John Leugers, general manager of UniFirst’s 47,000-square-foot (4,366-square-meter) plant in Franklin, OH, learned the linen, uniform and facility services business while serving with a rival company in the hypercompetitive Chicago market. In that role, his salespeople focused heavily on restaurant textiles, but Leugers’ strategy was to expand beyond his Windy City food and beverage (F&B) customers.

“I cut my teeth in this industry in Chicago,” he says. “I used to work for another national company. I was with them for six years, and I served as a facility services branch manager. We could sell anything that didn’t have an ID ...