Exit Interview – Q&A With M+A Matting’s David Watterson

01/12/2024

After 34 years’ service in the business of supplying mats to the linen, uniform and facility services industry, David Watterson, M+A Matting’s vice president of field and international sales, recently announced his retirement from the LaGrange, GA-based company. M+A helped fuel the growth of the mat-rental market, starting with its founding in the early 1960s as Mountville Mills Inc. Because of Watterson’s pivotal role in that growth, we asked if he’d answer a few questions about where the business is headed in the 2020s and beyond. Excerpts of his responses appear below.

Outpatient Opportunities – Healthcare Trend Highlights

11/09/2023

Readers of Textile Services magazine should have received their November/December combo issue in recent days, including a cover article on opportunities for laundry operators to provide textiles to outpatient medical facilities. Excerpts from that article “Outpatient Medical – ‘We Continue to See New Opportunities,’” appear below.

Critical Obstacles: What Keeps Fleet Managers Up at Night?

04/21/2023

Managing the fleet operations of linen, uniform and facility services companies comes with challenges that can generate stress and sleeplessness for fleet managers and other executives. Textile Services Weekly heard a lot about the difficulties confronting these managers during a panel discussion at the TRSA Fleet Summit in Baltimore.

Gurtler Logistics Celebrates First Year of Service

02/24/2023

One year ago, Gurtler Industries Inc. launched Gurtler Logistics, a fully owned and operated division of the company, dedicated to providing product-delivery services to its customers. Over the last few years, the industry has experienced increased challenges with delivery services due to the availability of appropriate trucks and drivers. To meet these challenges, Gurtler invested in its own fleet of semi-tractor/trailers and bulk tankers and hired its own staff of fully qualified drivers.

Business Pulse Survey Highlights Hiring Struggles

12/16/2022

TRSA recently released the results of its Business Pulse Survey for the fourth quarter of 2022. The survey was conducted in November/December and received more than 60 responses from TRSA members. The respondents operate across a range of market sectors, including industrial/workwear, food-and-beverage, acute and nonacute healthcare, hospitality/hotels, and mixed operations.

Plucky Puerto Rico: Island Economy Weathers Fiona’s Fury

09/23/2022

When Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico on Sept. 17, island residents, including Michael Shulevitz, president of Cadillac Services in suburban San Juan, were braced for devastation on the scale of a previous storm, Hurricane Maria, which struck in September 2017. It was bad, but not that bad, says Shulevitz, in part because company leaders have learned from past experience how to deal with severe weather events.

Gurtler Launches Logistics Group

05/20/2022

TRSA supplier partner member Gurtler Industries Inc., South Holland, IL, recently announced the formation of Gurtler Logistics, a fully owned and operated division of the company. Gurtler Logistics will provide product-delivery services to Gurtler customers, according to a news release.

TRSA Summit: Heed CA ZEV Mandate Wherever You Are

05/13/2022

TRSA conducted its first-ever Fleet Summit May 9-10 in Long Beach, CA, alongside the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, where fleet operators from a wide variety of industries reviewed the latest zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) and associated technologies. There’s heavy pressure on such operators in California, where mandates go into effect in three years. No matter where you operate, however, this pressure is building, and in the U.S., the federal Clean Air Act (CAA) is bringing the heat.

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