The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers — the High-Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers — recently expanded Fox Cities Stadium, in Appleton, Wis. That expansion resulted in new seating areas, elevated player amenities, a new three-story slide, an expanded concourse encircling the stadium, and a larger, improved laundry facility dedicated to processing everything from table linens, skirting and game uniforms to towels, loops, practice gear and concession rags.
In addition to Timber Rattlers baseball games, Fox Cities Stadium is home to a multitude of events throughout the year, including concerts, banquets, corporate meetings, weddings and more…
Enhancing the Home and Visiting Team Clubhouses
Prior to the renovation, the stadium lacked the laundry capacity to process visiting team laundry, according to Aaron Hahn, vice president of baseball and stadium operations. “We moved the visiting team’s clubhouse to the home side and added a new home clubhouse with batting cages, offices, a player lounge, training room, commissary and new laundry room,” said Hahn. “Now we do all laundry there, including visiting team laundry,” he said.
Going with Sports Laundry Systems
To properly outfit the larger laundry space, Hahn spoke with people in the industry and reviewed references for both a quality provider and equipment brand. Ultimately, he sought expert advice from Seth Willer, of Laundry Systems Wisconsin, a laundry solution distributor in Neenah. Willer recommended larger, high-performance Sports Laundry System (SLS) washers and dryers with flexible programmability and a freestanding design. The Timber Rattlers outfitted the new laundry with two 60-pound capacity, soft-mount SLS Washer-Extractors, relocated an existing 75-pound capacity dryer to the new laundry area, and added a new SLS 75/85-pound capacity dryer. They also added a 22-pound capacity LG Commercial Washer and Dryer for small loads.
Programmed by Item Type
The SLS Washers are highly programmable and deliver total control over every variable of the wash process. This ensures all items — from linens and towels to practice gear and uniforms — are correctly cleaned. Additionally, the new SLS Washers automatically inject the correct detergents and chemicals, which eliminates human error and the possibility of damage to uniforms and fabrics, while ensuring every laundry load is disinfected. Operators just load, enter a program number and press start.
High G-force Extract Equals Superior Productivity
Producing high extract speeds of up to 400 G-force, the SLS Washers drastically cut laundry processing time, as well. As G-force increases, so does the amount of moisture removed from each washer load. When more moisture is removed, laundry subsequently takes less time to dry — contributing to greater laundry productivity each day, longer uniform life and lower utility costs.
Most loads are washed and dried in an hour or less, according to Hahn. “It was obvious right off the bat how much drier laundry was coming out of the washer,” he said. “In a typical day, we do 7-8 loads for our home clubhouse and the visiting team does 5 loads on game days.”
Hahn couldn’t be happier with his equipment and distributor choice. “They’ve been fantastic,” he said. “If we have an issue, Seth is quick to stop out himself and provide service if needed. His response time is super quick and the service is great.”