New Year … New Board Members Bring Diverse Skills to TRSA

Last fall, during TRSA’s 111th Annual Conference, members elected three new directors to help guide the association. Those directors – chosen on Sept. 26, 2024, during the association’s Annual Business meeting in Colorado Springs, CO – include an independent owner/operator, a national healthcare/hospitality executive and a textile supplier VP. Excerpts from an article in January’s Textile Services magazine follow.

Rich Kramer
City Uniforms & Linen
Findlay, OH

Rich Kramer is a third-generation president/COO of City Uniforms & Linen. The company operates a mixed plant focused on healthcare, industrial uniforms and food-and-beverage (F&B) textiles. City Uniforms has experienced robust growth in recent years and is currently servicing customers in Indiana and Michigan, as well as Ohio. Its success reflects City’s commitment to proactive service. One example is an innovative partnership with an Italian supplier to provide scrub vending machines that are designed to prevent pilfering with the aid of RFID tags in garments (see pg. 24, November/December Textile Services). As for his focus on board leadership, Kramer says he looks forward to contributing ideas, as well as learning from fellow board members. “TRSA is the industry leader in creating a comprehensive platform for leaders to have a real impact,” he says. “My goal is to contribute to the movement already happening with TRSA and bring some fresh perspectives with changes being made with the industry.”

Ed Orzetti
ImageFIRST
King of Prussia, PA

While a relative newcomer to the linen, uniform and facility services industry, Ed Orzetti has an extensive background in manufacturing. A West Point graduate, Orzetti began his career as a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Army. Before joining ImageFIRST in 2023, Orzetti served as an operating partner with Calera Capital. In that post, he provided strategic leadership to the firm’s portfolio of companies. In 2018, Orzetti played a significant role in Calera’s acquisition of ImageFIRST. Since then, he’s leveraged his executive expertise to guide its growth. Prior to Calera, he served as CEO of Transtar and Keystone Automotive Operations. He also held senior executive posts at General Electric, Textron and VWR International. As CEO of ImageFIRST, Orzetti is dedicated to making a positive impact on the company’s associates, community, customers and their patients. Under his guidance, ImageFIRST continues to expand its presence in healthcare linen supply by delivering high-quality solutions that enhance the patient experience. ImageFIRST serves medical facilities nationwide and hospitality customers in select markets. Orzetti says he looks forward to learning from and connecting with industry leaders as a member of TRSA’s board. “I find participation in trade associations is tremendously valuable in helping the overall visibility, perception and performance of the industry as a whole. That then creates wonderful opportunities for the individual members.”

Anwer Shakoor
Unitex International Inc.
Duluth, GA

Anwer Shakoor was pursuing a degree in hospitality management in the late 1980s, when he joined with his brother and father to establish Unitex International in a “humble” 1,000-square-foot (92-square-meter) warehouse in January 1990. Initially, they focused on selling hospitality linens to hotels and motels located near highway exits. Their business grew rapidly, and in a few years, Unitex had received approval to sell to Wyndham and Choice Hotels. By 1998, Unitex began supplying textiles and microfiber products to major retail outlets. That same year, the company began supplying textiles to linen, uniform and facility services companies. Since then, Unitex has established a strong presence in the industrial laundry sector. TRSA provides an outstanding forum for managers at both supplier-partner companies and laundries to share information on strategic developments related to supply chains and other issues, Shakoor says. These issues range from staff recruitment/retention to tracking productivity, advances in automation and more. “TRSA members – both suppliers and operators – can learn much from each other by participating in programs like the Healthcare Conference, as well as committees that deal with issues ranging from hospitality laundering to environmental compliance and more.”

Click here to see the full article in January’s Textile Services magazine, copies of which are mailing this week.