Crouse’s Cleaners, Grand Prairie, AB

By Becca Anderson

This is the second year we have held a competition to find examples of the greatest plants across Canada. Our competition is not all-inclusive: you have to nominate your plant, or someone else has to do it for you. The competitors were sent a standardized set of questions about their operations and we wrote an article featuring each plant, with lots of photos.

Our thanks and admiration for each of the plants that submitted their information and shared their stories. You are all winners, just for putting yourselves forward for scrutiny, and you shine in the Canadian industry.

Once we had posted stories about the various plants, it was up to the judges to decide the winner. Our judges have a depth of knowledge about the industry that is second to none.

Our Judges

• Marcia Todd – Publisher Emeritus of Fabricare Canada Magazine.
• Sid Chelsky – Executive Director of the Canadian Fabricare Association.
• Chris Tebbs – Executive Director of the International Drycleaners Congress (and many other things).
• Bob Wong – Retired dry cleaner and astute industry observer.

Sid Chelsky shared his criteria for judging the entries in our competition. The other judges intuitively based their decision on a similar mental list.

“The following are the items I believe are important to win the plant award and many of them were performed by the entries,” he said. His list:

• Environment concerns including plastic usage
• Customer respect
• Regular maintenance programs
• Community service
• Exterior look of building
• Constant upgrading equipment with new technology
• Cleanliness of plant front and rear of equipment
• Quality of work produced
• Safety for employees 
• Association membership
• Training programs to upgrade employee skills and new hires
• Brand visibility including social media, signage, etc.
• Customer reviews
• Family involvement in company
• Presentation of garments
• Counter clean and welcoming to customers
• Inventory control
• Plant layout

It was a tough competition

Though the judges were tasked with selecting just one plant, they were free to comment on all the competitors, and some did. Their comments give deeper insights into the selections they eventually made. The final winner: Crouse’s Cleaners.

Crouse’s Cleaners

Crouse’s garnered three of the four available votes. Here’s what the judges had to say about it.

Sid Chelsky

Crouse’s Cleaners has a beautiful and inviting exterior. They are utilizing new technology to keep their operation up to date and efficient. I was impressed about the attention to the quality of the work they processed and the cleanliness of both the front and back of the equipment. They have been recognized by their community for their coats for the needy each year and the value of belonging to associations that will help you grow your business. They have a good training and upgrading program for new and current staff.  The company has branded across all social media and gets great Google reviews. They are proud of their safety program and their certificate. Crouse’s is also a family operation which is highly respected in the industry and their community. They hit all the buttons

Chris Tebbs

Crouse’s does some similar work to Krazee Klean but certainly not as contaminated but then they also do more normal laundering and dry cleaning work. They are relatively strong on the marketing side although being in Grande Prairie the competition is not so great. Again, they have an excellent organization and much of this is down to Kathleen and David who have had to overcome some difficulties in the business operation.

Bob Wong

Bob liked what he saw with Crouse’s, and didn’t submit comments on the other plants. He said, “I like their story and would be envious of their equipment and plant layout. I like that they are a full service plant with both commercial and retail operations. I like that they are a third generation family in the business, and I like that they do not use Perc.

Marcia Todd

Marcia struggled with her decision, but was able to select her choice. “I was impressed by all of these plants, and found the choice difficult. But in the end, I chose Crouse’s.” High praise from someone who has observed and written about the industry for well over 50 years!

Krazee Klean

Sid Chelsky

Krazee Klean has a very clean plant in spite of the specialty on overalls. I was looking for a front that was inviting to customers, but I realize that this is mainly an industrial plant. I appreciated the attitude of the owners in line with their customers. I give them credit for their safety certification and adherence to environmental concerns. As well, they deserve credit for their community service by providing free cleaning of sports jersies.

Chris Tebbs

I think Krazee Klean deserves a special mention for the expertise in a specialized field. To work in that area requires special skills and they have certainly risen to the task.

Busy Bee Gold

Sid Chelsky

Busy Bee Gold had a nice counter area to receive cleaning. They showed innovation with the plastic garment bag return program, and their wedding gown preservation box. They also showed the value of brand support and training of new employees.

Chris Tebbs

If I read the article on Busy Bee correctly, they have a restricted business being solely devoted to, in their words, dry cleaning, tailoring, and bridal services. I do not see any laundering services offered which, in the current environment would seem to me to be a serious deficiency particularly with what I see being sold in the garment shops today. However, much depends on location and maybe they can get sufficient high-end clothing to justify the reduced services.

Page the Cleaner

Sid Chelsky

Page the Cleaner has a nice front that is appealing to customers as well as a nice counter area. They realize the value of showing praise to their staff, because without a staff that believes in you and your company, your customers will sense this. They have a great maintenance program and restocking system and provided a layout picture of the operation. They also realize the importance of utilizing social media and other forms of advertising.

Chris Tebbs

Chris chose Page the Cleaner in his ballot, and gave a lengthy explanation of why he did so.

Page the Cleaner is probably the only one that can be compared with Crouse’s. Rupinder came into a business that had run its course and also one that she needed to learn and plan for the future. She set about this in a determined manner and with long hours attending various learning courses and applying what she learned to the business, she has turned it round.  She has developed a particularly strong team and made consistency of training a priority. The business is broad covering both industrial and personal textiles and she has upgraded the plant to ensure efficiency.

Over the last few years, they have had to overcome a number of challenges; from a franchise business with several corporate locations and many franchisees and a main plant that was very old and decrepit to a new plant with new equipment and just two locations and shortly after, the effects of COVID which, while it affected most cleaners, could not have come at a worse time for a company already undergoing a major change. That they have come through this and now have a successful business owes much to the tenacity of Rupinder and her well trained workforce and their vision of the future.

Chris Tebbs concluded his comments by saying, “Overall, I think that each one is worthy of recognition, particularly when I look at some of the ones operating out there. One plus side of COVID was that it reduced the number of poor operators in the industry.”

Lessons Learned

Why do we run competitions like this one? For the simple reason that there is much to be learned by studying the best in the industry. A simple ah-ha moment can lift your plant up a notch, just by seeing what someone else has done. Saluting excellence and showcasing industry stars doesn’t just build them up; it gives the whole industry a lift.

Next year we will broaden our competition! We’ll be looking for the best plants, the best storefronts, most creative laundromats, the greatest CSRs, the finest pressers and spotters and dry cleaners and delivery drivers, greatest van graphics… you name it. So stay tuned for the announcement next summer and get your nominations ready!