TRSA recently hosted its Market Sector Roundtables, giving linen, uniform and facility services industry executives an opportunity to discuss challenges, opportunities and trends impacting their market sector and business. The event included breakout discussions focused on the food-and-beverage (F&B), healthcare, hospitality/hotel and industrial market sectors.

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.”

Over 115 linen, uniform and facility services industry operators representing 55 companies from the U.S. and Canada gathered in Fort Worth, TX, for two days of networking, education and fun. The annual conference, dubbed “AlliantCon,” is a forum for operators to discuss new technologies, exchange ideas and strategies and learn other new ways that operators can grow and manage their businesses. 

TRSA hosted a star-studded 109th Annual Conference in Nashville, TN, from Sept. 13-15, featuring keynote addresses from a well-known country singer, songwriter and actor and a former Major League pitcher, in addition to industry-specific education sessions for both operator members and supplier partners.

COVID-19-related discussion among uniform service companies has largely focused largely on validating recent experiences. How much revenue has returned? What are the impacts of supply and labor shortages? TRSA’s Industrial, Uniform & Workwear Committee is looking for higher-quality interaction among operators in this segment of the industry, starting with the next TRSA Virtual Roundtable, Wednesday, Dec. 8, on Zoom.

Robert W. Baird & Co. recently unveiled its third quarter (3Q 2021) Textile Rental Services Survey, a collaborative effort with TRSA. The survey findings reflect 26 responses to queries sent to 250 linen, uniform and facility services professions in both the linen and uniform rental sectors. The survey found robust growth on the linen side and a slight moderation of the bullish growth reported earlier in the uniform sector.

Videos and photos from the June 20-25 stops on the Midwest leg of TRSA’s Reopening Tour can be viewed on TRSA’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter pages; same for followers of the social media accounts of Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO; and Kevin Schwalb, TRSA’s vice president of government relations.

Several key performance indicators trended into positive territory and the outlook for solid business growth rose among respondents to the latest Uniform & Linen Rental Survey for June 2021 (second quarter of 2021). The quarterly survey is conducted by Robert W. Baird & Co., in conjunction with TRSA.

While many respondents to TRSA’s latest Business Pulse Survey reported a rosier outlook economically, hiring troubles have persisted for many linen, uniform and facility services companies.

TRSA finished the first leg of its Reopening Tour 2021 through the Southeastern United States to highlight the reopening of the economy and its impact on the linen, uniform and facility services industry. Traveling from the TRSA headquarters in Alexandria, VA, through Charlotte, NC; Birmingham, AL; and Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville, TN, over the course of 10 days, the Tour traveled nearly 2,600 miles, across seven states and 22 operator and supplier-partner facilities. TRSA representatives on the Tour included Joseph Ricci, president & CEO; Tom Newell, vice president ofoperations; Kevin Schwalb, vice president of government relations; and intern Ryan Kiernan.