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SEPTEMBER 2025 NEWS

DLI Announces 2025-2026 Board of Directors

Each year DLI’s Board of Directors brings on new members as other members retire or move into Executive Committee positions. This August DLI’s Board bid farewell to Chairperson Kathy Benzinger of Benzinger’s Clothing Care in Hamburg, NY, and Allan Cripe, District Six Committee Member at its Summer Board Meeting.

Kyle Nesbit moved to the Chairman position while Toran Brown became President for the 2025-2026 term. Ray Kroner became President-Elect and Don Holecek was elected Treasurer. All Executive Committee positions are for the 2025–2026 term.

All Executive, Director, and District Committee Member leadership positions are volunteer. DLI greatly appreciates the time and resources all members of the Board of Directors share in guiding the Institute.

Front Row (left to right): Don Holecek, Treasurer; Toran Brown, President; Kyle Nesbit, Chairman; Ray Kroner, President Elect.
Middle Row (l-r): Mark Albrecht, Allied Trades Director; Jeff Jordan, Allied Trades Committee Member; David Grippi, District One Committee Member; Ryan Fish, District Seven Director; Rhonda Eysel, District Three Director; Ray Rangwala, District Eight Director; Danny Bahlman, CGCP®, District Six Director; John Rothrock, District Six Committee Member.
Back Row (l-r): Norman Way, District Two Director; Chris Edwards District Two Committee Member; Larry Fish, District One Director; John Mertes, District Four Director; Dan Sims, District Five Director.

Maytag® Commercial Laundry Announces 2025 Distributor Award Winners

Honorees recognized during awards dinner at The Clean Show in Orlando.

Maytag® Commercial Laundry proudly announced the recipients of the 2025 Distributor Awards, recognized during a celebratory dinner held during Clean Show in Orlando. The event brought together distributors from across the globe to honor exceptional achievement, service and results in the commercial laundry industry.

For more than six decades, Maytag Commercial Laundry has celebrated distributors who demonstrate the highest standards of performance and dedication to the brand. This year’s honorees exemplify the qualities that drive lasting success, innovation, reliability and a deep commitment to their customers.

Malcolm Caldwell and Rob Jackson (center) accept the
2025 Fred Maytag Award from Maytag executives.

The 2025 award recipients are:

  • Harco Co Ltd – Fred Maytag Award
  • Wash Laundry Systems – Multi-housing Excellence
  • Coinamatic Commercial Laundry – Multi-housing Excellence
  • Hercules – Multi-housing Excellence
  • Superior Laundry Equipment – Vended Excellence Award
  • Automated Laundry Systems – OPL Excellence Award
  • Mendenhall Commercial Laundry Equipment – NAR Quality Partner of the Year
  • PT Triton Internasional – NAR Distributor of the Year
  • Blue Badger Wholesale Ltd – Outstanding First Year Performance
  • Sill Do Brasil – Market Expansion Award
  • Excellence Appliance Technologies – Marketing Excellence Award
  • Dependable Laundry Solutions – INTL Quality Partner of the Year

“Recognizing our distributors in person during Clean Show makes this celebration especially meaningful,” says Michael Ledford, senior director and general manager, Commercial Laundry. “The 2025 honorees demonstrate exceptional dedication, initiative and results in their respective markets. We are proud to acknowledge their achievements and the impact they make for their customers and for the Maytag Commercial Laundry brand.”

Looking ahead, Maytag Commercial Laundry and its distributor network remain focused on evolving, adapting and working together to deliver meaningful value for the customers they serve.

Spindle Partners with Acumino

Acumino, a Renton, WA-based company focused on general robotic intelligence, and Spindle, Woodridge, IL, announced a partnership. This collaboration will integrate Acumino’s AI platform with Spindle’s automation systems to create the next generation of smart robotic solutions for the commercial laundry sector.

The partnership will address the commercial laundry industry’s most pressing challenges, including chronic labor shortages, rising operational costs, and the need for increased efficiency and reliability. By combining Acumino’s hardware-agnostic AI and human-to-robot skill transfer technology with Spindle’s industry expertise and robotics platforms, the two companies will deliver automation solutions for the linen, uniform and facility services industry.

“Our mission at Acumino is to bring general robotic intelligence to any industry that can benefit from it,” said Patrick Jarvis, president of Acumino. “Spindle Robotics’ deep understanding of the commercial laundry landscape makes them the ideal partner to bring our AI technology to this sector. Together, we can provide solutions that not only solve the immediate labor challenges but also significantly improve the efficiency and quality of laundry operations, leading to a rapid return on investment for our customers.”

The integrated solutions will enable robots to perform a wider range of complex tasks, from delicate garment handling and sorting to adaptive problem-solving in dynamic laundry environments. This will allow commercial laundries to automate tasks that were previously too complex for robotic systems, freeing up human workers to focus on higher-value activities.

“Spindle Robotics is focused on bringing practical, impactful automation to the commercial laundry industry,” said Tom Abbett, business development director at Spindle. “This partnership with Acumino allows us to take a quantum leap forward. By embedding Acumino’s AI into our systems, we will offer our customers a level of robotic intelligence and flexibility that was previously unimaginable. We are excited to work with Acumino to co-develop a new generation of robotic solutions that will set a new standard for the industry.”

For more information, visit www.spindlelive.com.

Unipress announces addition of new Independent Regional Factory Representatives

Unipress announced a mutually beneficial alliance with Eric and Josh Singer of Zellermayer Corp. as new Independent Regional Factory Representatives. These experienced professionals bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the organization, enhancing Unipress’s ability to serve its clients with even greater dedication and efficiency. Their extensive backgrounds will empower the company to build stronger relationships and deliver exceptional service. This collaboration will enhance the Northeast region, and responsibilities will include sales, service, and skills training for Unipress equipment.

Zellermayer Corp. will continue to manufacture and supply pads and covers under the guidance of David Singer for their customers, as they have done for over 90 years.

Unipress Corporation is a design and manufacturing company specializing in laundry/dry-cleaning finishing equipment, spotting tables, and packaging equipment. All manufacturing, from cutting steel to final steam testing and inspection, has been performed at its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, since 1982.

AUGUST 2025 NEWS

Fire destroys $1.9M SpotLess Plant in BC

Prince George Citizen News image. Click image to read their story.

FULL AUGUST 8, 2025 STATEMENT FROM SPOTLESS UNIFORM & LINEN

A Spotless Uniform facility on Kenworth Road in Prince George (not to be confused with Spotless Drycleaners and Laundry) has experienced a significant structural loss due to fire. On the evening of August 5 at approximately 9:00PM fire crews were dispatched due to the fire alarm going off, however the fire quickly consumed the building and Prince George Fire Department was on scene through the night and into the following day. A special ‘thank you’ to all first responders.

There are no injuries as the business was closed at the time and currently it is too early to determine any cause. Spotless Uniform ownership and management are working in full cooperation with authorities. While this loss is impactful and we work to understand the full extent of everything, Spotless Uniform is a company with multiple locations and support from industry partners. Shaun and the entire team is working to minimize the impact in operations and service to their customers.

“I grew up in this industry and have seen our company go through many different challenges and have over come every one of them. I am extremely proud of our team, grateful for the support of the community, and humbled by the backing of our industry partners. From this point forward we are looking positively to the future.”

– Shaun Heighington

As of the morning of Aug 7, 2025 we have remobilized and are again operational. This has come from the tremendous support of our Spotless team, community businesses and industry partners. Here is a quick list of what the first 24 hours looked like.

  • All employees are accounted for and safe!!!
  • Processes with all local authorities have been started.
  • Kenworth Rd. site has been released from Fire Dept. back to our insurance adjuster and security fencing has been completed for safety concerns. Additionally, there is currently 24/7 security on site.
  • Our partner freight companies have adjusted all routing as required while we navigate through these changes.
  • Inspections were completed the morning of the 6th on all trucks ensuring no subsequent heat or fire damage from their proximity to the building.
  • There will be some inventory concerns but to alleviate them we have increased service to multiple times per week for certain locations to allow for a little extra time for our stockroom to assign temporary garments where required.
  • Our office is BACK ONLINE! Power is on, phones are up, internet is up and all accounting and routing software functioning.
  • Customer support and operations resume as of the morning of Aug 7, 2025.
  • Utilizing the other facilities and industry partners we have plans in place, for continued service for ALL our customers.
  • Meeting with WSI, regarding environmental concerns and detailed assurance to the public on the cleaning agents we use.
  • We secured a temporary sorting/finishing location, and some further production staff will be starting the morning of Aug 7, 2025.
  • Multiple meetings with our suppliers securing additional inventory for procurement once inventory replacement requirements are finalized.

It’s been a 24hr whirwind and we’re sure there is more, but basically we are almost fully operational and we could not have done it without others stepping forward in our time of need.

A special thank you to Jeff from our Spotless team for helping us work with the Fire Department and moving / salvaging what we could away from the fire. Tammy Holmgren for being our leader on the ground and making so much of this recovery happen so quickly. Many others from our Spotless team who also stepped forward and did whatever they needed to, bringing light to such a dark night.

There are also a volume of special people and businesses who supported us immediately, without question, without hesitation (we apologize if we have missed anyone as it’s been hard to keep up in the chaos).

  • Electrical Solutions (Lonnie & team)
  • Splash Media Group
  • Brownridge Insurance (Gord)
  • Velocity Truck Centres
  • Noratek Solutions
  • Cameron Young
  • United Rentals
  • Rob Chick from Telus
  • Bandstra Transportation
  • Clark Freightways
  • WSI
  • Alliant Systems
  • Nicholson Mechanical

Countless other businesses and community members also reached with various offers. We appreciate the gestures and it really shows how our community can come together – truly, thank you.

Lastly, to our group of industry professionals who are willing to give support and help us through our regrowth, who include: EcoSan, EcoTex and Spotless Drycleaners. This is so greatly appreciated, it’s hard to have the right words to express our gratitude.

It’s a brighter day today and we could not thank everyone enough!

Shaun Heighington
President

Kannegiesser Expands Global Presence with North American Rebrand

Kannegiesser Etech, Inc., the U.S.-based subsidiary of Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH of Germany, is announcing a name change for its North American business unit. Effective immediately, Kannegiesser Etech, Inc. will become Kannegiesser North America, Inc.

In 2017, Kannegiesser USA acquired E-Tech Systems, forming Kannegiesser Etech. Over the past eight years, this business unit has experienced exponential growth, serving not only the U.S. market but also customers across North America and around the world. The new name, Kannegiesser North America, reflects this expansion and aligns with the naming conventions of other Kannegiesser business units globally.

“As Kannegiesser’s worldwide operations and customer base continue to grow, we felt this was the right time to introduce this update in conjunction with the 2025 Clean Show,” said Tina Kannegiesser, CEO of Kannegiesser GmbH.

Kannegiesser Canada Inc. remains active and continues to serve the Canadian market under the Kannegiesser brand. The name change reflects broader regional alignment and doesn’t affect the Canadian entity.

Kannegiesser will showcase its latest innovations at the 2025 Clean Show in Orlando this August.

For news earlier than the articles above, please visit the New Archives.