Ask AI — Here’s How
By Becca Anderson
Do you get tired of people telling you to “just ask AI” if you have a problem? You might not trust AI, or (let’s admit it) you are just unsure how to even go about doing that and don’t want to say so.
This article is a how-to on asking AI questions pertinent to your business, and includes all the text of the answers the AI generated. I think it will both amaze and intrigue you.
America’s Best Cleaners Hosted Fall 2025 Accelerator Live in Minneapolis, MN
America’s Best Cleaners (ABC) held its Fall 2025 Accelerator Live meeting from October 8–10 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, hosted by All Seasons Garment Care & Evermore Wedding Gown Care. The event theme, “Accountability,” focused on the foundational role personal and team ownership play in achieving excellence in operations, leadership, and service delivery.
Wes Nelson and Kristen Vos Lead TCATA 2026 Conference Planning
TCATA is excited to announce that Wes Nelson, President of Sankosha USA will serve as Conference Chair and Kristen Vos, Executive Vice President of RR Street & Co. will lead as Business Committee Chair for the 2026 Management & Educational Conference, taking place August 2–5, 2026, at the beautiful Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina.
READ MORE IN CONFERENCES & EVENTS…
Over the Counter Chapter 1
SERIES: Over the Counter book Serialized
Back in the good old days of publishing, books were often serialized in magazines and newspapers, and readers waited anxiously for each installment. Think Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol.
Marcia Miller Todd’s book, Over the Counter, is a training guide for counter personnel in dry cleaning plants. There is no other such resource out there that you can turn to if you want to train all your people uniformly. The book has recently been updated and brought out for a new generation by Jan Caon Barlow and Becca Anderson. Fabricare Canada will be publishing a chapter or excerpts from a chapter for the next 2 years.
OCTOBER ARTICLES
Five Stars for Laundry CEO Forum
By Becca Anderson
It would be impossible for me to convey all the information and experiences from the Laundry CEO Forum, held in Dallas, TX on October 5-7, 2025. There was so much knowledge shared among the participants and from the stage. If you are a laundromat owner and want to grow your business, get Laundry CEO Forum on your radar and make plans for next year. It will absolutely be worth the time and money you will invest.
Special reporting from the Laundry CEO Forum
Free Laundry Day Invasion
The CLA held one of its Free Laundry Day events in Dallas, TX on Sunday, October 5, 2025 in conjunction with the Laundry CEO Forum conference. The event lasted 2 hours, and dozens of customers were thrilled to come to the laundromat and find out there was no charge for the use of the washers and dryers that day.
You Are Not Alone
By Becca Anderson
I stopped in to chat with David Haick at Parker’s Cleaners in Oakville, ON the other day. I wanted to see how the average cleaner—the one-shop, family-owned, working day to day cleaner—was faring. That’s the bulk of the Canadian industry, so if it describes you, you are not alone in your struggles and victories.
Don’t hide from automation
By Kevin Marois
Some people are afraid of automation. “We have always done it this way”. Are you still using a Foot Stomper or a Belly Washer?
The fact is, you are already using automation. And if you want to stay in business, you need to study and embrace automation going forward.
Is GEO the Next SEO?
Here’s What You Need to Know
Linley McConnell
The way we search and shop is changing. This year, roughly 50% of Canadians used artificial intelligence (AI) tools for online purchases and product searches. In other words, AI is quickly replacing the traditional ‘Google Search’.
For years, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or ranking in the number one spot on Google was the cornerstone of digital visibility. But now, Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are reshaping the landscape and the way we find our information. Digital marketers are turning their attention to a new concept: GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization. Instead of optimizing content for Google’s search rankings, companies are now thinking about how to show up in AI-generated answers. And you should be, too.
Client Retention Is Not a Frontline Job
By Francis Flair
Not long ago, I sat across from the CEO of a company that was scaling its operations bigger. He told me, “Retention? That’s our customer service department’s responsibility.” He meant it sincerely.
But the numbers told a different story – clients were leaving faster than they could replace them, and the frontline team was burning out. This CEO made a classic mistake – treating retention as a departmental task instead of a leadership strategy.
SEPTEMBER SERIES — 2025 Best Canadian Plant Competition
Krazee Klean, Crazy Different
We have had very few entries so far in our competition this year, and I think it’s because people think their plant has be to beautiful to qualify. But different plants have different missions, and how they serve their customers is the key to a winning plant.
A great example of a purpose-driven plant is Krazee Klean, from Ft. Kent, Alberta. The entire clientele is made up of oil field workers, and it’s reputation among them is beyond reproach.
Series: 2025 Best Canadian Plant Competition
Crouse’s Cleaners: 3 Generations Wide and Deep
Some companies specialize in a particular segment of the market, while others cast their net wider. Crouse’s Cleaners in Grande Prairie, AB is one of the latter. They do everything from delicate personal garments to oily coveralls, and they do it all with a smile.
Read about why siblings David and Kathleen Crouse are proud enough of their company to nominate it for our 2025 Best Plants competition.
Busy Bee Gold Dry Cleaners — More than Clean Clothes
A Family Journey Since 1981
SERIES: Best Canadian Plant 2025 Competition
The story of Busy Bee Gold Dry Cleaners is not one of sudden fame or big breakthroughs. It’s a simple story of a family, a small shop, and a community that believed in us.
In 1981, Mohamud Rahim’s parents opened a modest dry cleaning store on West 6th Avenue in Vancouver. The shop was just 1,500 sq. ft., with two employees and a dream: to provide honest, reliable service to neighbors and friends. What they lacked in size, they made up for in care and dedication.
Page the Cleaner: 90 Years Strong
SERIES: Best Canadian Plant 2025 Competition
Page the Cleaner of Edmonton, AB was founded in 1935. They are justifiably proud that they are celebrating 90 years in the business this year. General Manager Rupinder Rudolph was delighted to hear her plant had been nominated to take part in this competition by Chris White of Kreussler.
2025 Best Canadian Plant Competition Winner!
Crouse’s Cleaners, Grand Prairie, AB
This is the second year we have held a competition to find examples of the greatest plants across Canada. Our competition is not all-inclusive: you have to nominate your plant, or someone else has to do it for you. The competitors were sent a standardized set of questions about their operations and we wrote an article featuring each plant, with lots of photos.
Our thanks and admiration for each of the plants that submitted their information and shared their stories. You are all winners, just for putting yourselves forward for scrutiny, and you shine in the Canadian industry.
Learning Together
We had our annual Seminars for Success last weekend at our office. The theme this year was Threading the Needle: Business Planning in Changing Times. We had a great turnout and some lively discussions.
Find out what was discussed, and why you need to start planning now to attend next Fall’s Seminars for Success.
How Showcasing Your Plant Can Be A Marketing Tool
By Linley McConnell
In the spirit of the Best Canadian Plant Competition, I ask you, when was the last time you proudly showed off your plant, not just to a sales representative, but to your customers, social media followers, or even local media? It’s easy to forget that our operations are fascinating to people who trust us with their wardrobes. But consider this: your plant isn’t just where the magic happens, it is the magic.
Why Great Cultures Keep Clients
By Francis Flair
This month, Francis gives you an example of how a popular fast food chain moved a friendliness mandate from training to being part of the company’s culture, and the result it has had.
“Too many leaders still think client retention belongs to the frontline. That if you hire ‘the right people’ or give a single training, the service will take care of itself. But retention doesn’t live in a script, it lives in the culture,” he says.
