TRSA Honors Strong Individual Track Records, Exemplary Team Service Examples

Fourteen individuals and five companies are winners of 2026 TRSA Above & Beyond Service awards, acknowledging employees’ consistent achievement in exceeding expectations and single exemplary team efforts. Presentation of the accolade will take place at the Industry Awards Dinner at the 16th Annual TRSA Legislative Conference on Feb. 18 in Washington, DC.

The conference takes place Feb. 17-19 at the Royal Sonesta Capitol Hill. It starts the first afternoon (Tuesday) with a symposium for suppliers featuring consultant presentations on generational change and value-driven relationships. TRSA committees open the Feb. 18 agenda, enabling every member to join discussions on how to improve the association’s work.

Later that afternoon, attendees prepare for Laundry Hill Day on Feb. 19. In small-group visits to congressional offices on Thursday, members personally engage legislators and their staffs. Insightful stories about the industry are shared, addressing the industry’s key legislative priorities, emphasizing its economic impacts on cleanliness, sustainability and workplace safety contributions.

Click here to register for the conference.

Highest-level (Gold) winners in the Above & Beyond Service competition:

Jack Williams, ADI/American Dawn. Navigates customers’ needs and product selections, supporting every step from prospect meetings to over-nighting emergency samples. Never just tries to get the sale; wants to do the right thing for the customer even if that means declining to quote and suggesting other vendors who can help. Willingness to understand customers’ processes is exceptional.

Alsco Uniforms, Austin, TX. Facing 2025 floods across Central Texas that claimed lives, homes and livelihoods, contributed $25,000 to The Salvation Army to aid in flood relief and long-term recovery efforts and provided 500 first-aid kits for immediate distribution. Enabled first responders and volunteers to address injuries, distribute critical supplies and restore a sense of safety in impacted neighborhoods.

Tyler Smith, Gurtler Industries Inc. Takes time to understand concerns thoroughly and respond with solution-driven recommendations. Asks for additional details to ensure his solutions are realistic and aligned with expectations. Identifies maintenance issues laundries haven’t seen. Traveled to Europe with a customer installing a tunnel for training on the new wash line.

JENSEN Braun, Syracuse, NY. Supported recovery from an Oregon laundry’s fire that brought its operations to a halt. Acted not just as an equipment provider, but as a partner, bolstering installation with customer support. Stepped in with infrastructure planning, redesign guidance for the wash alley and ensured every piece of equipment was delivered on an accelerated timeline.

Miriam Avila, Roscoe Co. Arrives at 3 a.m. each day so the building and equipment are ready when her production team arrives. Recognized by company peers as a customer advocate. First in the industry to be certified in the 1990s U.S. Labor Department skills program for our industry, she implements it today to build team members’ knowledge, skills and confidence.

Silver-level winners:

Elizabeth Remillong, CORE Linen Services. Praised for listening, engaging and leading with humility; remarkable connectivity with people from hospital CEOs to new linen techs – bringing ease, professionalism and warmth to every interaction.

Rodvin Castellanos-Meza, ImageFIRST. Rose from production associate to maintenance leader in seven years, making safety his top priority and encouraging learning, teamwork and a strong work ethic.

United Laundry Services (PureStar), Honolulu, HI. In the wake of the Four Seasons’ laundry fire, served the 217-room resort by transporting linen via boat and air from the island of Lanai to Honolulu for seven months during the OPL’s rebuilding.

Kerri Kiel, Allen Nixon, Keith Conley, Virginia Linen Service Inc. When a hotel guest pleaded for help finding a lost teddy bear, this customer service rep, route service rep and route supervisor coordinated the laundry search and delivered the bear to the family’s home in less than 24 hours.

Honorable Mention winners:

Scott Rotkowski, ABS Laundry Business Solutions. Works past regular hours and resolves any glitch when installing systems.

Alsco Brazil, Canoas. Nationwide contingency plan mitigates 2024 flood’s social and humanitarian toll, including caring for employees.

Cintas Corp., Nashville, TN. Flame-resistant clothing and Vinex uniform fabric programs expand company offerings.

Jake Blaney, Chris Rosetti and Joe Chenot, Foltex USA. Praise for their timely customer support from installation through operations and follow up.

Neta Gray, LinenMaster/TEXO. Supports multiple implementation projects, keeps them on track, resolves challenges.

Julia Moses, Simple/NOVO Health Services. In sales role, ensures every new customer receives outstanding support.

UniFirst Corp., Distribution and Order Fulfillment Center. Hybrid educational model blends earning with learning; facilitates achievement of associate degrees.