TRSA and MTSA Partner on Safety & Certification Programs

TRSA, the linen, uniform and facility services association, recently partnered with the Midwest Textile Services Association (MTSA) for a morning of safety and certification programs, followed by an afternoon of networking at Topgolf in Naperville, IL. TRSA helped develop the program as an effort to form a more cooperative relationship with regional textile services associations.

The day kicked-off with a presentation from Gerald Cunningham of the Illinois Occupational and Safety Health Administration. He spoke about the programs that Illinois OSHA has to help businesses conduct safety evaluations and audits “We are here to help employers create not only a safe environment for workers but a safety culture for a company.”

The second session was conducted by TRSA Chairman Jim Buik (shown above) and some staff from the Roscoe Co., Chicago, discussing their experience in obtaining certifications and the benefits those certifications bring to the Roscoe brand, as well as to the industry as a whole. “These certifications show a commitment to improved processes and environmental stewardship to our customers,” said Buik, who is also president of Roscoe. “We have been able to gain customers based on these commitments.”

The third session of the morning was a policy update by Kevin Schwalb, TRSA’s vice president of government relations. During his presentation, Schwalb discussed the election results and the impacts that the new Congress would have on the linen, uniform and facility services industry. He also discussed the victories TRSA has accomplished this year as well as upcoming policy initiatives in 2019. “The divided Congress will lead to much the same way of governing as President Obama,” Schwalb said. “Not much is going to get done legislatively; the majority of activity will be done by the Trump Administration and also at the state level.”

After the educational part of the program the attendees were able to network while playing golf at Topgolf in Naperville, IL.

“TRSA looks forward to working with MTSA on future events,” said Joseph Ricci, president and CEO of TRSA. “Doing these types of events with regional associations will help the industry grow stronger moving forward. We’ve also established a great relationship with the Western Textile Services Association (WTSA), which has paid dividends for the industry by passing much needed regulatory reform for healthcare operators.”