85th Annual “Round Table” Meeting Convenes in Curacao

Libertyville, IL, April 14, 2026: The Round Table of Launderers and Dry Cleaners returned to the Western Hemisphere for its 85^th Annual Meeting the first week of March 2026. The prestigious gathering was hosted by Round Table Chairman Christopher T. (Chris) Edwards, President of A Cleaner World, headquartered in North Carolina. 18 Members and a special Invitee from Florida convened at the Curacao Marriott Beach Resort in the Caribbean for an open exchange of ideas, best practices and discussion on how to meet the challenges of today’s business environment.

The Round Table is an informal group of leaders from the U.S.’s most successful laundry, linen, industrial and dry-cleaning companies. Their week-long conference includes an open exchange of ideas shared freely among attendees. This unique practice is the lifeblood of the Round Table, with each attendee playing an active role by leading a discussion topic at the meeting. This free flow of thinking and new ideas, along with the open dialogue of all participants, includes an agreement that all shared information remains strictly confidential, thereby fostering an atmosphere of transparency that encourages sharing invaluable ideas and innovation. Additionally, the Round Table has never had a paid facilitator; rather, that responsibility is passed from member to member.

The business agenda included a daily focus on issues impacting the cleaning industry. Day one was Chaired by Dan LaCarte of Pennsylvania-based Model Cleaners and included a presentation by Special Invitee Jeff Alexander of Orlando Cleaners, along with a discussion of the best and worst ideas from 20205, led by Steve Arnold of Indiana-based Classic Cleaners. Day two, chaired by Dave Machesney of Pratt Abbott Garment Care of Maine, focused on business trends. Topics included a “How’s Business” session led by Biran Harrell of A Cleaner World, the role of analytics in the cleaning industry, led by Dave Troemel of California-based Kona Cleaners, as well as a discussion of what winning looks like in today’s environment, led by Heath Brolin of Sparkle Cleaners of Arizona.

Tom Zengeler of Zengeler Cleaners in Illinois, Chaired the 3rd day, focusing on operations issues. Sessions included how to deploy AI, led by Casey Walker of Nebraska-based Max I Walker Cleaners, and Norman Way, from Puritan Cleaners in Virginia; increased penetration of home delivery/route business, led by Bobby Patel of Kona Cleaners and Ryan Brown from Dublin Cleaners in Ohio; and, “Playing Offense,” led by Sparkle Cleaners’ Ross Adams.

Day four, Chaired by Brian Butler of Dublin Cleaners, included issues such as advertising, point of sale opportunities, diversification and other “nuts and bolts” topics, led by Jeff Sitz of Ohio-based City Cleaners and Janay D’Souza, Dependable Cleaners of Colorado. The day continued with “Scaling yourself out of the day-to-day,” by Emily Machesney, Pratt Abbott Garment Care, and a forecast of future demographics, “Who is your customer in 2030?,” a discussion led by Steven Toltz, also of Dependable Cleaners. The conference concluded the following day, with Chair Stacy Godo of Texas-based Avon Cleaners, coordinating the Board of Directors meeting, led by Ryan Fish, Red Hanger Cleaners in Utah; a conference “rehash,” led by Wayne Edelman of New York-based Meurice Garment Care; and, a general Members Meeting, led by conference host Chris Edwards.

In keeping with tradition, the last day of the conference included the introduction of the “host” for the next series of Round Table meetings, along with their locations. Dependable Cleaners and its team of Steven & Michelle Toltz and Janay D’Souza will host this Fall’s “Fly-in” Conference in Colorado, as well as the 86th Annual Meeting next spring. Dates for the 2027 meeting are March 7 – 13, 2027, at the JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa, located in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, with more details available at the Fall Fly-In.

Pictured are Round Table attendees and families gathered at the Curacao Marriott Beach Resort. For more information about the 2026 Round Table conference, please contact Tom Zengeler of Zengler Cleaners at (847) 272-6550, or tzengeler@zengelercleaners.com.