Up To Date Celebrates 70 – Focused on the Future
Up To Date Laundry Inc., a textile services company that specializes in processing healthcare linens, recently announced that it’s celebrating its 70th year in business, according to a news release.
“We are very proud of our accomplishment at Up To Date Laundry,” said Nancy Stair Carter, who took over the leadership of the family-owned company in 1994 after her father, William Stair Sr., passed away. “My father was always on the leading edge of advancing the laundry industry – it was his passion.”
A woman-owned business, Up To Date is located in a certified Enterprise Zone in Baltimore. The company employs over 400 full- and part-time staff, the release said. Up To Date processes nearly 60 million lbs. of healthcare textiles annually, through both rental and customer-owned goods (COG) programs. It offers full exchange cart programs as well to hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region. In addition, the company places a high priority on environmental sustainability. Up To Date recycles 90% of all “waste,” and operates various “green” initiatives throughout the facility.
Founded in 1946, Up To Date initially provided laundry services to ships arriving at Baltimore Harbor from New York and Virginia, as well as retail customers from the surrounding community. In 1956, Up To Date began servicing Franklin Square Hospital, which represented its initial foray into healthcare laundering, the release said.
From the beginning, Up To Date has relied on the experience and expertise it has developed while serving customers to grow the business. In 2011, the company added a nonacute healthcare division. In 2015, amid growing demand for industry experts to support hospital laundry operations, it launched UTD consulting. “We are positioning the company to double in capacity over the next five years and begin our journey for the next 70 years,” said Stair Carter.
Today, Up To Date operates a fully redundant laundry processing facility. The plant has an extensive disaster-recovery plan that includes a generator capable of powering the entire facility. Up To Date also has an on-site fuel distribution system that can service delivery trucks for weeks, plus a fully stocked warehouse that can supply products to customers on a moment’s notice. “Our focus is to partner with our customers to maximize their linen utilization by implementing customized programs that will be cost-effective and enhance patient satisfaction,” said Mark Carter, president of Up To Date.