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August 23, 2012
In Memoriam: Steven Katz, ThermoSteam Systems, and Gene Blumenthal, Metro-Chem

CHICAGO — Industry mourns passings of vendor leaders

CHICAGO — The laundry and dry cleaning industry lost two vendor leaders recently with the passings of Steven Katz, CEO of ThermoSteam Industries, and Gene Blumenthal, founder and president of Metro-Chem Inc.

Steven Mark Katz, 1948-2012

Katz, 63, South Bend, Ind., died Monday. He was born and raised in South Bend. He attended Indiana University, where he graduated with a history degree in 1970. He pursued a career in laundry and dry cleaning, and eventually became the CEO of two companies: ThermoSteam Systems, manufacturer of packaged steam boilers, and Kay Industries, producer of phase converters.

steven katz

Katz was active in the Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA), having served on its board of directors for four years and as treasurer for two.

He was also active in his local community and his congregation, Sinai Synagogue. He was known as an extraordinary orator and was called upon to emcee various events in the South Bend area over the years.

February 22, 2011
New Media, New Opportunities

CHICAGO — The year was 1977. I was 20 years old, creating advertising supplements for shopping malls, and I had the opportunity to use a new technology—the Exxon QWIP machine.

I would put a piece of paper into a small mimeograph-like machine and put a phone handset into a cradle; then, I would stand in amazement as the paper spun. Four minutes later, an ad produced in New Jersey was visible in Maryland. Wow—a technology that communicated printed matter through a phone!

January 11, 2010
Rachael Ray Cooks Up TV 'Trouble' at Drycleaning Plant

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.

October 10, 2008
The Real-World Science of Spotting

I’m amazed at the reaction of some “cleaners” when they first realize that stain removal is as much an art as it is a science. But one must have the science mastered before crossing over to the “artist” side of the profession.