June 2019

With less than three weeks under my belt as part of the GreenEarth Team, I stepped foot onto the Clean Show floor for the first time bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. And man, I have to be honest, I was blown away. Let’s just say, that is not what your customer envisions when they hear the words “dry cleaning.” It is quite the spectacle, and what an exciting introduction into the industry! Digital marketing is a world I understood, but I was eager to learn everything I could about dry cleaning to better serve our Affiliates as well as the GreenEarth Brand as a whole. Lucky for me, I was surrounded by the incredible team at GreenEarth to show me the ropes. Over the last four years and some months, I’ve learned invaluable lessons from not only our team here but also our Affiliates around the globe. As I grew to understand the work and passion that has gone into building the brand that is GreenEarth Cleaning over the last 20 years and how much that brand means to our Affiliates and their customers, my own passion for the brand grew. I can recall discovering some misinformation on Wikipedia in my first couple of months and entering into a “wikiwar” with one of their content managers. My blood was boiling and I could feel the steam rolling out of my ears. That might be the moment when I realized this was a brand I really cared about and felt compelled to do my part in its continued growth. Preventing toxic chemicals entering the environment, reducing landfill waste, and eliminating air pollution are goals GreenEarth Cleaning set out to achieve 20 years ago. Sharing the desire to minimize our carbon footprint has been the key ingredient in building our brand, not only in the garment care industry but also in the garment manufacturing industry, the commercial real estate industry, and especially in our efforts marketing to the dry cleaning customer—the end user. We are seeing more and more care labels recommending GreenEarth, more and more landlords accepting GreenEarth as the only dry cleaning option on their properties, and more and more customers searching for cleaners near them using GreenEarth on our Store Locator. We’re accomplishing this recognition through social media, PR, digital ad campaigns, philanthropic efforts to support organizations like Bridging The Gap, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Water.Org, and most importantly, our Affiliate Network. Over 2,000 dry cleaners around the world using GreenEarth to effectively clean all types of garments and fabrics in a way that is safe for them, their employees, and their customers kind of says it all. Long story short, my experience in marketing and digital advertising led me to GreenEarth, and I couldn’t have planned it better myself. I get to work with an amazing team of people, the best dry cleaners in the world, and do what I love to do. When the product speaks for itself, it makes the marketing guy’s job a lot easier!

When I graduated in the 1990s, I never thought I’d have been working in the dry cleaning industry for nearly 15 years. And those years have been really interesting, full of so many journeys, both literally and figuratively. My GreenEarth journey started with Johnson Cleaners, the largest GreenEarth Affiliate. At that point in 2005, 75 percent of their stores were operating using perc. The initial trial using GreenEarth had just been completed in all the Scottish (UK) branches. And the rest, as they say, is history! Johnsons always saw GreenEarth Cleaning as the solution to suit them, knowing some of the legislative changes that were underway and the size of their retail estate. Sure, there were some changes for the branch teams to get used to, but as time went on and a better understanding of the product range took hold, GreenEarth soon became part of the Johnsons core proposition. During my 10 years at Johnsons, I saw the conversion of 100 percent of their machines to GreenEarth, the rebranding from blue to green to reflect the full adoption of GreenEarth, plus a number of sustainability awards. Fast forward to 2015 when I joined GreenEarth as Sustainability Director—a varied role that has allowed me to see the other side of the coin. Over the years, I have developed strong relationships with the team. And like the solution, they care for people, the planet, and the clothes that people wear—truly living the brand! The main part of my role has been dealing with retailers and manufacturers who have a strong presence in Europe but who have a global customer base. More and more are recommending GreenEarth on their care labels and also starting to communicate GreenEarth benefits on packaging, in-store marketing, as well as colleague and customer communication. And the reason is, they carry out testing to examine the performance levels of their garments in GreenEarth versus other cleaning methods, and the results speak for themselves. This gives them the confidence that their customers will be happy with their product and our product, leading to stronger commercial performance. Sometimes, you can pick the CORRECT thing to do or you can pick the RIGHT thing to do; with GreenEarth, retailers and manufacturers do both. I look forward to many years of achievement to come for GreenEarth and its wider family of Affiliates.

“Take care of the animals and the land, and they will take care of you” was a phrase I heard a lot from my grandfather while growing up on his farm. I remember him putting his animals and the land before himself all the time. He always reminded us that taking care of the animals put food on the table or money in the bank, and taking care of the land helped the crops grow and animals thrive. When it was my turn to act on his lessons, I was stuck. I was good with numbers, not horses or corn. So I looked to the company I worked for to continue in his footsteps of taking care of the animals and the land. My first job was with an advertising agency that focused on animal health. We marketed products from flea collars for little dogs, to joint supplements for horses, and pharmaceuticals for every animal in between. After 15 years of working at this advertising agency, I believe I can check the box for taking care of the animals. Next up, taking care of the land was easy when I came to work here at GreenEarth Cleaning. When I first started, I thought GreenEarth was a company only focused on a safer, non-toxic alternative to the traditional dry cleaning method, which has been the subject of environmental contamination issues. But over my five years here, I’ve learned it is so much more. GreenEarth has never stopped in our pursuit of “greening” up the dry cleaning industry. The GreenEarth Process has been tested and is so safe that it is not regulated by the EPA, meaning it is safe for the air, water, and land. GreenEarth has worked on reducing waste that is sent to landfills from solvent filters by promoting Activated Clay Filtration, instead. We have worked with clothing manufacturers to increase the longevity of fabrics to ensure that favorite shirt of yours can last longer and not end up in the trash. We have also participated in clothing drives, planted trees, and held fundraisers for nonprofits like Water.org. For example, the kickball tournament/picnic pictured, where I was able to serve everyone up some burgers and brats on the grill, raised $2,000 for Water.org. GreenEarth has and continues to look for ways to minimize our impact on the Earth, and I believe I can check the other box for taking care of the land.

It IS greener on the other side of the fence… Who hasn’t used the old “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence” adage when considering difficult decisions in life? Thirty-two years ago I answered a blind box ad in the job section of a newspaper. This adage came into clear focus as I considered responding to an ad that simply stated, “Looking for a person to work the presses, increase sales, hire staff, and keep equipment in shape.” With no knowledge of what the position description meant, I responded. Thinking that the grass was greener on the other side of the fence, I interviewed, reaching for a better life for our family. Allowing fear to be the dominant consideration wasn’t an option, so I accepted the offer and the grass has continually gotten greener through the years. Sure, there have been some of the tan, patchy seasons but never a time where I regretted my decision. I am blessed to have experienced both sides of our industry, as a plant operator and as an allied trades representative. My early years were spent as General Manager of a small chain of package plants, drop stores, and commercial real estate. Those early formative years provided me with a steep learning curve and reward that convinced me that indeed the grass was getting greener in the textile care industry. An opportunity provided by a good friend trained me in the capital goods sales field of equipment and design and layout for laundries and dry cleaning plants. While it broadened my view of the textile care industry, I also experienced the great need for attention to detail to professionally serve the dry cleaning industry as allied trades servants. These experiences revealed that not only was it greener in the dry cleaning industry, but that many people helped me gain knowledge, skills, and confidence to help me grow personally and professionally. It was at this point that I saw that certain key players were not just in it for the money but had the vision to ensure the industry would be sustainable in the long view, or put another way—they wanted to keep the future path green and vibrant, free of weeds and that one spot that never seems to grow. Just a few years ago, I was seeking to partner with a firm that was progressive in its approach to our industry. I wasn’t seeking a job; I already had one. My desire was to partner with a firm that actually lived on a daily basis their commitment to a better future for our industry. After much research, I found that GreenEarth Cleaning not only spoke of their commitment and mission but they put their money where their mouth is. They invested early and often, refined processes, tested, then tested those results again, listened to their Affiliates, and improved continually. Once again, I saw that the grass is truly greener on the other side of the fence, and I wanted to be on that side of it. Serving you has brought untold blessings of sharing your life with me—the birth of children, marriage, health challenges, etc.—daily confirming life is greener on the other side of the fence. For me, it’s more than a monetary driver; it’s about providing a sustainable business practice for people, profits, and the planet. Looking out for their best interests—that is as green as it gets!