Clean Show: TRSA Provides Industry Education, Information

TRSA hosted a lineup of free educational sessions during Clean Show 2025. In total, TRSA sponsored eight education sessions during the four-day event, including a panel discussion featuring a standing-room only crowd on the show floor.

The standing-room only session, titled “How to Start & Grow a Commercial Laundry Service,” was moderated by Ken Koepper, TRSA’s director of member and industry relations. Industry representatives on the panel included:

• Jason Mitchell, CEO, Premier Linen Services
• Dave Nemec, owner/team leader, St. Croix Linen
• Joe Dan Reed, owner, Splash Em Out
• Randy Roberts, owner, Columbus Express Laundry

Before the Clean Show exhibition floor officially opened on Aug. 23, TRSA hosted a pair of educational sessions, including a discussion about certification programs offered by the association, titled “Hygienically Clean, Clean Green and Health & Safety Certifications.” TJ Peterson, who oversees the Hygienically Clean auditors; and Dan Sanchez, an auditor for the Hygienically Clean program; joined TRSA’s Senior Director of Certification & Accreditation Samlane Ketevong for the presentation. A session on advocacy with TRSA’s Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb; Elena Lai, secretary general at ETSA; and Nelly Le Devic, EU affairs manager at ETSA, closed the morning.

The education sessions continued the next day with a panel titled, “Global Linen, Uniform/Workwear, and Facility Services Industry Recovery, Trends and Expansion Opportunities.” TRSA Chair Randy Bartsch spoke on behalf of TRSA during the session. He was joined by industry leaders from around the globe. A team of auditors from the Hygienically Clean program then discussed the innovations that they saw while walking the Clean Show floor during a session titled, “Innovation, Automating and Digitization: What’s New and Important on the Clean Show Floor.”

The final day of education was offered on Aug. 25, a day before the Clean Show ended. The day kicked off with a Women in Textile Services and Next-Generation Executives Breakfast, where a panel of next-generation women leaders discussed leadership and rising to the top in both the industry and at their family-owned businesses. The panel featured Theresa Garcia, Division Laundry & Cleaners; Natasha Rawjee, American Dawn Inc. (ADI); Laura Waldman, Superior Linen Service Inc. The discussion was moderated by TRSA’s Director of Education & Events Salita Jones.

The following presentations followed the panel discussion:

• AI, Cameras and Sensors – Impact on Cost of Risk
• Powering Clean: Energy Efficiency and Procurement Strategies for Laundry Facilities

In addition to the Women in Textile Services and Next-Generation Executives Breakfast, TRSA also hosted a Leadership Breakfast for its Board of Directors, Committee Members and Executive Leadership Team as well as a Global Textile Services Breakfast for industry leaders worldwide to gather and network before hitting the show floor.

Thanks to Pellerin Milnor Corp., Kenner, LA, for sponsoring the TRSA Experience at the Clean Show. Look for more coverage of TRSA events and education sessions at the Clean Showin future editions of Textile Services Weekly.