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Parker Brubaker, of Brubaker Linens, in Phoenix, Ariz., grew his commercial laundry business from the ground up. He started by cleaning hair salon towels and capes at a local public laundry before delivering them to clients using the family van. He got the idea while in college when he made Brubaker Linens his capstone business school project. In the three…

Home to America’s largest indoor waterpark, the 997-room Kalahari Resort (Kalahari), in Round Rock, Texas, offers families an all-underone- roof getaway with activities for all ages. Amenities include a 223,000-square-foot indoor waterpark, 80,000-square-foot Tom Foolery’s Adventure Park, four onsite signature restaurants and a full-service luxury spa. Behind the scenes, an on-premise laundry quickly processes 20,000 pounds of towels, comforters, blankets,…

By embracing a stepped approach to laundry automation, Whistler Laundry Inc., in Whistler, B.C., increased production 90 percent in just under four years. Starting from scratch, the commercial laundry startup added equipment and automation as it grew — improving product quality, bolstering productivity, capturing new clients and lowering labor costs.“We have grown at over 30 percent year over year, with…

As a college student, Craig Myatt spent the summers working as a bartender in a touristy North Carolina beach community. That’s when he noticed a need for clean linens within the vacation rental market. “I started in a garage in 2000. I’d rent sheets and towels, put them into a bedsheet package, and then I’d deliver them to rental properties,”…

Blue Heron Linens, in Savannah, Ga., a premier provider of commercial laundry services to the hospitality market, recently invested in Girbau Industrial (GI) ironing and folding solutions. Now with doubled production, slashed labor and elevated quality, owner Michael Wine anticipates a 12-month return on investment and a growth path to new business.The Automation AdvantageFollowing the pandemic, operational costs skyrocketed. “In…

Brightwater Laundry in Sevierville, Tenn., recently completed a massive automation project that positions the company to process up to 10 million pounds of customer-owned goods (COG) per year, according to Laundry Project Manager Matthew Shadle. The commercial laundry, which serves the booming vacation rental and hospitality markets of Eastern Tennessee, immediately launched laundry productivity, lowered labor costs and improved end-product…

When and why should a laundry transition from open-pocket washers and dryers to an automated continuous batch washer system? In this article, we’ll offer some timing guidelines for moving into a tunnel system that directly relate to laundry poundage; the benefits a tunnel brings, including amped productivity and savings in labor and utilities; and its anticipated return on investment.Tunnel Automation…

In the hospitality world, there are times of occupancy madness that kick every area of a hotel or resort into full gear. We know this as “peak season” and preparedness is the key to overcoming its challenges – especially in the laundry room. In this column, I offer several tips for ensuring a seamless peak season laundry operation. Are your…

While some property management companies inside the exploding vacation rental segment of hospitality provide laundry and linen services as part of their offerings, either by housekeeping turning on site, subcontracting it out, or handling it in-house, others don’t. The point is, there’s money to be made and saved in the event you want to bring laundry and linen services under…

As highly programmable machines, E-Series Washers offer the flexibility to meet all hospital laundering standards, including the Centers for Disease Control’s CDC, now and into the future. Available in a wide range of capacities — from 20 to 255 pounds — Continental pony washers properly clean everything from pillows, gowns and bed linens, to blankets, scrubs and bed pads.Adaptability for…