Woodbridge, ON

Life Through Green-Coloured Glasses

GreenClean Fabric Care Services opened in 2003 in Woodbridge, ON. President David Alonzi initially specialized in fire/flood restoration for contractors and insurance companies. The company has expanded to include garment cleaning, linens, draperies, shoes and other household items, and has room for storage. The retail department specializes in custom finishing for over-the-counter pick up and delivery customers.

“Our plant works with our national company, GreenClean Restoration Network, which includes more than 22 cleaners across Canada providing restoration work in their local area to fulfill our service requirements for our national insurance contracts,” Alonzi said. “These relationships with these cleaners have surpassed 10 years of working together, and have proven beneficial for all parties.”

Nuts and Bolts

• 12 full time staff, 3 part time
• Onsite seamstress and tailor
• Union dry cleaning machine running GreenEarth
• Miele 100% wet cleaning system
• Commercial LG laundry machines
• Sankosha pant topper, legger and double buck shirt machines
• Hoffman New-Yorker utility presses and other pieces
• Added 1500 sq. ft. for mid term storage, rug storage and shoe cleaning and finishing area

What makes you stand out?

“We’re committed to providing the best service possible while being environmentally cautious,” said David Alonzi. “We first opened as 100% wet cleaning, then added GreenEarth within two years. Our staff makes us who we are. We still have three original employees from 21 years ago, and others who’ve been with us over 10 years.”

Surviving and Thriving

Though he started his business focused on restoration work, Alonzi quickly realized that the unpredictable work flow could be problematic.

“We opened our business primarily to service the restoration industry in one department, and provide local over-the-counter to our neighbourhood in another,” he said. “Restoration work brings in some volume, but it’s inconsistent. It might mean one job in a day, or one a week or month.

“The struggle was to keep a new 5,000-sq. ft. facility operating at sufficient capacity to keep staff happy with the hours they worked. We were able to add a few drop stores and a delivery route to keep the facility at a consistent 40% retail/wholesale and filling the balance with restoration work.”

Saluting the Best

Alonzi is effusive in his praise for those who have helped GreenClean prosper — both employees and suppliers.

• Mandy, Patricia, Mandeep and Sonia have been on staff for over 15 years and are the heart of the company.

• Connie, Maria, Nick, Sofia, Surinder, Lori, Burak, Daniela and some of the part time staff “are the lungs that keep us strong.”

People who have been key friends in the industry have helped and continue to help GreenClean move forward:

• Rick from Extox (previously with Ontario Laundry)
• Nick, Pat and Lou with Dalex
• Scott Wallis from Miele
• Robert and Tim and Karen Maxwell at GreenEarth
• Tony at the Cleaning House
• David at I&R Mechanical

“As a member (and now board member) of the Canadian Fabricare Association (CFA), the networking and knowledge I’ve obtained from the association events over the years has helped me make key decisions that made our business thrive.”

Green and Growing

Alonzi is focused on maintaining the things that have made the company strong and expanding them as the company moves into the future.

“We will continue as we always have and grow where we can organically,” he said. “We understand that the key to our success is our staff and making sure that they have the right tools to work with by committing to maintenance and embracing new technologies.

“Our integrity is important to make sure things are done and handled right in all aspects of the business. That will leave us all happy and proud of what we have and can accomplish as a company.”

Fresh Perspective

“I am not a second-generation dry cleaner,” Alonzi said. “I started this business looking at it from the outside in. I learned a lot by observing, listening to my staff and people wiser than me, and then adapting my own views on how things should operate. At GreenClean, we are all part of a team. We’re working together to get the job done in the best possible way for our customers and ourselves.”