It’s Magic! SoCal Entrepreneur Opens 4th Plant

Roughly 150 customers, vendors, colleagues and guests gathered in Magic Laundry Services’ (MLS) new San Bernardino, CA, plant on Oct. 29 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the company’s fourth laundry facility. The $25 million plant will serve hospitality customers in San Diego, the Palm Desert Resorts east of Los Angeles, plus spillover business from MLS’s three-plant complex in the LA suburb of Montebello, CA.

The 11:30 a.m. program was a triumph for the team led by CEO/Owner Harry Kertenian, 48. Acting as emcee, Kertenian offered his gratitude to all those who’ve helped make the dream of the San Bernadino plant a reality. “First and foremost, I want to say thank you to everybody,” he said. “Our MLS Montebello facility team members, they put in a lot of time, three years of drawing, imagining, building, struggling, refining and going back and forth. Thanks to our suppliers, Kannegiesser ETECH, thank you to my family who supported this endeavor. Most importantly, thank you to our clients. Thank you so much for being part of the MLS family.” With that, colleagues, friends and family surrounded Kertenian as his mother and wife jointly hoisted a pair of oversized scissors to snip a blue ribbon. The crowd cheered as attendees fanned out for tours of the 60,000-square-foot (5,574-square-meter) building.

Starting in December, the area of the plant where guests sipped champagne and nibbled hors d’oeuvres during the grand opening, will house a final expansion (Phase 3) of the laundry, which is currently processing 100,000 lbs. per day. The expansion is expected to include a third tunnel washer system, two additional ironer lines and two robotic towel-folders, plus an expansion of the Vectura system, all from Kannegiesser ETECH. These improvements will enable MLS to process up to 220,000 lbs. per day in two shifts, Kertenian said in an interview with Textile Services Weekly. He noted that this $8 million expansion will give MLS one of the most efficient, ergonomically friendly hospitality plants in the U.S. “We do have our final phase expansion starting in December,” Kertenian said. “We should be done by summer of next year. We’re still employing about 100 people, but the labor part … it’s easier to operate this equipment. Our retention is much better. People don’t get strained, and you’re basically running automation. If you look, there’s absolutely no carts on the floor in this facility.”
During a walk-through of the plant, everything from soil-sort to packout moved by slings and conveyors. The new plant requires less physical labor, such as flatwork feeders from Kannegiesser that require less motion to clip corners than conventional feeders. There’s no manual loading or unloading of dryers, either. A quick review of the equipment we saw includes:

• Two Kannegiesser tunnel washers. Both machines are equipped with 15, 187 lb. (85 kg.) chambers. These machines contribute significantly to an overall water use of .04-.06 gallons per lb., according to Derek Hanson, a sales engineer for Kannegiesser E-TECH. As noted above, MLS leaders have plans for a third tunnel of the same size. The tunnels are equipped with large 54 bar presses that maximize water extraction.
• 26 Kannegiesser dryers; designed to process single “cakes” of pressed wet goods from the tunnels.
• Water Well System: Piping from the plant leads to a water well connection about 800 feet away that MLS is permitted to access. What’s more, the water comes in at roughly 100° F due to geothermal heat generated far below the surface. The water also has a very low mineral content and is naturally soft. Magic doesn’t operate a water softener on-site, but what little hardness does come into the water is eliminated with a ceramic membrane filter and fully reverse osmosis system from Kemco Systems Inc. Staff estimate that the plant is reusing roughly 80% of its water with Kemco’s water-reclaim system. This topic gets more attention in California because of frequent droughts, Kertenian says. It’s prudent for large-volume water users to conserve every drop they can. “California regulations can choke you,” Kertenian says. “But being here all my life, I figured out how to survive, and I think I’m numb to it.”
• Five 135 lb.-150 lb. pony washers and two similar sized dryers.
• Two 50 HP boilers; Kannegiesser Regional Sales Manager Kelly Outram described the system as a “less steam” laundry that’s designed to comply with California’s strict emission rules.
• Four Kannegiesser ironing lines, all equipped with thermal-oil heating. One is for small pieces; two process large pieces; and one is a “combo” style ironer that can do large or small pieces, Also the ironer lines are equipped with Quantex Camera systems from Kannegiesser. This equipment uses AI technology to detect stains and other flaws in flatwork.
• A Vectura automated system of conveyors in the finishing area that automatically tracks MLS’s customer-owned linens so that employees can easily load carts with the correct items.

Magic Laundry Service has come a long way since its founding in 2004 as an outgrowth of a dry-cleaning business established by the Kertenian family. In 1977, when Harry was a year old, his family had emigrated from Beirut, Lebanon, due to the civil war there. From the ninth grade on, Harry worked at the family dry cleaners. “I was born in Lebanon but grew up in Pasadena, CA,” he said. “My parents were both tailors by trade. In 1992, I was a freshman in high school. My mom and dad opened a small mom-and-pop dry cleaners in Pasadena. I committed all my time to working in the family business with my parents from the ninth grade. We didn’t have a plant at the time. I kept pushing my dad, ‘Let’s put in machines and run our own (laundry).’ That’s how we started.” In 2002, with much success in dry cleaning, Harry expanded his own venture and created MLS. He opened his first plant in 2004.

Fast-forward to 2024, and Harry is eager to grow MLS. He’s not seeking private equity backing. “I believe in the American dream as a family business,” he said, noting that his two school-age sons may one day join him.

Watch for follow-up coverage of MLS’s San Bernardino plant in an upcoming issue of Textile Services magazine. Click here for more on the magazine or here for more on Textile Services Weekly.