Kenney Slatten passed away October 15, 2020, in Phoenix, Arizona, after a long battle with cancer. He was a good-humored drycleaning trainer, consultant, columnist, and industry leader whose cowboy lifestyle defined his industry image. His great hats could be easily identified from across a crowded convention floor.
Slatten, a third-generation drycleaner, started consulting in 1987. He was a certified DLI instructor, served as Executive Director of the Western States Drycleaning & Laundry Association for 15 years, and wrote a column for 32 years in Western Cleaner & Launderer. In addition, he served on DLI’s Board of Directors as an Allied Trades Director, was a member of the Cleaning & Laundry Association Executives (CLAE) group, was a member of the International Drycleaners Congress, and was an instructor for the California Environmental Protection Agency.
Slatten served in the U.S. Marine Corps. and opened drycleaning stores in Texas in the early 1970s. He began consulting in 1987 when he launched the Kenney Slatten Training Company, Drycleaning and Laundry Consulting Firm specializing in Environmental Training and Certification. He was also a certified instructor for DLI’s School of Drycleaning Technology.
His columns in Cleaner & Launderer covered many topics but all carried a sense of his informal, down-home, country style. Each column ended with a lighter paragraph or ending with a cordial sign-off, such as, “these boots are aching and the fire is burning low. Talk to you next time, partner.”
In October 2020, he wrote his final column in Cleaner & Launderer by speaking his message to Jeff Schwarz. Read the item here: https://tinyurl.com/y84u4rlq
