Laser-focused on what owners need to know

A unique conference called the Laundry CEO Forum is being held at the Thompson Hotel in Dallas, TX October 5-7, focusing specifically on the needs and interests of laundry/laundromat owners. This is the conference’s second year, and includes:

• Tactical sessions on technology, automation, and customer experience
• Roundtable discussions on scaling operations and staffing solutions
• Insights from cross-border operators on market trends and innovation
• Networking with the industry’s most forward-thinking peers and partners

GET FULL DETAILS ON THE LAUNDRY CEO FORUM HERE

Canadian Jeff Moak will be a featured presenter (we featured Jeff in a previous issue, and you can read Jeff’s story here.) He’ll share how adapting to technology has helped him scale and future-proof his business.

What makes this conference different? We sat down with Waleed Cope, founder of the Laundry CEO Forum, to learn why he went to the effort to build a conference around laundry CEOs.

Who are you, and why have you invested so much effort in this industry?

My name is Waleed Cope, CEO and Co-Founder of Cope Brothers & Sons Laundromat, The Soap Box, VIP Bubbles and the Laundry CEO Forum.

I am a second-generation laundrypreneur, and I worked with my dad and uncles in the business since I was a kid. Specifically, I worked closely with my dad to operate three self-service laundromats in Brooklyn, New York. In 2015, my dad retired, and I took over the business from him. At that time, our business was self-service and wash & fold only.

In 2016, I introduced pickup and delivery to the business. We had no idea of the rate it would catch on, which led us to be at full capacity in our store when it came to processing laundry as well as storing laundry. A short time later, we leased a store across the street from our first laundromat to run the drop-off, pick-up, and delivery business solely out of that location. We branded that location the Soap Box and exclusively focused on the service side of laundry.

In 2019, I made the decision to go all-in on pickup and delivery and drop-off laundry, stepping away from self-service to grow that business. Five years later, I made a new decision, along with my partner and brother, to get back into the self-service side of the business. We opened VIP Bubbles in Lanham, Maryland.

Over the years, I’ve been on both sides of the journey learning from mistakes, celebrating big wins, and always pushing to innovate. I’ve also made it a personal mission to build community and create resources that support laundromat owners in their growth. This led me to create and share content online, which ultimately led to us creating the Laundry CEO Forum.   

Where did the idea for the Laundry CEO Forum come from?

The Laundry CEO Forum was first held in 2024. The idea came out of countless conversations with fellow owners and operators who were looking for something more in laundry business education and resources, something that spoke directly to the challenges and opportunities of being a CEO in this industry. Instead of programming we normal see in industries, I wanted to create a space where owners and operators could sharpen their leadership, learn from each other, and leave with actionable strategies.

Why do you think a conference like this is needed for today’s Laundry CEO? What kinds of things will they learn during the conference?

The laundry industry is evolving faster than ever. You see it in technology, pickup and delivery, and changing consumer expectations. Owners, operators, and investors need options. They need different points of view. No two laundromats or laundry services in North America are run the same. Every owner, every operator has their own nuances, their own little twist that they put on a businesses. And I believe people should be able to see and hear these different ways of operating businesses so they can learn and apply them in their businesses to make them better.

Owners can’t just think like operators anymore. They have to think like CEOs. Forum attendees will learn about pricing for profit, scaling pickup and delivery, branding, operations, and leadership. They’ll create relationships and networks that will last them far into the future to help them and their businesses thrive in the marketplace.

A lot of these people just got back from The Clean Show. Why is a targeted conference like this worth getting back on a plane for?

The Clean Show is incredible for seeing equipment, vendors, and trends across the industry, but it’s broad by design. The Laundry CEO Forum is laser-focused. Every session is built around the business owner’s perspective: how to make more money, grow smarter, and lead stronger. The information is specific, detailed, and taught by people who have been in the trenches. If the Clean Show is about what’s possible, Laundry CEO Forum is about how to actually do it.

Imagine a room full of owners and operators who are in tune and in line with growing and improving their businesses. Picture them having open, candid discussions about successes and failures in their business, and sharing those strategies and tactics with you to implement in your business. Imagine creating a bond with them, adding them to your network, so that after the forum, you can reach out to them for opinions and advice. Imagine being in a room with manufacturers, distributors, and service providers in the laundry industry that you can tap in to to get unbiased knowledge and information about how their products and services will affect your business, your clients, and your bottom line.

Now realize this is not a dream. This is what the Laundry CEO Forum is about. 

What other advantages are there to attending this conference?

Beyond the sessions, the real magic of the Forum is the networking. Attendees will be in the room with fellow CEOs who are building franchises, expanding to multiple locations, or just starting out but hungry to grow. The conversations you have in the hallways and over dinner can spark partnerships, collaborations, and lifelong friendships. At the Laundry CEO Forum, we foster this networking and these conversations between individuals. Part of our program is to get the attendees to exchange information and stories, to collaborate, expand their networks, and see what’s possible beyond their own business ecosystem.

Why are you passionate about this industry?

I’ve lived this business my whole life, it’s personal. When I started out, I was fortunate enough to have my dad and uncles to get business advice from. But as I expanded and got deeper into the business, there was a lack of information about the industry out there.

One thing I said to myself is that we would share and give back to the community so others would have information to avoid the mistakes and pitfalls we made.  I know what it feels like to take risks, lose sleep over payroll, and celebrate the day your first pickup and delivery order comes in. I put together this conference because I want today’s and tomorrow’s owners and operators to have as much information as possible to make sound decisions in their laundry business. 

What else do you want to convey to potential attendees about the conference to sway them to attend?

This is like no other laundry event. It’s going to have you thinking totally different about your laundry business, from ways to improve your operations, to your back-office systems, to how you treat your clients and—most importantly—how you wow them. You’ll walk away with strategies you can implement immediately, relationships that will support you long-term, and the clarity to step fully into your role as a CEO.

The Laundry CEO Forum isn’t about laundry; it’s about the business of laundry. Join us, and I guarantee you’ll have a whole new outlook on your laundry business and the endless opportunities that are out there in the market. 

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