Business View Magazine
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laundry left in our area that was full-service.”
By the 1970’s, the company’s family laundry and dry
cleaning services had ceased, so it changed its name
again – this time to Liniform Service – in order to bet-
ter reflect its focus on linen and uniform rental, and
cleaning services for its commercial customers. The
company also altered its machinery to conform to the
change in uniform fabric from all cotton to permanent
press, cotton/polyester blends. Jenkins explains: “Cot-
ton pressing was hard work. Then the steam tunnel
came and so all you had to do was wash, dry, and put
them through the steam tunnel to get the wrinkles out.
You no longer had to iron by keeping us on the presses.
So that really boosted our rental in the garment busi-
ness. It was efficient and you could compete because
you didn’t need as much labor compared to pressing.”
In 1981, a huge fire destroyed over half of the compa-
ny’s existing building and 90 percent of its equipment.
Ed Jr. decided to rebuild and reinvest in the business,
and, with help from the local community, was able to
secure additional property and expand the building. As
time passed, whenever it came to developing or trans-
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
Liniform Service
WHAT:
Linen and uniform services for commercial
clients
WHERE:
Barberton, OH
WEBSITE
:
