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It IS greener on the other side of the fence… Who hasn’t used the old “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence” adage when considering difficult decisions in life? Thirty-two years ago I answered a blind box ad in the job section of a newspaper. This adage came into clear focus as I considered responding to an ad that simply stated, “Looking for a person to work the presses, increase sales, hire staff, and keep equipment in shape.” With no knowledge of what the position description meant, I responded. Thinking that the grass was greener on the other side of the fence, I interviewed, reaching for a better life for our family. Allowing fear to be the dominant consideration wasn’t an option, so I accepted the offer and the grass has continually gotten greener through the years. Sure, there have been some of the tan, patchy seasons but never a time where I regretted my decision. I am blessed to have experienced both sides of our industry, as a plant operator and as an allied trades representative. My early years were spent as General Manager of a small chain of package plants, drop stores, and commercial real estate. Those early formative years provided me with a steep learning curve and reward that convinced me that indeed the grass was getting greener in the textile care industry. An opportunity provided by a good friend trained me in the capital goods sales field of equipment and design and layout for laundries and dry cleaning plants. While it broadened my view of the textile care industry, I also experienced the great need for attention to detail to professionally serve the dry cleaning industry as allied trades servants. These experiences revealed that not only was it greener in the dry cleaning industry, but that many people helped me gain knowledge, skills, and confidence to help me grow personally and professionally. It was at this point that I saw that certain key players were not just in it for the money but had the vision to ensure the industry would be sustainable in the long view, or put another way—they wanted to keep the future path green and vibrant, free of weeds and that one spot that never seems to grow. Just a few years ago, I was seeking to partner with a firm that was progressive in its approach to our industry. I wasn’t seeking a job; I already had one. My desire was to partner with a firm that actually lived on a daily basis their commitment to a better future for our industry. After much research, I found that GreenEarth Cleaning not only spoke of their commitment and mission but they put their money where their mouth is. They invested early and often, refined processes, tested, then tested those results again, listened to their Affiliates, and improved continually. Once again, I saw that the grass is truly greener on the other side of the fence, and I wanted to be on that side of it. Serving you has brought untold blessings of sharing your life with me—the birth of children, marriage, health challenges, etc.—daily confirming life is greener on the other side of the fence. For me, it’s more than a monetary driver; it’s about providing a sustainable business practice for people, profits, and the planet. Looking out for their best interests—that is as green as it gets!

This was my response to an interviewer who was talking to me about a job opportunity “at a multi-location retail chain that employs primarily women”.  At least that’s the description I was given. This interview was arranged by my Finance Department advisor, Dr. Rajiv Kalra, at Minnesota State University back in 2006. He didn’t tell me which company wanted to hire me, but he was sure I was a good candidate.  It turned out the secrecy around the position was warranted because Dr. Kalra was about to buy Fargo, North Dakota’s Camelot Cleaners, but was under a non-disclosure agreement until the deal closed later that month. Camelot needed a General Manager, and being a frequent visitor to Dr. Kalra’s office, he knew me well enough (or thought I was a sucker) to recommend me for the job. Apparently I interviewed well enough because soon I found myself staring at a Forenta fast-back pants press whose head would no longer come down when summoned. I was pretty good with mechanical repairs, being a gear head who enjoyed working on my own cars at home, but trying to follow the air diagram for a pants press was something new entirely.  Then there were the days where our 20-horsepower Fulton boiler would be down at one location, or the chiller down at the other store. Or the modems no longer communicating with the server that runs our Microsoft DOS-based POS system. And who could forget the time the steam coil broke in one of our perc machines and we shrunk an entire load of tailored wool suits.  What about the days where I had to fill in for the shirt presser, doing 350 shirts on a Forenta single-buck on 100 degree humid summer days? What did I get myself into? Slowly we rebuilt Camelot Cleaners into a modern dry cleaner.  We replaced aging equipment and non-supported computer systems.  We added assisted assembly. We invited industry experts and “soap guys” to visit and provide honest feedback.  We fixed confounding cleaning programs in both the dry cleaning machines and washing machines. And when it came time for us to replace those six aging perc machines, we fully embraced GreenEarth.  Our conversion to GreenEarth in 2010 allowed us to host a Grand Re-Opening and rebrand ourselves as the only “Green Dry Cleaners” in North Dakota. I’ll never forget the day Tim Maxwell arrived in Fargo to perform our Start Up on the first day we used GreenEarth.  My plant manager, our pressers and spotters, and myself nervously watched Tim put the new programs into a Union HL880 and we wondered what differences we would see in our first load compared to perc.  I think a black silk Tommy Bahama shirt that actually looked BLACK and felt like the rarest of luxurious tapestries after dry cleaning made everyone smile. And with that, we were GreenEarth Affiliates. Today, as the Technical Director for GreenEarth Cleaning, I often think about this inflection point in Camelot’s history when I’m on the road and waiting for the very first load to come out of a new GreenEarth machine.  It might be somewhere in Los Angeles, Montreal, London, Seoul, Singapore, or Honolulu. It doesn’t really matter where, because dry cleaners are a very similar bunch all around the world. They are all extremely hard workers, trying to do their best with the equipment that they have, and making the final arbiter of quality – the customer – a happy and returning guest. My favorite part of working for GreenEarth is the opportunity to help you solve problems.  I really enjoy the mechanical and programming side of the business, and our technical team and I work very hard to ensure we are true experts in all brands of machines so we are able to assist you right away when trouble hits.  The fact that so many of our Affiliates turn to GreenEarth as the first point of contact when the machine is acting up tells me we are filling a much-needed gap in our industry’s ability to diagnose and service modern dry cleaning machines. GreenEarth’s unique ability to make a personal difference is what sets us apart from other “vendors” or service-providers in our industry.  I often tell people that you cannot talk about GreenEarth like we are comparing Big Macs to Whoppers. Neither sandwich is objectively better, and some people just like Whoppers.  But GreenEarth can prove, through scientific study, that it’s objectively better for People, the Planet, and your Profits (the three P’s of Sustainability). Our unmatched environmental profile, along with technical support, optimized products, marketing support, web services, advocacy, and so many other well-executed benefits is why I wanted to be an Affiliate in the first place.  I believe that GreenEarth is more than just a solvent in a machine because I lived it, experienced it, and saw the results as a dry cleaner. Now, as GreenEarth celebrates its 20th Anniversary, I find myself very thankful to be a part of GreenEarth, in some way or another, for half of the organization’s existence.  This credibility has given me, and by extension the rest of the GreenEarth Team, a trustworthiness and authority in the industry (and not just aftercare, but manufacturing, testing, standards, and other Sustainability initiatives as well) that is extremely rare to find. I’m truly grateful for the trust that our Affiliates put in us as we work together to help you be the best Affiliate possible.

I’ve wanted to be a writer in some capacity for as long as I can remember. When I was probably no more than 5 or 6, I would write poems and songs and perform them for my parents. In high school, I took as many English and creative writing classes as I could fit into my schedule. When I went off to college, I threw myself headfirst into working with the university’s student-run weekly newspaper as a reporter, then A&E editor, then managing editor. I graduated with a mass communications degree emphasized in journalism in 2016. As GreenEarth’s Social Media Specialist, I’m still writing. But this time it’s different…and in a good way. I’m now helping small businesses build their brand by strengthening their online presence. It’s pretty cool to hear from Affiliates I work with that a customer came in because of something posted on Facebook or someone in the community simply made a comment about the quality of content across their social pages. Edit: very cool. I never realized how much writing could help people until I came to GreenEarth. Not that I didn’t know it could, but it’s a totally different feeling when it’s your job to generate results. That’s my hands-down favorite aspect about being a part of the GreenEarth team. We offer services and resources for our Affiliates to succeed. Like Steve Kno wrote in his blog last month, GreenEarth Cleaning is “more than just a solvent.” We don’t provide D5 silicone and send our best wishes; we want to share our marketing and technical expertise to see businesses flourish and continue growing along with us. For Affiliates that tell me they’re lost when it comes to social media, I like to point out that I’m equally puzzled about running a dry cleaning plant. That makes us even, so we can work together to build up a well-rounded operation. If you’re interested in knowing more about what we do here in the marketing department, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email at zeads@greenearthcleaning.com. Or to view our signup form, click here.

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? We’ve been celebrating our 20th Anniversary for three months now, and the rest of our team has covered how important our Affiliates are to us and how GreenEarth has grown over the years. With that said, I feel like I’m in a unique position with the company. So let’s talk about how a 21-year-old Canadian earned a role with GreenEarth Cleaning. I learned about an opportunity for employment at GreenEarth through Tim Maxwell, who was my hockey coach when I was starting as a goalie. He saw in me a strong work ethic and the skill set to accomplish the tasks necessary every day. My trust in Tim made me take the plunge and apply for a position for Product Inventory Management. While I still work in product inventory, I took the initiative to involve myself in the eCommerce side of things as well. This gave me a better sense of what’s happening and allowed me to learn how I could improve in my role with GreenEarth. My hard work paid off as I was included in multiple projects and opportunities, resulting in my current title, E-Commerce Specialist. After  almost two years with GreenEarth, I consider myself lucky to work with a great team of professionals. The team at GreenEarth has taught me many new skills and expanded my horizons. In addition to the experience I have gained, GreenEarth has allowed me to pursue my passion for music and a degree in Music Therapy.  I’m forever grateful to the entire team for allowing me to grow as a person and I look forward to my future with GreenEarth Cleaning!

I joined the GreenEarth Cleaning team back in 2009, and I am consistently impressed, even to this day, by this company’s 20-year-long commitment to providing the dry cleaning industry with sustainable and environmentally non-toxic solutions. When I first started 10 years ago, we only offered the GreenEarth solvent, but since then, we’ve branched out to provide a completely optimized System that spans all aspects of the dry cleaning process, including our Prime 3/2 pre-spotter, Sustain detergent, and Activated Clay Filtration. In my time at GreenEarth, I have been fortunate to work with many Affiliates to make a positive impact and help preserve our planet for future generations. Our Members are just as passionate about GreenEarth’s sustainable mission, and to say their advocacy is inspiring would be an understatement. I especially enjoy meeting with the Affiliates I’ve talked to over the phone. It’s nice to finally put faces with names when Affiliates come to our Kansas City workshops. Trying to narrow down a favorite memory isn’t easy, but one that’s definitely noteworthy is the Royals game we attended with members of the GreenEarth Family as part of our 2015 workshop. Watching baseball in a private suite with 50 good friends—what could be better than that? I’m looking forward to all we have in store for this year’s event, happening the weekend of Sept. 21 and 22! If you haven’t already booked your spot, you can register here.

Coming to a country, with less than a hundred dollars, and not knowing the language, to owning a small business. Through hard work, not spending money on useless things, and living with two other families in a small one-bedroom apartment, this was how many Korean immigrants, including my father, were able to purchase their very own dry-cleaning plant. As times change, hard work alone is not enough to get customers to come through the door. Not having an online presence is one of the reasons we are seeing immigrant dry-cleaning operators struggle to grow their business. In an industry where solvent companies are just that, I am grateful to be part of a company that is more. A company that takes charge in helping our affiliates evolve and grow their business to meet the demands and expectations of the new generation. GreenEarth is able to accomplish this by building websites for our affiliates, marketing via social media, delivering exceptional customer service with a Bi-lingual staff to break the language barrier, and providing the only sustainable way of dry-cleaning. This past August I was able to work the California Cleaners Association Expo in Long Beach, CA. Meeting and spending face to face time with so many Affiliates in one place was a great experience. Then Saturday night we took a large group of our Affiliates to BO-Beau Kitchen + Tap Room for happy hour and I learned what it meant to be a part of the GreenEarth Family.

“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”  Mark Twain.  This quote from a famous Missourian rings true when I look back at my time with GreenEarth Cleaning. It has been over 12 years since I moved with my family from Toronto, Canada to Kansas City, Missouri to work with the team at GreenEarth Cleaning and I still love what I do.  Dry cleaning is a challenging and exciting business.  I have been fortunate to work with many GreenEarth Affiliates big and small to make a positive impact working toward their sales goals. Whether it is starting an email marketing campaign, working with our development team to create their store a new website, improving customer service, or realizing the benefits of our sustainable cleaning system,  I have to say our Affiliates are the best part of my day! I am so proud to work with all of the Members of the GreenEarth Network; the work they do every day is helping to make our planet better.  We could not do what we do without them!  

Only joining the GreenEarth Cleaning team this past May, I am certainly newer than most. Every day that I have worked here, I am constantly impressed by this company’s 20 year long commitment to providing the dry cleaning industry with sustainable and environmentally non-toxic solutions. Before GreenEarth, dry cleaning had been known to be tough on the planet and on garments. But the people here have created a solution that is eco-friendly and gentler on clothing. The GreenEarth process has helped to change negative reality and perceptions of dry cleaning for the past 20 years. I am so proud and delighted to be able to work for a company that always tries to do the right thing. GreenEarth Cleaning’s collaborative culture benefits more than just the company, its employees, and its Members. GreenEarth Cleaning benefits the industry as a whole as well as the earth and environment. GreenEarth is a strong advocate of sustainable solutions that are safer and gentler on the environment. At GreenEarth, we truly are a family. One of my favorite memories that I have from the short time I’ve been with GreenEarth Cleaning is attending the company holiday party. It was really fun to be able to chat with everyone and hear stories about their work with GreenEarth and to hear about some of our amazing Members. I love working somewhere I am part of a family and I know that I can make a real difference in the world, even if it’s only a small difference. It’s clear that the people here at GreenEarth truly believe in the work they are doing.