CHICAGO — With the start of a new year only days away, this is a natural opportunity to reflect on 2022 and the top 10 stories (based on page views) posted here on AmericanCoinOp.com during the year.
(In instances where the Top 10 story was part of a larger series, we have provided additional links so you can easily read the entire article.)
Here is the second half of our Top 10 list for 2022, starting with No. 5:
5. B&C Technologies Introduces Line of Vended Equipment
The longtime commercial/industrial laundry equipment manufacturer announced during The Clean Show in July that it was expanding its offerings to include vended equipment.
The vended HX Series features an all-new simple control that interacts with B&C’s line of Münzprüfer acceptors. Three different versions of coin acceptors are available that can be used with a wide variety of coins. These meters also accept wireless payments through a smartphone app as well as an exclusive card system.
Machines will come in capacities of 22, 35, 50, 65, 85 and 110 pounds. At the time of the announcement, B&C said the new line would be available in the first quarter of 2023.
4. Star Distributing Wins Top Speed Queen Honor
The Alliance Laundry Systems brand honored its top distributors during an evening reception in Atlanta prior to The Clean Show in July.
The night’s most prestigious award—Speed Queen Distributor of the Year—went to Star Distributing of Tennessee. That company also earned the Finance Partner of the Year honor for continuing to expand Speed Queen’s financing presence in the market.
Other award winners included Hermes Commercial Laundry Equipment, Bloomington, Ill., for Outstanding Growth; and Valley Washers Inc., Harrisonburg, Va., and Statewide Machinery Inc., Batavia, N.Y., each an Outstanding Performer.
3. Big Bubbles Takes Laundromat Concept to Next Level
American Coin-Op opened its year-end Portraits of Success series with a profile of Big Bubbles in East Chicago, Indiana. The series was a way to celebrate the hard work that goes into designing, building and equipping a modern self-service laundry.
When Tracey and Renee Gillis opened Big Bubbles in July 2022, it was their hope that it would inspire not only customers but jump-start its East Chicago neighborhood.
“You can’t reinvent it, but you can make the wheel look better,” Tracey says of their new take on the laundromat business, which features Speed Queen Quantum Touch-controlled washer-extractors and tumblers. The store offers a wide range of wash capacities to fit a customer’s needs.
Since opening, two restaurants have set up shop just down the street, and an ice cream/candy store was coming just across the way. The couple was excited that their example had inspired even more investment in the neighborhood.
2. Essential Post-COVID Tax Tips for Laundromat Owners, Part 1 – Conclusion
In February, as the COVID-19 pandemic was ending its second year, Dave Davis from sister publication American Drycleaner reported there can be a vast distance separating the skillsets of a successful self-service laundry owner and being knowledgeable in accounting. Even so, when it’s time to file business taxes, the gulf must be bridged.
Tax preparation can be challenging in the simplest of times. Navigating it while also learning how government programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC) and Employee Retention Tax Credits (ERTC) impact tax liability makes this even more daunting.
Supported by small-business tax experts, Davis spelled out what each of the government programs were designed to do and how they work together, plus reminded readers of certain fundamental record-keeping steps to help them and their tax professionals make the process smoother.
1. Incorporating PUD in Today’s Laundry: Labor and Workflow, Part 1 – Part 2 – Conclusion
With consumers looking to conserve their personal time for pursuits that are more fun than doing their laundry, more and more self-service laundromats offering wash/dry/fold are adding pickup and delivery to their offerings.
Smartphones enabling users to handle virtually every detail continue to fuel the public’s embrace of services that come right to their doorstep. COVID-19’s 2020 arrival in the U.S. pushed interest in pickup and delivery—PUD, for short—for laundry and other services to new heights.
But before a laundromat takes the leap—hits the road?—there are some things to consider. After all, it would be foolish to think that adding transportation to the production mix wouldn’t create some new challenges.
And so American Coin-Op posted a series throughout the year on incorporating PUD, with this opener on labor and workflow proving to be the year’s most popular article appearing on AmericanCoinOp.com.
Miss Part 1? You read it HERE
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].
