President s Message...3

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1 ! " #! $ % & ' ( ) * & +, -. ' / ' 0 ' 1, 2 3 ' 4. 5, + 6 & 7, ) : 6 &, ' 5 ) & ) ; + ' ). & - : : ' & & < James Peuster of the Route Pro was on hand to demonstrate proven methods for developing and growing drycleaning pick-up and delivery routes. With an audience mixed with owners and route drivers, Peuster was able to discuss topics ranging from sales and marketing techniques to incentive programs to help motivate personnel. This was a great program, offered Elena Samofalova of Cleaning Service LLC who flew in from Ft. Lauderdale just for the workshop. It was a very interesting seminar and I learned a lot. I am looking forward to more training sessions. The SEFA workshop was held in conjunction with the SEFA Board of Directors meeting that served as a preview of Jacksonville for the Association. The Board has committed to holding the 2014 Southern Drycleaners and Launderers Show in Jacksonville next year. With the success of the Route Development Workshop and the Board meeting, SEFA is excited about the area and the opportunities for the convention next year! The SEFA Education Committee Chairs Rhonda Eysel and Eldridge Cannon are working on the next schedule of educational opportunities. In the works are plans for a series of three seminars in Florida in early December, and a series in Georgia for next January. Plans are also underway for a new Stain Removal Workshop. If you have any programs or seminars you would like to see in your area, contact the SEFA Office at or peter@sefa.org! President s Message...3 Your Ticket to Success: SDLS in Jacksonville!...4 Join DLI & NCA for a Conference in Cancun!...6 What Can a Fixed Rate for Natural Gas Do for My Business?...7 Meet the Allieds: James Peuster...8 My Insurers Stepped In And Appointed An Attorney That Should Be A Good Thing, Right?...11 Allied Trade Members...15

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3 Y M K P S \ K T W ` P X K P P L U K _ h i j k l m j n Wash Respess o k p q l r p n s Tim Morrow p t p h u s l v p v w o w q x u s i h j k x y l n j Russ Bullard v w o w j y j z j m j Mark Watkins v w o w { y x k l r j Randy Parham v w o w p x k l j Eldridge Cannon v w o w s p n n p q q p p Don Holecek q p h k p s j k } Julia Campbell { l n j n h p h i j l k m j n ~ s k p j q u k p k Perry Bullard q s j s p r l k p h s x k q j y j z j m j Leland Waite { y x k l r j Joe Lancaster M.C. Rogers, III p x k l j Steve Chambers Rhonda Eysel Warner Wade q x u s i h j k x y l n j John Johnston s p n n p q q p p Vacant j q q x h l j s p q Frank Buckley, AL Steve Taylor, AL Alex Atwater, GA James Peuster, GA Frank Briercheck, FL Ken Holder, FL Gray Berryhill, SC Rusty Daniels, SC John Armstrong, TN j q q x h l j s p r l k p h s x k q j s y j k p Jim Groshans Orville Johnson Mack Magnus Steve Pedelty r l k p h s x k p m p k l s u q i x n x k j k } Buster Bell, Gary Dawson, Lang Houston, Milton Magnus, Bary McElveen, Rick Miller, Jim Parham, Ed Robinson, and Milton Magnus The Reclaimer J K L M K L N J L O P N Q Q R S T U V Q M J L O P W Q S X Y M Q Z K Q [ M Y M Q U M L X P L T \ P K M ] Z S ^ K P _ We are very proud of The Reclaimer, and have always been proud to offer the most current news and features that are important to all drycleaners in the Southeast. For those longtime members, you recognize the bold, black masthead we have used for the last 20 years or so but we are updating our publications, adding more color and tightening up the style to make it more readable and give it the look of a more professional magazine. The most noticeable change of course is on the Front page with the addition of SEFA-Orange to the publication name, and the moving around of the table of contents. The other changes are a bit more subtle like the use of color, separation, shading on the boxes and a more consistent use of typefaces. We are not changing the terrific content just the style! With the advances in color printing and the updated technology we have at our disposal we are able to offer our members better publications at more reasonable costs. We are very proud of what the SEFA Management team has been able to bring to the table. Better communications vehicles like our blasts, webpage: and the new Reclaimer are just a few of the upgrades we have been able to accomplish. There are more to come! The Southern Drycleaners and Launderers Show (SDLS) will be coming on fast, and we will have even more new programs and services to unveil then. Our Education Committee is hard at work developing new programs to bring out to our members in the next few months. a b c d e f f e g This is an exciting time for SEFA members, and I am glad to be a part of it. If you have any suggestions or questions please let me know. As President, I really want to keep upgrading the industry, SEFA, our members, and my own plant! Tim Morrow VIllage Cleaners / tim@villagecleanersinc.com = > A B > C D E F G H I

4 Ÿ œ š œ ž œ ž š Ÿ ž œ ž ž š œ Ÿ ª œ Ÿ Ÿ ««The show will be held in Jacksonville, FL at the Prime Osbourne III Convention Center. The convention center is located on an old railway station, and many of the components have been built into the unique setting, complete with a locomotive in the parking area. SEFA has chosen Hyatt Regency Riverfront as the host hotel. It is centrally located and within walking distance of The Landing, the area s dining, shopping, and nightlife. SEFA is also pleased to announce the hiring of a new show management company that has a complete understanding of the drycleaning industry. BPS Communications of Willow Grove, PA, is the management company for PDCA and produces the Drycleaning & Laundry Expo in Atlantic City. BPS is also the publisher of National Clothesline. With the new venue, new management company there will be many new changes. The first of which was the announcement there will be no admission fee to attend in 2014! More details including the booth applications and floor plan will be available in mid-september. Please contact Leslie Schaeffer at or leslie@bpscommunications.com with any questions. ƒ ˆ ƒ ˆ Š Œ Š Ž Š ˆ ƒ ƒ Ž Ž

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6 Î Á Ä Ó È É Ñ ½ Õ ½ É Â ¾ Ø Ø Ø ½ ¾ À Á ½  à ½ Ä Å Æ Ç À È É Ê ¾ É Ä Ë À É Æ Ì Å ½ À Í Ë È É Â ½ Ç Ì Å Î ½ ¾ Ì Ï Ð Ä È É È É Ñ Æ Å È À É Æ É À Ò Ä Ç À Ì Ç À È É ¾ Â Ä Ç Ó Ô È É Ñ Ä É Ò ½ Ç ½ É ½ À   à ½ À Å Å Ô È É Å Î ¾ È Õ ½ É Ä Ë Ð À Æ ½ Ç È Õ ½ Ç È À À É Î É È É Ð À É Î À Ç Ï Ö Ì ½ À Ã Ê Ò Î É Ê ¾ Î É À É Æ É ½ Â Ë Ä Ç Í È É Ñ Ó À Í ½ Ò Ä Ç À  ½ Ç Ç È Ò È Ë Ä Ç Í Á Å À Ï Ä Ó Ì È É À Â È Ä É Ø The featured speaker this year is Patrick Renvoise co-author of Understanding the Buy Buttons in your Customer s Brain. This is just one of the fantastic programs awaiting you. As last year s attendees can attest, this is the best mid-winter escape possible. You can recharge your batteries, learn about enhancing your business, and be ready for the spring busy season. The 5-Star is being held January 17-19, There have already been over 70 rooms sold, so space will fill up. If you are thinking of attending this fantastic get-a-way register early! Call DLI for more information or to register: ! ± ² ³ µ ³ µ ¹ º» ¼ µ ± ¼» ³» ±

7 ç î ñ ë ó ì í è ç ë î ï ë ô î ò ò ð è ë ü î ë æ æ ç è é ê ë ì í î ï ð ç ñ ñ ò ó ò î è î í è ô ó í õ ö í ê ó ë ð ô ø è ê í ù í ç õ í ú õ ò ç î è ë ð í ï û ê ì í ó ü ò è ý æ é ï ç ê è é ò ñ ç þ ò ð ó í è ò ê ë ë ô õ í ó ÿ æ é í è ò þ í ø è õ ï ð ë ò ê ç è ð ë ÿ First of all, what is a fixed rate? If you currently get your gas supply from your utility, you probably have what s called a variable rate. The price per therm changes each month, and while some utilities have more consistent pricing than others, you never quite know what your price is going to be. A fixed rate is only available from third-party suppliers, not your utility. A fixed rate means locking in a price so that you always pay the same price per therm, no matter what the market does or what the utility charges. You choose how long your fixed rate lasts. Most suppliers let you lock in any term you like, from three months up to five years. Does it save me money? Not necessarily; your fixed rate could end up being lower than the variable rate, or it could be higher. The advantage of locking in a rate is that it makes your bills consistent. When your cost per unit remains the same, the amount of your bill will only vary with your usage. Most of a company s operating costs are pretty constant: You know exactly what it costs to pay your staff, exactly continued on page 14 Ù Ú Û Ü Ú Ý Þ Ú ß à á â ã ä å

8 ! ) ), + + +!! " # $ % & '! ( ) $ &! %! & ' ) )! * $ + He speaks at meetings and events throughout the country on Customer Service, Leadership Training, as well as Route Sales and Marketing. He was also a recent recipient of a DLI Meritorious Service Award. James has always been committed to SEFA and emphasizes the importance of Associations for small businesses. Some of his first clients in the industry came from SEFA and he still works with them today. James has been a featured speaker at SDLS Conventions, SEFA Workshops -- and if you haven t been able to attend you are really missing out. He is one of the top industry speakers in the country. His wit, story telling, and innate ability to make the audience understand the importance of training and systems has made him one of the most sought after speakers we have ever had. He recently strengthened his commitment by accepting a seat on the SEFA Board of Directors this April, and attended his first Board meeting in Jacksonville. I have been influenced by many people, but the top two were my brother and Al Robson Peuster said. Both of them challenged, coached, and shaped me into the person I am today. Peuster strives to combine professionalism as well as fulfill his desire to enjoy each day. Many people know that James spends his free time covering sports on the radio and internet. I started my hobby sports radio the same time I launched The Route Pro. Yes, I go to events based -. / 0 / / 7 8 / 9 / : ; < < < = 0 7 ; > 7 ; ? / A 9 / : ;. / B7 1 2 ;. C 5 ; D 5 E 5 F > 9 G H I G H H J K L K M N O P H 5 9 Q ;. / 9. / B7. 5 9? 2 9? > R ; 2 9 ;. / Q R? > R ; 1 2 ;. 4 > 7. S ; > 9 < on my schedule and visa-versa. James has had the privilege of doing the play-by-play of high school sports as well as several professional events as well. His favorite story is covering mixed martial arts on Spike TV. I truly knew nothing of MMA at the time, I just had to fake it on national TV. Anyone who has seen him speak usually hears James tell the story of Wheel Of Fortune in which he set a world record. I incorporate it in one of my power points to show no matter how good you are at what you can control, many are spinning their wheels and not making money. The story behind the world record is that he was the first contestant to hit 4 bankrupts on a show (you can see it on YouTube-wheel of fortune Peuster). The other story I include was the time I hung out with Charlie Sheen, but that is not as well received.

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11 ~ { y x z ~ } { z { } { y x ~ ~ z x z ~ z y z } ƒ Œ Œ Œ a b cd d e f Y g T d e h e i e f j k l m n V b e j co e f d p q U r n U f h c b s t s b e f j c u j v w x y z v x { y y y } ~ ~ x y y x z ƒ y w } ~ z x y z { ƒ y w x y z { ƒ x { } x z } ƒ w x } v w } { y w } } ˆ } { x ~ x z { } } ƒ } x y z { ˆ z w y ƒ Š Œ I want to tell you this because there is a lot of misinformation that people have on this issue and policyholders have rights that they need to know. When people don t know their rights, decisions can be made that could adversely affect their businesses, their financial future, even their reputation. Ž Ž š œ The most important thing to understand about what I am telling you is that managing insurance claims is big business and the less that insurance companies pay out, the better the financial statement for that company will look. The second most important thing to understand is that the person handling your claim may be your friend, but probably is not. The claim handler has a job to do and they are often times evaluated on, among other things, metrics associated with how much your claim costs compared to similar claims. Most insurance carriers do not have separate environmental claim departments. Instead the claim handler dealing with a complex environmental claim, could also be handling claims associated with theft, automobile accidents, home fires, the list goes on. Point being, they may not be very sophisticated in terms of understanding your environmental claim. Knowing these basic facts will help you better understand the insurance claim process and why investigating and cleaning up environmental problems can take an inordinately long time and can be surprisingly contentious along the way. Keep in mind, different states interpret insurance policies and the obligations of an insurer differently. Couple the nuances from state to state with an unsophisticated claims handler and you have a recipe for confusion. Confusion can lead to a project stalling, by slowing down the environmental investigation, creating unnecessary legal arguments, obfuscating the facts of the matter, requesting extensions from the regulatory agencies, not paying consulting and legal bills timely, and adding more layers such as hiring consultants to oversee consultants. Like most people, claims handlers address easier tasks before the harder more confusing tasks and it is not uncommon for a claim handler to have as many as 125 to 175 claims in their file. But remember, as an insured, you have rights, and one of those rights is to have a defense against your claim and such a defense must serve you. ž Ÿ ž Ÿ Ž š As an insured one of the rights you have is the right to select your own lawyer and typically your own consultant. To put this in context, the attorney defending your claim works for you and not your insurance carrier. The insurance carrier must pay for the defense of the claim. Within reason, the duty to defend by an insurance carrier includes paying for your legal defense and includes assessing and determining your liability and exposure. The only way to understand your liability and exposure is to collect enough data to determine the extent and magnitude of the problem and to determine the cost of the cleanup. I have seen many problems when the insurance carriers select a lawyer to defend a policyholders and/or selects a consultant to oversee the consultant that you have hired conduct the investigation. In the former, you have to understand who employs your attorney. When an insurance company retains a lawyer to represent you on your claim, this is referred to as a tripartite relationship. There are all kinds of ways in which an attorney representing you, but retained by the insurance carrier on your behalf can have conflicts of interest. In fact, it is a very slippery slope for attorneys to represent you on your claim, while having an ongoing relationship with your carrier. From the most basic business fact, an attorney representing you but retained by the carrier implies that the attorney has an ongoing book of business with that carrier. Your attorney has to, by law, represent you, but practically speaking they cannot afford to upset their ongoing book of business, so fighting for your continued on page 12 T U V W U X Y U Z [ \ ] ^ _ ` `

12 È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï È Ð Ê Ñ Ï Ò É Ê Ó Ð Ê Í Î È È Ï Î Ô Ï È Ï Í Ï Ð Õ Ö Ö Ö continued from page 11 specific needs is generally tempered or moderated. With respect to specific conflicts of interests, the legal world is chalked full of examples where conflicts arise under the circumstances where the carriers select and appoint your defense counsel. I have worked numerous projects where the insurance carriers have hired and retained defense counsel and more often than not the results for my clients are not very favourable. ² ³ µ ¹ º» ¼ ½ ¾ ³ µ º À Á µ µ  à With respect to other tactics designed to control defense costs, carriers employ consultants to oversee your environmental consultant. They will use these consultants to review work scopes and invoices with the intention of saving money. The problem is that in order to save money, the oversight consultant often times will determine that reasonable work is unnecessary or that work is not unnecessary because the regulatory agency did not specifically request a certain task. Data must be collected to determine whether the contamination is causing harm to human health or the environment. Remediation should consist of abating the problem, protecting the public health and restoring the value of the impaired property. Oversight consultants try to show their value by reducing the amount of work necessary to achieve the answers to those questions. Usually, the work will be necessary, but the oversight consultants drag out the investigation process unnecessarily to show that they are saving the insurer money. They will reduce the work scopes by cutting back on a monitoring well here or there or reducing the number of samples being collected. The result is a long back and forth process between your consultant and the regulatory agency that ends up taking many years instead of several months. The other area we typically see is that the oversight consultant only wants to conduct work that is specifically asked for by the regulatory agency. The problem is that the project manager for the regulatory agency has dozens and dozens of files. They may miss a component of work not included in a work scope during a particular review, but before the site is closed they will require the work to be completed before they will close the site and issue a no further action letter (NFA). The back and forth results in a very long claim management process that could have been completed in a much shorter time were it not for the oversight consultant. Finally, oversight consultants are in business to show their value and many try to show their value by saving money and that means they pick apart reasonable invoices, suggesting that the work was excessive, conducted at too high a rate, or that they need more information to justify the invoice. In reality, the work needs to be conducted and is conducted, but over a much longer period of time. Ä Å ¼ À ½ ¼ Æ º À ½ º À Á µ µ ½ ¼ ² º ½ Å ¾ Ç º ½ Æ º À So the best thing that you can do is to understand your rights. Understand that you need and you have a right to select your own counsel to represent you against the claims. Understand that you probably have the right to select your own environmental consultant and find a consultant that will be strong enough to understand what needs to be done and how to get it done in a timely manner. Your consultant needs to be able to go toe to toe with the oversight consultant if needed. Dealing with environmental contamination is a lengthy process. You do not want it to take longer than necessary, because your claim handler is more interested in their company financials than on providing you with the best defense against your claim. ª «ª «± «ª «± «

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14 ç è é ê ë ì í î ç ê è ï ê ð è ñ ñ ò î ê ó è ê ô õ õ õ continued from page 7 what it costs to purchase supplies, etc., but you never know what your energy cost is going to be. Energy can be a significant portion of a company s overhead, but it s also generally the least stable. Being able to budget energy can really stabilize your overhead costs. How do I know if a fixed rate will work for my business? First, find out what you ve paid for natural gas over the past few years. (Your supplier should be able to give you those numbers.) What was your average rate each year? Each month? Next, compare those numbers with the fixed rate you ve been offered. If you can freeze your rate at a price close to or lower than your previous costs, it might benefit your business to lock in at a rate you know you can manage. With the fixed rate, you know your price will not increase. Now, maybe you think rates will go down, and you d rather take your chances with the variable rate, but this quick comparison lets you make an informed decision. You aren t usually able to cancel a fixed rate before it ends, so if you re not sure this is a good option for your business, you might want to lock in your rate just for a short-term plan of three to six months at first. Whatever you decide, don t commit to a time period you might not honor. Since suppliers can offer fixed rates only through buying the gas in advance, these rates usually have fees for cancelling the agreement early. If you decide to compare rates from different suppliers, make sure you compare apples-to-apples prices. Suppliers might present their rates differently from your utility or from each other, so make sure you know what is included in an invoice. Your natural gas plan should always support your individual business goals. The right supplier can help you choose the right plan. For more information, please contact Dave Herren at (352) or at wdherren@infiniteenergy.com Ø Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß à Ú Ý ß á â ã à ä á å æ à á ß à Ú Ú Û æ å à Ý å Û â

15 " # $ % & ' ( ) * & ) + +, ' -. / ) - ' & Birmingham, AL (205) Albany, GA Pompano Beach, FL (954) amchevy.com Columbia, SC (803) centralequip.com Conklin, NY (800) cleanersupply.com Falmouth, ME (207) Indianapolis, IN (317) Marietta, GA (770) Wauchula, FL (863) Acworth, GA (888) Lutz, FL (813) Cumming, GA (678) Alpharetta, GA (770) Jacksonville, FL (904) Miami, FL (800) Gainesville, FL (877) Lakeland, FL (863) Hutto, TX (512) Tampa, FL (813) Leeds, AL (205) St. Louis, MO (800) Winston-Salem, NC (336) Decatur, GA (770) Naperville, IL (630) DR-ROUTE Tampa, FL (813) Draper, UT (801) Miami, FL (800) Kernersville, NC (866) Hapeville, GA (404) Mount Juliet, TN (615) Cary, NC (800) ö ø ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ

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