TRSA’s 112th Annual Conference, an event traditionally hosted in the fall, is moving forward four months this year and will take place on May 13-15 at the Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort and Villas in Indian Wells, CA.
“This change allows us to better accommodate our members’ schedules by spacing out larger events throughout the year,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA’s president and CEO.
This event is expected to draw nearly 200 leaders from the global linen, uniform and facility services industry, including CEOs and senior executives. The conference will offer opportunities for professional development, networking and engaging in an array of educational sessions. TRSA encourages senior leaders to bring along future leaders to expose them early on to the importance of information sharing and development. To encourage attendees to bring future leaders, TRSA is offering a first-time attendee discount of $250 off the registration price.
McKenzie Lee, general manager at Alsco Uniforms in Naples, FL, attended the 111th Annual Conference in Colorado Springs, CO, last year. As a first-time attendee, she found great value in the event, noting that, “There are a lot of networking opportunities, and a lot of C-level executives here, so for people like me that are general managers, it gives us an opportunity to network not only with suppliers but with other executives in the industry. The conference not only gives the opportunities to network with different executives but also gives you the opportunity to ask questions related to the industry and allows us to bring it back to our own businesses and organizations to use to our advantage.”
Keynote speakers for the 112th Annual Conference will include Nolan Bushnell, co-founder of Atari, who will discuss his entrepreneurial journey and innovations in virtual reality and blockchain technology; and Dr. Kevin Elko, a performance consultant who will share insights on achieving excellence and mental toughness.
The conference also will feature enlightening sessions led by industry experts, including Mark Kowalski on company growth strategies and an executive panel with leaders from independent operators. In addition, attendees can enjoy amenities like the TRSA Golf Classic and Pickleball Palooza, plus an exclusive driving tour of celebrity homes in Palm Springs. The event will conclude with the Lifetime Achievement Awards Dinner, celebrating industry contributions and volunteer leadership.
Registration is now open. Click bit.ly/112AnConfReg to register. While you’re there, first-time attendees can save $250 off the registration price by entering the code Annual250first registration. TS
TRSA/WATS Renew Wisconsin ‘MATC’ Tax Fight
As March winds blow, legislatures at both the federal and state level are hitting their stride. In Wisconsin, TRSA, along with the Wisconsin Association of Textile Services (WATS) is pushing to get the linen, uniform and facility services industry recognized as a manufacturer under the Wisconsin Manufacturing and Agriculture Tax Credit (MATC).
Under the MATC, TRSA members would have the opportunity to offset a significant share of Wisconsin income and franchise tax liability from manufacturing and agricultural activity. The credit is equal to 7.5% of a claimant’s eligible qualified production activities income (QPAI).
A delegation of TRSA and WATS members recently went to the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison to discuss the importance of the industry receiving the MATC. “We are competing for a workforce against other industries that are eligible for the credit; they can pay higher salaries,” said Sara Gunderson, vice president, Gunderson Uniform & Linen Rental, Menasha, WI. “We would like to be able to increase our workers’ salaries to compete.”
Dave Jerrett, CEO, Bay Towel Inc., Green Bay, WI, added that, “Our industry is similar to many other industries that recycle and reprocess goods. It is a matter of fairness if nothing else. This credit will go a long way in helping the industry update equipment to increase our sustainable processes.”
Assemblyman Scott Krug (R) and State Sen. Rob Hutton (R) recently submitted language for legislative drafting, and the introduction of a bill is expected soon. TS
Applications Open: TRSA Scholarship Program Seeks Candidates
Webform applications and emailed supporting documents are due May 31 for the Merit-based College/Technical Institution scholarship from TRSA’s Textile Rental Education and Research Trust (TRERT). Full-time employees of a TRSA member company, as well as their children and grandchildren, are eligible for these funds for study at an accredited college, university or technical school.
The number of scholarships ($2,500 each) awarded each year will be based on the number of high-quality applications received. Eligible applicants can be incoming freshman in 2025, those that were previously accepted as freshmen or they can be underclassmen continuing their education.
In addition to completing the webform application, applicants are required to submit supporting documents via email:
Full official academic transcripts from high school and any college, university or technical schools attended
Results of standardized tests if taken, such as the SAT or ACT
Letter(s) from a high school educator, e.g., principal, adviser, teacher, coach, etc. describing leadership qualities, extra-curricular activities and other relevant information
Selection criteria in priority order are academic achievement (including test scores), leadership qualities, and whether the applicant, upon graduation, plans to work in the linen, uniform and facility services industry and is pursuing a course of study for that purpose.
TRERT also has a TRSA Institutes scholarship program that covers the academic cost for TRSA’s 59th Annual Executive Management Institute (EMI) and 34th Annual Production Management Institute (PMI), Aug. 10-15, University of Maryland, College Park. Applications for these scholarships are due by May 31; with winners named by June 30.
TRSA member companies in good standing for three years nominate full-time employees for these scholarships. Eligible employees must have worked for their sponsoring member company for more than one year and have at least five years of industry-related experience for EMI and at least three years for PMI. TS
TRSA Taps Marketing Veteran as New VP
Amy Vogt recently joined the TRSA team in the newly created role of vice president, marketing & communications. In this role, she will oversee digital and print communications, advancing initiatives to promote membership, certification programs, and virtual and in-person events. Vogt will work closely with members and staff to highlight TRSA’s mission, communicate its value proposition and showcase the critical contributions of the $50-billion-plus linen, uniform and facility services industry.
“It’s an exciting time to join TRSA as the vice president of communications & marketing, with so many opportunities to connect, engage and inspire through innovative strategies and storytelling,” Vogt said. “I look forward to partnering with TRSA members and staff to amplify the industry’s voice, showcase its value, and contribute to its continued growth and success.”
Vogt’s experience includes leadership roles in marketing and communications in financial services, healthcare and education. Before joining TRSA, she served as the vice president, communications and marketing, for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, where she represented financial services companies and manufacturers in the U.S. equipment finance sector. Her contributions earned her recognition in 2023 as a Top Woman in Equipment Finance.
She has a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a Masters in communications from American University. TS
‘Best Plant’ Awardees Honored
Healthcare laundries are the top winners of TRSA’s 2025 Best Plants Gold level awards: Unitex Healthcare Laundry Services’ bulk processing facility in Lawrence, MA (90,000 square feet; 8,361 square meters) and NOVO Health Services’ Nashville, TN-area location (Madison, TN; 43,000 square feet; 3,994 square meters).
These two companies were among six recipients who were recognized at TRSA’s Legislative Conference on Feb. 5 for their accomplishments as reflected in the Best Plants evaluation, which required completing a questionnaire seeking responses to 56 questions covering production, service, sales and administrative practices – and measurement of their execution. An emphasis also was placed on ownership/management commitment to equipping for efficiency as reflected in new technology adoption.
The Unitex plant (pictured at left), opened in 2020. It processes more than 160,000 lbs. (72,574 kg.) a day with 221 employees. Marketing and account managers survey end users at least quarterly to determine customer satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 4. Performance measures cover responsiveness, frequency of in-person visits, customer service, transportation and delivery, product quality and overall linen service. The quality of each main linen item is also rated 1 to 4, prompting senior management responses to address concerns.
In 2024, Unitex transitioned the plant to new business- management software (route accounting). This challenged the facility team to meet all customer delivery obligations during the transition, as well as train and develop the entire management team to operate the new system. In real time, it indicates exactly where the operation stands in completing the day’s routes. Clean carts of linen are weighed in and the system sends/shares this information throughout plant operations.
As for the NOVO facility, it opened in 2016 and underwent major equipment improvements in 2024. These include upgrades to two tunnel washers, presses, dryers, ironer/folder/feeders and blanket blasters. The tool room/engineering shop also was renovated. About 7,000 square feet (650 square meters) of plant space were renovated as well, with the finishing area of the plant adding 900-plus feet (274 meters) of trolley storage for garments shipped to depots. A boiler and make-up water system/tank were added as well. The plant processes 55,000 lbs. (24,947 kg.) daily with 75 employees.
Three indicators were cited as key performance metrics. These include pounds per operator hour, as the best way to evaluate overall plant operations. The other two indicators include an overall equipment effectiveness measure and earnings before taxes.
The service team visits all accounts monthly and communicates findings and follow-up action plans. Monthly meetings with each healthcare system review overall metrics and provide updates on deliverables and results from the previous meetings. Daily communication with each customer ensures needs are met and overall service expectations are clear.
Two other plants were recognized as “Silver” Awardees:
- Alsco Uniforms, Vista, CA
- PureStar, Norwich, CT
Two plants also received “Honorable Mention” recognition:
- UniFirst Corp., Hammond, IN
- Wildman Business Group, Warsaw IN TS
‘A Gentleman and an Innovator’—Patrick Dempsey Passes On
Patrick J. Dempsey, 91, the co-founder and retired president of Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply, passed away on Jan. 5 following an illness. Long active in industry circles, Dempsey served for several years on TRSA’s Board of Directors and on various committees. These and other contributions earned him TRSA’s Operator Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
Throughout his 60-plus years in the linen, uniform and facility services industry, Dempsey (pictured above/center) advised association leaders and individual laundry operators from his company’s base in Jessup, PA.
“I think he had a good working relationship with everybody,” said Michael Potack, chair of Unitex Healthcare Laundry Services, Mt. Vernon, NY. “If he called you. You responded.” Similarly, if an industry colleague had a concern or question, he or she could call Dempsey and get an answer. And many did, Potack said. “He was knowledgeable, and he was a resource for the industry.”
Dempsey didn’t mince words on the subject of laundry operations, and he had a wry wit as well, Potack said. Following a tour with Potack of a new plant in the early 2000s, Dempsey told the operator, “Congratulations, Mr. (name withheld), you just built a 1970s plant.’” The operator of that plant has since passed away.
While always candid in expressing his views, Potack and others noted that Dempsey never held grudges against an industry colleague. “What he did is he reached out across the industry,” Potack said. “He didn’t have a bad relationship with anybody.” Another longtime colleague, Donald Struminger, chair of Mohenis Services Inc., Petersburg, VA, said of Dempsey, “I never heard him say a cross word about anybody. He knew the business backwards and forwards and ran a good operation.”
Potack described Dempsey as driven by a keen interest in the industry and everyone in it. The two men met in the early ’70s as part a cost-group that included several independent laundries in the Northeast. Dempsey was the group’s de facto leader, Potack said. “People would just listen to what he said. And he knew a lot. I think that the thing that really drove him was the passion he had for the business. And the commitment he had to it. He wanted to make it better, not only for himself, but for everybody.”
Dempsey and his brother Dick founded Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply in 1958. Potack said Pat was the “inside” guy. He preferred working on equipment and systems, rather than selling customers. Pat took a strategic approach to growing the company, which today has six locations in Pennsylvania, Baltimore and New Jersey. “He set goals in areas such as production and sales, and he challenged himself and others to meet them,” Potack said. “He was a good teacher. He taught in an absolute way…‘Say what you’re going to do and then go do it.’”
Throughout Pat’s career in the linen, uniform and facility services business, he had pursued innovations aimed at advancing the fortunes of both his company and the industry at large. Struminger noted that Dempsey was one of several operators in the 1960s who aided TRSA researchers in pioneering the development of 65%-35% polyester/cotton blended fabrics. This innovation revolutionized the industrial uniform and retail apparel markets.
Known not only for his intelligence and networking skills but also for his preference for formal business attire, Struminger called Pat a “gentleman and an innovator.”
Pat’s son, P.J., now serves as president, along with his sister Kristin O’Donnell as vice president. The succession of P.J. and Kristin into top leadership posts was a nearly 20-year process. P.J. says he’s grateful for Pat’s support and guidance during those years, and for his commitment to the industry and TRSA. “Our dad was passionate about continuous learning, service to the textile rental industry and openly sharing his knowledge with anyone,” P.J. said. “Kristin and I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have reached out to us—some industry legends—to tell us that they loved our father and credit him for much of their success.”
As for the association’s role in the company’s success, P.J. added, “Our dad understood that the true value of TRSA comes not just from participation but by leadership, so he encouraged generations of executives and managers at Dempsey to chair committees and contribute to the advancement of our industry. That legacy continues today with my service on the Board of Directors and our company being recognized with TRSAs 2025 Member Engagement Award at this year’s Legislative Conference.” TS
