While most commercial laundries understand the value of marketing, CITY Laundering, also known as CITY Clean and Simple, a 118-year-old family-owned multisector operator in Oelwein, IA, has taken the idea to a higher level than most, including spinning off a division of the company as Clean and Simple Marketing.

The need to find a way to stand out in a crowded field of larger companies struck a chord with fourth-generation President Colin Wetlaufer. As a young executive, he attended a course for like-minded company leaders sponsored by a not-for-profit organization founded by the late Clay Mathile, a billionaire executive who ...