Greg Shames, COO of American Textile Maintenance (ATM), recently led Textile Services Weekly on a tour of the company’s new Medico Healthcare Linen Services plant in San Bernardino, CA.
A fourth-generation leader at the Los Angeles-based ATM, Shames traced the project back to late 2023, when the company began searching for a new property. ATM acquired the 53,000-square-foot (4,923-square-meter) site in 2024 and spent roughly two years building out the healthcare-dedicated plant before opening it in February. It’s already processing 250,000 lbs. (113,340 kg.) per week for area hospitals and healthcare facilities. Shames expects staffing to triple as volume scales, from 50 employees today to 150.
The location, he said, was a deliberate bet on regional demographics as much as operational logistics. “The broader area’s population has continued to rise, despite California seeing a population decline,” Shames said. “Many people and families are moving from Los Angeles to the Inland Empire in search of greater value and more space.” The region – Riverside, San Bernardino and the surrounding counties east of Los Angeles and Orange County – is home to roughly 4.7 million residents across 27,300 square miles, an area larger than West Virginia. For Shames, that population growth translates directly into healthcare demand, and healthcare demand into linen volume.
Built for Scale and Precision
The San Bernardino facility was engineered around automation and resource efficiency from the ground up – details Textile Services magazine will explore further in its September issue. The current equipment lineup includes:
- Two JENSEN tunnel washers, each with 18, 200 lb. (90 kg.) chambers
- 18 JENSEN XR 200 lb. (90 kg.) dryers
- Three barrier washer/extractors (one 400 lb., two 200 lb.)
- Five JENSEN thermal oil ironer lines
- Two blanket lines
- 12 small-piece folders
- A ceramic filtration and reverse osmosis wastewater treatment system from Kemco Systems
Shames noted the plant is currently operating at roughly 0.35 gallons of fresh water per pound across most textile categories – a benchmark he frames as a competitive differentiator as water costs and environmental scrutiny rise across California’s industrial sector.
Positioning for Growth
With a new, purpose-built plant and a growing healthcare market, Shames is optimistic about Medico’s future. “We have a couple of large competitors, but it’s a big territory – there’s a lot of business we don’t service. We think there’s real opportunity for us.”
That opportunity, he added, is increasingly tied to credentialing. The plant’s pending certification through TRSA’s Hygienically Clean Healthcare program is expected to strengthen further its position with hospital systems, many of which now build the designation into their RFP requirements. Medico’s sister facilities in South Gate and Long Beach, CA, are already certified, and the San Bernardino plant is set to complete its Hygienically Clean Healthcare audit later this month.
Watch for follow-up coverage of Medico’s new plant in September’s Textile Services magazine. Click here for more information or to subscribe to Textile Services.
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