Business View Magazine - September 2015

84 Business View - September 2015 Business View - September 2015 85 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- Liniform Service Custom solutions for linen and uniform needs Liniform is a full service linen and uniform service company based in Barberton, Ohio. It was founded in 1924, by two brothers, Albert and Chris Good, who came from West Virginia to Ohio to establish the Bar- berton White Wet Wash Company. Bertha Jenkins, who began working at Liniform in 1971 as an entry- level employee and is now the President of Liniform, talks about the Good brothers and the company’s ear- ly days: “They would go around, house to house and pick up peoples’ laundry – mostly their white goods. They would bring it into the laundry, wash it, and then take it back to the housewives who hung it on a line to dry. They did that for a long time. Along with that, they opened up some dry cleaning stores in town.” After World War II, Albert’s son, Albert Edward “Ed” Good, Jr., took over the company. Because people were now buying their own washing machines, Ed Jr. decided to change the firm’s business model from in- dividual households to serving established business- es, providing linens, towels, and uniforms to industrial customers. He also changed the company’s name to Barberton Laundry and Cleaning, Inc. “Back then there were five family-owned laundries in the Barberton/Ak- ron area,” relates Jenkins. “They all closed, sold out, or moved on. And so we were the only local, family-owned AT A GLANCE WHO: Liniform Service WHAT: Linen and uniform services for commercial clients WHERE: Barberton, OH WEBSITE : www.liniform.com L I N E N A N D U N I F O R M S E R V I C E 1 9 2 4 - 2 0 1 4 YEARS CELEBRATING Healthcare Healthcare