‘Passion Drives Everything’: TRSA’s Annual Conference Concludes in Palm Springs

From dynamic speakers to interactive networking events and a gala honoring a pair of executives for a lifetime of contributions to the linen, uniform and facility services industry, the 112th edition of TRSA’s Annual Conference near Palm Springs, CA, had something for all attendees. 

The conference concluded on May 15 with a Lifetime Achievement and Board Recognition Dinner. Woody Ostrow, CleanCare, Pittsburgh, received the TRSA Operator Lifetime Achievement Award at the gathering, while David Tingue, Tingue, Brown & Co., Peachtree City, GA, was given the Maglin-Biggie Supplier-Partner Lifetime Achievement Award. Both award winners come from a long line of service to the industry and association, as their fathers also were honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards. 

A silent auction featuring prizes donated by TRSA members was held during a Cocktail Reception prior to the dinner. The proceeds from the Silent Auction will support the Textile Rental Education and Research Trust (TRERT), which funds TRSA’s scholarship, internship and research initiatives. 

The previous day began with a keynote address by Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese. Bushnell shared what he called his “happy accidents,” some of the breaks that fueled his success as an entrepreneur. He had this advice to share with the business owners and executives in the room. 

“Passion drives everything,” Bushnell said. “My best hires were those that had a sparkle. They could be waiters or waitresses at the time, but they want to live a full life and are willing to give their all to your company.” 

Jim Buik, president/owner, Roscoe Co., Chicago, shared his thoughts on Bushnell’s keynote. “At the Annual Conference, Nolan Bushnell came and spoke to us about how he developed Atari and Pong, and the relationship that he had with Steve Jobs at an early age. Where are you going to get that kind of contact, that kind of context with history? It brought back some great memories, but also, he told a compelling story and gave us a great message about how to innovate and how to be in the right place at the right time to accept ‘happy accidents.’” 

Following Bushnell’s May 14 keynote speech, educational sessions continued with a presentation on growing your business by Mark Kowalski, managing partner, Envise Partners LLC, who shared takeaways from his time as an executive at AmeriPride Services Inc., as well as a panel discussion on the important topic of succession planning. Moderated by TRSA Chair Randy Bartsch, the panelists included Jennifer Peroli, president, Liniform Service, Barberton, OH; David Struminger, president & CEO, Virginia Linen Service Inc., Petersburg, VA; and Sarah Wrubel, COO, Continental Linen Services (CLS), Kalamazoo, MI. After introducing themselves and their companies, the panelists shared insights on how to successfully transition to the next generation of leadership. 

“It was a privilege to moderate a discussion with Jennifer Peroli, David Struminger and Sarah Wrubel as they shared their unique journeys into leadership within their family businesses,” Bartsch said in a LinkedIn post reflecting on the panel. “We also explored their thoughtful approaches to developing the next generation of industry leaders.” 

A trio of educational sessions began the final day of the Annual Conference on May 15. Thomas Vozzo, a former Aramark Uniform Services executive who transitioned to a career as a nonprofit CEO, shared lessons he has learned in his second career as the head of Homeboy Industries, a group with multiple business lines that serve as employment opportunities for former gang members. 

“I saw on the first day that Homeboy dramatically changes people’s lives,” Vozzo said. “If the organization doesn’t get funding, people end up back on the street, and then violence happens.” 

Andrew Wittmann, a senior research analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. then gave an update on key economic indicators, as well as the current state of three publicly traded uniform rental operators, Cintas Corp., Mason, OH; UniFirst Corp., Wilmington, MA; and Vestis Corp., Roswell, GA. Wittmann detailed the fundamentals of each company’s stock and how their businesses are viewed by Wall Street investors. 

The closing keynote featured Dr. Kevin Elko, a best-selling author and top sports psychology consultant who has worked with several successful sports organizations including the Alabama football team and Nick Saban, the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, and more. Elko gave a high-energy speech that provided a glimpse into how the championship teams and individuals he has worked with achieved their success. 

“You live with vision or you live with circumstance,” Elko said, preaching the importance of taking accountability for your actions and having a clear goal in mind in business and in life. 

Networking events at the conference included the TRSA Golf Classic and Pickleball Palooza on May 14, and the Minute 2 Win It teambuilding event the following day. Spouses and/or significant others took a tour of celebrity homes in the Palm Springs area on the final day of the conference. The tour featured a look inside Frank Sinatra’s residence that’s on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The conference kicked off on May 13 with a Welcome Reception. Earlier in the afternoon, the TRSA Board of Directors and Supplier Partner Council both held highly productive meetings. 

In closing, Chris Welch, president, Prudential Overall Supply, Irvine, CA, talked about the importance of the yearly event. “The Annual Conference is important for us to get a pulse on the industry and the marketplace. We get to connect with a lot of people from the vendor side that we don’t necessarily get to see in our day to day or quarterly reviews. It’s a great place to exchange ideas with people in the industry that aren’t direct competitors, that are in our space. See what their experience is like, see what’s going on in their business, and find the things that we can glean. 

“The conference has great speakers, great events, always beautiful locations and the staff is fantastic. For us as an organization, it’s also nice to take people that don’t necessarily go to things like these, or like this every year, and it’s a nice, treat or showcase for them to let them know how highly we think of them within the organization that they get to attend an event like the Annual Conference for TRSA.” 

Thanks to the following Annual Conference sponsors: Royal Basket Trucks, JENSEN Group, Kannegiesser ETECH, Pellerin Milnor Corp., Alliant Systems, G.A. Braun Inc., Brim Laundry Machinery Co. Inc., Ellis Corp., Lavatec Laundry Technology Inc., Environ, Landau, Messe Frankfurt Inc., Midwest Specialty Products Inc. and R&B Wire Products Inc.