TRSA, UTSA Boards Vote to Restructure Operations; TRSA Providing ...

Tag : Linen Textile Materials

“Both boards agreed that the reorganization will greatlystrengthen the industry's regulatory and government affairsprograms, enhance the ability of the industry to provide membercompanies with educational materials, enable the industry toaggressively compete against disposables, and increase the level ofservices provided to members,” Jeltema and Wright say intheir e-mail.

TRSA CEO, STAFF RESPONSIBLE FOR DAILY OPERATIONS

Members of both associations should now look to the TRSA officesfor member services. Roger Cocivera, president and CEO of TRSA, andhis staff will be responsible for daily operations.

The TRSA staff will be enlarged to handle its increasedresponsibilities. There will be opportunities for members of thecurrent UTSA staff to fill those roles, Cocivera added in a briefphone interview today.

In the second half of 2009, after the Clean Show, a committee willbe appointed to conduct a search for Cocivera’s successor.

A Transition Committee of Tom Vozzo, Jeltema, Wright, Woody Ostrowand Jim Doro will oversee the shift. David Hobson, president andCEO of UTSA, will assist in the transition but will then leave theassociation after more than a decade of service.

Messages left by American Laundry News seeking comment from Hobson on the restructuring have not yet beenreturned.

Jeltema will remain TRSA chairman until his term expires in June2009 during the Clean Show. Wright will then serve as chairman forone year, followed by Ostrow for one year.

Five UTSA members will be added to the TRSA board, and the TRSAExecutive Committee will be expanded. Current committee membersinclude Jeltema, Mike Potack, Ostrow, Susan Witcher, Pat Dempseyand Vozzo. Added will be Wright and Doro.

Standing committees within the two associations will meld. A listof members of the restructured committees, along with staffcontacts at TRSA, will be sent to members.

All UTSA activities that were scheduled prior to the restructuring,including the Customer Service Conference in January 2009 and thenext session of the Ehrlich-Stempler Executive Management Institutein August 2009, will take place as planned, Cocivera says.

All meetings will be open to all members.

Members will be billed for dues by TRSA according to TRSA duesschedule at the end of the year. “Efforts will be made toensure that no member of UTSA has a substantially increased duesobligation,” the e-mail from Jeltema and Wright says.

Associate members will be expected to continue to provide strongindustry support, including paying “the same level of duesand/or advertising as had been done in the past.”

UTSA members who previously received Industrial Launderer , the UTSA magazine, will now receive Textile Rental , the TRSA magazine, as well as the weekly TRSA e-mail and allother announcements, publications and meeting information.

The restructuring could impact inner workings of the Clean Show,which is sponsored by UTSA, TRSA and four other industryassociations. UTSA will remain a sponsor for Clean ’09, saysCocivera, who is chairing the Clean Executive Committee inpreparation for the event in New Orleans.

He says he doesn’t know if the restructuring will require theshow sponsors to re-examine the Clean Show Operating Agreement.

PREVIOUS MERGER ATTEMPTS FAILED

TRSA and UTSA have each served corporations engaged predominantlyin textile service, e.g. providing commercial, industrial andinstitutional accounts with laundered uniforms, linens, walk-offmats and other workplace textiles through rental agreements.

They together reportedly represent more than 1,500 facilities andmore than 90% of the textile service and supply industry.They’ve collaborated in environmental stewardship andproduction/maintenance management training programs for theindustry while maintaining independent programs for their members.

There have been other attempts over the years to unite UTSA’sand TRSA’s operations. Most recently, in summer 2005,memberships of both associations voted to consolidate into theUniform & Textile Rental Service Association (UTRSA) beginningin 2006.

But talks between TRSA and UTSA leadership broke down later in 2005over issues such as president/CEO selection, budget adoption,staffing and more, and the consolidation didn’t occur.

UTSA’s origin dates back to 1933 when it was called theNational Industrial and Cleaners Association. It became theInstitute of Industrial Launderers (IIL) in 1947, as the originalname was too close to the name of a company in the industry.

IIL changed its name to the Uniform & Textile ServiceAssociation in 1994, reflecting the greater importance to theindustry of the provision of image- and identity-enhancing productsto customers, rather than just the laundry service that accompaniesthem.

TRSA originated as the Ohio Linen Supply Association in 1913,became the Tri-State Linen Supply Association in 1916, and wasrenamed the Textile Rental Services Association of America in 1979.