Here’s your source for the various industry events you may wish to attend. We’ve segregated them onto their own page so you won’t have to scroll through the Industry News pages looking for the details. We’ll update conference information as it becomes available.
PACK YOUR BAGS!
NOTE: Conferences, Events and Training programs are listed IN DATE ORDER — so scroll down to find the ones you are interested in. As the dates pass, the listings will disappear.
MAY DLI Offerings
The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI) and its regional partner associations offer a robust lineup of webinars, workshops, and networking events this May. Industry professionals are invited to connect, learn, and grow their businesses.
Featured Webinar: May 28, 1 p.m. Eastern “The Front Line Advantage: Elevating Everyday Service” with Jen Whitmarsh of The Route Pros and Snappy Drycleaning
Jen Whitmarsh will present a practical and engaging workshop designed to equip team members with trust-building customer service skills. From warm greetings to graceful complaint handling, this session will highlight simple but powerful ways to turn everyday moments into lasting customer loyalty. This workshop will help newcomers and experienced customer service representatives bring their best to every customer, every time.
Member Virtual Reception & Orientation May 6 – 3 p.m. Eastern
New and experienced DLI members are encouraged to attend this interactive session, which will showcase the many powerful resources and benefits of DLI membership. Sessions are open to all drycleaners.
MAC Maintenance Masterclass May 1 – 1 p.m. Eastern
The Mid–Atlantic Association of Cleaners (MAC) will hold its popular maintenance-focused webinar, offering valuable insights and practical tips for equipment maintenance.
DLI’s Marketing Masterclass: Strategies for Growth May 22 – 1 p.m. Eastern
DLI’s monthly Marketing Masterclass will explore innovative and successful marketing practices designed to expand customer bases and boost business performance.
Weekly Peer Networking Meetings Every Tuesday – 11:30 a.m. Eastern
DLI’s weekly Peer-To-Peer meetings offer a platform for members to share experiences, challenges, and creative solutions in a supportive environment.
Regional Events
DLI encourages all drycleaning industry professionals to engage with regional events tailored specifically to their local markets. Members are invited to contact their respective regional associations directly for further details and registration information.
North Carolina Association of Launderers and Cleaners Annual Convention
May 23 –26, Atlantic Beach, NC
Schedule includes professional networking, educational sessions, vendor exhibits, group dinner social events, and more.
More information: NCALC.org/events
Dedicated to Member Success
The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI) offers drycleaning business professionals unparalleled resources, tools, and networking opportunities to foster success and industry leadership. More information is available at DLIonline.org/Membership or 800-638-2627.
JUNE 2025
Dear McConnell Classic Supporters,
We’re thrilled to announce that plans are well underway for the 30th Annual McConnell Classic, taking place on Tuesday, June 3rd at Royal Ontario Golf Club.
Thanks to your incredible support over the years, the McConnell Classic Golf Tournament has raised more than $1.5 million for Campfire Circle, helping bring laughter, friendship, and healing to children affected by cancer or serious illness.
We hope you’ll join us for this special milestone—a fun-filled day on the course in support of a magical camp.
👉 Click here to register your golf foursome or for individual play
👉 Click here to make a donation
👉 Click here to become a contributor
Thank you, as always, for your continued generosity and support.
Rob McConnell
On behalf of the McConnell Classic Committee
For questions or additional information contact golf@gibsonscleaners.com
AUGUST 2025
Clean Show — August 23-26
It’s the Show of Shows for North America, and you don’t want to miss it. Registration and Housing open shortly, so keep an eye on the website. You’ll want to book early to get the hotel you prefer. As always, official Clean Show hotels will be linked to the Convention Center by free shuttle buses.
There’s lot’s to see and do for the whole family in Orlando, so plan to take advantage of a break from the day-to-day operation of your plant, come see some fantastic equipment, absorb new ideas and information in the many seminars available, network with old friends and new, and go back home refreshed and ready to take on the world!
REGARDING: CLATA Canadian Reception at Clean Show
Dear esteemed and loyal CLATA Members,
We hope this message finds you well.
We are writing to inform you that, due to a shift in sentiments among our Canadian members and
customers regarding travel to the United States for this year’s Clean Show, we have made the
difficult decision to cancel the planned and highly anticipated CLATA Canadian Reception in
Orlando.
While we were looking forward to gathering our Canadian colleagues and fostering connections at
the event, the decision was made by the Board after surveying customers and industry associates
and thoughtful consideration of the current travel sentiments and attendance trends. We always
aim to provide the best experience for our members as well as opportunities for our sponsors to
support the industry, however given the circumstances, we felt it was in the best interest of all
involved to cancel this gathering for 2025.
We understand that this news may be disappointing, but we are committed to supporting our
members in alternative ways and will continue to explore other opportunities for engagement in
Canada throughout the year. We look forward to seeing you at the CLATA Tom White Memorial Golf
Tournament in Belleville on September 11, 2025.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support. To those members who have already
paid to sponsor the event, we thank you, you will receive a full refund promptly.
Should you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to reach out
to us.
Wishing you all the best, and we look forward to future opportunities to connect.
Warm regards,
Board of Directors
CLATA
September 10-12, 2025
IDC Convention 2025
By Chris Tebbs
The last few years have proven difficult for our industry with the result that International Drycleaners Congress (IDC) has been unable to hold its renowned Convention. However, this year, it is back and will be held at the Sheraton Suites in Elk Grove Village, close to Chicago O’Hare Airport and will be from September 10-12, 2025.
Speakers
Norman Way — Vice President, Puritan Cleaners
Norman Way is Vice President of Puritan Cleaners, a locally owned company proudly serving the greater Richmond Virginia area. He leads a team of 188 employees across 13 retail locations and 14 home delivery routes. Under his leadership, Puritan has grown its Wash Dry Fold service to over $1,000,000 in annual sales. Norman is passionate about developing people, building strong teams, and improving systems—all while keeping the customer experience at the center of everything Puritan does. The company’s culture is grounded in its commitment to Quality through People, Product, and Presentation. Together with owner Gary Glover, Norman believes that when you take care of your people, they take care of the client.
Heath Bolin – President, Sparkle Cleaners Inc/ Metalprogetti
Heath Bolin has over 32 years of experience in the dry cleaning industry, beginning his career at Craig’s Cleaners in Houston, Texas, where he learned the business from the ground up before purchasing Sparkle Cleaners in 2000. As President of Sparkle Cleaners Inc. in Tucson, AZ, Heath leads a highly successful operation with 16 retail locations, 5 home delivery routes, and one central production facility. A proud Metalprogetti customer for more than 17 years, Heath began consulting with the company in 2023, sharing his expertise in automation and plant layout design. His deep knowledge of workflow optimization and system integration has made him a trusted advisor for dry cleaning operations across the country.
Thomas (Tom) Zengeler – President, Zengeler Cleaners
Thomas J. (Tom) Zengeler is President of Zengeler Cleaners, a family business still going strong after 165 years. His career in the Midwest’s oldest and largest cleaning company started at the early age of 5 when Tom spent Saturday mornings riding on a route with a Zengeler Cleaners’ home delivery driver. Those early experiences helped him to experience first-hand the company’s core values, such as knowing how each customer liked things done and the importance of building relationships. By age 15, Tom was working at one of the retail locations under the watchful eye of his father, Robert (Bob) Zengeler, Sr. Tom’s interest in the dry-cleaning industry and his willingness to learn about every department of the business made it natural for him to take the company reins and keep Zengeler Cleaners leadership in the family.
Tom’s leadership is recognized throughout the industry. He is a valued member of Management Concepts as well as a 25-year member (and current Chairman) of the exclusive Round Table of Dry Cleaners and Launderers. Tom has hosted a “best practices” exchange program in Japan as part of his membership in the International Dry Cleaners Congress. A long-standing member of the Chicagoland chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), Tom recently earned “Gold Status” in recognition of his extensive commitment to the organization.
Tom has also served on volunteer boards in the local community, earning the company, and Tom
personally, many awards through the years. Examples include the Seven Seals Award for meritorious leadership and service to military personnel in 2013, in recognition of support for the Coats for Vets program. Tom and Zengeler Cleaners earned the 2017 Corporate Citizen of the Year award from the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce and the 2017 Community Service – Business award from the GLMV Chamber of Commerce. More recently, he served as President of Libertyville Rotary Sunrise in 2020. Tom and his family currently reside in Wauconda, IL.
Wes Nelson – President, Sankosha-USA
Wes Nelson is the president of Sankosha USA and has been a part of the Sankosha organization for over 35 years. He led Sankosha’s introduction to the North American market starting some 32 years ago. Striving to make the laundry and dry cleaning industries attractive to all, Sankosha USA is currently an active member of a multitude of industry groups including IDC. Wes is currently on the board of directors of TCATA. Wes has taken the company’s mottos of “Customer First” and “Supreme Quality” and implemented them with his team of industry professionals to establish a reputation of innovation, automation and compassionate customer service.
CD One Price Cleaners
Joanna Vasquez, Michael Jackson, and Daniel Fitzgerald are the CD One Price Operations team.
Together they have over 30 years of experience in the dry cleaning and laundry industry. As CD One’s VP of Operations, Daniel works to translate the company’s vision into implementable processes and procedures. With a background in training and process improvement, he seeks innovative ways to get new concepts implemented quickly and then evaluated and improved based on real-world results.
Joanna is CD One’s Training and Compliance Manager, responsible for onboarding new franchisees and providing classroom, virtual, and just-in-time training to support both brand new operators and long-term dry-cleaning pros. Outgoing and enthusiastic, she helps our owners, and their teams pursue
continuous improvement through ongoing education.
Michael brings a wealth of knowledge as a manager and supervisor with a background in multi-unit restaurants to the CD One Price team. As a Franchise Consultant he provides real-time support, ongoing coaching and guidance, and a drive for operational excellence to the system.
World Country Reports
There will also be several speakers presenting the World Country reports.
Visits
Zengeler Cleaners
92% of American businesses are family-owned and actually employ the majority of the USA workforce. Studies show just 30% of such companies survive to the second generation, and only
10% to the third. Zengeler Cleaners has survived for multiple generations in large part because
there was always one or more family members who embraced the challenge of learning the business – and Zengeler’s core values – from the ground floor up.
One such core value is the belief that community outreach is the responsibility of every civic-minded
business owner. That philosophy began in the 1850s with company founder John Zengeler and
continues to this day. Over the years, Zengeler Cleaners has invested thousands of dollars and
hundreds of hours each year in support of programs such as Coats for Vets, a robust prom dress
collection drive and many, many other local programs that serve both youth and senior citizens in
the communities served by Zengeler Cleaners.
Under Tom Zengeler’s leadership, Zengeler Cleaners expanded to eight stores when the Long Grove location opened with a fully automated, 24-hour self-service delivery system in 2008. Tom led the comprehensive modernization of the Winnetka store in 2010, followed in 2015 with the opening
of the new Northbrook location and relocation of the company’s business operations to an office
building, earning American Dry Cleaners’ “Plant Design Award” for Strip Malls. In 2022, the
Northfield store relocated to its modernized location.
CD One Price Cleaners
This itinerary visits CD40 in Schaumburg The second location is a satellite location in Glendale Heights. And then the one wild card is the American Music World site in Elmhurst which is scheduled to be CD One Price’s first 24/7 automated kiosk.
Sankosha-USA
Sankosha USA is the North American headquarters for Sankosha, located just 10 minutes from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Sankosha USA provides warehousing and distribution for the North American market. The administrative and service departments are also located at this facility.
At this facility Sankosha warehouse machinery, parts and covers/pads. Typically, they keep between two and three hundred machines in stock and currently over two million dollars’ worth of parts inventory across three thousand plus different items. They have a state-of-the-art showroom which can showcase up to ten machines. The showroom lineup can be easily rearranged to match the interests of the customers at any given time. Training and educational seminars for Sankosha customers and distributors are frequently held here, in addition to industry association related events. Sankosha look forward to sharing their facility and a sample of the culture at Sankosha during IDC’s visit.
Day 1 – Wednesday 10th September
Conference: Meeting the Challenges of the New Market Environment
A light buffet lunch will be available and the Convention will be opened at 1:00pm by the IDC Executive Director, Mr Chris Tebbs and will be followed by presentations on:
Developing the Wash and Fold Model, Norman Way, Vice President, Puritan Cleaners
Automation in the Industry, Heath Bolin, President, Sparkle Cleaners Inc/Metalprogetti
The afternoon session will be followed by a Buffet Reception.
Day 2- Thursday, September 11
Visit to CD Cleaners
World Country Reports
A session of reports from around the world on the latest developments in the textile care industry including a report on Global trends and the future perspective of a fast-changing industry In particular, these will highlight the changes that have occurred in the Industry over recent years and some of the developments to address these in order to maintain a profitable business.
Retail Laundering Options for a More Profitable Business
IDC Gala Dinner
Day 3- Friday, September 12(Optional)
Presentations at the hotel from:
Tom Zengeler of Zengeler Cleaners
Wes Nelson of Sankosha USA Inc
Following the presentations, delegates will visit Zengeler Cleaners and Sankosha USA, Inc.
Registration
For more information, e-mail: interdryclean@shaw.ca, Japan Tour Services (JTS) or on-line at
www.idcgroup.org.
2026
March 2-5, 2026
Marriott Grand Resort, Point Clear, Alabama
ALM’s 2026 IMPACT
The Association for Linen Management (ALM) is excited to announce that its highly anticipated IMPACT conference will be held at the distinguished Marriott Grand Resort, in Point Clear, Alabama. Known for its stunning coastal views, exceptional amenities, and unmatched service, the Marriott Grand Resort provides the perfect backdrop for this dynamic and forward-thinking event.
Scheduled to take place March 2-5, 2026, ALM’s IMPACT conference will bring together thought leaders and professionals to share insights, discuss the latest trends, and explore new opportunities for their laundry and linen operations.
“We are thrilled to host the 2026 IMPACT conference at the Marriott Grand Resort” said Sarah Brobeck, President and CEO at ALM. “The venue’s rich history, scenic location, and world-class facilities align perfectly with our vision for this premier event. We are confident that attendees will find the next IMPACT experience both inspiring and valuable as we explore the latest breakthroughs and best practices in our field.”
The Marriott Grand Resort, located on the picturesque Mobile Bay, is renowned for its beautiful setting, state-of-the-art conference facilities, private beach and a wide array of amenities, including golf courses, a spa, fine dining options, and luxury accommodations. These features make it the ideal location for networking, collaboration, and education, offering attendees a unique opportunity to relax, recharge, and connect in an extraordinary environment.
As ALM’s signature event, the IMPACT conference is designed to engage and inspire professionals across the linen and laundry management industry. In 2026, participants can look forward to cutting-edge presentations, interactive sessions, and opportunities to network with industry leaders and innovators. Attendees will also have the chance to explore the latest products and services from leading suppliers. Additional details on registration, speakers, and event programming will be announced in the coming months.
About the Association for Linen Management (ALM):
The Association for Linen Management (ALM) is a non-profit trade association dedicated to the operational excellence and professional development of personnel involved in the textile care industry. Our members are owners, general managers, laundry directors, managers, and technicians providing textile care services, as well as the equipment and supply companies who provide materials and consulting services for the textile care industry. ALM advances excellence in the textile care industry for healthcare, hospitality, and institutional sectors through guidance in textile processing, management, and utilization. Visit ALM’s website to learn more about the organization, its members, and the importance of the laundry industry.
