000 jobs, although the unemployment rate remained at 7.8%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job numbers increased in the healthcare, food service, construction, and manufacturing industries.

“December’s report marks 34 straight months of private-sector job growth, which have added close to 5.8 million jobs,” says Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “For nearly three years, steady gains have occurred across different sectors of the economy, and December finishes a strong year of consistent growth with average increases of about 160,000 private-sector jobs per month in 2012.”

THE NON-MANUFACTURING SECTOR ALSO GREW in December for the 36th consecutive month, according to the latest Institute for Supply Management’s Non-Manufacturing Report on Business, with a report of 56.1% in December, which was 1.4 percentage points higher than the November figure.

November 14, 2012
Obamacare: What Healthcare Reform Means to Your Dry Cleaning Business

NEW YORK CITY — Will premiums go down? Will it be easier to shop for insurance? Will available policies offer better coverage?

NEW YORK CITY — It’s the nation’s most comprehensive health insurance reform since Medicare. And it’s been endorsed as constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Now, how will the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) affect your dry cleaning business? Will your premiums go down? Will it be easier to shop for insurance? Will the available policies offer better coverage? And will you be protected from those profit-busting price hikes that so often occur when one employee in a small group gets seriously ill?

We’ll answer your most important questions at the end of this article. Here’s one thing to get out of the way first, though: No employer will be required to provide health insurance. However, some employers, as you will see, will pay penalties if they do not provide insurance and their employees decide to buy insurance from the new statewide insurance pools.

October 11, 2012
Survey: 62% of Dry Cleaners Favor Romney Over Obama for President

CHICAGO — State of economy most influential issue in helping them choose

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.

February 14, 2012
Survey: 40% of Dry Cleaners Plan to Add Commercial Service or Expand Capacity

CHICAGO — It’s not unusual for a retail dry cleaner to also offer a commercial service, and hotel/motel guest dry cleaning is the most common one offered among the operators polled in this month’s AmericanDrycleaner.com Wire survey.

Sixty percent of operators that responded to the anonymous survey provide dry cleaning for hotel/motel guests. Next most popular is uniform/workwear services at 40%, followed closely by “other” at 33.3%. Services listed as “other” included police uniforms, table linen and chef jackets for catering companies, and spa linens.

Roughly 27% of respondents process healthcare linens, 20% clean restaurant/food service linens, and 13.3% process hotel/motel linens and napery.

Forty percent of respondents say they plan to add a commercial service or expand their existing commercial capacity in the next 12 months. The remainder is not planning additions or expansion.

Respondents that offer commercial services say this work accounts for, on average, 4.9% of their gross sales and 4.4% of their profits.

April 25, 2011
1099 Reporting Rule Repealed

WASHINGTON — President Obama signed a bill into law last week repealing an unpopular reporting requirement attached to last year’s healthcare reform legislation.

Set to begin in 2012, the requirement would have asked businesses to issue an IRS 1099 form to any individual or corporation from which they purchased more than $600 in goods or services in a tax year.

Many small-business advocates had called the expanded requirement an unnecessary and unfair burden for small businesses, saying it would create a mountain of paperwork.

January 24, 2011
Five-Star Conference Heads Back to Vegas

In response to popular demand, the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI) has again picked Las Vegas as the host city for its annual Five-Star Management Conference, set for Feb. 23-25 at the Wynn Resort.

The event kicks off with a welcome reception on the evening of Feb. 23. Conference activities begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24, with opening remarks from DLI CEO Bill Fisher.

January 20, 2011
Moving Forward with A New Plan

CHICAGO — Sometimes we revel in the failures of others. We say things like “I knew they couldn’t do it,” “I was sure they’d fail” or “I told you it wouldn’t work.” These comments build our confidence in our own opinions and may improve others’ perceptions of our abilities. It’s human nature and we can’t resist it, but there may be more we can learn from these experiences.

October 26, 2010
GOP Whip Stumps with N.C. Cleaner

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — With the race for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District coming down to the wire, House minority whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) joined local drycleaner Jeff Miller on the campaign trail.

Miller, longtime operator of Miller’s Fine Drycleaning, is challenging incumbent Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) of Waynesville for the seat, which represents most of the state’s western tip. The No. 2 Republican in the House appeared with Miller at a rally last week in Hendersonville.

June 22, 2010
What Healthcare Reform Means to You

CHICAGO — The details of the recently passed healthcare-reform bills and their impact on businesses can be confusing. A recent webcast from accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP offered an analysis of the reforms and their impact.

Presenters discussed the potential tax implications to employers and individuals, including tax penalties and other revenue-generating provisions. The webcast also discussed changes to Medicare and Medicaid, and more.

May 4, 2010
Confidence Improving Among Small-Business Owners, Survey Says

HOUSTON — Confidence is improving among small-business owners, according to a recent survey from human-resources firm Administaff, but almost three-quarters (71%) continue to name the economy as their top short-term concern.

More than 39% of small-business owners expect an economic turnaround in 2010, says the firm's quarterly Business Confidence Survey, while 44% think a rebound will occur in 2011. About 17% were unsure.

April 13, 2010
Operators Favor Certain Healthcare Reforms, Oppose Package

CHICAGO — Drycleaners favor some major features of the landmark healthcare reform legislation passed last month by Congress, according to this month's Wire survey, but almost three-quarters (73.4%) say they oppose the overall package, or Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act.

January 8, 2010
EPA Proposes Stricter Clean-Air Regs

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed tougher clean-air regulations yesterday in an effort to limit smog nationwide. The move would cost heavy industry up to $90 billion, but save a comparable amount on healthcare, the agency says.

December 29, 2009
Senate Passes Landmark Healthcare Reform Bill

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate passed a sweeping healthcare reform bill, the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, late last week in time to take recess for the Christmas holiday. The bill must now be reconciled with a bill passed by the House of Representatives before becoming law.

October 16, 2009
Beijing’s Big Show

BEIJING, China — China’s economic growth, improved standard of living and thriving tourism market are creating new demand for sophisticated laundry and drycleaning systems, says Messe Frankfurt, the German show planner staging Texcare Asia this month.

Texcare Asia 2009 — slated for Oct. 28-30 at Beijing’s China International Exhibition Centre — will try to build upon the overwhelming success of the 2007 show. That event attracted more than 5,700 visitors and 135 exhibitors to Shanghai.

August 18, 2009
Healthcare Costs Out of Control, Drycleaners Say

CHICAGO — More than three-quarters (75.8%) of drycleaners say that the costs related to healthcare coverage and delivery have gotten “out of control,” according to a survey appearing in this month’s Wire. Only 14.1% say that healthcare costs are not growing out of control, and 10.1% aren’t sure.

May 2, 2007
Small Business Ready for Healthcare Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Increasing costs are forcing small-business owners to drop healthcare coverage and embrace healthcare reform, says a new survey from the National Small Business Association (NSBA), while difficulty accessing capital is slowing growth.

May 2, 2007
Small Business Ready for Healthcare Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Increasing costs are forcing small-business owners to drop healthcare coverage and embrace healthcare reform, says a new survey from the National Small Business Association (NSBA), while difficulty accessing capital is slowing growth.