David Sumner Beach Buddies Laundry, Panama City, FL

Jose Almonte is a champion of the laundry business. As owner of Lavanderia Express, a growing chain of laundromats in New York City, he believes that laundry ownership can provide a meaningful, productive and well-balanced life.

Jose started his career in the grocery business working at his family’s bodega in Brooklyn, East New York. He didn’t get into the laundry business until 1992 when he purchased a property with a grocery store. Since there was another grocer only a few buildings away, Jose thought that his new building would be better utilized by providing the neighborhood with a different service. After attending a seminar on the laundry business, Jose decided to gut the grocery and convert the building into a coin laundry.

Since that first store opened, Jose’s enterprise has expanded to five laundries. A sixth store is under construction and a lease for the seventh is currently in negotiation. Jose’s business model is grounded in real estate. Acquiring the right property is critical to a store’s success and to an eventual exit strategy. Jose selects properties based on potential, competition and convenience.

He currently has three coin stores and two card stores, but moving forward, all of his stores will be cashless. “As people become accustomed to using the cards, they actually prefer them to coins,” he said. “And there are definite advantages for the store owner, who has fewer security and vandalism issues with a cashless store.” Jose also staffs each of his stores with two attendants. He believes that attended stores are more desirable to customers, especially in densely populated urban areas like New York. The attendants are there to look after the business, maintain the property, clean, provide security and explain the card system to customers unfamiliar with cashless stores. Jose offsets the cost of his employees by offering drop-off service, dry-cleaning and selling detergents and other laundry products.

Jose uses Huebsch machines in his stores because of their durability and reliability. “This equipment just doesn’t break down,” he asserts. “The dryers are indestructible and the new Galaxy 600 washers are amazing.” He also likes how uncomplicated the equipment is. The machines are easy for him to diagnose on those rare occasions where there is an issue. Additionally, Huebsch operating instructions are available in both English and Spanish, making it easier for his Spanish-speaking customers to operate the equipment and receive the wash results they desire.

Jose’s newest laundry, Lavanderia Express Vl, is outfitted exclusively with Huebsch machines. The store is located in Jackson Heights, N.Y., and was originally an appliance store. The 3,000 square foot store, which opened March 15, offers drop-off and dry-cleaning services and amenities such as an ATM and free WiFi. The equipment mix for Lavanderia Express Vl includes 20 20-lb, 18 30-lb, eight 40-lb and five 60-lb Huebsch Galaxy 600 washer-extractors and 22 30-lb and four 45-lb TwinStar™ stack dryers with stainless steel front panels and cylinders.

Jose recently started construction on a store in East New York that is scheduled to open in October, 2011. He has already ordered Huebsch equipment for this store and is once again going with the stainless steel, which in addition to durability, features an elegant, modern look. He is also currently negotiating the lease for a massive new store, over 6,000 square feet, in the Bronx.

Jose has become somewhat of a laundry guru to other small business owners and would-be entrepreneurs, particularly those from his native Dominican Republic. Many of the people he helps are transitioning from the grocery business. “Running a grocery store is extremely demanding and time intensive,” says Jose. “It is not unusual to spend 16 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week at work. Running a laundry is a much more flexible proposition.” Even with multiple stores, Jose has the luxury of deciding how to allocate his time. As a result, he can spend more time with his family while still generating a healthy income. He has already helped five other businessmen change from the grocery business to the laundry business – advising them, sharing his expertise, referring them to distributors and recommending them for financing. “I have changed their lives,” he says. “They are making a good living and enjoying a better quality of life.”

When asked how long he planned to stay in the laundry business and how big his business might become, Jose laughed. “I keep saying that I am done, but then I get bored and start looking for a new location.”

Kelli Grasso loves St. Michaels, Md., a picturesque waterfront village on the Chesapeake Bay. Last year, Kelli decided to make this favorite vacation spot her home and permanently relocated to St. Michaels from New Jersey. An astute businesswoman, Kelli had owned a business in New Jersey and began researching potential new business enterprises in St. Michaels. She had noticed on her previous visits to St. Michaels that the only central laundromat had been closed for a number of years. In addition, the nearest coin laundry was 35 miles, and a $27 cab ride, away. Kelli recognized both a need and an opportunity and decided to renovate and reopen the laundry.

The first thing that Kelli had to do to realize her ambition was to find a distributor partner she could trust and look to for unbiased counsel. She discovered PAC Industries through Internet research. Kelli could not have found a better company to work with. A third-generation, employee-owned, family-oriented business, PAC enjoys a well-earned reputation for honesty, integrity and service after the sale.

Kelli soon connected with Phil Costabile II, grandson and namesake of PAC founder and family patriarch Phillip A. Costabile. Phil was learning the business from his dad and his uncles, who had taken over in the 1970s.

The renovation of the old laundry took approximately four months. Demolition began in November 2009 when the interior was gutted and outfitted with new plumbing and electrical. The 850 square foot store opened in February, 2010. Kelli wanted the store to have an inviting, comfortable ambiance. Signage that complemented the architecture and atmosphere of St. Michaels was installed. Instead of shopping at laundry supply outlets, she decorated with wall hangings, inexpensive but elegant teak and wrought-iron benches and built her own faux-granite folding tables. A flat screen television and free Wi-Fi added to the comfortable environment.

When it came to the equipment mix, Kelli depended on Phil’s expertise. Aware of Kelli’s budget, store footprint and the demographics of her customer base, Phil recommended Huebsch products for their value, reliability and energy and water efficiencies. The final mix for the store included two 30-pound Galaxy 400 and 14 20-pound Horizon washer-extractors, one 45-stack and seven 30-stack Twinstar tumblers.

“Horizon washers can really revolutionize the industry,” said Phil. “These machines have the same footprint as a top loader but use half the water and deliver up to 50 percent more revenue. The machine pays for itself in the first year. And Huebsch makes dryers that run 30 to 40 years.”

Kelli agrees that the Huebsch equipment has been a great success with her customers. “People love the machines,” she said. “I get the most feedback about how little detergent is needed to get your clothes super-clean and that the clothes come out of the washer practically dry, greatly reducing drying time and expense.”

Phil also helped Kelli finance her store through Alliance Laundry Finance and served as the liaison between Kelli and Alliance.

St. Michaels Laundry is doing very well in its first year. In addition to her walk-in customers, Kelli has a robust drop-off, pick-up and delivery service. Recently she started a dock-side service for the boaters who frequent the town during the summer.

True to its founding principles of customer commitment and technical excellence, PAC’s involvement with Kelli and her store didn’t end when the machines went in. Phil stops in on a regular basis to check on the store and Kelli attends PAC-sponsored seminars to learn how to do her own repairs. “I really trust Phil,” says Kelli. “He never took advantage of my lack of experience or tried to up-sell me. Everyone at PAC is like that. When I have an equipment issue, the service department will talk me through the repair, even when it means they lose a service call charge.”

“My current store is the prototype,” Kelli continued. “I hope to add more stores, and I plan to continue my great partnership with Phil and with Huebsch as I grow my business.” Phil is also looking forward to a continued business relationship with Kelli. She is, in his words, a “dream customer.”

Christopher and Susan Crounse purchased an old car stereo and accessories building in Scotia, NY and decided to turn it into something new — a laundromat; alas, Super Suds was born. Before beginning their coin laundry business, the Crounse's operated a family-owned wholesale and retail beverage center. In addition to Super Suds, Christopher works as a high school history teacher, while Susan is a speech pathologist. Despite their past and present careers, opening a coin-laundry business offered extra income.

With 3,200 square feet in their modern New York business, the Crounse's are able to offer much more than just clean laundry at Super Suds. In fact, there are many amenities that draw customers to Super Suds. Besides the laundry luxuries of drop-off dry cleaning and wash-dry-fold, Super Suds also offers the comforts of free popcorn and coffee, a kid's area, leather couches, board games, a book swap and two large TVs.

Café style tables are both inside and outside along with free WiFi Internet, offering users a relaxing environment while at Super Suds. Additional amenities offered include free soap Tuesdays, free dryer sheet Wednesdays, free pizza Thursdays, as well as senior, military and college student discounts.

Super Suds offers 32 washers — two 80-pounders, four 60-pounders, 12 40-pounders and 14 20-pounders. Dryers include four 75-pound units, eight 45-pound stacks and eight 30-pound stacks.

"Our best decision was the purchase of the 80-pound washers. They're an excellent draw," says owner, Christopher Crounse. "We are the only laundromat in the Capital District to have these." The 80-pound washers are very popular with horse owners, families on a tight budget, and people who have limited time. Customers have mentioned that they come to Super Suds specifically for these large-capacity machines.

The couple knows they made the right decision when choosing Huebsch equipment. "The washers and dryers are of the highest quality," says Chris. "Our customers love the results."

The floor plan of Super Suds was brilliantly designed by Gary Thackston of Yankee Equipment Sales out of Liverpool, NY. "Gary's experience in creating laundromats heavily influenced our decision to purchase the 80-pound washers. Susan and I were a quite hesitant about the large purchase, but Gary guaranteed they would be a big hit. He was absolutely correct," Chris said.

"We could not have done this venture without him. We are very pleased with the attention and service provided by Gary and Yankee Equipment. The few minor issues we have encountered were immediately addressed by Gary and service representative, Ed Monroe. Yankee and Huebsch are awesome and Susan and I plan on having a long, prosperous and positive relationship with them. We look forward to designing our second store very soon," Chris added.

When David Sumner decided it was time for a career change, the finance professional knew he'd need some guidance transitioning into opening his own laundry service. The transition was made even more challenging as he was living in Indiana but starting the business in Panama City, Fla.

He credits his Huebsch distributor Willard Clewis, A-1 Appliance Service & Sales with helping get his Beach Buddies Laundry Service off to a good start.

"Willard at A-1 has been like a father to me," David said of how his distributor has been invaluable in startup, even finding a suitable location for the operation.

When his business quickly took off and Beach Buddies needed to double its equipment mix to meet daily throughput volumes, it was the Huebsch finance department that came through for him.

"Steve in the finance department at Alliance was a real good partner and really helped us put this thing together," David said.

Today, Beach Buddies employs a staff of 15 and boasts a 135-pound washer-extractor and four 60-pound units, a 175-pound tumbler and six 75-pound machines as well as a folder. Serving mainly resorts and condominium developments, the operation processes roughly 3,000 to 3,500 pounds of linen per day during the busy season.

The business launders mainly bed linen and terry items along with an occasional tablecloth. David hopes to diversify his customer base in the future to level out his year from the current peaks and valleys of summer season and off season.

More immediate, however, is the operation's need to expand. David is looking to double capacity again to keep up with demand. And when he does, Huebsch will be the brand he chooses for the job.

"I bought Huebsch because of its commercial reputation and quality," he said. "With the volumes of laundry Beach Buddies processes, we test that reputation daily. And the Huebsch equipment always performs."

As an experienced vended laundry owner, Dion Marcionetti knows what it takes to be successful - a great location and great equipment. So when he identified a site in Woodstock, Ill., previously home to a Walgreen's, sandwiched between a dollar store and supermarket, he knew his Smart Wash Laundry was primed for success. Huebsch commercial laundry equipment completed the equation.

He chose Huebsch commercial washers and dryers for their reliability and advanced controls, which enable him to increase revenue through additional vend pricing for extra wash and rinse options.

The 4,200-square-foot store offers Internet stations, drop-off service, vending machines and games, but ask Marcionetti what the real draw for the store is and he's quick to tell you.

"The HC80. Because it brings in the most income per square foot and attracts customers in away from their home machines and apartment buildings," he says. Smart Wash has four of the 80-pound HC80 units as well as 10 40-pounders, 15 30-pounders, 12 20-pounders, 12 top load washers, six 45-pound stack drying tumblers and 22 30-pound stack drying tumblers.

Marcionetti chose the LaundryCard system for the store, which has enabled him to run free dry promotions as well as Wash to Win, a customer rewards program. Registered customers also will receive coupons via direct mail. In addition, Smart Wash offers discount days Tuesday through Thursday.

Robo Enterprises Inc. in Jamestown, NY already was involved in a variety of businesses including car washes, gas stations, convenience stores and self storage. Recently, however, the business added yet another component with a 2,100-square-foot Laundromat.

The closing of a laundry in the area of one of their convenience stores jumpstarted the idea. "We did some research, and the demographics simply showed a need for the business," said Kim Carlson, general manager of operations and new development at Robo.

And when it came time to decide on what equipment to fill the 2,100 square-foot addition to the convenience store, Robo selected Huebsch. Carlson said a review of brands on the market showed Huebch "offered a far superior product." In addition, she was delighted by the customer service she received.

"The biggest selling point was the customer service we received from [our Huebsch distributor] Pittsburgh Laundry," she said. "They were extremely helpful and offered great follow-up."

Since opening in October 2007, Robo Laundromat has done a brisk business and Carlson has seen the laundry complement the other businesses on site - gas station, convenience store, car wash and dog wash. She added that customers "love" the laundry's 80-pound capacity Huebsch washer-extractor.

To encourage customer loyalty and cross market, Robo Laundromat holds a weekly drawing for a free car wash and also serves as an agent for a local drycleaner.

Bobby Jones and Bill Strickland have reason to smile about their Super Suds Laundry, which opened in the summer of 2006 in Memphis, Tenn. Not only is the laundry doing a phenomenal business that Jones says, "is growing all the time," Super Suds also has a handle on operating expenses.

While 23 to 28% for utilities as a percentage of gross for coin laundries can be the norm, Super Suds is hovering around the 16% area. That's exactly what Jones and Strickland hoped for when they decided to go with Huebsch's high-efficiency H2E washer-extractors and Super Twinstar stack tumblers.

"We knew this would be a high-volume location," Jones said, adding that because of that, they focused on an extremely water/energy efficient equipment mix that would keep expenses down in the long run.

What's been a surprise, however, has been the response to the 90-pound total capacity Super Twinstars. "That's what brings them in," Jones said, adding that many customers are of the dry-only variety. But the pair doesn't see a problem and is confident they'll convert these customers with the speed and results of their H2Es.

Super Suds offers: 10 30-pounders, six 40-pounders, six 60-pounders and two 80-pounders in addition to its top load washers.

Strickland said the 80-pound units have been so popular the pair is looking at adding a couple more to the mix.

"We have a lot of customers with families and they like being able to wash everything in one load," Strickland said of the popularity of the 80-pound washer-extractors.

Nicholas Baffoe owns two profitable 24/7 Coin Laundries in the Atlanta, GA area. His newest location features 5 of Huebsch's new Super Twinstar 45lb stack commercial tumble dryers and 10 regular Twinstar 30lb stack commercial tumble dryers, as well as Huebsch's new A-Micro washer-extractors.

"Huebsch and my distributor (24/7 Laundry Distributors) have delivered for me twice now"

Nicholas Baffoe
24/7 Coin Laundry
Decatur, GA