Planet Laundry Nov 2020

COVER STORY

What skills did you learn in themilitary that helped prepare you for success in the business world, as well as in life? Besides typing and writing reports, I remember being aware of the fact that I would always approach business issues and decisions as though my life depended on it. In a combat-ready division, you learn that, in battle, even the smallest mistake can get you killed. However, in business, some people just thought I was a pain in the ass.

earned a couple of college degrees and worked in corporate America for two major corporations in management and industrial sales. Then, a mid-life crisis hit, and I left the corporate atmosphere to become an entrepreneur. Over the years, I’ve owned or been a partner in dozens of different businesses. Each one was a learning experience. Then, after a failed retirement – I soon became bored stiff and was going nuts! – I knew I had to get back into small business. I wanted a cash business and decided on a laundromat for a number of reasons. I closed on my first store about five years ago and purchased a second laundry three years ago. And both are performingwell. What skills did you learn in themilitary that helped prepare you for success in the business world, as well as in life? I was trained as a mechanic and to understand electricity. So those mechanical and electrical aspects are embedded in my DNA. Understanding how washers and dryers work makes repair and maintenance easier – whether I do the work myself or hire a contractor. CARY LIPMAN CL Consulting Services – Woodstock, Ga. Military branch: U.S. Army, 101st Airborne Division Years of service: 1963-1966 Career path while in the military: I went through basic and

MARK HALE, Service Technician Western State Design – Hayward, Calif. Military branch: U.S. Navy (USS Ronald Reagan) Years of service: 2000-2004

Career path while in the military: Electrician’s Mate Third Class in the Electrical Division Hotel Services Shop Rank upon discharge: E4, or Petty Officer Third Class Years in the laundry industry: One year After your service, what

inspired you to get into the laundry business? After my time in themilitary, I triedmy hand at a few different careers. I’ve been in the manufacturing, construction, semiconductor, and space and defense industries. The laundry industry is a good field to get into – it offers job security, an always-changing work environment, challenging issues with the equipment, customer interactions and appreciation for services rendered. There also are opportunities to perform installs – where new equipment is brought in and tested, allowing me to see a laundromat being created and to be part of it. What skills did you learn in themilitary that helped prepare you for success in the business world, as well as in life? In the military, I was trained to be an electrician, troubleshooting and repairing electrical equipment. The Hotel Services Shop where I worked featured all of the items one would find in a hotel – kitchen equipment, water heaters, waste management and laundry equipment. I was able to work on a wide variety of equipment, some basic and others automated and complex. The military also taught me about responsibility, how to work as a team, and that we are all different and everyone is unique. I learned how to work with all types of personalities.

advanced infantry training and paratrooper jump school. Also, I had taught myself to type, which landedme a job as a legal clerk and later a legal specialist, processing court-martial cases and Article 15 minor offenses. Rank upon discharge: Specialist 4th Class

Years in the laundry industry: 36 years – 33 years as a store owner, and the last three years as an industry consultant After your service, what inspired you to get into the laundry business? At the time, cold, hard cash was the inspiration. Plain and simple. I entered the laundromat business in December 1984, while working as a sales manager for a large insurance firm. I built my first store in Bloomfield, New Jersey. I thought I could do both, but my store quickly became extremely busy. So, I left the insurance company and opened two more laundromats within two years.

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Magazine of the Coin Laundry Association