commercial State s first truly opens in Austin Co-owners Jamie Bishop and Louise Messano share a passion for preserving the environment.

Transcription

1 commercial From the Dependability People Volume 50 Number 4 State s first truly green Maytagequipped laundry opens in Austin Co-owners Jamie Bishop and Louise Messano share a passion for preserving the environment.

2 If you re going to open an eco-friendly self-service laundry in one of the greenest cities in America, you d better do it right. That s exactly what co-owners Louise Messano and Jamie Bishop have done in Austin, capital of the state and home to the sprawling University of Texas campus. They couldn t be happier with the result. 2

3 All of the Maytag Commercial washers at the Wash Day Laundry offer the profit-building Super Cycle option. Approximately 30 percent of customers select this optional service. We set out to change the common view of the self-serve laundry as a dingy, out-of-theway place that you visited only when you absolutely had to, said Jamie. Our vision was to build a clean, bright and environmentally responsible store that customers would look forward to using and afterwards, they d carry baskets of sparkling clean laundry out the door, knowing they d done something positive that day for the environment. The owners recognized that committing their capital dollars to the green Wash Day Laundry at 7626 Highway 71 West, in Oak Hill in southwest Austin, couldn t simply be an altruistic thing. The laundry must also earn a profit. The good news is we re very pleased with the financial performance of this business since it opened in March 2009 and we re optimistic it s going to improve even more in the weeks and months ahead, said Louise. A big reason for this success is the extensive research they did prior to starting the project. Jamie and Louise met as neighbors and during a casual conversation learned they shared a common interest in wanting to own a business. After talking about it they decided to consider a selfserve laundry. They found a possible location and surveyed the surrounding area to assess the competition that existed in a five to six mile radius. They found only one store, an older one with outdated washers and dryers. Many of the machines had Post-It notes on them declaring they were out-oforder and thus not usable. So much for our concerns about the competition, said Louise, with a laugh. Meantime, Jamie, who has extensive experience in the drycleaning industry in the Austin area, interviewed five different distributors of commercial laundry equipment before settling on Maytag Energy Advantage frontloading commercial washers 3

4 The store features six of Maytag s Next Generation high-efficiency front-load washers. On Mondays, these washers are specially priced at 98 INSET: No coins allowed in this store. All transactions are handled through eco-friendly plastic cards. Two Value Transfer Machines are available and accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, debit cards and cash. Put $20 in a machine and receive credit for $22, a ten percent bonus. and multi-load dryers for their self-serve laundry. Both Louise and I, of course, knew about Maytag s historical reputation for quality and durability, said Jamie. We were especially impressed with the knowledge and experience of Russell Dillard, the area representative for Mac-Gray, the Maytag Commercial Laundry distributor serving the area. Russell confirmed our faith in the Maytag brand and also brought us the technical, marketing, design, engineering skills and confidence we needed to open our brand-new store. We re greatly indebted to him and to the entire Mac-Gray team. The 2,200-sq.-ft. space proved to be ideal. It is located in a high-traffic area along one of the busiest streets at the southern edge of Austin. The space they selected is anchored on the high-visibility end of a four-unit strip shopping mall that was constructed 10 years ago. After signing a lease, they spent the next six months preparing it for the Grand Opening. An important first step was interviewing contractors to determine who best could do the extensive infrastructure work, involving plumbing, natural gas, venting and electrical work. He also questioned them on their commitment to green building practices. We chose our contractor not on the lowest price, but on who we thought was the best person to get the job done, Jamie said. We weren t disappointed. The interior lighting features T-6 bulbs, reducing electrical use by 40 percent. Even the paint on the walls has zero volatile organic compounds. There are six overhead fans for air movement and to help ensure the inside temperature is maintained 4

5 at 78-degrees year around, even during the scorching heat of a Texas summer. The extensive windows in the store are covered with heatresistant polyester film that reflects 78 percent of the solar energy. Solar blinds are also used to help keep things cool even on the hottest of days. They re made from recycled fabric containing no PVC, so there s no off-gassing. The concrete floor is sealed and left bare. There is no carpeting or tile in use. The store is kept spotless using non-carcinogenic and a carefully selected variety of ecofriendly cleaning products. Here are key reasons why Jamie and Louise believe their Wash Day Laundry is the greenest in all of Texas: The Maytag Energy Advantage multi-load washers, ranging in capacity from two to eight loads, feature high-speed water extraction, up to 350 times the force of gravity, which means less time for damp clothing and other freshly washed items in the dryers. Bilingual store manager Martha Sigala helps a customer with his drop-off laundry order. In addition to Wash, Dry & Fold, the store also offers pressing services. The 24 Maytag Energy Advantage gas dryers on average use 23 percent less energy than other commercial equipment, while the Axial Airflow System speeds up drying time. The laundry sells only Clean Environment-brand detergent, as well as other laundry products such as bleach and softener. You can bring in traditional store-bought detergent, but you can t buy it at this laundry. The tankless water system heats water only as it s needed, thus minimizing energy lost by storing pre-heated water in a holding tank. Co-owner Jamie Bishop (left) and Russell Dillard, representative with Maytag Commercial Laundry distributor Mac-Gray. 5

6 Mac-Gray helped the owners with a demographic study of the neighborhood. It showed nearby RV parks, recreational areas, a scattering of high-end homes, several existing apartment complexes, including three directly behind the store, and a nearby 500- unit apartment building nearing completion. We re attracting customers from the close-in neighborhood and from as far as five miles away, said Louise. Almost without exception when they first visit they comment on how nice our laundry is and what a great addition it is to the community. The surrounding rural area includes hundreds of residential acreages and small ranches, many of which rely on well water. This part of Texas is suffering from a multi-year drought and concern is high that the wells could go dry. Jamie said they re trying to spread the word that it makes sense for these people to use the Wash Day Laundry rather than risk depleting dwindling home water supplies. Word-of-mouth advertising is attracting the most new customers, but the owners also have successfully worked a plan to place publicity stories in local newspapers and other publications. They also distributed thousands of bilingual flyers and completed extensive direct-mailers to area residents, which included coupons offering specials on drop-off services and 98-centa-load Monday pricing on select washers. They have made several personal presentations to area Chamber of Commerce groups as well as breakfast and luncheon clubs to promote the new laundry to area businesses. We d love to build up a corporate drop-off laundry service with area motels, restaurants and others that need our services, said Louise. We are already doing some of this but we see an opportunity to do much more. Because of Jamie s background in drycleaning, the laundry also is promoting the drop-off service using ValPak Coupon mailings for people who have laundry facilities at home but don t have big enough equipment to handle items such as kingsize comforters, feather beds, cushions and pillows, even horse blankets. Drop-off is available for $1.15 a pound, with a 10- Almost without exception when customers first visit, they comment on how nice our laundry is and what a great addition it is to the community. Co-Owner Louise Messano Drop-off laundry, at $1.15 a pound with a $10 minimum, is a growing part of the Wash Day Laundry s revenue stream. Every aspect of the drop-off transaction is carefully tracked using sophisticated software to ensure customers complete satisfaction. 6

7 The store sells only green concentrated laundry products that are non-caustic to extend fabric life, naturally derived, non-hazardous, biodegradable, non-toxic and non-irritating to skin. The Maytag Mix 6 Maytag High-Efficiency Front-Load Washers: $1.75 a load (Super Cycle: $2.00) The Wash Day Laundry offers two Maytag 75-lb. dryers to handle super-size loads. The dryers are priced at $3.00 for 35 minutes of dry time. pound minimum. On Mondays, drop-off service is offered at the promotional price of 99 cents a pound. Pressing is also available. We tell people if you ve got it, we can wash it, even those items you d maybe take to a drycleaner, said Jamie. Plus, we don t use any of the harsh chemicals a drycleaner uses. Fully attended, Wash Day is open 7 days a week, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. This store is hopefully the first in a string of stores Jamie and Louise anticipate to have in operation in the Austin area in the years ahead. They want to be known as having the most inviting and friendly self- and full-service laundries in the area. And, of course, as they build these new stores they ll insist that all of them reflect their favorite color green Maytag 30-lb. Washers: $3.00 a load (Super Cycle: $3.50) Maytag 40-lb. Washers: $4.00 a load (Super Cycle: $5.00) Maytag 60-lb. Washers: $6.00 a load (Super Cycle: $7.50) Maytag 80-lb. Washers: $8.00 a load (Super Cycle: $10.00) Maytag 30-lb. Stack Dryers: 30 for 7 minutes of dry time Maytag 75-lb. Stack Dryers: 60 for 7 minutes of dry time To learn more about the Wash Day Laundry, visit their web site at 7