“It’s been a good ride. Life goes on and I’ve decided to retire.” That’s how Rick Buhr, a route supervisor and sales manager who’s worked at CITY Laundering Co. since July 1973, summed up his tenure at the Oelwein, IA, uniform rental company, and his plans to transition out of the industry.

With a full-employment economy and robust business growth in most of the U.S., a key challenge facing today’s linen, uniform and facility services companies is obtaining enough reliable employees, particularly in skilled trades such as engineering/maintenance, to keep pace with customer demand.