Join us in Richmond, Kentucky, for one week of interactive, hands-on instruction to build your skills and improve your facility! ALM's Laundry & Linen College is recognized nationally for developing skilled, informed and accomplished laundry professionals.

The fall session, Laundry Processing & Operations, will discuss equipment selection, energy management, preventive/predictive maintenance, safety, the wash process, laundry management, bloodborne pathogens and laundry production and performance measures. 

Register today for this week-long course, November 4-8, 2019, and ensure you have the knowledge you need to make your facility for effective, efficient and safe. 

Don't take the risk! Register now for ALM's next webinar, "The Textile Trap," and learn what questions to ask when considering new products to prevent unexpected costs that anger your customers.

Remember, you are allowed an unlimited number of participants at your location for one low fee. They will ALL receive contact hour credit for attending, and as an ALM member, you receive discounted rates for ALM trainings!

ALM's online education programs deliver a fast-paced, interactive approach to help you master the laundry and linen industry. From individual courses to full certification programs, education is available at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere.

CLLM content online brings the information to life, allowing students to visualize and apply concepts, illustrating the most important points through animation and providing activities to help comprehension and retention more effectively than standard book studies.

If you have new staff that need to be brought up to speed on an aspect of the industry quickly, CLLM online individual courses may be just what you're looking for! Through our online portal, textile professionals can study courses in:

• Basics of Textiles
• Infection Prevention
• Chemistry in the Wash Process
• Safety & Risk Management
• Equipment Overview
• Employee Relations
• Production
• Linen Management

Learn More

This week, September 9-13, is Environmental Services Week! Environmental service professionals are all the workers who maintain facilities and the environment in health care settings. According to the Association for the Health Care Environment (AHE), "The staff and management teams responsible for maintaining the clinical environment of care require different skills and competencies from those needed in the commercial cleaning and general maintenance industry, and it's time we address this critical distinction."

The knowledge of health care environmental services professionals and their front-line staff is rooted in the fundamentals of infection prevention, microbiology and evidence-based practice related to cleaning and disinfection. And there are key differences between health care and non-health care roles associated with managing multiple waste streams, floor care, linen handling and distribution.

AHE has multiple resources related to Environmental Services, including a case study about disinfectant, Environmental Services Advisories and information about their "We Are Environemental Services" Initiative.

ALM also has materials available in our Resource Library. Simply seach the Member Portal for "environmental" or "infection prevention" to see all the materials.

If you are recognizing Environmental Service Week in your workplace, we want to hear about it! Hop on over to the ALM Member Forum and share how you recognize your Environmental Services staff!

Networking, knowledge-sharing and social interaction at TCATA's recent 2019 Annual Management and Educational Conference in Ojai, California, was plentiful. Several attendees commented that they enjoyed the opportunities to get to know other members and interact with potential clients. Pictured above are past TCATA presidents (L to R) Rick Kelly, Bruce Johnson, Gerald Henke, Steve Mathews, current TCATA president Leslie Schaeffer and Alex Atwater.

Attendees enjoyed a strong business program with three outstanding speakers. Keynote speaker Sam Richter revealed web search secrets to help you find the right prospects at the right time with the right message. Considered one of the world's foremost experts on sales intelligence and digital reputation management, bestselling author Sam discussed how to win in business in today’s digital world. Richard Hadden, a certified speaking professional and workplace expert who, for more than 20 years, studied the connection between people, practices and profit performance, presented on helping make the people-profit connection. Attendees learned how to attract and retain an engaged and more profitable workforce.

Finally, Jade West (right) returned to this year’s conference to sort out what is taking place in Washington, including a review of what has occurred, its impact on business and some thoughts on the major issues anticipated for the coming year. Spouses and guests got to know each other during a private instructional session at the resort’s Artist's Cottage, where they mixed essential oils, made candles and did some painting.

The conference ended with Saturday night's closing dinner, at which Leslie Schaeffer, TCATA president and of National Clothesline, honored Forenta for their 50th anniversary of TCATA membership. Mark your calendars now for the 2020 TCATA Annual Management & Educational Conference at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa, April 29 – May 2, where we will celebrate TCATA’s 100th anniversary!

ARTA recently announced that its study on the effectiveness of per acetic acid (PAA) to kill Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) spores is now available for download from the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC). The ARTA study, “The efficacy of a simulated tunnel washer process on removal and destruction of Clostridioides difficile spores from healthcare textiles,” is now available “In Press,” which means it has been accepted for publication but has not yet been published in hard copy by AJIC.

AJIC is a peer-reviewed scientific journal produced by the Association for Prevention and Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

"The ability to kill C.diff in healthcare textiles is critical to professional laundries, and ARTA has therefore purchased Open Access for this article, which means everyone can easily download and read the study," says ARTA President Brendan O'Neill of London Hospital Linen Service, London, Ontario. O'Neill adds that this is an important study to share with healthcare clients.

AJIC editors say the article will likely be published in the next six months or as soon as October. This study was funded by ARTA and conducted with assistance from Accuratus Lab. Many thanks to study authors: Kevin McLaren and Steve Tinker, Gurtler Industries; Ed McCauley, UHS; Brendan O’Neill, London Hospital Textile Service; and Lynne Sehulster, PhD, Environmental Infection Prevention, LLC. Nancy Jenkins, executive director of ARTA, served as project manager for the study.

Braun has announced the launch of their new company website.  The complete redesign includes content, layout, navigation and enhanced functionality.

“We believe the new site is much more engaging for our visitors, allowing them to gain a much better understanding of our equipment offerings, project management capabilities and service support,” states Pamela Simonetti, director of marketing.

With more than a quarter century of laundry industry experience, Eric Schori has joined Lavatec Laundry Technology, Inc. as a regional sales manager. Based in Northern Virginia, he will be responsible for the Northeast Region that extends from the eastern seaboard west to Indiana. He reports to Keith Ware, vice president of sales for Lavatec.

TQI LLC, TECNI-QUIP Carts and Clean Cycle Systems lint filters announces the addition of Evan Reilly to the team in the role of outside sales and new product development.

A recent graduate of Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Reilly majored in business with an emphasis on marketing. He is no stranger to the business, as his grandparents, Jane and Charles Clement, founded the company in 1961. Evan was introduced to the company at an early age and worked in fabrication during his high school and college summers.

When time permits, Reilly can be found kayaking, surfing or fishing.

Gurtler Industries, Inc. announced the addition of Robert Tuggle.

Tuggle joined Gurtler in July of 2019 and will be manager of market development. He brings with him seven-plus years of experience in the laundry industry.