Save the date for ALM's educational conference, the 2020 IMPACT Conference! ALM member location, The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will be hosting us!

Join us for education, networking and fun. Registration will open in September 2019.

Stay tuned to Vital Threads, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn for updates!

LaundryMarks^TM offers dynamic, customizable data to provide the entire laundry industry, not just ALM members, with actionable, updated near-real-time business intelligence. Through industry comparisons in hospitality, healthcare and industrial facilities, the LaundryMarks^TM platform will drive business performance for both single- and multi-location laundries. The data is processed through a secure, robust, digital system

“ALM saw a need for actionable and updated business intelligence, and therefore made a significant investment to develop this cutting-edge benchmarking platform that provides constantly-updated, customizable and immediately accessible information,” said David Bernstein, President of Propeller Solutions Group, chair of the Benchmarking Task Force and member of the ALM Board of Directors.

At the Clean Show, ALM had many announcements besides the new LaundryMarks!

ALM and other industry associations held the inaugural meeting of the Textile Research Council. The council's mission is to produce independent evidence-based research to support the safe processing and handling of healthcare textiles and the mechanisms by which to measure the effectiveness of those practices. The announcement video and more information are available on the Textile Research Council website.

ALM also introduced a new way to complete the CLLM Program! ALM education has now expanded to offer an eLearning experience with the full course certification program or you may purchase individual courses. More information is available at ALMnet.org/TRAIN.

Lastly, the ALM annual business meeting was held prior to the start of the Clean Show, and members voted to open a new Enterprise membership category to better serve all textile care employees at companies that own laundries in multiple locations.

Watch for your Summer issue of fresh magazine in a few weeks, for pictures from the Clean Show!

The Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA) had a successful 2019 Clean Show recently in New Orleans. A few highlights:

TCATA Honors Riddle and Associates

TCATA President Leslie Schaeffer presented John Riddle, president and owner of Riddle and Associates, a plaque and a gift on behalf of all the members of TCATA, many of whom have exhibited at the Clean Show for many years. “For nearly 40 years, John and his team have done an excellent job in making the Clean Show a success,” noted Leslie Schaeffer. “They have produced a professional, well attended show that has created many business opportunities for both exhibitors and attendees. I have heard many comments over the years about the customer-oriented service that Riddle and his team have always provided,” she went on to say.

In accepting the award, John Riddle noted “It has been an honor to have been associated with the Clean Show for so many years, and I thank everyone for the opportunity to have been a part of it. I absolutely could not have accomplished this without all the members of my staff who are, in my opinion, the best in the trade show industry. I have made many friends over the years that I will miss very much.”

TCATA Members Recognized for Anniversaries President Leslie Schaeffer presented awards at the Show honoring three members of the Association that are celebrating anniversaries of their membership in TCATA. Ellis Corporation of Itasca, Illinois and M & L Equipment of Akron, Ohio were presented awards in honor of their 75th anniversary; Realstar of McDonough, Georgia was honored for 25 years of membership. Forenta of Morristown, Tennessee will receive their award for 50 years of membership at TCATA’s annual conference later this summer. The Clean Show was recently purchased by trade show organizer Messe Frankfurt, which owns or runs several textile care shows as well as shows in other industries throughout the world. The next Clean Show will be held in 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Colville, WA. – Colmac Industries is pleased to announce the addition of Eric Lindgren to their production team. Lindgren is a carpentry professional with an extensive background in residential, commercial and industrial construction. He will be working with the Colmac quality control production team to maintain the high level of excellence Colmac is known for in the industry.

Colmac Industries is a privately held company and the cornerstone of Colmac’s 200,000-square-foot corporate office, manufacturing facility, and research and development campus located in Colville, Washington. Colmac Industries is the worldwide leader in garment finishing equipment, automated soil sorting and counting for the laundry industry.

Streamline Solutions is proud to announce that Andrea Mertz will be joining the company as their National Sales Executive. She will be working with existing and potential laundry accounts throughout the United States with their needs in plastic bag-type products and services. Andrea brings many years of sales and customer service experience to the table for Streamline Solutions and their customers.

Continental Girbau Inc. recently changed its name to Girbau North America (GNA), according to President Mike Floyd. Spearheaded by Girbau Global Laundry Solutions (Girbau) – the parent company of the North American subsidiary – the name change to Girbau North America. provides a clearer representation of the company and its brands, he said.

“As a company, GNA has grown significantly in terms of product offerings, distributor reach, markets and end users since first established in 1995 as Continental Girbau Inc.,” said Floyd. “We feel – as Girbau North America – the company better illustrates its broad scope in both product offerings and services area.”

Moreover, the name change helps eliminate any brand/company name confusion, according to Floyd. “This will ultimately strengthen our brands and make them more identifiable,” he added.

Girbau North America (GNA) kicked off the laundry industry’s largest trade show – Clean ’19 – with a presentation and reception for Continental customers, distributors and business partners. Co-hosted by Continental and parent company Girbau Global Laundry Solutions (Girbau), the event unveiled new vended, commercial and industrial laundry products along with tools and opportunities to grow business.

At the conclusion of The Clean Show, GNA also shared successes from the show. Full details about GNA's news is available in our Vendor Showcase!