Gunderson Hosts Bipartisan, Bicameral Delegation at Plant

The brother and sister team of Doug and Sara Gunderson of Gunderson Uniform and Linen in Menasha, WI, recently hosted a bipartisan delegation of legislators to introduce the linen, uniform and facility services industry. The members of the delegation included State Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R), and State Reps. Lee Snodgrass (D) and Nate Gustafson (R), who had a front row seat to how a healthcare and hospitality plant operates.

The tour came from a visit to the state capital in Madison, WI, during which the Gundersons’ lobbied each of the legislators to get industrial laundries eligible for the Wisconsin Manufacturing and Agricultural Tax Credit (MATC) and the need for healthcare facilities to maintain a 50% operating threshold of reusable healthcare PPE. During the capital visits, invitations were issued and accepted.

During their time at the plant, the delegation learned about the history of the company, were given a background of the laundering process and walked the plant floor.

“This was great, all of the legislators were engaged and interested in the process, they kept asking questions about what they were seeing,” said Doug Gunderson. “I learned a lot from them about the legislative process.”

Kevin Schwalb, TRSA’s vice president of government relations, added that, “This is an example of true grassroots advocacy and the impact our industry can have on the policymaking process. These plant tours are important in introducing the industry to policymakers and the opportunity to enact policy that would benefit the linen, uniform and facility services industry. For the Gundersons to have a bipartisan, bicameral delegation visit their plant at the same time shows the importance their company plays in the community. These types of meetings don’t happen often.”

Sara Gunderson said that, “We enjoyed the legislators’ visits. Hosting three legislators at one time seemed overwhelming, but they were all engaged and easy to get along with. They were great in talking about the issues important to us.”

Plant tours are a great way to introduce policymakers to the industry and establish relationships that can benefit the policymaking process. If you are interested in hosting a tour, contact Schwalb at kschwalb@trsa.org for more information.