CHICAGO — Don Tomasian, 50-year veteran of the commercial laundry industry and founder of locally based distributor D&M Equipment Co., has announced his retirement.
Tomasian started in the industry as a service technician for Norge. Shortly, the company offered him a distributorship and D&M Equipment was formed. In 1972, Bernie Milch, the founder of Wascomat, became aware of Tomasian’s rising industry expertise and knowledge and offered him the opportunity to represent the Wascomat line in Illinois.
Over the next 20 years, Tomasian helped grow the coin laundry industry in Chicagoland, D&M Equipment reports. In building well over 200 Laundromats, including some of the “largest and most progressive stores with larger-capacity washers and dryers to meet the growing demographics,” he solidified his status as “one of the most highly regarded and respected laundry equipment distributors in the country,” the company adds.
Tomasian was offered a Dexter distributorship in 1996. The first four Dexter stores he built were for the Spin Cycle chain. Since taking on Dexter equipment, D&M Equipment has received the manufacturer’s Million and Multimillion Dollar Sales Achievement awards in each of the last 20-plus years, D&M says.
When Tom Benson’s World Largest’s Laundromat in Berwyn, Ill., was destroyed by fire, he called on Tomasian to rebuild it. That store sporting more than 300 machines is now one of the largest grossing Laundromats in the world, D&M says.
In 2010, the Coin Laundry Association named Tomasian to its list of the 50 Most Notable People in the Industry.
With Tomasian retiring, his nephew, Joe Frankian, is now the owner and president of D&M Equipment. Frankian had spent the last 12 years as D&M’s sales manager.
Frankian says he hopes to maintain the strong standards and traditions that his uncle left in place. “D&M will grow upon its solid foundation moving forward,” he adds.
Tomasian helped many successful store owners get started in the industry, but now he looks forward to engaging in hobbies and spending time traveling with his wife, Jean.
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