Family owned and operated for three generations, Bates Troy Healthcare Linen Services is a distinguished company within upstate New York. Located in Binghamton, Bates Troy provides healthcare linen services to hospitals and nursing homes, green dry cleaning, and fire and water restoration services in New York and NE Pennsylvania.
“Prior to COVID we were on track to process over 18,000,000+ lbs of soiled laundry this year,” says Bates Troy President, Brian Kradjian. “But New York requirements of 50% increased capacity has led to restrictions on hospitals such as limiting elective surgery and certain services have reduced the amount of healthcare linens we and others receive.”
Where hospital laundry decreased between 20-50 percent, nursing home volume was less affected, he adds. “Now we’re waiting to see what happens during the second wave of COVID.”
But no one inside Bates Troy is just waiting around. Approximately 125 masked team members are bustling through two shifts processing goods.
Bates Troy stepped up to aid the surrounding area with linens for overflow COVID facilities. “As part of the Broome County Emergency Plan, we work with officials to supply linens and PPE during Covid-19,” says Kradjian.
“When COVID initially hit we also took part in some mask production with our talented seamstress,” he adds. “We made about 10,000 masks which we produced for local hospital partners and gave to our staff.”
While speaking to Kradjian, it’s obvious that his pride for the HLAC Accredited Laundry extends beyond professionally processing clean goods. The company, founded in the late 1800s, later purchased by his grandfather & great uncle in the 1940s, has earned accolades and respect for environmental stewardship, green initiatives, and sustainability. The model evolved from a mixed plant to strictly healthcare in the mid-1990s. “We believe in creating true long term value-added partnerships with our customers,” he says.
Bates Troy has been incorporating ‘green’ practices’ into the laundry for many years. Its equipment focuses on lowering its environmental footprint, increased efficiency, and self-sufficiency.
The laundry has a Braun Continuous Batch Tunnel Washer which decreases water consumption and natural gas usage. “The Braun tunnel saves water and makes our linen process more efficient and when the water leaves the tunnel, the Kemco heat reclaimer transfers heat to save further heating costs,” says Kradjian. “It’s good for the environment and cost-effective for us.”
“Five years ago for emergency preparedness, we put in our own cogeneration system,” he adds. “With our Tecogen Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Cogen System, we produce our own electricity running off the grid allowing us to still serve hospitals and nursing homes in an emergency if the power grid fails.”
From large equipment to smaller but necessary items, the facility also underwent an LED lighting retrofit of 411 fixtures.
The 50,000 sq.ft. plant services over 5,000 patient beds per day with help from a wash aisle that includes a 220-lb Braun Continuous Batch Tunnel Washer, press, shuttle, and five 500-lb dryers, GA Braun Wash Net, Lavatec 110-lb CBT, press, shuttle, and five 250-lb dryers, in addition to a Lavatec 250-lb open pocket washer, with several smaller Milnor pony washers and ADC dryers.
In the finishing aisle is a GA Braun Omega Folder / Stacker, a Super Sylon Ironer with a Chicago Edge Single lane feeder, a Super Sylon Ironer with a JENSEN Dual Lane Feeder and GA Braun Omega Folder / Stacker, an American Hypro 3-roll Ironer with Chicago Single Edge Feeder and GA Braun Omega Folder / Stacker. The laundry also has three Chicago Mini Skyline Blanket Folders, eight Chicago Small Piece Folders, a Kannegeisser FX-M Small Piece Folder and a Leonard Automatics Steam Tunnel. Above it all is a Softrol Sort Deck and Overhead Rail System.
Bates Troy is a good corporate citizen. In addition to being very involved in contributing time, services, and funds to local organizations, events, and charities, company employees are diverse and multi-cultural.
“My Grandparents were Armenian immigrants who survived the Armenian Genocide by Ottoman Turkey and moved to Binghamton,” says Kradjian. “They believed in providing opportunities to immigrants and which we still embrace today. When an employee is naturalized, we have citizenship parties in their honor to recognize their accomplishment.”
Bates Troy has also partnered with the Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment (AVRE) and is a proud member of New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc., (NYSID) employing individuals with disabilities.
“We have about 11 disabled employees in house,” says Kradjian. “They perform various functions from sorting, operating machines, and folding linens. We try and give opportunities to these extraordinary individuals to help them lead productive lives – which in turn, gives our lives meaning.”
