In case you missed it in last month's Vital Threads, the CLLM is now available ONLINE! You can earn your certification any time from your home or office! Watch the short video below and visit the CLLM page on our website for more information.

ALM vendor members will be listed in our annual Buyers’ Guide at no charge! However, we want to be sure you get the most from your listing by having accurate information.

Sign in to your account today and ensure all your information is updated!

Healthcare Linen Services Group (HLSG), a leading provider of linen management services to the healthcare and hospitality industries, has become one of the first companies to acquire the new Enterprise Membership from the Association for Linen Management. ALM’s Enterprise Membership is perfect for multi-location companies like HLSG; rather than continuing their independent Facility memberships, the new ALM Enterprise Membership gives improved continuity and cost savings for multi-plant operations.

Lynn Dunning, CLLM, long-time member of ALM who served on the Editorial Task Force, active in the South West Chapter, and a veteran of the textile care industry, passed on September 24, 2019, after a long battle with cancer.

"Lynn deeply cared for the people in this industry, always willing to share from his experiences and always from the heart," said Linda Fairbanks, executive director of ALM. "He will be missed by those he touched."

Lynn was a veteran of the Vietnam War and afterward worked throughout the textile care industry. Robin Holmes, CLLM, shared her memories of Lynn.

"Lynn set the bar high for many of us in the industry. His name is highly recognized for his knowledge and experience, as well as his many accomplishments. Lynn was an active, charter member of our local ALM chapter and he held various officer positions over the years. We were also fortunate to have him on our ALM advisory team! Lynn was a humble and unassuming man and I recall a time when I was congratulating him years ago for his award for Allied Tradesman and all he had accomplished and done for the industry. His response to me was, 'I only wish I could have done so much more.' He was an active member of IAHTM, and president of North Texas Health Care Laundry for over 12 years, as well as worked for Crothall and others."

Lynn loved golfing, playing racketball, watching football, singing, hanging out with friends and riding his motorcycle. His greatest love was for his beautiful wife, Edna, their children and for his home state of Colorado. He will be greatly missed.

The first Texcare Asia and China Laundry Expo (TXCA & CLE) took place from September 25 to 27,  2019. TXCA & CLE 2019 served as a one-stop sourcing platform for industry stakeholders from the entire textile care supply chain, much like The Clean Show in the U.S., and is owned by the same company, Messe Frankfurt. Both visitors and exhibitors gained benefits from the business opportunities during Asia’s most influential international exhibition for laundry equipment and technology.

LinenMaster is excited to announce two new members to their customer support team. Nicole Wirgau (left) brings a wealth of industrial laundry experience as a LinenMaster user, as well as over a decade of customer service. Paired with her expertise, Nicole’s BS in business/accounting and AS in hospitality management give her insight into the business needs of LinenMaster customers and their clients.

Lauren Grosso (right) has over 15 years of robust customer service experience and is eager to help customers with their problem-solving challenges. While new to the laundry industry, she has an MBA and a BA in journalism, which she looks forward to using by helping LinenMaster to build out its offerings of documentation to customers.

Diamond Chemical Company Inc., a national manufacturer of institutional soaps and detergents, is pleased to announce the recent acquisition of Luseaux Laboratories. Luseaux Laboratories is a high quality west coast manufacturer, that has been providing institutional cleaning products, detergents and sanitizers for over 60 years.

The acquisition of Luseaux Laboratories provides Diamond Chemical with manufacturing and distribution facilities in Kingman, Ariz., to better service our west coast customers and grow our west coast business. Luseaux’s customers will benefit from Diamond’s expanded product offerings and excellent service.

For more information contact: sales@diamondchem.com

ALM member Westport Linen Services came through for their customers during recent flooding in Texas due to Tropical Storm Imelda. They increased and modified scheduled deliveries to meet the clients' needs and were the only vendors maintaining service to the hospitals. 

Scott Webb, linen utilization manger for CHRISTUS Hospital, said, "During Tropical Storm Imelda, when most vendors could not find a way in to Beaumont, Westport came though. The hospital could not even get their supplies delivered but Westport did it! They were the only vendors to make it happen. The hospital could not have been happier with Westport’s dedication to making sure the deliveries continued on the normal schedule."

Webb continued, "Westport’s communication throughout the Tropical Storm and flooding was amazing. I had constant contact with the cutomer service representative, Victoria Moss, and the plant manager, Jennifer, throughout the storm. Early mornings, late nights or weekends they responded asap. There was never a time that I did not know what was going on with my linen orders. That freed me to focus on the hospital’s needs."

Way to go, Westport Linen Services!

Ecolab announces Greg Thorsen as the new vice president and general manager, Textile Care Division, for Ecolab, the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital resources.

Previously, Greg held key executive positions in Ecolab’s Pest Elimination division, including senior vice president and general manager, International; senior vice president and general manager, North America; and vice president of Sales and Operations, North America. During his tenure with Ecolab, Greg has held a number of positions in operations, new business development and regional management. He began his career with Ecolab in 1988 as a Pest Elimination service specialist.

Diamond Chemical Company Inc. of East Rutherford New Jersey, a national manufacturer of laundry, ware wash, floor care, housekeeping, organic intermediates and industrial products, is pleased to announce the addition of Anderson Pierre-Louis (right), sales and service manager, and Andres Fernandez (left) as technician sales/service representative.