By being a member of DLI you are part of a special club or community of owner-operators who face the same challenges day in and day out. Drycleaners are a very giving group, it is fair to say that any member you meet will be willing to help you with your business. Chances are they have overcome the same challenge that is currently keeping you awake at night.
The Clean Show is the one event that brings our entire professional global community to one place. I am eager to see everyone at the Clean Show, particularly at the DLI-TCATA Membership Reception. The reception is a fantastic opportunity to meet like-minded people, make new friends, and expand your business network. I want to thank all the sponsors of the reception.
DLI will host an array of educational programs at the show tailored to specific challenges and opportuni- ties including hiring, retention, marketing, customer service, and more. We are certain this information will be helpful to your business and hope your schedule will permit you to attend.
My term as DLI President expires just before the Clean Show. I will continue to work behind the scenes to help better the Institute by serving as Chair of DLI’s Board for the 2022-2023 term. Then, I will retire from DLI’s Board and remain a member of DLI. I extend my sincere gratitude to every member of DLI for putting your trust in me and I am most grateful to our Board and staff for not allowing me to fail.
I am proud of the team who helped develop and deliver the DLI Membership Pays Allied Trades Partnership Program to help reduce costs for members. By working with industry suppliers and manufacturers we have strengthened our community. I am particularly proud of how the program benefits renewing members and not only newcomers to the Institute.
When you visit DLIonline.org someday soon, you will notice some changes. We’ve updated the look and functionality of the site to make it easier to find information and welcome non-member cleaners to join our community. The new face of DLIonline.org will launch just before the Clean Show and we hope you will benefit from the improvements our teams have made.
Though we accomplished a lot in the last year our industry faces daunting challenges. I know DLI will be in good hands with Jeff Schwegmann II as President, Kathy Benzinger as President-Elect, Kyle Nesbit as Treasurer, and every member of our fantastic Board listed on Pg. 4 of any recent copy of Fabricare.
Thank you and hope to see you in Atlanta,
Bobby Patel
