Oregon Dry Cleaners Assoication
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From the Editor's Laptop... You will forgive me if I stray, just a bit, from my usual comments and thoughts about our industry. As you may already know, this past month has been a very difficult time for me with the loss of my partner Steve. Many of you got to know him through Association functions. While he was shy and nervous at first, he quickly found that our group was warm, friendly and welcoming. And he grew to love attending gatherings, whether for Convention, classes or just social get- togethers. You could easily tell, by the sparkle in his eyes when he would ask, "When is the next dry cleaners event so I can arrange time off work", that he loved this group we call the ODCA.
I'm sure each of you have a memory that you hold in your heart. I think one of my favorites was at convention this past year when Steve, with Barbara Peterson took over and "owned" the dance floor. Who would have thought that this klutz, who could rarely empty the dishwasher without breaking a dish, could move so brilliantly? He confessed later that he had never enjoyed himself so much. Steve and I made many plans. We had hopes and dreams for the future, but in a single instant and without warning, Stephen "Bugs" Perry left us. As I sit here writing this, I struggle for the words to express how grateful I am for the support I have received during this difficult time. Your continued words of encouragement, cards, emails, phone calls, visits and contributions demonstrate just how wonderfully supportive and incredible the members of this organization are. While my future may be uncertain, one thing is sure; you are all a part of it. I wish you peace, prosperity and most of all, good health.
Contact Brian
Olson
at
bolson@oregondrycleaners.org.
Brian Olson CED, Director, District 1 - Newsletter Editor
It's been a busy month for the dry cleaners here in Oregon. But before I get to that, I would like to say Thank You to all who participated in the "Perfect Shirt Seminar" held July 12 at Bee Tailors & Cleaners in Portland. I am sure everybody learned something they didn't know and had a great time doing so. You can read further in an article by Barbara Peterson-Garbutt of Dry Cleaning Depot in Hubbard. I would like to thank Jay of Bee Cleaners for opening his new facility for our seminar, also Trevor & Kurt of Seitz Chemical for the outstanding presentation and Liz Davies for her demonstration of the Unipress Lightening Shirt Unit. If you haven't already heard, the Oregon DEQ has taken enforcement actions and levied fines on several dry cleaners in the state. The majority of them were in the Portland area. The fines were in the range of $5000.00 to $15,000.00 and each affected party can file an appeal within twenty days. Most of the fines were for not filing the required annual dry cleaning report or filing incomplete reports in regards to air quality. That being your Calendar Log which they send you every year. The media has taken this up and The Portland Tribune printed an article on this in their July 15th edition. Click here to read the entire article. The article then was picked up by American Drycleaner and released nationally via their email news alerts. This was not good publicity for the dry cleaners in this state no matter what you are cleaning your clothes in. When the public sees these things in print they begin to have a negative impact on all of us. We become "just the place on the corner that uses chemicals that pollute the environment" and "we care nothing about our communities". Is this how we want to be viewed? I do not want anybody reading this to think I am passing judgment on any of the dry cleaners that fines were levied against, I am not. The purpose is to show the negative impact this can have on all dry cleaners. We have one of the best programs in the country in place that protects us and our communities in case of an accidental release of waste, let's not allow negative publicity to lead us to more laws and regulations that make it harder and more expensive to operate. In the posts commenting on the article you can see that most of them were negative and think most dry cleaners simply don't care about the environment and that it is all about money. Little do they know. Well enough ranting from me for this issue.
Contact Scott
McClure
at
smcclure@oregondrycleaners.org.
The Perfect Shirt seminar hosted by ODCA was a winner! Those that gave up a day of sweltering sun to go back to school now have the knowledge of turning out a "perfect shirt". Much thanks to Seitz and Unipress for the presentations. Thank you to Jay for allowing Bee Cleaners to accommodate all of us for the day. It is always a pleasure and interesting to see another shop. And thank you to Russ from Peterson Equipment for being on hand for the minor (major) details of functioning equipment (our livelihood).
We had an absolutely fabulous lunch thanks to President Scott for recruiting "Fete by Myriam" catering. The food was a wonderful assortment of color and flavor. Personally, I had to eat my dessert brownie first for fear of maybe missing out on the mouth watering chocolate. But as it turned out I had a second one (don't tell).
It was fun to see everyone again. We missed those that were unable to attend. If you chose not to attend you might be able to squeeze some info out of a competitor that did go! I hope to see you all at convention.
This year's convention is September 26, 27, & 28 at Seven Feathers Hotel and Casino Resort in Canyonville (Southern Oregon) and there should be something for everybody. Here are our guest speakers . . .
Vendor tabletop displays and a Presidents reception on Friday. Golf is an option and if enough interest is shown we will have a wine tour on Saturday, a general membership meeting, followed by a delicloius banquet and surprise live entertainment and of course, a board meeting on Sunday. So mark your calendars now to meet and greet old friends, introduce yourself to new ones, learn, relax and enjoy!
I'm sure that most of you know that Dry cleaning is in my blood being third generation, but wine is in my veins. And so I have started a wine touring business in the Rogue Valley and beyond. Last year at the convention I was approached to conduct a wine tour for the guests and family that do not find the topics that interest us Dry Cleaners as interesting and helpful as we do. So I have spent the past year expanding my horizons and found a wonderful hidden treasure in the Umpqua Valley. The wineries are small and friendly; in most cases the owner/winemaker will serve you and answer your questions. The wines are hidden gems, comparable to some of the more recognized wineries throughout Oregon. So tell your friends and family (must be 21 or over) to come enjoy a lovely afternoon tasting wine. We will depart Seven Feathers in the comfort of a stretch limo (or the Trolley if available) between 11 and Noon on Saturday, September 27. The first stop is Spangler Vineyards where you will enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch. And of course wine tasting. Spangler produces reserve quality Bordeaux varietals. Next Stop: Abacela. Beautiful vista views and great wines with a Spanish influence. Desert will be at Girardet Wine Cellars: This is one of the oldest wineries in the Umpqua Valley. They feature handcrafted wines with depth and grace. Last but not least: Wild Rose; enjoy fine art and wine tasting to complete the day. We will return in plenty of time for you to prepare for the evenings festivities. Pricing for the tour is 45.00 to 65.00 per person and will be determined depending on how many sign up. Included will be your own Wine glass and personal wine tasting journal. If you are interested in participating in the wine tour or would like more information, contact ODCA's official Wine Tour Hostess, Jodi Bittick. (541) 734-9247
Attention Vendors! The ODCA Convention is being held September 27th and 28th at Seven Feathers Hotel & Casino Resort. Once again we invite you to demonstrate your products and services with a table top display at our event. This is a great way for you to meet contacts and increase your network! If you have not received your invitation and registration you can download it from the ODCA website. Click here for all the information you need. We'll see you at Seven Feathers!
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Return to Top This page revised 12 August 2009
Trevor from Seitz started us all out with a
good
morning jolt by showing up in a gorgeous lime green
tie perfectly knotted around his neck and smartly
laying atop none other than a "perfect white shirt".
From the get go we were informed that there was not
a "magic wand" (surprise-surprise) to achieve the
perfect shirt look, but rather a theory based on the
perfect wash formula and then followed with a proper
dressing of the shirt unit. Before lunch, Trevor made
sure the entire group completely understood the
CTMT formula, Chemical-Temperature-Mechanical
Action-Time. The CTMT formula
creates a "perfect circle" that produces a perfect shirt.
Each step of the circle is as important as the next. If
you skip, miss or change the formula, you create
a "sinners circle" and can no longer compete with the
perfect shirt. Guess who can charge more for their
shirt, the perfect circle or the sinner's circle? Trevor
finished up his portion with "Trevor's Top Ten List" (he
was pretending to be David Letterman??) Number
one on the list, Hot water is your best friend.
As soon as we finished eating, Liz from
Unipress
provided an impressive demonstration on finishing a
shirt. She makes it look so easy. I think I heard her say
something about "if she is still pressing shirts at 70
years old" blah blah blah? Of course we all want to
order the new unipress lightening unit when our
windfall comes in. It was very helpful for the owners
that brought employees. The shirt finishers were able
to address specific issues with Liz. She was very
helpful and did not hesitate to remind us owners how
necessary it was that we provide functional, well
maintained equipment for them to use. Thank you, Liz
for sharing your expertise.