Ideas and Conversation with Laundry Consultant Bob Natale
Apr 04, 2022
Jerry Bauer
The Laundry Business with Bob Natale
In this episode, Jerry Bauer, podcast host and the Account Manager of ChemStation Boston, talks with Bob Natale, Consultant, and Operations Manager at Delaware County Linen. Delaware County Linen is a full-service linen company founded in 1988 to service and support local businesses. Bob started in the commercial laundry industry in 1980 in a uniform rental before migrating to linen supply. He later went to selling in the chemical business, supporting Commerical and On-Premise Laundries. Bob has 29 years of experience doing commercial laundry.
Bob talks about the effects of Covid-19 in the laundry business, the number one problem in washing linens, the impacts of lipstick, and the importance of paying your drivers well as an entrepreneur. He also shares some insights on the exciting things this year. Tune in to learn more on this and many other exciting topics!
Timestamps
[01:41] About Bob Natale
[04:15] The geographic region that Bob’s services cover
[05:43] How Covid-19 has affected Bob’s business
[07:43] Does Bob do nursing homes laundry?
[08:13] What Bob does for the spa business
[10:51] The number one problem in washing linens
[12:32] The problem of lipstick
[16:31] The importance of paying your drivers well
[20:35] Exciting things coming out this year
Notable quotes
● “There is a burden in the hospitality industry. The food prices have gone up, the operation costs have also gone up, and they can’t get help.”
● “As a company, you have to do what you have to do to survive. However, you will have to look for opportunities to increase your growth.”
● “When sheets are not washed properly, and you stack them into a fairly confined bin and have oil leftover, it can cause spontaneous combustion.”
● “Drivers are supposed to be paid well. They are the face of the company because of the day-to-day interactions with the customers.”
In this episode, Jerry Bauer, podcast host and the Account Manager of ChemStation Boston, talks with Bob Natale, Consultant, and Operations Manager at Delaware County Linen. Delaware County Linen is a full-service linen company founded in 1988 to service and support local businesses. Bob started in the commercial laundry industry in 1980 in a uniform rental before migrating to linen supply. He later went to selling in the chemical business, supporting Commerical and On-Premise Laundries. Bob has 29 years of experience doing commercial laundry.
Bob talks about the effects of Covid-19 in the laundry business, the number one problem in washing linens, the impacts of lipstick, and the importance of paying your drivers well as an entrepreneur. He also shares some insights on the exciting things this year. Tune in to learn more on this and many other exciting topics!
Timestamps
[01:41] About Bob Natale
[04:15] The geographic region that Bob’s services cover
[05:43] How Covid-19 has affected Bob’s business
[07:43] Does Bob do nursing homes laundry?
[08:13] What Bob does for the spa business
[10:51] The number one problem in washing linens
[12:32] The problem of lipstick
[16:31] The importance of paying your drivers well
[20:35] Exciting things coming out this year
Notable quotes
● “There is a burden in the hospitality industry. The food prices have gone up, the operation costs have also gone up, and they can’t get help.”
● “As a company, you have to do what you have to do to survive. However, you will have to look for opportunities to increase your growth.”
● “When sheets are not washed properly, and you stack them into a fairly confined bin and have oil leftover, it can cause spontaneous combustion.”
● “Drivers are supposed to be paid well. They are the face of the company because of the day-to-day interactions with the customers.”
Jerry Bauer Hospitality Cleaning 101 Jerry@hospitalitycleaning101.com
Jerry:
Hi. Welcome to clean processes. Would Jerry. This podcast that I've designed. Is dedicated to building an online community of like-minded individuals in businesses, in the chemical and cleaning industry. We're going to share ideas. Tips solutions. And stories to solve problems. And to also expand our markets. Please join me every week when we introduce a special guests. It just might be you. I personally worked for Kim station of Boston. Where I am based in new England. I also run, I blog. Hospitality cleaning 1 0 1. If you ever have questions, feel free to reach out. And I will answer on a future podcast if you like. At the end of the show, I will include my contact information. As well as my guests. Today, we're lucky enough to have Bob Natallee, who is a laundry consultant and specialist. Please hang around to the end of the show because for the first time. I'm giving away gifts. Good morning everyone. This morning, we have Bob here. Bob, how are you this morning?
Bob:
Find Jerry about yourself.
Jerry:
Great, Bob, I'm going to go ahead and tell the people listening that we've tried this before you were. Intended to be my very first guest when I started the podcast, but because of some internal problems with my microphone and such, it didn't work out that way. So I appreciate you coming back. Please tell everybody a little bit about yourself, Bob.
Bob:
Well, I started out in the commercial laundry industry and operations in 1980. and then a uniform rental. And then I migrated over to linen supply. And from there Jerry's, you know, I went into the chemical business, supporting commercial laundries, and I had over 25 year career doing that previous. It was nine years on operations, but since I've gotten older, I decided to get back into operations. Where I currently am. I'm an operational consultant for a large commercial laundry, also doing some spot projects for several of my older customers. as you know, Jerry, we develop relationships with our customers along the years.
Jerry:
Correct.
Bob:
And they seem to want the knowledge of us older guys that's been around the block a couple of times. So that's where I stand when Jerry and I worked together for a chemical company that's were me meet. And we had some successes. So unfortunately the chemical companies no longer around so.
Jerry:
That definitely did happen for both of us, and that's one reason I wanted to have you on today's because in the laundry field, you have it, both the experience as a general manager of a commercial laundry, as well as you have sold to commercial laundries, as well as on-premise laundries. I also know that you've been very helpful. I mean, you just gave the presentation that you talk to some customers. You also, I'm going to go out and say, you also talked to other vendors, other people who sell chemicals, actually competitors, giving advice. You've picked up the phone for me, many of times to answer questions where I've come into that. And that's the reason I'm so excited to have you here today.
Bob:
Thank you, Jerry, always glad to reconnect with old friends. And, you know, we are actually a small fraternity of people that hang in there and keep taking the, the abuse that the business has to give us. I'm only joking. I'm only joking, but it's a, it's a labor of love. And, if I can help other people, especially the younger guys through your help with the, podcast, I'm more than happy to do so and. I think we gathered a lot of knowledge along the years, along the trail here. And I'm happy to share with anyone if they, if they wish to go through you and we can, we can always help out. I've been a district manager for a larger chemical company covering seven states. I know about that. I've been in operations, commercial, laundry. And, currently an operational consultant to the owner of a very large commercial laundry located in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Jerry:
So how, how large of a geographic region does that cover?
Bob:
It covers Northern Delaware, Southeastern Pennsylvania. We go and touch into a little bit of central Pennsylvania, and then we covered practically, covered the whole state of New Jersey. through our spa division, we have a division that rents bed linens to spas. Our table and in geography because of the intricacies of the business with specials and different delivery sequences. we're about a, I would say we're a good two hour radius from the Philadelphia metropolitan area with table linen. We also covered the entire state of Delaware, which is a small state. And, we cover, again, the Eastern portion of Pennsylvania touching into central PA. Like I call Harrisburg central PA. So it's we have eight routes. We do quite a bit of business
Jerry:
Now of your business without telling me the company secrets, what, is the percentage of, and what I'll say when I say hospitality, I mean, basically restaurant and food service. How much of your businesses in food service?
Bob:
Uh, 60%.
Jerry:
And then, with that being at 60%, how do you feel that without, I guess, actual numbers, every podcast that I've been on, we always have to talk about COVID coming out of COVID. Are you back to a fair amount of business or how are the restaurants doing, I guess is the question I should be asking
Bob:
The restaurants that have survived, they're doing ok. There are, as you know, there have been several restaurants that have, not made it. I mean, there's a majority, a portion I should say of restaurants that haven't made it. They've transitioned quickly to majority take out outdoor dining, whatever they had to do to survive, the restaurants and our goal. Being a independent businesses to help small businesses. We're trying our best we're trying to hold our costs down, put a little more burden in the operations and the delivery to try to get more efficient. We're maximizing loads on trucks, especially since diesel is up around$5 a gallon and on our big geographic area. And the difficulty in getting drivers. This has been a burden on the hospitality industry at large. their food prices have gone up from what they tell me tremendously, their operating costs have gone up and they can't get help. The support services like commercial laundries are no different. Only ours leans more towards, we're worried about energy cost the goods, plastics that I use to wrap my linens in line. My bins plastics are tremendously, skyrocketed. We had to pass some of those costs on to our customers, but there's always the fear when you do that, that you're actually hurting the customer and you're subject to losing business, but as a company, you have to do what you have to do to make whatever your minimal profit margin is. And that's what we've determined. And we have to stick to that even if we have to, downsize. If we have to, and then look for opportunities to increase our growth, I'll tell you what's helped us. Our diversity of not just having just hospitality. We have also have the, the other section of, our spa division and our institutional division, where we do rent institutions, such as rehab centers and, linens to nursing homes. Now clubs are about the same boat, but
Jerry:
Do you do much to nursing homes because that's actually, that's a whole different field within itself in the laundry industry.
Bob:
We only rent to nursing homes, linens. We are not at a facility that does any kind of blood work pathogen. And, we don't want that mixture in our plant because as you know, that permeates your soil room, your washroom, your art, your finishing department. So we do not do a nursing home bloodborne pathogen work.
Jerry:
And then how is the spa business? what all do you do for the spas? I mean, now I know they all use towels
Bob:
It's spa massage. Green sheets, knitted fitted sheets on the bottom, pillowcases, a hand towels, full bath towels.
Jerry:
As I remember, do you have a problem with oils?
Bob:
With my background? I've been able to devise a spot formula, which utilizes specialty chemicals, which will, digest oils and, render to linens sanitary and clean coming out. Or else you have a problem processing them through the flat worker.
Jerry:
Wow. I didn't think about the ironers, but I do remember the oils that I used to see on some of the sheets. It was, it was amazing how much they would use sometimes.
Bob:
Definitely. it can also believe it or not. It can also be a problem when you take a sheet off in Ireland and it's not washed properly and you stack them into a bid that's fairly confined. If you have any oil left over you know, sheets are 65, 35 with a 35% cotton blend. It can cause spontaneous combustion, if you're not careful.
Jerry:
Right.
Bob:
I've seen that in my travels. I was the chemical vendor at this particular account, so I was wary of that. And, I've done some hotels in Manhattan, as you know, I've done some top where they had spots. I do have that, the experience for that, I developed a formula that all the formulations in this laundry or mine developed over the years. Any vendor coming in as to keep the same chemical format, just substitute their, chemistry's actually a pretty decent cap for chemical vendor because I've done all the legwork.
Jerry:
Yeah. I'm sure they're very lucky. And going back to hotels, I have experienced more than one fire in a hotel and. Most well, not most, all of the time had come down to employee air a because not listening to instructions that were given to them. It all comes down to employee error.
Bob:
The hotel laundries, some on-premise laundry is not all. Sometimes don't utilize steam when you're doing such things as kitchen rags table linens. banquet linens, even sheets with massage oils, you have to hit a certain temperature in order to emulsify all those fats oils and greases, which is all another category, but things have to be washed properly as you know, or else certain side effects can occur.
Jerry:
yes, I imagine a, and I do realize that being true. So is it fair to say that oils are, the number one problem you have in processing linen?
Bob:
Yes. oils,, stains of various types, but oils are now rearing its ugly head in another area. That's our, our sewer limits. We have a sewer permit and you have to hit those limits.
Jerry:
Right?
Bob:
So what I've done is, I'm looking not only to emulsify oils and bump them down the drain. We are gone with specific chemistry to digest oils, much like you have to do in a grease trap setting in a restaurant. it has to be digested rather than a multiplied, emulsified means you're only breaking it off the linen. You're floating it on top and dumping it down the sewer. the treatment works are no longer accepting that. And you have a certain limit based on your water usage, your water usage could Sue you water output to the sewer, and it's becoming quite another expense to treat this. And then there's various things if you're doing too much, there's rotary oil filters. There's All kinds of water treatment, which are going to be prevalent in the future for, plants survive.
Jerry:
Bob, I think it's one of the hottest topics right now, actually today, this afternoon after we end this, I'm going to a seminar just on wastewater treatment,
Bob:
right?
Jerry:
Because the breweries that I do business with the food production that I do, they're getting hit because of new changes and they want more and more assistance from people in the chemistry industry who can come in because laws are changing and regulations are changing and you really have to be on top of it. So it sounds to me like, you are going back I have to ask this next question because I I haven't seen this. I currently am not selling laundrys but is lipstick still a problem? And the reason I asked is because lipstick seems to be. As I remember every year, as soon as we figured out a problem, they would come out with a new lipstick, which was more waterproof or for women who could wear it for 48 hours and still had is lipstick still a problem in the laundry field,
Bob:
Lipstick falls into the oil based category,
Jerry:
Right
Bob:
And most of the lipstick most is on washcloths.
Jerry:
Right.
Bob:
But sometimes you have to, you have to put enough washcloths into your circulating inventory, or either you call out or you have to really treat and you don't want to, burn anything off the linen because whatever else is in there, subject to accelerated wear and tear, which doesn't look good eventually on your profit and loss. So what we do is we wash washcloths separately on, there are a harder classification with more of the specialty chemical to remove oil-based stains. And then you know, screening out process, which also have to do with, there's not just lipstick anymore. There's also, suntan, permanent suntan, um, tanning lotions, and colorings that people like to use. So they look tan all year round,
Jerry:
Right
Bob:
That is actually been proven. And that looks like a, dried on bloodstain, which is very bad in the industry. People don't like to see that. But I, I I've used some reduction chemistry for that. I've done some work with our chemical companies and their laboratories, and these are all specialty stuff that has to be accumulated when, I mean, accumulated that means the commercial laundry, if you're renting or the end use customer has to put more circulating inventory in with a certain percentage going to anticipated stainage and pulling, calling the stuff out of the system. And also when you have. to wash, category heavily that accelerates, like I said, the wear and tear. So the best advice I could ever give on that is you're having a problem, makes it classification specific. Only wash that in the specific chemistry and then do what you have to do on your quality control end, because you'll be spending a fortune either on chemistry, linen, energy, both
Jerry:
Right
Bob:
to be very specific with that because it's, it's a hard thing. It's it's, it starts with soil classification and stain identification. Once you've mastered that, how do you get rid of it? And if you ever have to go to a spotting situation, like a dry cleaner with labor being as high as it is, right now.
Jerry:
Right.
Bob:
Its cheaper to buy new.
Jerry:
I understand. I understand. Now, one thing you mentioned, and because we've had this conversation before, because we are doing the exact same thing, I guess the proper word would be diversified. You've actually said that your businesses have had to do that, but you, your company has had to do that as well. You're actually putting more things on your delivery vehicle might not crack you selling gloves now?
Bob:
Correct gloves, trash bags, whatever we can do that helps our customers and become a one-stop shop, which is proving to be very advantageous to both customer and our company. I think that we're going by the motto that a good deal is only a good deal when it benefits both parties, the buyer and the seller.
Jerry:
Correct, and now, when you did that, we've done the same thing, diversified and, and brought on more items to help the customer. We didn't know that when we did that, the price of diesel would go to what it is, but it does pay off because it helps with the minimum orders it helps bring it up. Both parties win on the deal. it's a win-win for everybody
Bob:
Because it also with your drivers. I don't mean interrupt, but
Jerry:
No!
Bob:
We put our drivers on commission. We load up the route. They make more money. We realized the minimum. We're only gone this on minimum profit, but the word profit is key. If you're making a profit these days, you're doing well. You're paying your bills, head above water, and it just repositioned your company for when COVID becomes a norm rather than. Uh, pandemic
Jerry:
I think it's excellent. What you do, of paying the driver something, because it, adds the, drivers to be actually in the sales field at the same time, another advisement. Yes, it most definitely is because if they see a new construction going in on their route, they see something going on the route, they see that a customer might be needing something. They open their eyes and there's nothing wrong with a driver giving out a brochure, some type of sample, something like that. I can't tell you, I, I have worked at a place that refused to do that. They said their driver was just the driver and I still shake my head saying they're the best salesman you have out there, they're the ones who have the relationship. It's foolish. If you don't have the driver bought into the whole process.
Bob:
So we, you think about, if you're on a reoccurring process where your delivery, what your drivers, they are the face of the franchise.
Jerry:
Most definitely.
Bob:
And they have the day to day daily relationship with the customers. I noticed salespeople think they run the company I've been there. I've had the same thoughts, but they might see the customer. In our case, our customer service representative service managers may go see customers once a month, once a quarter, depending on their size. These drivers see the customers weekly.
Jerry:
Correct.
Bob:
And we've also told them about their image and we've trained them that they will deal with a customer up to a certain point. And then their immediate responses to please call the office because you don't want people out there just free wheeling because now all of a sudden, you know, about commission people, they'll sell ice cubes to Eskimos if they can. And you have to be careful because if you, if you oversell or don't sell the right way, you then position yourself where you're, going to get cherry pick by the competition. And we don't want that. We want customer satisfied. We want fair pricing. We want to support small businesses. I think what you described about your company. I think we're all in this. Philosophy.
Jerry:
Right. And it's great that they get to the driver to buy into the program and you brought up another important thing is they have to have some type of image
Bob:
Right
Jerry:
They're going to have a better image. They're in front of the customer, much more often. They see things. Customers will open up to them and even tell them, did you know, we had an invoice problem. They can go back to the office and give that information in The driver is one of the most important people within the company.
Bob:
We have a check-in process where the driver comes in with this paperwork and the main thing, the person checking a driver in, how did the route go today? We encourage our drivers to keep documentation on anything that's said and done, which is good and bad in the customer relationship. And then if, if we think so, we can have a customer service representative proactively call a customer because when you're reactive, you're on the defensive. When you're proactive, a customer thinks, gee, this company really cares about me and is in my best interest. So it's much better to be that way. Right.
Jerry:
Well Bob we are coming up the 25 minute mark and it's I guess it's my AI. I know it's my, it's not my last question, What do you see the most exciting thing happening throughout this year of something you might've see you're starting within your own system? Something that you might've seen a vendor show you what some of the new things that you see coming out, either within your plant or within other people?
Bob:
This COVID, hasn't gone away. In my opinion, it's going anywhere. I think it's going to be like how we have to deal with the flu. So it's embracing the new reality and adjusting your, how you deal with your customer base. If you're going to survive. And I think, you know, through, through every situation comes opportunity. The companies that realize the opportunities that they have in their marketplace will be the ones that survive. And I think it's just exciting portion is to help people get up off the deck and survive by doing your part in a partnership that I think has to exist between a good vendor customer relations.
Jerry:
I totally agree. And I totally agree. COVID is not leaving. COVID is going to be on the news. Kind of like the weather report. You're going to see hotspots. You're going to get advice almost every day. it's only going to be a blurb on a TV set, but we're going to have to learn to live with. We're going to have to move past it and keep going. So, Bob, please tell how can people reach out to you for consultation? Because I know that you'll help anybody. please share your contact information. I know you're on LinkedIn. What's the best place that somebody could reach out to you at,
Bob:
Via email so we can talk. I'm at my name, the tally Bob. That is N as in Nancy, a apple T Tom, a apple L Lou E Edward Natallee, Bob O. At outlook.com. Okay. And I will put that in the show notes and
Jerry:
More information about yourself and that. Again, Bob, I appreciate you giving me another opportunity at this. I apologize my first time that your audio didn't come up.
Bob:
So people know we're old, we're old friends. I emphasize the word old start see by all the gray hair, but we've been through some trials and tribulations together and yeah, you develop a friendship. Like I said, in this business, and I know one guy who used to call it a circle of excellence. He depends on his friends. if I had any questions where I know you're the king with this new technology and organization and. You know, you used to help me out a lot with ordering patterns and how to deal with customers when we used to at least to have our trials, but you lean on your friends for your strengths and you develop relationships and you just keep moving.
Jerry:
say it again? It was the of the circle of excellence. Circle of excellence. wow One of my co consultants, when he used to pick my brain a little bit about what's going on in Philly area. I'm going to include you in my circle of excellence. It's just a fancy way of saying I value your knowledge and your, input. So I value everyone I meet in this business has been a great career. I wouldn't have it any other way. I didn't go to school for this. I kind of fell into it. I developed it. And then. I'm glad, I'm glad, to meet people such as yourself, I've met a lot of people that a lot of fun experiences got a lot of stories to tell. And our old age on the rocking chair. I, I, I know we do. I know we do. It's, it's unfortunate that I have to go to another zoom meeting after this, but otherwise, that you've talked to you. Bob so I appreciate you having me on, I know we'll keep in touch and anybody out there that needs my services. we'll start just with, talk on the phone. Sounds good, Bob, Bob, you have a great day. Tell your family. Hello. All right. Take care. Bye now. Bye bye. Wow. I surely loved talking to Bob. And folks feel free to reach out to him. He will help. I also wish to thank each of the listeners today for Johnny, me as we're slowly adding subscribers to the show. Currently we're on most podcasts apps. And now we're also this past week, we are also included to apple as well as iTunes. If you have the time, please like, and share any of these episodes or even the show itself and give us any type of Rady. It's like also I promise you something special. If you hung around. If you go to my blog posts, which is www yes, we still use www it's hospitality, cleaning one oh one.com. After looking around for 10, 20 seconds of pop-ups gonna come up. Sign up for the newsletter. If you're one of the first five people who sign up for the newsletter. After this podcast has been released. You will receive from me. An Amazon gift card. Again, folks. Thanks for joining me today. Continue to stay. Say, continue to wash your hands for 20 seconds. Something I'm personally trying to do better at. And hope to catch you next week. Thank you. Bye now.