Linen, Uniform & Facility Services Podcast - Interviews & Insights by TRSA

Silje Mari Sunde, project manager at Nor Tekstil, the market leader in Norway with 26 facilities and more than 1,300 employees, discusses how the company has increased automation in its facilities to boost the company's efficiency and throughput. She outlines the benefits and challenges of automation, as well as how to ensure quality and consistency when implementing automation. 

TRSA President & CEO Joseph Ricci gives an overview of the 112th Annual Conference agenda, including several inspiring speakers, a plethora of networking opportunities for attendees, industry award winners and more. For more information on TRSA's 112th Annual Conference, scheduled for May 13-15 near Palm Springs, CA, visit www.trsa.org/annualconference.

John Harwood, an award-winning journalist known for his impartial analysis of U.S. elections, politics and the presidency, recently gave a keynote address at TRSA's 15th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. During his keynote speech, Harwood discussed the Trump administration, tariffs, foreign policy and more. For more information on TRSA's government relations initiatives, contact TRSA's Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb at kschwalb@trsa.org.

TRSA's Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb gives an update on the latest news impacting the linen, uniform and facility services industry from Washington, DC. He talks about the results of the recent election and its impact on the industry, TRSA's advocacy efforts at both the federal and state levels, as well as what to keep an eye on in 2025. For more information on TRSA's government relations initiatives, contact Schwalb at kschwalb@trsa.org.

Zach Ostendorf, host of the industry podcast The Wash and a videographer for Clean & Simple Marketing/CITY Laundering, interviews TRSA President & CEO Joseph Ricci while the duo eats progressively spicier hot wings. The interview was recorded in front of a live audience at TRSA's 7th Annual Marketing, Sales & Service Summit in Atlanta.

Charles Edelman, the corporate safety director at Unitex Healthcare Laundry Services in Elmsford, NY, and the chair of TRSA's Safety Committee, discusses the results of TRSA's Fire Safety Survey. Additionally, Johnny Sandras of Sanico Rental Service in Cottondale, AL, discusses the impact that a devastating fire had on his business and the lessons learned from the experience.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials Brian D'Amico and Matt Klasen join the podcast to give an overview of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the EPA's strategic roadmap for dealing with the issue, as well as effluent limitation guidelines and several ongoing studies to note moving forward. For more information on PFAS, contact TRSA's Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb at kschwalb@trsa.org.

John Shaffer, the CEO and principal chemist for EEC Environmental, shares his thoughts on the sustainability efforts the linen, uniform and facility services industry has made when it comes to water reuse and water recycling. For more information on this topic, contact podcasts@trsa.org.

Bob Cusack, the editor in chief of The Hill newspaper, gives an update on the current political climate in Washington, DC. During his keynote speech at TRSA's recently completed 14th Annual Legislative Conference and Industry Awards Dinner, Cusack discusses the key issues in the 2024 presidential election, and what to look out for in the race for the White House, as well as the U.S. House and Senate this November.

Several influential voices from the financial sector discuss the impact of private-equity investments on the linen, uniform and facility services industry over the past decade and discuss the implications for the future of companies serving the acute and nonacute healthcare sectors. Recorded live from a panel presentation at TRSA's 12th Annual Healthcare Conference & Exchange in Memphis, TN. Panelists include Ryan Chimenti, the managing director of CIBC U.S. Middle Market Investment Banking; Kiran Prasad, the managing director of Stephens Inc. and Matthew Sznewajs, group head and managing director at Piper Sandler & Co. Andrew Kratky, the president and CEO of Emerald Textiles, moderated the panel. For information on TRSA's upcoming 13th Annual Healthcare Conference, visit www.trsa.org/healthcare.

Mark Bodzioch, the president of Clean Uniforms and More!, New Bedford, MA, discusses the company's history and growth, as well as several innovations at its facility, including its RFID system to track garments and its recently installed automated soil-sorting system. For information on joining TRSA's Industrial, Uniform & Workwear Committee, visit www.trsa.org/committees.

Michael Flores, the vice president of human resources and a member of the executive leadership team at Prudential Overall Supply, Irvine, CA, discusses how Prudential transformed its human resources department and focused on retaining its best employees in a tough labor market. For information on joining TRSA's Human Resources Committee, visit www.trsa.org/committees.

Jason Pourakis and Ryan Berdnik of Mazars USA discuss best practices for negotiating with your customers, and let you know the cues that signal when it's best to walk away from the negotiating table. For more information on the Linen, Uniform & Facility Services Podcast: Interviews & Insights by TRSA, visit www.trsa.org/podcasts.

Several C-suite executives from leading operator companies discuss topics such as industry growth opportunities, safe operations in the plant and on the road, recruitment and retention of employees, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives, and more. Recorded live from a panel presentation at TRSA's 2023 Leadership Summit in Chicago. Panelists include Brian Herington, CEO, PureStar Group; John Ross, CEO, Mission Linen; Jim Rozakis, executive vice president and COO, Cintas Corp.; and Steve Sintros, CEO, UniFirst Corp. The discussion was moderated by TRSA President & CEO Joseph Ricci and Senior Editors Jack Morgan and Jason Risley.

Don Bock, the owner and operator of Seabright Safety Solutions, discusses best practices to prevent fires at your plant, including emergency action plans, external monitoring systems, training and more. Bock is a certified safety professional and associate in risk management who worked for Mission Linen Supply for more than 30 years.

Dr. Mario D. Wallace, the founder of the consulting firm All Things Strategic, discusses fostering a collaborative, inclusive environment at your workplace, as well as aligning your company's human resources initiatives to your organization's overall strategic goals and objectives. Dr. Wallace has more than 20 years of small-business consulting experience and 11 years of healthcare-consulting experience. He is currently the principal strategy consultant at Ohio State University in Columbus, OH.

On the heels of TRSA's recently completed 13th Annual Legislative Conference and Industry Awards Dinner, Bob Cusack, the editor in chief of The Hill newspaper joins the podcast to give an update on the current political climate in Washington, DC. Cusack discusses the state of Congress following the recent midterm elections, the most important issues for the remainder of 2023, as well as what to keep an eye out for as we move toward the 2024 presidential election.

A panel discussion featuring Randy Bartsch, CEO, Ecotex; Jason Berstein, president, Nixon Medical Inc.; Jim Cashman, CEO, ImageFIRST; Karl Fillip II, CEO, NOVO Health Services LLC; Andrew Kratky, CEO, Emerald Textiles; and Joe LaPorta, president & CEO, Healthcare Linen Services Group, from TRSA's recent Healthcare Conference. The discussion covers several topics, including the prospect of a recession and its likely impact on the healthcare market, investing in automation, challenges serving the healthcare sector, and instilling culture and values throughout an organization.

As you look ahead to 2023, you might be considering changing your company's culture, navigating a new business process or focusing on employee turnover, among other items. As a result, it's important to have a plan in place to keep your business moving in the right direction as you implement and experience change at your company. Michael Davids, senior consultant at Strategic In/Sight Partners, joins us to share his expertise in guiding organizations toward improved performance and effective change management.

Melanie Shong Helm, an HR veteran who currently serves as the corporate director of human resources at Crown Health Care Laundry Services, discusses the policies your company should put in place to prepare for acts of harassment and retaliation in the workplace, and how you should respond when an incident is reported. For more information on TRSA's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, contact TRSA's Salita Jones at sjones@trsa.org.

A trio of executives with more than 110 years of experience in the linen, uniform and facility services industry join the podcast to discuss the hospitality/hotel market and how to convince hoteliers to move away from their on-premises laundry operations and work with a commercial laundry. Bob Corfield, CEO of the Laundry Design Group; Steve Miller, vice president of Victor Kramer Co.; and Terry Satchwell, vice president of strategic accounts at Pellerin Milnor, discuss these topics and more.

John Shaffer, the CEO and principal chemist for EEC Environmental, shares his thoughts on PFAS, the potential for future wastewater-discharge limits and the likely impact on the linen, uniform and facility services industry. For more information on PFAS regulations and their potential impact on the industry, contact TRSA's Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb at kschwalb@trsa.org.

TRSA's Senior Director of Certification & Accreditation Samlane Ketevong joins the podcast to talk about TRSA's Certified Professional Laundry Manager (CPLM) credential; how linen, uniform and facility services employees can obtain this certification; and why it will benefit both the employee receiving the credential as well as your business. For more information on CPLM, visit www.trsa.org/cplm.

Joe Shelton, a partner in Fisher Phillips Nashville office, discusses the latest wage-and-hour issues, and state and federal employment laws and trends that companies in the linen, uniform and facility services industry need to keep an eye on.

Nicole Belyna, field services director at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), discusses how to establish culture at your workplace, the impact of open and transparent communication on your organization's culture, and the ways that the pandemic affected workplace culture. For more information on TRSA's upcoming HR, Health & Safety Summit in Chicago, visit www.trsa.org/hr-hs.

Dan Gonder, the chief operating officer and co-owner of Six Disciplines Consulting Services, discusses methods that you can use to ensure your employees are engaged in their work. To download the Anti-Misery Worksheet that Dan talks about interacting with during the episode, visit www.trsa.org/podcasts.

Dan Gonder, the chief operating officer and co-owner of Six Disciplines Consulting Services, joins the podcast to discuss the importance of using proven teamwork strategies such as the ideal team player and the working genius assessment, among others, to ensure the success of your organization's strategic plan. To view a Ted X talk from Patrick Lencioni on the ideal team player concept, visit https://youtu.be/PRh80RyT74I.

Eric Kurjan, the president of Six Disciplines Consulting Services, a firm that has worked with several leading organizations in the linen, uniform and facility services industry, shares his thoughts on strategic planning, and how to set a plan in motion for your business and employees to succeed. For more information, visit www.trsa.org/podcasts.

Martine Wells, a partner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, gives an update on the status of the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration's (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard for COVID-19 vaccinations. Wells will explain and clarify the regulation, outline the steps for compliance and discuss its impact on the linen, uniform and facility services industry. For more information, visit TRSA's Coronavirus Resource Center at www.trsa.org/covid19.

Andrew Wittmann, a senior research analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co., shares his thoughts on the latest data from the Textile Rental Services Survey, a collaborative effort with TRSA, as well as other issues impacting the linen, uniform and facility services industry, such as the ongoing labor shortage. For more information on the survey, contact Wittmann at awittmann@rwbaird.com or Justin Hauke at jhauke@rwbaird.com.

Jeff Blum, route supervisor; and Matthew Callope, service manager, at Huebsch Services share their thoughts on the company's recent improvements on the route. For more information on TRSA's Industrial, Uniform & Workwear Committee, contact Ken Koepper at kkoepper@trsa.org.

Jay Rasmussen, the vice president of sales at Balfurd Linen Service, Tipton, PA, shares best practices for boosting your facility services offerings and revenues. For more information on TRSA's Industrial, Uniform & Workwear Committee, contact Ken Koepper at kkoepper@trsa.org.

Chris Welch, the president of Prudential Overall Supply, discusses the company's commitment to sustainability through its Clean Green certification, and how its focus on eco-friendly practices led to its collaboration with Ambercycle, a TRSA supplier partner committed to recycling textile goods, led by CEO Shay Sethi. For more information about TRSA Clean Green certification, visit www.cleangreen.org.

John Auriemma, the president of American Wear Inc., East Orange, NJ, discusses the challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, direct sales opportunities, the benefits of Hygienically Clean certification and more. For more information on TRSA's Industrial, Uniform & Workwear Committee, contact Ken Koepper at kkoepper@trsa.org.

We recently sat down with TRSA’s current Chair Noël Hammer Richardson, president of Shasta Linen Supply in Sacramento, CA, to discuss several topics, including family business dynamics, weathering the COVID crisis, the future of the food-and-beverage industry, as well as her vision for the association and the industry moving forward. For more information on TRSA’s Linen, Uniform & Facility Services Podcast, contact podcasts@trsa.org.

Joe Geraghty, the chief operating officer and chief people officer at ImageFIRST, shares how establishing a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program with buy-in from the company’s senior leadership team has helped ImageFIRST boost employee morale and productivity. For more information on TRSA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, contact Salita Jones at sjones@trsa.org.

Dan Gonder, the chief operating officer and co-owner of Six Disciplines Consulting Services, joins the podcast to discuss the importance of teamwork in successful organizations and outlines best practices that will help your company build a cohesive team.

Casey Mackert, Director of Baldrige Services at Six Disciplines, joins us to discuss the pillars of performance excellence and how following these methods can help your operation achieve its goals. She explains how not having these pillars in place is like running with scissors – potentially dangerous to your organization’s well being.

An update on TRSA’s advocacy efforts to get the linen, uniform and facility services industry included at the top of the priority list for the continuing rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. Kevin Schwalb, TRSA’s vice president of government relations, gives an update on TRSA’s efforts. For more information, visit TRSA’s Coronavirus Resource Center at www.trsa.org/covid19.

Strategy encompasses two sides of the same coin when it comes to defining both short-term and long-term strategies. Linen, uniform and facility services companies need to continue to closely manage the nine key elements of operational focus in a pandemic – also known as the pandemic operational checklist – but you also need to lay out your recovery strategy for 2021. The approval of vaccines and the optimism of a gradual economic recovery indicates a need for solid, well-defined strategies ahead of the curve. You need to protect and prepare yourself for short-term challenges and long-term opportunities. Eric Kurjan, the president of Six Disciplines Consulting Services, joins us to discuss strategic planning and more.

An update on the latest news from the nation’s capital, and a look at what to expect moving forward as a new administration takes over the White House in January 2021. Joining us to discuss these issues and more is Chris Stirewalt, the digital politics editor at Fox News. Stirewalt has worked at Fox News Channel’s Washington bureau since 2010, and will give a keynote address at TRSA’s 11th Annual Legislative Conference, scheduled for March 24-25, 2021. For more information about the Legislative Conference, visit www.trsa.org/legcon.

TRSA’s Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb gives an update on the latest news from Washington, DC, including the potential for additional stimulus funding, as well as state-level initiatives impacting linen, uniform and facility services businesses. For more information on TRSA’s government relations initiatives, contact Kevin Schwalb at kschwalb@trsa.org.

A panel of linen, uniform and facility services operators discuss the industry’s response to COVID-19, lessons learned from the crisis and how the industry can move forward. Panelists include Jim Buik, the current TRSA chairman and president of Roscoe Co.; Jim Cashman, president and CEO of ImageFIRST; P.J. Dempsey, president of Dempsey Uniform and Linen Supply; and Cory Acton, vice president of operations, Magic Laundry Services. The panel was moderated by TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci. For more COVID-19 news, information and resources for your linen, uniform and facility services company, visit www.trsa.org/covid19.

Anna Walker, the marketing manager at Cosgrove Partners in Indianapolis, discusses the importance of retaining your customer base in the post-COVID sales and marketing environment. Walker talks about the critical pivot your marketing and sales teams must make, how to develop marketing messages that resonate with your customers in this climate and why adding new product lines may be a smart move for your business. For more COVID-19 news, information and resources for your linen, uniform and facility services company, visit www.trsa.org/covid19.

Charles Crowell, the vice president of Milliken Table Linens, and Ben Fox, the director of sales and marketing at Alsco, discuss the state of the food-and-beverage market, as well as the importance of hygienically clean linens and uniforms as restaurants reopen across the United States and worldwide. For more COVID-19 news, information and resources for your linen, uniform and facility services company, visit www.trsa.org/covid19.

Karen Griffiths, the human resources and safety director at Loop Linen Service in the New Orleans area, and Angela Howard, the vice president of people development and human experience at Spindle in the Chicago area, discuss the policies their respective companies are putting in place as they move toward ramping up operations. For more COVID-19 news, information and resources for your linen, uniform and facility services company, visit www.trsa.org/covid19.

Catalina Dongo, the director of human resources at UniFirst Corp., shares tips on communicating with your employees during the COVID-19 crisis, and outlines best practices and policies to implement at your organization. For more COVID-19 news, information and resources for your linen, uniform and facility services company, visit www.trsa.org/covid19.

A discussion about the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impacts on the linen, uniform and facility services industry with Dr. Murray Cohen, a retired U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) epidemiologist; and Joseph Ricci, the president and CEO of TRSA. For more information and communication tools for your company’s customers, employees and leadership teams, visit www.trsa.org/covid19.

An overview of TRSA’s Hygienically Clean certification program with Audrey Carmichael, a client coach with Six Disciplines Consulting Services. Carmichael shares her thoughts on the benefits of getting Hygienically Clean certification for your commercial laundry, preparing for the certification with Hygienically Clean consulting services, and more. For more information on Hygienically Clean consulting services, contact TRSA’s Manager of Certification Programs Angela Freeman at afreeman@trsa.org.

Eric Kurjan, the president of Six Disciplines Consulting Services, a firm that has worked with several leading organizations in the linen, uniform and facility services industry, joins us to discuss identifying and developing leaders in the commercial laundry industry, as well as the benefits of TRSA’s Leadership Development Workshops. For more information on these workshops, contact TRSA’s Manager of Education Kristin Mudd at kmudd@trsa.org.

An overview of the energy and natural gas markets, as well as projects that your laundry can undertake to save on energy and utility costs in the future. Sharing their thoughts on these topics and more are Michael Payne and Dan Flaherty of TRSA Business Solutions Partner APPI Energy, and Chad Burden of THG Energy Solutions. For more information on TRSA’s Business Solutions, visit www.trsa.org.