Explore every episode of the podcast Cleaner Conversations
Dive into the complete episode list for Cleaner Conversations. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
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Title
Pub. Date
Duration
Ricardo Torres: How to Build a Dry Cleaner That Doesn’t Depend on You
31 Aug 2026
01:02:30
Ricardo Torres has always had an eye for opportunity.
While serving in the Air Force and investing in real estate, he began looking at business ownership as a different kind of wealth-building vehicle, one driven by cash flow, operational improvement, and long-term value. That thinking eventually led him to walk into a busy Tucson laundromat in his flight suit and ask the owner if he’d sell.
He did.
Today, Ricardo owns Tiffany Couture Cleaners in Las Vegas, where he has taken the lessons learned from entrepreneurship, acquisitions, leadership, and operations and applied them to building businesses that are more profitable, more scalable, and less dependent on the owner.
In this episode of Cleaner Conversations, Ricardo shares his philosophy on what it takes to build a strong business, develop great people, maintain premium standards, and create something with real long-term value.
We get into:
• Why every owner should build a sellable business, even if they have no plans to sell • Ricardo’s “nose in, hands out” approach to leadership • How to identify and develop leaders already inside your organization • Why Ricardo believes in “will over skill” • The importance of SOPs, KPIs, accountability, and management structure • Why owner dependence can dramatically affect what a business is worth • What buyers actually look for when evaluating a business • Premium pricing and avoiding the race to the bottom • Building a customer experience worthy of a luxury brand • Tiffany Couture’s relationships with luxury retailers, entertainers, shows, and high-end garment owners • Why strong relationships create new business opportunities • How one unexpected rug-cleaning request eventually led Ricardo into another business • Using adjacent services and acquisitions to create additional revenue streams • The importance of mentorship, peer groups, and surrounding yourself with people who know what you don’t • Why the future of dry cleaning will reward operators willing to adapt
Ricardo also shares some incredible stories from inside Tiffany Couture Cleaners, from handling extremely valuable designer garments and celebrity wardrobes to a customer who nearly arrived at a White House Christmas event without his pants.
And toward the end of the conversation, Ricardo sums up much of his philosophy in one line:
“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”
When people take pride in what they do, care about the result, and genuinely enjoy the craft, the quality shows.
Whether you operate a dry cleaner, laundromat, pickup and delivery route, or another service business, this conversation is packed with practical lessons on leadership, growth, profitability, acquisitions, and building a company that can thrive beyond the owner.
Subscribe to Cleaner Conversations for more conversations!
🎧 Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Kathy Benzinger: From NFL Cheerleader to DLI President
24 Aug 2026
00:41:39
Kathy Benzinger spent years working in her family’s dry cleaning business before launching Benzinger’s Clothing Care in 1998 with no customers, little money, and a production facility built inside a former used-car dealership. Since then, she has grown from doing nearly everything herself to leading a multi-location company built around automation, internal leadership development, measurable performance, and continuous improvement.
In this episode of Cleaner Conversations, we dive into Kathy’s journey from Buffalo Jills cheerleader to president of the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute, how she pushed through impostor syndrome, and what helped her transition from technician to business leader. She shares the numbers every owner should understand, the three management positions that changed her business, how automation allowed her team to accomplish more with fewer people, and why she believes the garment care industry has more opportunity than ever.
This is a practical and encouraging conversation for dry cleaning owners and managers about delegation, automation, leadership development, financial performance, wash and fold, company culture, marketing, and building a business that can continue growing without the owner doing everything.
Topics Covered:
• Kathy’s journey from Buffalo Jills cheerleader to DLI president • Overcoming impostor syndrome by continuing to show up • What Kathy learned while working in her family’s business • Launching Benzinger’s Clothing Care with no established customers • How The E-Myth Revisited changed the way she viewed her role • Moving from technician to manager to entrepreneur • The three positions owners need to remove work from their desks • Developing and promoting future leaders from within the company • The numbers Kathy wishes she had understood sooner • Learning to read a P&L while running a multimillion-dollar business • Improving pieces per operator hour by measuring performance • Reducing payroll through automation, tracking, and steady improvement • How Benzinger’s went from 50 employees doing the work now handled by 35 • Producing a 17% increase after adding a kiosk to an established location • Why Metalprogetti and other automation investments can pay for themselves • Finding a social media manager who understands the company’s personality • Why wash and fold requires patience, experimentation, and consistent promotion • What Kathy looks for when identifying future leaders • Building a culture around honesty, humility, hard work, and positivity • Why owners should focus on getting 1% better instead of fixing everything at once • Kathy’s optimism about textile recovery, garment reuse, and the industry’s future • The full-size mattress that arrived after Kathy told her team never to say no
Subscribe to Cleaner Conversations for more conversations with operators, founders, managers, and leaders across the garment care industry.
Watch and listen on YouTube and Spotify, with audio also available on Apple Podcasts.
Bonnie Blum: How to Demand Excellence Without Micromanaging
17 Aug 2026
00:46:51
Bonnie has spent 18 years at City Cleaners, starting behind the counter as a shy 19-year-old CSR and eventually growing into a leadership role overseeing a team of 17 CSRs across five locations. Along the way, she has helped build the systems, expectations, and culture that allow City Cleaners to develop employees, create stronger customer relationships, and keep multiple stores operating consistently.
In this episode of Cleaner Conversations, we dive into Bonnie’s journey from CSR to management, what she has learned about developing people, and why caring has become one of the most important qualities she looks for in future leaders. She shares how City Cleaners trains and recognizes employees, handles difficult customer situations, creates clear expectations, and gives team members room to be human while still maintaining a high professional standard.
This is a practical conversation packed with real ideas for dry cleaning owners and managers around leadership, employee retention, customer experience, accountability, training, systems, and building a team that genuinely cares about the work they do.
Topics Covered:
• Bonnie’s journey from 19-year-old CSR to management • What owners should look for when developing future managers • Why caring matters more than having every skill on day one • Managing a dry cleaning team through COVID and heavy turnover • City Cleaners’ $50 “Above & Beyond” customer budget • Using Clean Cards to recognize employees who go the extra mile • Calling every new customer personally after their first visit • City Cleaners’ three-tier system for handling customer complaints • Listening, reassuring, and solving problems with difficult customers • Balancing compassion with professional standards • Managing five locations without physically being in every store • Using SOPs, systems, and clear expectations to create accountability • Giving CSRs production experience to better understand the entire operation • Expanding into laundromats and fire restoration • Why defining excellence makes it easier to demand excellence • A customer accidentally leaving a duffel bag full of drugs with his dry cleaning
Subscribe to Cleaner Conversations for more conversations with operators, founders, managers, and leaders across the garment care industry.
Watch and listen on YouTube and Spotify, with audio also available on Apple Podcasts.
Dino Kantzavelos: Survive, Reinvent & Have a Beer with Charlie Sheen
10 Aug 2026
00:54:59
From cleaning costumes for Hollywood stars to rebuilding after a 95% revenue collapse, Dino Kantzavelos has experienced nearly every side of the garment-care business.
As owner of TSC Wet Clean and President of the Canadian Fabricare Association, Dino shares how one business card opened the door to Hollywood, why his family risked everything to transition to wet cleaning, and how faith, family, and commitment to his people carried the business through COVID.
We also discuss:
Rebuilding
Transitioning an entire plant to wet cleaning
Working alongside family
Why generosity creates loyal, long-term employees
Using social media
Advocating for the industry
The opportunity ahead
Dino is the owner of TSC Wet Clean in Mississauga and President of the Canadian Fabricare Association.
Subscribe to Cleaner Conversations for conversations with the dry cleaning and laundry industry.
Chris Shrader: 145% Growth Through Fire, Cancer and COVID
03 Aug 2026
00:39:56
This week on Cleaner Conversations, we sit down with Chris Shrader of Best & New Brand Cleaners in Middle Tennessee.
Chris shares how a part-time job became a nearly 30-year career building six locations, five pickup and delivery routes, and a family business positioned for its next generation.
We talk about closing underperforming locations, building a leadership team, expanding into affluent neighborhoods, creating a specialty wedding gown division, and learning to step back as an owner.
Chris also shares the powerful story of losing his entire plant in a fire and being diagnosed with cancer just weeks later. He explains how those experiences changed his outlook on leadership, stress, family, faith, and what truly matters.
Since putting the right leadership team in place, Best & New Brand Cleaners has grown sales by 145% in four years. Chris breaks down why owners must stop trying to handle everything themselves and start building systems and people that allow the business to grow beyond them.
This is a conversation about resilience, leadership, family business, customer service, and continuing to show up when everything feels like it is falling apart.
Topics Covered:
• How Chris entered the dry cleaning industry
• Knowing when to close an underperforming location
• Building six locations and five delivery routes
• How customer expectations have changed
• Using technology to create more personal service
• Building a specialty wedding gown division
• Growing sales by 145% in four years
• Hiring leaders and stepping back as an owner
• Rebuilding after losing the plant in a fire
• Being diagnosed with cancer weeks after the fire
• Targeting affluent neighborhoods using customer data
• Building adoption inside specific neighborhoods
• The good and bad of operating a family business
• Preparing the next generation for ownership
• Why struggling owners must continue to show up
Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, and leaders across the garment care industry.
Cleaner Conversations is built to highlight the people, stories, and ideas moving the garment care industry forward.
Cleaner Marketing is a full-service agency with more than 40 employees built specifically to serve the garment care industry. We help cleaners grow through marketing strategy, websites, SEO, paid advertising, reviews, customer retention, and pickup and delivery growth.
What would a new competitor do to take customers from your business?
Justin Kane, co-founder of Cleaner Marketing, breaks down the six moves he would make within his first 90 days in a new market. From dominating local search and generating reviews to building trust, staying top of mind, and tracking every marketing dollar, this presentation shows where established dry cleaners are most vulnerable.
You’ll learn how customers evaluate your business before ever speaking with you, why the best-known cleaner often beats the best cleaner, and the practical steps you can take to strengthen your online presence and protect your market.
Topics covered:
Ranking higher on Google and in the local map pack Improving your Google Business Profile Generating and responding to customer reviews Building trust through your online presence Tracking new customers and marketing revenue Preparing your business for AI-powered search Using a 10-point checklist to evaluate your local visibility
Learn more about Cleaner Marketing or request a free marketing audit.
Chris Schrader, Joel Bien-Aime & Heather, Matt Simon: How to Keep Growing | Live from Maverick
20 Jul 2026
00:25:18
This week on Cleaner Conversations, we talked with Chris Schrader from Best & New Brand Cleaners in Nashville, Tennessee, Joel and Heather from New Process Cleaners in Johnstown, New York, and Matt Simon from Columbus Cleaners in Columbus, Ohio.
Recorded at the Maverick Dry Cleaners event in Wichita, Kansas, these conversations bring together three operators working through different stages of growth. Chris is approaching 30 years in business with a wedding gown focus, Joel and Heather are navigating the challenges of a rural market, and Matt is focused on building the leadership and marketing systems needed for his company’s next season.
In this episode, we get into working on the business instead of staying trapped inside it, building stronger leadership teams, improving company culture, creating more consistent marketing, expanding pickup and delivery, and finding new revenue opportunities.
We also talk about Chris growing sales by 145%, building a strong customer base inside an affluent neighborhood, and creating a profitable wedding gown niche. Joel and Heather share the importance of relationships, community, and fresh perspectives, while Matt explains why customer awareness may be one of the industry’s biggest opportunities.
This is a conversation about getting unstuck, learning from other operators, developing your people, and building a business that can grow beyond the owner.
Topics Covered: • Working on the business instead of inside it • Building leadership teams and improving company culture • Creating a consistent marketing strategy • How Chris grew sales by 145% • Building strong neighborhood adoption • Growing a wedding gown cleaning niche • Pickup and delivery and the future of convenience • Creating new services and revenue opportunities • Increasing awareness of what garment care businesses offer • Learning through industry events and relationships • What to do when your business feels stuck • The future of the dry cleaning industry
Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, and leaders across the garment care industry.
Cleaner Conversations is built to highlight the people, stories, and ideas moving the garment care industry forward. If you’re also looking for support with marketing strategy, customer growth, websites, SEO, paid ads, reviews, or retention, Cleaner Marketing is a full-service 40+ employee agency built specifically to serve the garment care industry.
Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: L0AZNBKBJEEVY8Y9
Glen Gould: How to Be the Only Option in Your Market
13 Jul 2026
00:43:02
This week on Cleaner Conversations, we talked with Glen Gould from Dry Cleaning Connection in Peachtree City, Georgia.
Glen is an entrepreneur, professional speaker, author, business coach, and the owner of Dry Cleaning Connection, a garment care business that operates almost entirely through pickup and delivery. Before entering the dry cleaning industry, Glen pursued professional golf, worked at TPC Sawgrass, built businesses with his brother, and served as director of small to mid-sized business for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. He has also spoken for organizations including Subway, Walmart, and Coca-Cola.
In this episode, we get into Glen’s unconventional path into the dry cleaning industry and how he built a route-focused business around premium service, strong communication, clear positioning, and a willingness to operate differently from the competition. We talk about customer experience, pickup and delivery, route growth, pricing, lifetime value, leadership, communication, business resilience, customer relationships, building a production plant, surviving difficult seasons, and what it takes to become the only option for the customer you are trying to serve.
This is a practical conversation about building a differentiated business, charging enough to deliver exceptional service, leading with purpose, and staying committed when you do not yet know exactly how everything will work out.
Topics Covered: • Glen’s journey from golf and corporate roles led into dry cleaning • Lessons from TPC Sawgrass about customer experience and service • How Dry Cleaning Connection became a 99% pickup and delivery business • Positioning your company as the only option in your market • Premium pricing and the importance of delivering premium value • Why Glen views his company as a marketing business first • Route growth, density, average order value, and customer lifetime value • Why communication is critical for pickup and delivery retention • Raising prices with confidence and explaining the value behind them • Moving from working in the business to leading the business • Creating vision, accountability, and purpose for your team • What separates growing cleaners from cleaners who feel stuck • Glen’s outlook on consolidation and the future of the industry • Staying committed through financial pressure and uncertainty • The meaning behind “I don’t know how, I just know we will” • Off-the-clock stories about unusual items and customer experiences
Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, and leaders across the garment care industry. Cleaner Conversations is built to highlight the people, stories, and ideas moving the garment care industry forward. If you’re also looking for support with marketing strategy, customer growth, websites, SEO, paid ads, reviews, or retention, Cleaner Marketing is a full-service 40+ employee agency built specifically to serve the garment care industry.
Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: L0AZNBKBJEEVY8Y9
Chris White: AI & Dry Cleaning's Future
07 Jul 2026
01:00:37
This week on Cleaner Conversations, we talked with Chris White from America’s Best Cleaners.
Chris is the owner and executive director of America’s Best Cleaners, one of the most recognized certification, consulting, and business development organizations in the garment care industry. Through ABC’s Couture Care certification, annual audits, secret shopping, accelerator calls, affiliate meetings, and decades of collected industry knowledge, Chris works closely with some of the top dry cleaners in the country. In this episode, we get into Chris’s perspective on what separates cleaners who are growing from cleaners who feel stuck.
We talk about leadership development, accountability, labor, productivity, data, AI, CINET’s Roadmap 2050, consolidation, sustainability, resale, alterations, and why the future of garment care still has a lot of opportunity for operators who are willing to adapt. This is a thoughtful, practical conversation about quality, leadership, people, technology, and what it will take to build stronger dry cleaning businesses in a changing industry.
Topics Covered: • What America’s Best Cleaners does for the garment care industry • The story behind ABC’s creation and Couture Care certification • Why quality, audits, secret shopping, and customer experience matter • How ABC supports affiliates through business development and peer learning • What separates cleaners who are growing from cleaners who are stuck • Why owners cannot do everything themselves forever • Developing the next layer of leadership inside a dry cleaning business • Why clear roles, KPIs, and accountability matter • The difference between coaching and supervising • Why labor challenges are often both people issues and systems issues • How owners can use data without getting overwhelmed by it • Why technology alone does not solve operational problems • The importance of coaching employees in real time • Why accountability should feel like care, not punishment • The “Superman vs. Yoda” leadership concept • Why many owners get distracted before change fully sticks • How to simplify operations and get back to the fundamentals • Where AI can help dry cleaners first • Why AI should be viewed as a competitive advantage • Using AI for brand clarity, marketing strategy, operations, and customer communication • How phone call analysis and customer sentiment tools could impact the industry • What CINET is and why Roadmap 2050 matters • What the dry cleaning industry may look like over the next 25 years • How consolidation is reshaping local and regional markets • Why Chris is still optimistic about the future of garment care • The opportunity around resale, textile recycling, and sustainability • How cleaners can become apparel asset managers • Why alterations may become an even bigger opportunity • The impact of GLP-1 weight loss drugs on alteration demand • Why trade associations and peer groups are so important • Chris’s advice for owners who feel isolated, overwhelmed, or stuck • Why getting around other operators can help owners rediscover momentum
Cleaner Conversations is built to highlight the people, stories, and ideas moving the garment care industry forward. If you’re also looking for support with marketing strategy, customer growth, websites, SEO, paid ads, reviews, or retention, Cleaner Marketing is a full-service 40+ employee agency built specifically to serve the garment care industry.
Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: L0AZNBKBJEEVY8Y9
Ryan Fish: Failure Is Feedback
29 Jun 2026
00:50:33
This week on Cleaner Conversations, we talked with Ryan Fish from Red Hanger Cleaners in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Ryan bought his first dry cleaning business at 23 years old with no background in the industry. Since then, he has built routes, sold a business, bought back in, led through COVID, expanded into restoration, and become one of the most respected voices in garment care.
In this episode, we get into Ryan’s journey from a young owner learning dry cleaning by fire to leading one of the defining dry cleaning brands in northern Utah. We talk about pickup and delivery, route density, scaling a team, restoration, buying and selling businesses, closing stores, rebuilding stronger, and why improvement matters more than growth at all costs.
This is a practical, honest conversation about ownership, leadership, failure, resilience, and what it really takes to build a stronger dry cleaning business in a changing industry.
Topics Covered: • Ryan’s path into the dry cleaning industry • Buying his first dry cleaner at 23 years old • Learning the business hands-on after his partner left • Why small business is more complex than people think • The early grind of running a dry cleaning operation • Building pickup and delivery routes from the ground up • Why route density matters more than simply adding more stops • The difference between route drivers, route managers, and route builders • Why owners need a champion for every major project • How Red Hanger built a strong brand across northern Utah • The role of same-day service in Ryan’s market • What dry cleaners need to understand before adding restoration • The difference between wholesale restoration work and going all in • Storage, admin, insurance, documentation, and operational challenges in restoration • Lessons from buying, selling, and buying back into the industry • Why many owners accidentally buy themselves a job instead of building an asset • What changes when you go from leading 20 people to leading over 100 • Why communication becomes harder and more important as a company scales • How culture depends on access, training, and consistent leadership • What it was like closing stores during COVID • Why failure can become feedback for building a healthier business • Why Ryan believes improvement matters more than growth at all costs • Ryan’s outlook on consolidation and the future of garment care • Why he is still optimistic about the dry cleaning industry
Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, and leaders across the garment care industry.
Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: L0AZNBKBJEEVY8Y9
Arika Williams: From Pressing Pants To Millions Of Views
22 Jun 2026
00:34:56
This week on Cleaner Conversations, we talked with Arika Williams from Curtis Cleaners in Lowell, Michigan.
Arika started by pressing pants inside a dry cleaning plant. Now, millions of people have watched her show what really happens behind the scenes in garment care.
In this episode, we get into Arika’s journey from the production floor to becoming one of the most recognizable dry cleaning professionals on social media. We talk about viral videos, production leadership, training, equipment, team culture, and why the people behind the scenes deserve a lot more respect.
This is a fun, real conversation about pride in the craft, building a career in garment care, and using social media to show the world how much skill goes into dry cleaning.
Topics Covered: • Arika’s path into the dry cleaning industry • Starting on the production floor and learning the business hands-on • Going from pressing pants to millions of views online • The TikTok video that introduced people to dry cleaning production • Why people are fascinated by behind-the-scenes garment care content • What customers often do not understand about dry cleaning • The skill, detail, and timing involved in production • Pressing, spotting, finishing, scanning, bagging, and detailing garments • How Arika grew into a production leadership role • Leading a team while still jumping in wherever needed • Why production workers deserve more respect and recognition • How social media can help educate customers and attract future employees • The importance of training and cross-training inside the plant • How new equipment impacts workflow, quality, and team adoption • Why culture and pride matter in a dry cleaning operation • The value of being willing to learn every part of the business • How Arika thinks about change, growth, and opportunity • Her future goals in training, education, chemistry, and industry involvement • Why dry cleaning is a skilled trade with real career paths • Why every role inside a cleaner matters
Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, and leaders across the garment care industry.
Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: L0AZNBKBJEEVY8Y9
Jan Barlow: You're Only As Good As Your Last Pair Of Pants
15 Jun 2026
00:48:12
Jan Barlow is the owner of Jan’s Professional Dry Cleaners in Clio, Michigan and one of the most respected voices in the garment care industry. With more than four decades of experience, Jan has served as president of DLI, earned international recognition, and built a small family business into a globally recognized operation while staying deeply connected to her local community.
In this episode of Cleaner Conversations, we dive into Jan’s journey from teaching and library science into dry cleaning, entrepreneurship, leadership, education, and global garment care. She shares how she built her business from the ground up, why the industry is still about people and chemistry, what owners often worry about too much, and why training, trust, curiosity, and strong relationships are critical to long-term success.
This is a practical and inspiring conversation packed with real lessons on customer service, employee training, industry leadership, caring for irreplaceable garments, staying optimistic about the future, and why no owner should try to build their business alone.
Topics Covered: • Jan’s path from teaching into dry cleaning • Opening Jan’s Professional Dry Cleaners in 1982 • Building a business with family support and community trust • Why dry cleaning is still about people and chemistry • How marketing and customer communication have changed over the years • Why younger generations may not understand what dry cleaners do • The importance of servant leadership, grit, and keeping the work fun • Why owners need to be more strategic and communicate better • The value of coaching, cost groups, mentors, and sounding boards • Why training your people is one of the most important things you can do • Customer service lessons from Jan’s new book, Over the Counter • Caring for heirlooms, wedding gowns, antique garments, and irreplaceable pieces • Setting customer expectations when handling delicate items • Why Jan sees herself as an explorer, not a pioneer • How to evaluate new ideas, fads, technology, and beta opportunities • What the global garment care community has taught Jan • Why Jan is optimistic about the future of the industry • The importance of surrounding yourself with good people • Why you should never try to build your business as an island
Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, marketers, and leaders across the garment care industry.
Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: L0AZNBKBJEEVY8Y9
Kermit Engh: Your Business Can't Depend On You
08 Jun 2026
00:37:41
Kermit Engh is the owner of Fashion Cleaners in Omaha and a longtime leader with Methods for Management, where he helps garment care owners and operators better understand their financials, operations, labor, and long-term business value. With experience building, buying, selling, and consulting across multiple businesses, Kermit brings a practical and straight to the point perspective on what it really takes to run a healthier company.
In this episode of Cleaner Conversations, we dive into Kermit’s journey from the corporate world into laundromats, dry cleaning, consulting, and entrepreneurship. He shares the early challenges of buying Fashion Cleaners, the importance of understanding your numbers, the common money leaks owners miss, and why labor, retention, and leadership are some of the biggest factors shaping the future of the industry.
This is a practical and encouraging conversation packed with real lessons on profitability, employee retention, data, exit planning, peer groups, and how owners can build businesses that do not depend on them for every decision.
Sections of the conversation: • Kermit’s path from the corporate world into dry cleaning • Buying a laundromat and eventually Fashion Cleaners • The early grind of ownership and learning production firsthand • Building a premium garment care brand in Omaha • Why dry cleaners need to understand their financials • The KPIs that matter most: labor, EBITDA, new customers, and retention • Common money leaks inside dry cleaning businesses • Cleaning up your P&L before trying to sell • Labor control, time clock management, and scheduling • The hidden cost of aged inventory • Employee retention through tuition reimbursement and 401k programs • Why owners become the hub for every decision • Helping employees think and solve problems like owners • Value drivers for dry cleaners planning to exit • Why peer groups and industry relationships matter • Encouragement for owners who feel burned out or stuck
Subscribe and like for more conversations with operators, founders, and leaders across the garment care industry. We enjoyed this conversation and hope you do too!
Ken Sandy: Turning A Dry Cleaner Into A Brand
01 Jun 2026
00:38:09
Ken Sandy is the managing partner and co-founder of Dryy Garment Care and part of FRSTeam Restoration, serving the Washington, DC metropolitan region and beyond. With a background in hospitality, real estate, technology, branding, and service, Ken brings an outsider’s perspective to an industry built on trust, relationships, and operational excellence.
In this episode of Cleaner Conversations, we dive into Ken’s journey from being laid off to building one of the most modern and recognizable garment care brands in the country. Ken shares how Dryy grew through lockers, multifamily partnerships, community involvement, restoration work, branding, storytelling, and a people-first culture that has shaped the business from the inside out.
This is a practical and inspiring conversation packed with real lessons on growth, resilience, customer experience, community trust, and why dry cleaners have a bigger role to play in their local markets than many realize.
Topics Covered: • Ken’s path into the dry cleaning industry • Building Dryy Garment Care in the DC market • Why dry cleaning is really a people and trust business • Lockers, convenience, and multifamily partnerships • Working with properties like Greystar, Bozzuto, and Lerner • The merger with Total Cleaners and lessons from scaling • Why operators need control over quality and reputation • FRSTeam Restoration and diversifying revenue • The shrinking piece-count challenge in dry cleaning • Culture, team buy-in, and people before profit • Community involvement and the Dryy Run 5K • Branding, storytelling, and content creation • The future of dry cleaning and why operators must evolve
Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, marketers, and leaders across the garment care industry.
Nathaniel Dubasik: Why Cleaners Lose Customers Without Realizing It
25 May 2026
00:35:21
Nathaniel Dubasik has spent nearly 20 years helping dry cleaners understand automation, operations, kiosks, and the technology shaping the future of the industry. After years with Metal Progetti and firsthand experience growing up around dry cleaning, Nathaniel brings a unique perspective on what actually works inside a plant.
In this episode of Cleaner Conversations, we dive into customer communication, AI, missed calls, kiosks, team buy-in, consolidation, and why every phone call can become a make-or-break moment for a customer relationship.
This is a practical conversation packed with lessons from inside the industry, real examples from operators, and insight from someone who has seen dry cleaning from nearly every angle.
Topics Covered: • Growing up in the dry cleaning industry • 19 years with Metal Progetti • Automation and team buy-in • Kiosks and changing customer expectations • The real cost of missed phone calls • PhoneClarity and AI-powered communication • Customer service and employee professionalism • Consolidation and the future of dry cleaning • Advice for owners navigating change and growth
Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, marketers, and leaders across the garment care industry.
Dave Coyle: What Smart Dry Cleaners Do Differently
18 May 2026
00:48:38
We sit down with Dave Coyle, one of the most respected operators and business minds in the dry cleaning industry.
Dave shares the real story behind building In The Bag Cleaners from the ground up, surviving chaos, scaling through uncertainty, battling addiction while growing the company, and eventually creating Maverick Drycleaners, a community built around helping operators think bigger and lead better.
This conversation goes far beyond dry cleaning. We talk leadership, entrepreneurship, personal growth, pickup & delivery, profitability, mindset shifts, and what it takes to build a business that supports your life instead of consuming it.
In This Episode: - How Dave got started in dry cleaning - Growing from 1 store to a multi-location operation - Buying 13 stores during the 2008 financial crisis - The reality of entrepreneurship and survival mode - Addiction, isolation, and rebuilding personally - Why “better is better,” not just “more” - Pickup & delivery strategy for modern cleaners - Payroll, profitability, and operational efficiency - Building Maverick Dry Cleaners - The future of the dry cleaning industry - Leadership lessons for owners and operators
About Cleaner Conversations: Cleaner Conversations is a podcast built for dry cleaners, laundromat owners, operators, route drivers, marketers, and industry professionals. We focus on real conversations, real stories, and practical ideas that help move the industry forward.
New episodes drop every Sunday evening.
Listen & Follow on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
We kick off Cleaner Conversation with Cohen Wills. Cohen didn’t enter the dry cleaning industry through a traditional path. What started as a concentration risk in another business quickly turned into a crash course in survival, customer acquisition, marketing, and adaptation when COVID hit shortly after entering the industry.
In this episode of Cleaner Conversations, we talk through the story behind Sage Cleaners and Cleaner Marketing, including pickup & delivery growth, attribution, scaling customer acquisition, learning the dry cleaning business in real time, and the mindset required to keep pushing through failure and uncertainty.
This is an honest conversation about growth, pressure, risk, marketing, and what it actually takes to build and scale in the garment care industry today.
Topics Covered: • Entering dry cleaning before COVID • Building Sage Cleaners • The growth of pickup & delivery • Customer acquisition and attribution • Failure, pressure, and persistence • Marketing systems that actually work • The evolution of Cleaner Marketing • The future of dry cleaning and laundromats
Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, marketers, and leaders across the garment care industry.
James Peuster: What 3,500+ Ride-Alongs Taught Me (Pickup and Delivery Hall of Famer)
10 May 2026
00:42:05
James Peuster, better known by many as “The Knockfather,” has spent decades helping dry cleaners grow pickup & delivery operations across the country. After thousands of ride-alongs with route drivers and years of hands-on consulting, James has seen firsthand what separates average route operations from elite ones.
In this episode of Cleaner Conversations, we dive into route sales, customer service, leadership, driver psychology, growth strategies, and the small habits that can completely change the trajectory of pickup & delivery. This is a candid conversation packed with lessons from the road, stories from inside the industry, and practical insights from one of the most recognizable voices in route development.
Topics Covered: • Training 3,500+ route drivers • Pickup & delivery growth strategies • Driver psychology and customer interactions • Route density and retention • Leadership and accountability • The evolution of dry cleaning routes • Building better customer experiences • Lessons from decades in the field
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Major Bauknight: Building on a 75-Year Foundation (Rebranding In The Modern World)
10 May 2026
00:42:44
Major Bauknight joins Cleaner Conversations to share the story behind taking over a long-standing dry cleaning business at just 23 years old, only months before COVID changed the industry forever.
In this episode, we talk through the realities of buying a legacy cleaner, rebranding Brashier Polk into Major Cleaners, surviving the uncertainty of the pandemic, scaling pickup & delivery, leadership lessons, employee transitions, and learning how to modernize operations without losing the foundation that made the business successful in the first place.
This conversation is about pressure, growth, customer service, entrepreneurship, and what it looks like to lead in the industry today.
Topics Covered: • Taking over a dry cleaner at 23 • Buying a legacy business • Navigating COVID as a new owner • Rebranding to Major Cleaners • Pickup & delivery growth • Leadership and employee management • Equipment, POS systems, and operations • Entrepreneurship and long-term growth
Subscribe for more conversations with operators, founders, marketers, and leaders across the garment care industry.