Cleaner Conversations

Cleaner Conversations

5.0 (2)
Marketing

Cleaner Conversations is all about the owners and operators in the Dry Cleaning and Laundromat spaces. We’re sitting down with operators across the country to hear how they got started, what they’ve been through, and the stories you wouldn’t believe unless you heard them yourself. Real experiences, real challenges, and real insight into what it actually takes to survive and grow in this industry.

6d ago

Peter Blake: Dry Cleaning Is Changing

Peter Blake has spent nearly 40 years in the Dry Cleaning Industry, and he’s seen just about every major shift along the way. In this episode of Cleaner Conversations, Peter joins Justin Kane and Sam Taylor to talk about how dry cleaning has changed, where the industry is heading, and why he remains optimistic about its future. From changing consumer habits and the decline of traditional formalwear to pickup and delivery, route growth, consolidation, new ownership, regulation, and the growing importance of community, Peter shares a perspective shaped by decades of working directly with cleaners across the country. Peter also breaks down what he sees from visiting roughly 185 dry cleaning businesses a year, including the problems owners are facing most often and why many of those problems come back to systems, management, and communication. In this episode: • How dry cleaning has changed over the last 40 years • Why cleaners can no longer wait for customers to simply walk through the door • Why Peter believes the future of dry cleaning is still bright • What successful pickup and delivery operators do differently • Why routes should be treated as their own business unit • The shift toward laundry, wash-dry-fold, convenience, and fabric care • What consolidation means for cleaners and industry associations • Environmental issues including Perc, PFAS, OSHA, and heat stress • DLI’s new HR resources for cleaners • The new DLI Connect program for owners entering the industry • Why getting involved with other cleaners can dramatically shorten your learning curve • Peter’s advice for any owner who feels like they’re struggling alone Peter sums up the future well: the industry will not stay the same, but people will continue paying for services that save them time and make their lives easier. The opportunity is for cleaners to keep adapting to how customers want to buy those services. If you own or operate in this industry, this is an episode worth listening to. Subscribe to Cleaner Conversations for conversations with the operators, leaders, and innovators shaping the garment care industry. Connect with Peter here: PeteBlke@aol.com⁠ OR here: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/DryLaunInst/⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/southeasternfabricare⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/nefabricare⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/macassociation.org 👍 Like the episode 💬 Tell us what change you think will have the biggest impact on dry cleaning over the next 5 years 🔔 Subscribe for future episodes #DryCleaning #DirtyClothes #PickupAndDelivery #GarmentCare #SmallBusiness #CleanerConversations #DLI
Aug 31

Ricardo Torres: How to Build a Dry Cleaner That Doesn’t Depend on You

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. CONNECT WITH RICARDO & TIFFANY COUTURE CLEANERS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tiffany-couture-cleaners/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TiffanyCoutureCleaners/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanycouturecleaners/ Website: https://tiffanycouturecleaners.com/ Email: ricardo@tiffanycc.com Subscribe to Cleaner Conversations for more conversations! 🎧 Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Aug 24

Kathy Benzinger: From NFL Cheerleader to DLI President

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. Want to learn more? Click here: [https://api.cleaner.marketing/widget/bookings/cleanermarketingstrategymeeting]
Aug 17

Bonnie Blum: How to Demand Excellence Without Micromanaging

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. Want to learn more? Click here: https://api.cleaner.marketing/widget/bookings/cleanermarketingstrategymeeting
Aug 10

Dino Kantzavelos: Survive, Reinvent & Have a Beer with Charlie Sheen

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: RebuildingTransitioning an entire plant to wet cleaningWorking alongside familyWhy generosity creates loyal, long-term employeesUsing social mediaAdvocating for the industryThe 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.
Aug 3

Chris Shrader: 145% Growth Through Fire, Cancer and COVID

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. Learn more here: https://api.cleaner.marketing/widget/bookings/cleanermarketingstrategymeeting Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: L0AZNBKBJEEVY8Y9
Jul 27

Justin Kane: How Today's Customers Find You

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.
Jul 20

Chris Schrader, Joel Bien-Aime & Heather, Matt Simon: How to Keep Growing | Live from Maverick

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. Learn more here: https://api.cleaner.marketing/widget/bookings/cleanermarketingstrategymeeting Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: L0AZNBKBJEEVY8Y9

5

out of 5

2 Ratings

Cleaner Conversations is all about the owners and operators in the Dry Cleaning and Laundromat spaces. We’re sitting down with operators across the country to hear how they got started, what they’ve been through, and the stories you wouldn’t believe unless you heard them yourself. Real experiences, real challenges, and real insight into what it actually takes to survive and grow in this industry.

Creator

Cleaner Conversations
Years Active

2026
Episodes

20
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Cleaner Conversations

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