Best Cleaners recently traveled to New York, NY to attend the national meeting of America’s Best CleanersTM, where Affiliates from across the US gained exposure to couture fashion trends and industry best practices that will ultimately benefits its clients.

Albany>> Best Cleaners, along with Affiliates of America’s Best Cleaners^TM (ABC) Affiliates from across the US and Canada, recently traveled to New York, NY for three days of networking and presentations around industry and general business best practices.  The meeting included outings to fashion-related exhibits and businesses including the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Anna Wintour Costume Center and the Albright Fashion Library, where Affiliates sharpened their knowledge of caring for high-end garments.

The regular ABC National Affiliate Meeting, which is held every six months in locations around the country, is a forum for networking and the exchange of ideas around industry and general business best practices.  Meetings are frequently attended by consultants from various industries and businesses that support dry cleaning.

ABC is heavily focused on fashion education.  The New York meeting was no exception, with attendees touring the newly opened “China: Through the Looking Glass” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Anna Wintour Costume Center.  The display of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear fashions gave Affiliates of ABC a keen insight into the construction and care of high-end, heavily decorated garments.  Best Cleaners and other Affiliates also visited the famed Albright Fashion Library, where they were invited to view more than 20,000 couture and designer items housed in the Library’s 7,000 square foot showroom.  Started by Irene Albright, and currently headed by Creative Director Patricia Black, the Albright Fashion Library helps clients source inspired looks for photo shoots, films, performances or special events.  The library’s extensive list of designers, which runs the gamut from Alexander McQueen to Giambattista Valli and Zuhair Murad, gave attendees a chance to view the latest trends in fashion, and to familiarize themselves with current styles in embellishments and design.

“It was really a privilege to so closely examine these beautiful pieces that were, quite literally, straight off the runway,” says Tim McCann, Best Cleaners’ Owner.  “I will definitely take what I learned back to my staff so that they will not only be better able to identify the special needs of these incredible designs, but also apply that same high level of care to a wide range of garments.”

Outside consultants and businesses in attendance at the meeting included Mitch Gambert, of Mel Gambert Custom Shirt Makers, who spoke on garment fabric and construction trends, and from Nick Regine of Swarovski, who introduced the famed embellishment manufacturer’s new lines and reviewed ABC’s exclusive Affiliate Support Program with Swarovski.  Presentations from specialists within ABC included case studies on business growth and increased sales after store design and redesign projects; pricing for today’s market; and building relationships with other retailers in the fashion industry.

Best Cleaners also participated in the interactive Best Business Practices discussion, wherein Affiliates share their most impactful business ideas, with concepts ranging from marketing programs, to implementation of software systems and mobile apps, to equipment and fleet purchasing decisions.

“The Affiliates of ABC are business professionals and the best garment care providers in their respective markets, and the free exchange of best practices is unlike anything I’ve experienced in other industry groups,” says McCann.  “As usual, I came back from the New York meeting with plenty of ideas to implement at Best Cleaners that will keep my staff sharp and my clients happy.”

ABC is the dry cleaning industry’s leading independent certification organization.  Its stringent list of standards, which include regular and strenuous onsite inspections and testing, as well as surveys of retailers and clients and secret shopping reports, has resulted in an elite network of affiliates across the U.S.  ABC’s overall goal is to identify and certify the nation’s top dry cleaners, it also provides a forum for educating and informing these professionals about the industry’s cutting edge technologies and business practices.

For more information on Best Cleaners please contact http://www.bestcleanersny.com/.

#  #  #

About Best Cleaners:
Tim McCann, co-founder of Best Cleaners, comes from a long line of dry cleaners.  In fact, his grandfather founded the original Best Cleaners in Connecticut in 1957, and while his father is no longer involved with the company, it is still owned and managed by family members today.  So, when Tim and his wife Catherine set out to start their own dry cleaning business in the Capital Region, they knew there was only one name that would suit their vision of what a dry cleaner could and should be.  With his grandmother’s blessing to use the name "Best Cleaners", the McCann's opened their business in New York in March of 2005.
As the third generation of a dry cleaning family, Tim knows that while it’s easy to clean clothes, the real challenge is providing a superior level of client service with every garment.  He and Catherine made the commitment to create a dry cleaning business with the best client service, the best garment care, the best technology, and the best staff.   That’s why, when the McCann’s bought Roxy United Cleaners in 2005, they rebranded and re-staffed the original stores in Latham, Loudonville, and Delmar to reflect the new Best Cleaners’ product and service model.
In 2010, Best Cleaners acquired KEM Cleaners, going through the same intense process of rebranding and retraining to bring them to the same level of service and convenience that Best Cleaners’ clients have come to expect.  Now with 10 locations across the Capital Region, Best Cleaners has grown a reputation of impeccable client service, quality and convenience.