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Speed Queen Selects Wallners as $100,000 Contest Winner

Florida store owners’ dryer lint collage earns ‘Art of the Journey’ grand prize

RIPON, Wis. — Commercial laundry equipment manufacturer Speed Queen® has named multi-store owners Bob and Donna Wallner the winners of its 2016 Art of the Journey contest.

Representatives from Speed Queen and the Wallners’ equipment distributor, Statewide Laundry Equipment, surprised the brother-and-sister team with the $100,000 grand prize toward paying off the Wallners’ equipment loan through Speed Queen Financial Services (SQFS).

“Bob and Donna Wallner have been in the industry for many years and understand the importance of reinvesting in their business,” says Jeff Harvey, brand manager, SQFS. “Over the years, as they have expanded their business to multiple stores, the Wallners have seen the benefits purchasing new equipment provides their Laundromats, including attracting new customers, increasing profitability and decreasing utility expenses.

“Bob and Donna have partnered with Speed Queen Financial Services for more than a decade, and we are thrilled to reward them for their hard work and dedication to their business by presenting them with the Art of the Journey contest grand prize.”

Joining Harvey in surprising the siblings with their check at Crystal Clean Coin Laundry in Orlando, Fla., were Speed Queen Commercial North American Sales Manager Jim Rosenthal and Brittany Pettineo, Rusty Parks and Jim Rogers of Statewide Laundry Equipment.

Laundromat owners who reinvested in their store with at least $2,500 of new, state-of-the-art Speed Queen equipment financed through SQFS were eligible to enter the contest by uploading an original piece of art — photo collage/montage, video, poem, drawing or painting — that showcased their unique journey into the industry.

“We are so excited that we’ve been selected as the winners of the Speed Queen Art of the Journey contest,” says Donna Wallner, who created the winning artwork, a collage of the Wallners’ first store made entirely of dryer lint. “This portrait represents the beginning of our journey in the laundry business, one which we continue to travel with our partners from Statewide and Speed Queen.”

“Installing new, efficient equipment that provides our customers with more options to customize their laundry cycles has helped make our stores successful,” continues Bob Wallner. “Speed Queen Financial Services has made it possible to continue to replace equipment and improve our stores in an easy and manageable way.”

“The Wallners are passionate about growing their business, serving their customers and community, and championing the laundry industry,” Rosenthal concludes. “There is no one more deserving of this recognition.”

Speed Queen has produced a video introducing the Wallners and explaining the inspiration behind the collage that won the contest.

This is the third annual contest Speed Queen has conducted that rewards a store owner for exceptional customer service and for reinvesting in their business.

RELATED STORIES:

New Jersey Couple Wins Annual Speed Queen Essay Contest, Oct. 13, 2015

Kentucky Store Owner Wins $100K for Writing “Success Story,” Oct. 1, 2014

speed queen contest winners web

(From left) Siblings Donna and Bob Wallner are the winners of Speed Queen’s 2016 Art of the Journey contest. Donna created the winning artwork, a framed collage of their first store made entirely of dryer lint. (Photo: Speed Queen)

Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].