TRSA News

COMING IN APRIL—TRSA’S LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE & AWARDS DINNER

TRSA’s 14^th Annual Legislative Conference & Industry Awards Dinner in Washington, DC, this April 10-11, offers members a chance to meet legislators in person to establish relationships, while helping to educate them on the issues that matter most to the linen, uniform and facility services industry.

The day before the Legislative Conference, a workshop is planned for supplier-partner members, featuring Ben Kniffen, CEO of LinkedSelling. Kniffen will offer tools and tips that will enable sales teams to get the right message in front of the right person through proper channels. He’ll also guide attendees in developing a sales process that ties everything together. Supplier partners will collaborate with other suppliers and gain knowledge in a non-competitive setting.

The conference kicks off with an afternoon of TRSA committee meetings, followed by an keynote address, a Hill Day advance briefing on issues and the Annual Industry Awards Reception and Dinner that evening. The following day, attendees will gather at the Capitol Hill Club for breakfast and a briefing before heading to the Hill for congressional meetings.

Keynoter Bob Cusack, the editor-in-chief of The Hill newspaper, will share his political perspective, including his take on this year’s elections in the U.S. House, Senate and the presidency. Drawing on his extensive background on Capitol Hill, Cusack will provide insights into the current political climate and his predictions for the 2024 election cycle. After the keynote, TRSA Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb will prep attendees for Hill meetings, providing them with the latest Hill intel and talking points that members can cite during their legislative meetings.

TRSA will celebrate industry creativity and excellence at the association’s Annual Industry Awards Dinner. The event will feature recognition of exemplary efforts by employees and leaders of member companies, including both operators and supplier partners. The awards will include recognition for

• Above and Beyond Service
• Best Plants of the Year
• Clean Green Innovation
• Company Community Service
• Diversity Recognition
• Fleet Graphics
• Legislator of the Year
• SafeTRSA Safety Excellence
• TRSA Volunteer Leadership

While attendees will meet with congressional teams on April 11, spouses and partners traveling to the conference are invited to visit Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens for a private tour and afternoon tea. The Hillwood Museum features the fullest and most exquisite collection of Russian imperial pieces outside of Russia, including a stunning assortment of Faberge eggs.

Visit www.trsa.org/legcon for more information or to register.

 

TRSA/WATS MEMBERS TESTIFY ON WISCONSIN TAX CREDIT BILL

Members of TRSA and the Wisconsin Association of Textile Services (WATS) recently participated in a hearing held by the Committee of Universities and Revenue of the Wisconsin State Senate. The delegation, consisting of Jim Leef, WATS chairman; Sara Gunderson, Gunderson Uniform & Linen Rental; and Jim Vaudreuil, Huebsch Services; testified before the committee in favor of Senate Bill 845. This bill would modify the Wisconsin Manufacturing and Agricultural Tax Credit (MATC) by adding the SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) codes for the linen, uniform and facility services industry.

The legislation’s Senate and Assembly Sponsors, Sen. Rob Hutton (R) and Assemblyman Scott Krug (R), led the hearing in support of the legislation. The TRSA group followed.

“As stakeholders deeply rooted in Wisconsin, we recognize the profound importance of investing in our people, and our state,” said Gunderson to the Committee. “The proposed tax credits in Senate Bill 845 will provide us with the financial means to reinvest in our workforce and contribute meaningfully to the economic development of Wisconsin.”

Vaudreuil added that, “Our business is in a growth mode and a couple of years ago we initiated a construction project to increase capacity, reduce the physical strain on workers and improve environmental sustainability results. The cost of this expansion is over $9 million. Allowing us to claim the tax benefit of this bill will really help us.”

At press time, TRSA learned that the bill wasn’t included in the schedule for a vote, and no action on it is likely before the session ends this month. Nonetheless, Kevin Schwalb, TRSA’s vice president of government relations, praised the hard work by TRSA and WATS members, adding that he expects a new effort on the bill to take place next year.”

EEOC WEBINAR SHINES A LIGHT ON DISCRIMINATION CASES

TRSA recently hosted its first webinar to kick off the new year. Titled “How to Respond to EEOC Discrimination Charges: A Guide for Employers,” the webinar outlined best practices for responding when an applicant or employee files a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Dr. Phillip Hoefs, deputy director, EEOC; and Samuel Mancilla, supervisory ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) coordinator, EEOC, hosted the hour-long online session. The Jan 18 presentation explained what constitutes a charge of discrimination, how the EEOC notifies the employer of such an allegation and what options the employer has to resolve the charge. The speakers also discussed best practices for preparing a response to the charge, including what information and evidence to provide, how to avoid common pitfalls and how to cooperate with the EEOC’s investigation.

A robust question-and-answer session followed the presentation. For information on upcoming TRSA virtual events and webinars, visit www.trsa.org/calendar.

Upcoming Webinars:

• March 19—Hygienically Clean, 2–3 pm ET
• April 18—ESG, 2–3 pm ET
• May 16—Future of the Industry, 2–3 pm ET
• June 20—Fire Prevention, 2–3 pm ET
• July 18—Mid-Year Government Relations Report, 2–3 pm ET
• August 22—Disaster Planning & Recovery, 2–3 pm ET
• September 19—Automation, 2–3 pm ET

EXCEPTIONAL PROGNOSIS— HEALTHCARE CHECKUP ADDED TO BAIRD/TRSA SURVEY

Robert W. Baird & Co. and TRSA recently released the results of their Q4 2023 Uniform & Linen Rental Survey. The analyst’s most recent survey included a new question aimed at tracking revenue growth among linen, uniform and facility services companies that service healthcare providers.

Eighty-four percent of survey respondents indicated that their healthcare operations experienced growth in the past 90 days compared to last year’s (Q4 of 2022) levels. The survey participants include senior executives at linen, uniform and facility services companies across the U.S., plus some Canadian and other international locations. The total response pool includes nearly 500 independent firms. Key uniform rental survey findings include:

• Rental Revenue Trends: 20% of respondents beat their internal revenue expectations for the quarter vs. 33% falling short (47% as expected).
• Add/Stops: Employment-driven expansion at existing accounts (i.e., Add/Stop Diffusion Index) held in positive territory at 53.6 (from 56.8 last quarter and a neutral 50 reading in June). This number parallels still strong employment data.
• No-Programmers: The no-programmer (new customers without an existing rental program) diffusion index dipped negative in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 46.4. This index has been vacillating between positive and negative all year, so this is not a major surprise.
• Growth Outlook: Respondents expect roughly 4% rental revenue growth in 2024, which is about average (nearly 3%-5%) but a slight deceleration from prior quarters.

Key linen rental survey findings include:

• Rental Revenue Trends: 61% of respondents cited rental revenue trends above expectations with 17% in-line and 22% falling short. A 39% relative spread continues trends of revenue at and/or above expectations versus uniform rental operators, where more survey respondents indicated that they fell short.
• No-Programmers: No-programmer interest remained solidly positive at 63.9, little changed from 66 last quarter and remaining near record levels. The index has been in expansionary territory since dipping negative in 2020.
• Growth Outlook: The forecasted 12-month revenue outlook moderated to 4.4% (down from 5.5%) but is slightly above the outlook for uniform rental revenue growth rates.

Click bit.ly/04Q23Baird to view the full report. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to participate in the survey moving forward, contact Baird Senior Analyst Andrew Wittmann at awittmann@rwbaird.com or Senior Research Associate Justin Hauke at jhauke@rwbaird.com.

BIG WINNER IN VEGAS: FIRST OF THREE REGIONAL SUMMITS

TRSA recently began its Regional Production Summit and Plant Tour series in Las Vegas. The summits aim to make industry-specific educational content and networking opportunities accessible to all members by rotating throughout different regions of the U.S.

The first program on Jan. 24-25 was aimed at members based on the West Coast. The two-day summit kicked off with a keynote session from Nancy Roberts, CEO & founder of The DISC Wizard. Roberts discussed emotional intelligence (EQ), the five traits of emotionally intelligent people and how attendees could use this knowledge to become more effective leaders.

Next, Todd Leeth, strategic growth leader at Spindle, addressed a production manager’s role in preventive maintenance (PM). This presentation showed how companies can save labor and energy costs by scheduling preventive maintenance (PM)during normal working hours. They also saw real-life examples of how PMs were overlooked in different areas of a laundry and the impact on operations. Other speakers included:

Industry consultant Don Bock, who gave a talk titled “Fire Safety—Strategies for Prevention.” Bock gave a comprehensive report on common sources of laundry fires and the best strategies for preventing them.

Christopher Stammer, CEO of Volu Interactive, presented on leadership skills. He challenged attendees to consider how they would conduct themselves as a captain or crew member. A U.S. Coast Guard licensed Master Captain, Stammer cited real-world examples where ship captains have found themselves in catastrophic circumstances by not making informed decisions that a captain should have considered sooner.

Industry consultant Keith Ware presented on process improvement and root-cause analysis. Ware emphasized the importance of thinking outside of the box when problem solving and building a collaborative team to streamline process improvements.

The opening day closed with a panel discussion featuring Daniel Como, the regional vice president of UniFirst Corp.; and Barett Gamble, the general manager of Alsco Uniforms, Las Vegas. TRSA President Joe Ricci facilitated the panel discussion, which provided a forum for the two executives to outline how they see their respective roles in providing support for production in their organizations, as well as share their personal approaches to achieving goals that drive their organizations forward. A lively question-and-answer session followed this discussion.

On day II of the summit, attendees toured Alsco Uniform’s Las Vegas plant. The 88,000-square-foot (8,175-square-meter) laundry employs 121 people. It processes 315,000 lbs. (142,881 kg.) of textiles per week, using a variety of washers and dryers, including seven side-load washers (900 lb.;408 kg.), two pony washers and two front-load washers (450 lb.; 204 kg.). Also on site are three CLM tumble dryers, two Ellis Corp. WHISPERDRYers, and one pony dryer. Attendees also saw a Blanket Blaster from Chicago Dryer Co., which folds 800 large flatwork pieces per hour. Attendees toured a high-volume stock room as well that supplies more than 20 other Alsco locations.

The second program is slated for May 1-2 in Milwaukee, WI, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Association of Textile Services (WATS). This summit is designed for members in the Midwest region. For details, scan the QR code.

TRSA’s 14^th Annual Legislative Conference & Industry Awards Dinner in Washington, DC, this April 10-11, offers members a chance to meet legislators in person to establish relationships, while helping to educate them on the issues that matter most to the linen, uniform and facility services industry.

The day before the Legislative Conference, a workshop is planned for supplier-partner members, featuring Ben Kniffen, CEO of LinkedSelling. Kniffen will offer tools and tips that will enable sales teams to get the right message in front of the right person through proper channels. He’ll also guide attendees in developing a sales process that ties everything together. Supplier partners will collaborate with other suppliers and gain knowledge in a non-competitive setting.

The conference kicks off with an afternoon of TRSA committee meetings, followed by an keynote address, a Hill Day advance briefing on issues and the Annual Industry Awards Reception and Dinner that evening. The following day, attendees will gather at the Capitol Hill Club for breakfast and a briefing before heading to the Hill for congressional meetings.

Keynoter Bob Cusack, the editor-in-chief of The Hill newspaper, will share his political perspective, including his take on this year’s elections in the U.S. House, Senate and the presidency. Drawing on his extensive background on Capitol Hill, Cusack will provide insights into the current political climate and his predictions for the 2024 election cycle. After the keynote, TRSA Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb will prep attendees for Hill meetings, providing them with the latest Hill intel and talking points that members can cite during their legislative meetings.

TRSA will celebrate industry creativity and excellence at the association’s Annual Industry Awards Dinner. The event will feature recognition of exemplary efforts by employees and leaders of member companies, including both operators and supplier partners. The awards will include recognition for

• Above and Beyond Service
• Best Plants of the Year
• Clean Green Innovation
• Company Community Service
• Diversity Recognition
• Fleet Graphics
• Legislator of the Year
• SafeTRSA Safety Excellence
• TRSA Volunteer Leadership

While attendees will meet with congressional teams on April 11, spouses and partners traveling to the conference are invited to visit Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens for a private tour and afternoon tea. The Hillwood Museum features the fullest and most exquisite collection of Russian imperial pieces outside of Russia, including a stunning assortment of Faberge eggs.

Visit www.trsa.org/legcon for more information or to register.

 

TRSA/WATS MEMBERS TESTIFY ON WISCONSIN TAX CREDIT BILL

Members of TRSA and the Wisconsin Association of Textile Services (WATS) recently participated in a hearing held by the Committee of Universities and Revenue of the Wisconsin State Senate. The delegation, consisting of Jim Leef, WATS chairman; Sara Gunderson, Gunderson Uniform & Linen Rental; and Jim Vaudreuil, Huebsch Services; testified before the committee in favor of Senate Bill 845. This bill would modify the Wisconsin Manufacturing and Agricultural Tax Credit (MATC) by adding the SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) codes for the linen, uniform and facility services industry.

The legislation’s Senate and Assembly Sponsors, Sen. Rob Hutton (R) and Assemblyman Scott Krug (R), led the hearing in support of the legislation. The TRSA group followed.

“As stakeholders deeply rooted in Wisconsin, we recognize the profound importance of investing in our people, and our state,” said Gunderson to the Committee. “The proposed tax credits in Senate Bill 845 will provide us with the financial means to reinvest in our workforce and contribute meaningfully to the economic development of Wisconsin.”

Vaudreuil added that, “Our business is in a growth mode and a couple of years ago we initiated a construction project to increase capacity, reduce the physical strain on workers and improve environmental sustainability results. The cost of this expansion is over $9 million. Allowing us to claim the tax benefit of this bill will really help us.”

At press time, TRSA learned that the bill wasn’t included in the schedule for a vote, and no action on it is likely before the session ends this month. Nonetheless, Kevin Schwalb, TRSA’s vice president of government relations, praised the hard work by TRSA and WATS members, adding that he expects a new effort on the bill to take place next year.”

EEOC WEBINAR SHINES A LIGHT ON DISCRIMINATION CASES

TRSA recently hosted its first webinar to kick off the new year. Titled “How to Respond to EEOC Discrimination Charges: A Guide for Employers,” the webinar outlined best practices for responding when an applicant or employee files a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Dr. Phillip Hoefs, deputy director, EEOC; and Samuel Mancilla, supervisory ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) coordinator, EEOC, hosted the hour-long online session. The Jan 18 presentation explained what constitutes a charge of discrimination, how the EEOC notifies the employer of such an allegation and what options the employer has to resolve the charge. The speakers also discussed best practices for preparing a response to the charge, including what information and evidence to provide, how to avoid common pitfalls and how to cooperate with the EEOC’s investigation.

A robust question-and-answer session followed the presentation. For information on upcoming TRSA virtual events and webinars, visit www.trsa.org/calendar.

Upcoming Webinars:

• March 19—Hygienically Clean, 2–3 pm ET
• April 18—ESG, 2–3 pm ET
• May 16—Future of the Industry, 2–3 pm ET
• June 20—Fire Prevention, 2–3 pm ET
• July 18—Mid-Year Government Relations Report, 2–3 pm ET
• August 22—Disaster Planning & Recovery, 2–3 pm ET
• September 19—Automation, 2–3 pm ET

EXCEPTIONAL PROGNOSIS— HEALTHCARE CHECKUP ADDED TO BAIRD/TRSA SURVEY

Robert W. Baird & Co. and TRSA recently released the results of their Q4 2023 Uniform & Linen Rental Survey. The analyst’s most recent survey included a new question aimed at tracking revenue growth among linen, uniform and facility services companies that service healthcare providers.

Eighty-four percent of survey respondents indicated that their healthcare operations experienced growth in the past 90 days compared to last year’s (Q4 of 2022) levels. The survey participants include senior executives at linen, uniform and facility services companies across the U.S., plus some Canadian and other international locations. The total response pool includes nearly 500 independent firms. Key uniform rental survey findings include:

• Rental Revenue Trends: 20% of respondents beat their internal revenue expectations for the quarter vs. 33% falling short (47% as expected).
• Add/Stops: Employment-driven expansion at existing accounts (i.e., Add/Stop Diffusion Index) held in positive territory at 53.6 (from 56.8 last quarter and a neutral 50 reading in June). This number parallels still strong employment data.
• No-Programmers: The no-programmer (new customers without an existing rental program) diffusion index dipped negative in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 46.4. This index has been vacillating between positive and negative all year, so this is not a major surprise.
• Growth Outlook: Respondents expect roughly 4% rental revenue growth in 2024, which is about average (nearly 3%-5%) but a slight deceleration from prior quarters.

Key linen rental survey findings include:

• Rental Revenue Trends: 61% of respondents cited rental revenue trends above expectations with 17% in-line and 22% falling short. A 39% relative spread continues trends of revenue at and/or above expectations versus uniform rental operators, where more survey respondents indicated that they fell short.
• No-Programmers: No-programmer interest remained solidly positive at 63.9, little changed from 66 last quarter and remaining near record levels. The index has been in expansionary territory since dipping negative in 2020.
• Growth Outlook: The forecasted 12-month revenue outlook moderated to 4.4% (down from 5.5%) but is slightly above the outlook for uniform rental revenue growth rates.

Click bit.ly/04Q23Baird to view the full report. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to participate in the survey moving forward, contact Baird Senior Analyst Andrew Wittmann at awittmann@rwbaird.com or Senior Research Associate Justin Hauke at jhauke@rwbaird.com.

BIG WINNER IN VEGAS: FIRST OF THREE REGIONAL SUMMITS

TRSA recently began its Regional Production Summit and Plant Tour series in Las Vegas. The summits aim to make industry-specific educational content and networking opportunities accessible to all members by rotating throughout different regions of the U.S.

The first program on Jan. 24-25 was aimed at members based on the West Coast. The two-day summit kicked off with a keynote session from Nancy Roberts, CEO & founder of The DISC Wizard. Roberts discussed emotional intelligence (EQ), the five traits of emotionally intelligent people and how attendees could use this knowledge to become more effective leaders.

Next, Todd Leeth, strategic growth leader at Spindle, addressed a production manager’s role in preventive maintenance (PM). This presentation showed how companies can save labor and energy costs by scheduling preventive maintenance (PM)during normal working hours. They also saw real-life examples of how PMs were overlooked in different areas of a laundry and the impact on operations. Other speakers included:

Industry consultant Don Bock, who gave a talk titled “Fire Safety—Strategies for Prevention.” Bock gave a comprehensive report on common sources of laundry fires and the best strategies for preventing them.

Christopher Stammer, CEO of Volu Interactive, presented on leadership skills. He challenged attendees to consider how they would conduct themselves as a captain or crew member. A U.S. Coast Guard licensed Master Captain, Stammer cited real-world examples where ship captains have found themselves in catastrophic circumstances by not making informed decisions that a captain should have considered sooner.

Industry consultant Keith Ware presented on process improvement and root-cause analysis. Ware emphasized the importance of thinking outside of the box when problem solving and building a collaborative team to streamline process improvements.

The opening day closed with a panel discussion featuring Daniel Como, the regional vice president of UniFirst Corp.; and Barett Gamble, the general manager of Alsco Uniforms, Las Vegas. TRSA President Joe Ricci facilitated the panel discussion, which provided a forum for the two executives to outline how they see their respective roles in providing support for production in their organizations, as well as share their personal approaches to achieving goals that drive their organizations forward. A lively question-and-answer session followed this discussion.

On day II of the summit, attendees toured Alsco Uniform’s Las Vegas plant. The 88,000-square-foot (8,175-square-meter) laundry employs 121 people. It processes 315,000 lbs. (142,881 kg.) of textiles per week, using a variety of washers and dryers, including seven side-load washers (900 lb.;408 kg.), two pony washers and two front-load washers (450 lb.; 204 kg.). Also on site are three CLM tumble dryers, two Ellis Corp. WHISPERDRYers, and one pony dryer. Attendees also saw a Blanket Blaster from Chicago Dryer Co., which folds 800 large flatwork pieces per hour. Attendees toured a high-volume stock room as well that supplies more than 20 other Alsco locations.

The second program is slated for May 1-2 in Milwaukee, WI, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Association of Textile Services (WATS). This summit is designed for members in the Midwest region. For details, scan the QR code.