Hello, fellow DLI members and thank you for your membership. My name is Jeff Schwegmann and I have the great honor to be your next DLI President. I am humbled and honored to serve our industry and be in the company of such great business leaders. Little did I know that by attending my local association meeting and being encouraged to attend a board meeting, that I would wind up at our national association. It truly is an honor and privilege to work for the membership and the great people of Drycleaning and Laundry Institute. My family has owned and operated our drycleaning company since 1946. I am the 4th generation of our family to run our company and proud to be a drycleaning business owner.
I wish to express a tremendous amount of gratitude for our outgoing President, Bobby Patel. The leadership and dedication Bobby brings to our association will undoubtedly have an impact for years to come. The Allied Trades Partnership Program that was started with Bobby’s guidance will not only bring more value to the existing membership but will be the foundation of attracting new members and strengthening our membership as a whole. Thank you, Bobby, I continue to learn from you each day.
Clean Show
What a great Clean Show! I truly hope you were able to attend. The Atlanta show was well received and well attended. The enthusiasm from the attendees was high and you could really feel the excitement of being back together in person, but more importantly attendees were there eager to grow their businesses. All of our vendors brought the latest and best to the show. If you wanted to see it, it was there and great deals were made. The value of the trade shows to the drycleaner are immense. The amount of equipment and services you can find are like in no other place. The education sessions brought new ideas to the table and undoubtedly will grow the bottom line for those who attended. We are always students of our industry and when you have the opportunity to attend one of the shows you should take advantage. One idea, one contact, one opportunity can change the course of your business. Your trade association, your DLI, helps create these opportunities.
The DLI Board walked the floor and tried to personally thank the sponsors and donors to the DLI/TCATA reception. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you again. The reception was well attended and would not be possible without the kindness of the vendors and donors. Thank you, this reception is a great networking opportunity and always an event to look forward to at the Clean Show.
State of the Institute
DLI, I am happy to report, is strong and ready to be a source of growth for its membership. This year will begin to see the Allied Trade Partnership Program fully implemented. Look for your membership packet at renewal time. The vendors and contributors to the program continue to help strengthen the industry. There is more information on the DLI website about the program.
New DLI Website
The new DLI website design will be launched in October. The project goal was to update the look, ease of use, and navigation of the site. The DLI staff, along with the Technology committee, worked hard to meet and surpass expectations. Please go to dlionline.com in October to see and try the new website.
Wash-Dry-Fold Conference
This November there is a collaboration between the Coin Laundry Association (CLA) and DLI about wash, dry, and fold. This is a great opportunity to learn about this growing segment of the industry. Remember: one idea can change your business. There is information about attending this educational session on the DLI website and more in this edition of the magazine.
Special thanks to Don Desrosiers, for 11 years he has educated our industry and illuminated points of change for countless drycleaners. As he writes his final article for Fabricare magazine, we will remember his work and thank him for being a great steward of the drycleaning industry. Thank you, Don, for all you have contributed.
Kindly,
Jeff Schwegmann
DLI President
Sunshine Cleaners
US Leather Cleaning