Full Cycle

Welcome to the PlanetLaundry Podcast – brought to you by PlanetLaundry, the official publication of CLA.

In this episode, PlanetLaundry Editor Bob Nieman chats with Rob Maes, the owner of Express Laundry Centers, a four-store chain in the Houston area. In 2006, after more than 20 years in corporate America, Maes wanted to start his own business and decided on the laundromat industry after attending a CLA seminar. Today, four stores later, Rob serves on the CLA Board of Directors – and will ascend to the chairmanship in January.

Maes shares his vision for CLA and its Board, as well as discussing some of the future challenges facing the organization and dispelling a few misconceptions about the CLA Board.

We hope you enjoy this conversation. We invite you to listen to more PlanetLaundry Podcasts at https://planetlaundry.podbean.com.

This edition of the PlanetLaundry Podcast has been made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of Cents.

In this episode, CLA President and CEO Brian Wallace sits down with Joel Jorgensen, Vice President of Sales at Girbau North American, to discuss trends in the laundry industry. Jorgensen joined Continental in 1997 as regional sales manager and later served as director of sales and marketing before taking on his current role in 2006. Jorgensen has guided Girbau North America’s sales, marketing and service operations during his 25+ year career.

Joel was an early proponent of encouraging laundromat owners to explore new markets that could be served out of the traditional laundromat setting—WDF, delivery and commercial accounts. He shares how their customers are joining one of the largest trends in laundry and how they are using some of the innovative tools out there to grow their business. Joel also shares his perspective on some of the newer trends affecting the industry, such as consolidation of distributors and franchise models.

This edition of the Laundry Leadership Conversations podcast has been made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of our Elite Strategic Corporate Ally, Girbau North America.

In this episode, CLA President and CEO Brian Wallace sits down with Joel Jorgensen, Vice President of Sales at Girbau North American, to discuss trends in the laundry industry. Jorgensen joined Continental in 1997 as regional sales manager and later served as director of sales and marketing before taking on his current role in 2006. Jorgensen has guided Girbau North America’s sales, marketing and service operations during his 25+ year career.

Joel was an early proponent of encouraging laundromat owners to explore new markets that could be served out of the traditional laundromat setting—WDF, delivery and commercial accounts. He shares how their customers are joining one of the largest trends in laundry and how they are using some of the innovative tools out there to grow their business. Joel also shares his perspective on some of the newer trends affecting the industry, such as consolidation of distributors and franchise models.

This edition of the Laundry Leadership Conversations podcast has been made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of our Elite Strategic Corporate Ally, Girbau North America.

Welcome to the PlanetLaundry Podcast – brought to you by PlanetLaundry, the magazine of CLA.

In this episode, PlanetLaundry Editor Bob Nieman chats with John MacKrell, founder and chief executive officer of HappyNest, a national laundry pickup-and-delivery service brand.

MacKrell, a former investment banker and active duty Army officer, started in the laundromat industry in 2003, after purchasing his first store in East Greenwich, R.I. Over the next 15 years, he built or purchased another five laundromats.

However, frustration with the low usage of his laundry equipment during the slower midweek periods prompted him to begin offering residential laundry pickup-and-delivery services throughout Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts. As his delivery business grew, he developed software to manage the process.

Starting in 2018, MacKrell started licensing his enterprise-level software as a white label SaaS to independent laundromat owners. Then, in 2020, he decided to pivot away from licensing software to partnering with quality operators to create the national brand, HappyNest. Today, HappyNest has 130 partners in 35 states.

We hope you enjoy this conversation. We invite you to listen to more PlanetLaundry Podcasts at https://planetlaundry.podbean.com/.

This edition of the PlanetLaundry Podcast has been made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of HappyNest.

Welcome to the PlanetLaundry Podcast – brought to you by PlanetLaundry, the magazine of CLA.

In this episode, PlanetLaundry Editor Bob Nieman chats with John MacKrell, founder and chief executive officer of HappyNest, a national laundry pickup-and-delivery service brand.

MacKrell, a former investment banker and active duty Army officer, started in the laundromat industry in 2003, after purchasing his first store in East Greenwich, R.I. Over the next 15 years, he built or purchased another five laundromats.

However, frustration with the low usage of his laundry equipment during the slower midweek periods prompted him to begin offering residential laundry pickup-and-delivery services throughout Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts. As his delivery business grew, he developed software to manage the process.

Starting in 2018, MacKrell started licensing his enterprise-level software as a white label SaaS to independent laundromat owners. Then, in 2020, he decided to pivot away from licensing software to partnering with quality operators to create the national brand, HappyNest. Today, HappyNest has 130 partners in 35 states.

We hope you enjoy this conversation. We invite you to listen to more PlanetLaundry Podcasts at https://planetlaundry.podbean.com/.

This edition of the PlanetLaundry Podcast has been made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of HappyNest.

Welcome to the PlanetLaundry Podcast – brought to you by PlanetLaundry, the official publication of CLA.

In this episode, PlanetLaundry Editor Bob Nieman chats with Jason Dodge, the owner of Quick Wash Laundromats, a three-store chain in Milwaukee, Wis. In addition, Jason has been active with CLA’s LaundryCares Foundation – hosting a couple of Free Laundry & Literacy Day events at his laundromats earlier this year.

We hope you enjoy this conversation. We invite you to listen to more PlanetLaundry Podcasts at https://planetlaundry.podbean.com/.

This edition of the PlanetLaundry Podcast has been made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of Cents.

Welcome to the PlanetLaundry Podcast – brought to you by PlanetLaundry, the official publication of CLA.

In this episode, PlanetLaundry Editor Bob Nieman chats with Jason Dodge, the owner of Quick Wash Laundromats, a three-store chain in Milwaukee, Wis. In addition, Jason has been active with CLA’s LaundryCares Foundation – hosting a couple of Free Laundry & Literacy Day events at his laundromats earlier this year.

We hope you enjoy this conversation. We invite you to listen to more PlanetLaundry Podcasts at https://planetlaundry.podbean.com/.

This edition of the PlanetLaundry Podcast has been made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of Cents.

Welcome to the PlanetLaundry Podcast – brought to you by PlanetLaundry, the magazine of CLA.

In this episode, PlanetLaundry Editor Bob Nieman chats with John Buni and David Griffith-Jones, co-founders of CleanCloud, which is a leading point-of-sale and pickup-and-delivery software and management system built specifically for the laundry industry.

Buni and Griffith-Jones reflect on CleanCloud’s 10 years in business, along with some recent company milestones – as well as discussing how the business has evolved over the years, where the greatest opportunities lie for future laundromat success, best practices for leveraging technology within laundry operations, and what has them most excited about the laundry industry going forward.

We hope you enjoy this conversation. We invite you to listen to more PlanetLaundry Podcasts at https://planetlaundry.podbean.com

This edition of the PlanetLaundry Podcast has been made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of CleanCloud.

Welcome to the PlanetLaundry Podcast – brought to you by PlanetLaundry, the magazine of CLA.

In this episode, PlanetLaundry Editor Bob Nieman chats with John Buni and David Griffith-Jones, co-founders of CleanCloud, which is a leading point-of-sale and pickup-and-delivery software and management system built specifically for the laundry industry.

Buni and Griffith-Jones reflect on CleanCloud’s 10 years in business, along with some recent company milestones – as well as discussing how the business has evolved over the years, where the greatest opportunities lie for future laundromat success, best practices for leveraging technology within laundry operations, and what has them most excited about the laundry industry going forward.

We hope you enjoy this conversation. We invite you to listen to more PlanetLaundry Podcasts at https://planetlaundry.podbean.com

This edition of the PlanetLaundry Podcast has been made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of CleanCloud.

Welcome to the PlanetLaundry Podcast – brought to you by PlanetLaundry, the official publication of CLA.

In this episode, PlanetLaundry Editor Bob Nieman chats with Jamie Sewell, the owner of Clean Vibes Laundry Company in Tampa, Fla.

Jamie has more than a decade of experience in the commercial laundry industry and has worked with hundreds of laundromat owners worldwide. She led marketing for CLA, was a founding member and CMO of the first cashless laundromat concept, and oversaw technology worldwide at Alliance Laundry Systems.

Jamie also is a coach, mentor, and strong advocate for women entrepreneurs in the laundry industry.

We hope you enjoy this conversation. We invite you to listen to more PlanetLaundry Podcasts at https://planetlaundry.podbean.com.

This edition of the PlanetLaundry Podcast has been made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of Cents.