Textile Care Services (TCS), a healthcare laundry operation with a longtime presence in Salt Lake City, recently installed new Lavatec equipment that has helped the company process an influx of new business, including a five-year contract from the University of Utah to handle six million pounds of linen annually, according to a news release.

TRSA supplier partner Standard Textile, Cincinnati, recently was selected as a 2021 U.S. Best-Managed Company. Sponsored by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, the program recognizes outstanding U.S. private companies and the achievements of their management teams, according to a news release.

UniFirst Corp., Wilmington, MA, recently received the Occupational Health & Safety’s (OH&S) 2021 Platinum Industrial Hygiene Award in the Protective Clothing category for the company’s Armorex FR® (Flame Resistant) Enhanced Visibility Coveralls, according to a news release.

This year marks G.A. Braun Inc.’s 75th anniversary, according to J.B. Werner, CEO and board chairman for this U.S.-based laundry machinery and systems manufacturer. Werner credits the company’s continued expansion – despite COVID-19 and a fiercely competitive market – to its dedication to continuously improving its lineup of wash aisle and finishing machinery.

Using data from the Robert W. Baird & Co. and TRSA First-Quarter 2021 Uniform & Linen Rental Survey as well as the latest key economic indicators, a pair of Baird analysts gave an assessment of the state of the linen, uniform and facility services industry during TRSA’s recent webinar presentation, titled “Textile Services Market Forecast.”

TRSA’s Next-Generation Executives Problem-Sharing Roundtable: Lessons Learned 2020, a two-hour virtual event, focused on a variety of problems that the linen, uniform and facility services industry is currently facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the topics discussed during the roundtable were employee engagement, handling remote work, new services, products and innovation, and customers’ needs and concerns.

Canadian laundry operators at TRSA’s recent Canadian Town Hall meeting voiced concerns about limited progress against COVID-19. The virus is keeping virtually all of Canada locked down, while vaccine distribution lags behind the U.S. At the same time, COVID-19 caseloads in densely populated Ontario are nearing crisis levels as coronavirus “variants” infect large numbers of people.

Among the roughly 215 linen, uniform and facility services operator and supplier partners who attended five, 90-minute online TRSA Regional Town Hall sessions on March 30, 31 and April 1, pretty much everyone could agree on two things. First, they’re relieved that the economy in most parts of the U.S. has begun to emerge from last year’s COVID-19-related shutdowns. However, there also were widespread concerns expressed that a severe labor shortage could stymie the recovery.

The U.S Senate overwhelmingly approved the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Extension Act (H.R. 1799), which extends the PPP until May 31. The Senate passed the bill on March 25 by a vote of 92-7, after the bill passed the House on March 16.

Robert W. Baird & Co. and TRSA recently published the results of its March 2021 (First-Quarter 2021) Uniform & Linen Rental Survey. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was still noticeable in several key measures.