Industry Awards – TRSA’s Roll of Honor

Posted March 26, 2021 at 1:20 pm




During TRSA’s Industry Awards Dinner on March 24, the association recognized 2020 honorees in seven categories. These winners had to forgo formal acceptance of their awards last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the virus is still very much with us, the March 24 program was a hybrid live/online event. Several winners accepted their awards via taped video presentations. The event began with an online message of welcome from TRSA Chair Noël Richardson, Shasta Linen Supply, Sacramento, CA.

TRSA staff leaders including President and CEO Joseph Ricci and Vice Presidents Tom Newell and Kevin Schwalb were joined by several other association staff presenters in announcing the awards, in categories including:

  • Company Community Service: Health Mats Co., Chester, PA; Bates Troy Inc., Binghamton, NY; Rentwear Inc., North Canton, OH; Unitex Healthcare Laundry Services, Elmsford, NY; ARCO/Murray, Downers Grove, IL

Ed Kwasnick, director of business development for ARCO/Murray, accepted their award in person. He thanked TRSA and the company for its support of charitable activities, including a food bank in Virginia. “I think our impact through the industry is fantastic, but the impact in our local communities is even greater,” he said.

Other awards categories included:

  • Above and Beyond Service: American Laundry Systems, Derry, NH; Alsco Inc., Salt Lake City; United Laundry Services, Honolulu; Foltex USA, Irmo, SC
  • Clean Green Innovation: Arrow Linen Supply Co., Garden City, NY; PureStar Group, Las Vegas; City Laundering Co., Oelwein, IA
  • Diversity Recognition: Morgan Services, Buffalo, NY; PureStar Group, Las Vegas; Angelica, Oakbrook Terrace, IL
  • SafeTRSA Safety Excellence: Cooperative Laundry, Kearny, NJ; Ecolab Textile Care, St. Paul, MN; Logan’s Uniform, Shelbyville, KY; UniFirst Corp., Wilmington, MA; NOVO Health Services, Atlanta; Meese, Ashtabula, OH; Up to Date Laundry, Baltimore

Senior Vice President/General Manager Glenn Blucher and Senior Vice President of Operations Steve Halstead, respectively, for Up To Date, attended the awards program in person. Blucher said of the SafeTRSA Award, “It’s really about the associates. Making sure they go home the way they came to work. We take it very seriously.”

J.R. Ryan, president of Meese, also accepted the award in person. He thanked TRSA for the recognition, noting that, “We changed the whole culture there from a safety perspective. Everything we’ve done, the improvements we’ve made to keep our people safe has not only saved injuries, it’s helped with retention.”

Other awards categories included:

  • Volunteer Leadership: Lynn Moreau, Hand Craft Healthcare Linen & Uniform Specialists, Richmond, VA
  • Best Plants of the Year: Ecotex Healthcare Linen Services, Kelowna, BC, Canada; Textile Care Services, Rochester, MN

Readers soon will have access to a recording of the entire awards session.

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