JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — My chat with Ben Gottlieb is on hold: Something’s up by the soap vender, where a 2-year-old is tugging at the shirt of the muscular operator after hearing quarters hit the collection bucket. The tot wants to play the crane novelty game and his mom is busy spending her hard-earned money on laundry. His plea is met with some free rounds and a stuffed toy.
The softer side of this gentle giant of Jacksonville’s coin laundry scene is playing out right before my eyes. Gottlieb is well-known in the local market, where he owns one of every 10 stores, as well as to those who follow the industry online.
His real-world persona — not the digital one peppered with an occasional rough-and-tumble forum posting — truly defines the man behind one of the Sunshine State’s biggest success stories.
Acts of kindness and generosity may draw wash trade to his eight Jacksonville and single St. Augustine outposts, but it still comes down to giving them what they need on laundry day: plenty of machines in a clean and spacious environment to get the job done.
That’s very much in evidence at Gottlieb’s state-of-the-art facility occupying 4,000 of the 34,000 square feet of shopping plaza space he built from the ground up and cut the ribbon at last June.
Monaco 24 Hour Coin Laundry’s bright red channel letter facia signs call attention to the anchor store’s 36 washers in five capacities configured in tandem T-shaped banks and set perpendicular to a row of 42 dryer pockets.
‘AN EVERLASTING EDUCATION’
This latest and largest venture spearheaded by the 40-year-old entrepreneur is the culmination of nearly two decades in the industry, one that began in local equipment sales for his father Marty, who distributed along the East Coast, including Jacksonville, where the younger Gottlieb relocated after graduating college at age 22.
Early on, he picked up two coin-ops to retool and struggled, maxing out his credit cards, until they turned a profit.
“I’m not a quitter,” he stresses, going on to say that those first operations were humbling. “I learn from mistakes all the time and make mistakes when I try new things. It’s an everlasting education — you’re always going to learn.”
When Gottlieb reached store number four a decade ago at age 30, operations were running on autopilot and he ventured into his own distributorship. The move forced him to hand over a set of keys to a trusted employee and, with it, much of the day-to-day operations, including collections and oversight.
He never looked back.
“It’s so easy once you get past that third- and fourth-store zone,” the owner smiles, adding that for him, it all came down to not micromanaging staff.
These days, he relies on technology to keep tabs on his 24-hour operations.
“I’m able to log in to all my cameras and see things remotely. I see that garbage on the floor. If it’s still there in an hour, then you need to correct it,” the veteran shares.
He visits each of the nine stores in his portfolio once a week and “pops in occasionally” to check things out. Two collectors, a full-time and freelance maintenance tech, along with a team of dedicated attendants keep the 500-plus-machine operation bright, clean and humming along.
“If you want it done fast and right, you hire someone who can work on two machines at once. I don’t really tinker around much,” the owner admits, describing his role as “head babysitter.”
I point to a sign prominently mounted above the new dryer bank reading “Be Nice or Get Out!” — the same message gracing the walls in each of the chain’s venues. He credits local operator Dale Bodziony with coining the phrase and says it’s the house rule.
“I demand that my customers be respectful; it’s not even an option,” Gottlieb states. “If you walk in the door, you respect the floor, the dirt on the floor — whatever, everything. You’ve got to be respectful.”
When things go awry and he or his staff can’t sort them out, he’ll summon police to handle the situation without blinking.
The sign doesn’t rub patrons the wrong way, the owner assures me.
“They laugh at it. They know I’m out for their best interests.”
CANDID STANCE NOT ALWAYS WELCOMED
Wearing all three hats — store owner, sales rep and distributor — gave Gottlieb a unique insight into the inner workings of the industry, helping shape the relationships he has with fellow local laundry operators and those encountered on the web.
He admits often spending more time in other owners’ laundries than his own, acknowledging some in the tight-knit Jacksonville coin-op community lean on him for advice.
“People are appreciative of the fact that I’m not going to snowball them,” Gottlieb says. “You can do something different, but you’re asking me what I would do.”
His candid stance on all things coin laundry shared online aren’t always as welcomed.
“Some people, they’re not Ben fans,” he grins. “I’m going to tell you the truth. I’m going to tell you like it is.”
Gottlieb goes on to explain that his intent is not to enflame, but rather enlighten operators with a little straight talk.
“I don’t think I have multiple personalities. My online banter is strictly to help some guy out. I don’t want someone to lose money. I’ve seen so many people get hammered or killed making the wrong decision.”
Monday morning quarterbacks get under his skin and their commentary elicits responses, with him preferring to cut to the chase.
“It’s my opinion; if you like it, cool. If you don’t, cool. It doesn’t bother me either way.”
Gottlieb admits he took a breather from online forum postings during part of last year, but looks forward to contributing to the dialogue in the coming months.
The seasoned businessman is open to talk shop behind the keyboard, but prefers getting acquainted face-to-face. He longs to get back to the time when a small group of Jacksonville operators would get together regularly to chew the fat and have a laugh.
The metropolis straddling the St. Johns River may have the largest footprint in the country but to Gottlieb, it stands out because of the friendly rapport among store owners who don’t find themselves embroiled in cutthroat price wars.
“Jacksonville’s not that way. You’re best served if you know your competitor. Once you know them, you’re not their competitor, they’re your friend,” he smiles. “There’s just so much more to gain by being nice than not.”
Miss Part 1? You can read it HERE.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].