By Dennis Schmitt, DLI President
The past four months have been unbelievable. Covid-19 has made all of us rethink our businesses, every procedure, business hours, routes, and how we advertise – as well as staffing. The most amazing thing that happened through all of this were the conference calls. Drycleaners from all over reached out to help our industry.
It really emphasizes the good in people at DLI. When situations get tough, people look for a solution. No matter how small or large the company, everyone was offering input to help cope with this unforeseen dilemma. Customers will be impressed with all the little things like painting, cleaning, repairs, improving routes, and fine-tuning the training of customer service that should enhance their visit to their drycleaner.
You are not alone. DLI was there helping all of us working from home and at the office, using technology to its fullest extent. As DLI hosted Zoom meetings across the country, people could hear and see how calm our staff was and how well they understood the situation. DLI kept us all informed with the rule changes of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) as well as the new videos on training our production staff. ALL of us should be very thankful for the staff Mary has put together, starting with Jon Meijer, Brian Johnson, Harry Kimmel, Peter Blake, Rebecca Ferguson, Melissa Wagner, Blair McClary, and Elke Cary.
The Board and all the committees kept their noses to the grindstone by staying positive and moving forward with their agendas as well as running their own businesses.
On July 22, 2020, my term as President will be over and I want to extend my deepest sincere THANK YOU to all the Board members for all their support and selflessness in their thoughts and work for the DLI association. I also extend my love to my wife, Patti, for her support over our 42 years of marriage.
Happy and Safe,
Dennis
