TRSA President & CEO Joseph Ricci recently submitted comments on the importance of reusable personal protective equipment (PPE) to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) as part of the committee’s request for information on policies that the committee should consider during the reauthorization process for the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). The act is due to be reauthorized before the end of this fiscal year.

TRSA recently finalized the agenda for its California Regional Town Hall scheduled for May 2 in Anaheim. For added value, the Town Hall will be held in conjunction with the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo and Pacific Southwest NAFA Fleet Management Association Chapter events that will take place in Anaheim from May 1-4.

TRSA kickstarted its 13th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, with a three-hour workshop on March 21 designed exclusively for supplier partners to the linen, uniform and facility services industry. The workshop’s four sessions were designed to inform and educate industry suppliers about the latest supply-chain trends, sustainable practices, the importance of branding and how understanding the industry’s end users helps build relationships with operators.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Members Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) recently released a Request for Information (RFI) in preparation of the upcoming Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) reauthorization due by Sept. 30. After shortages in supply at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, TRSA has led the effort to make reusable isolation gowns and other textiles more prominent in hospital inventories under PAHPA and provided the committee with information supporting this position.

Randy Bartsch, chair and CEO of Ecotex Healthcare Linen Service, Vancouver, Canada, oversees his family-owned company’s 10 healthcare laundry facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Recently, Textile Services Weekly interviewed Bartsch – along with other industry experts – on supply-chain trends in the post-COVID-19 era as background for an upcoming article in Textile Services magazine. Below are excerpts from our discussion with Bartsch, who also is vice chair of TRSA.

Paul Rasband, M&A/supply chain director for Alsco Uniforms, oversees these and other issues for the company’s international headquarters in Salt Lake City. Textile Services Weekly recently interviewed Rasband – along with other industry experts – on supply-chain trends in the COVID-19 era as background for an upcoming article on this topic. The following are excerpts from our recent discussion with Rasband on the shifting supply-chain scene he sees in today’s markets for linen, uniform and facility services operators.

TRSA is offering a three-hour workshop on March 21 designed for supplier partners exclusively. Three sessions are designed to interactively inform and educate vendors about the latest supply-chain trends, the importance of branding and how understanding the industry’s end users helps build relationships with linen, uniform and facility services operators.

For April’s Textile Services magazine we’ll offer readers insights on the supply-chain crisis precipitated by COVID-19 and how operators and suppliers have adjusted their planning in light of the pandemic that began three years ago. Below are highlights from the forthcoming article, titled “Supply-Chain Strategies: Lessons from the Pandemic.”

Additional recent headlines from consumer media of interest to linen, uniform and facility services operators, and especially readers of Textile Services Weekly.

Additional recent headlines from consumer media of interest to linen, uniform and facility services operators, and especially readers of Textile Services Weekly.