TRSA concluded its 33rd Annual Professional Management Institute (PMI) on Aug. 10 at the University of Maryland. The PMI curriculum provided attendees with a mixture of industry-specific education in a classroom setting, as well as hands-on experience through a pair of plant tours, culminating with Session II PMI students taking the Certified Professional Laundry Manager (CPLM) exam.
The week kicked off with lectures and group exercises covering topics specific to the linen, uniform and facility services industry such as soil sort, wash-aisle equipment, scheduling and managing workflow, managing quality control and production efficiency, safety awareness, inventory control, customer service, training and development, coaching and mentoring, employee retention, budgeting and return-on-investment (ROI), and more.
Both sessions of PMI students embarked on plant tours on Aug. 9. PMI Session I students visited the Alsco Uniforms facility in Lanham, MD, while Session II attendees visited Mayflower Laundry & Linen in Belcamp, MD. Alsco’s facility in Lanham provides cleaning and processing for linens, workwear, and hygiene and well-being services to Maryland, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia. The production facility is 84,000 square feet and processes more than 125,000 lbs. of laundry each day. Mayflower’s Belcamp location is an 80,000-square-foot healthcare facility that processes approximately 550,000 lbs. of laundry per week.
On the final day of this year’s PMI program, Session I attendees received certificates for completing the first half of the program. Session II attendees took the CPLM exam to get their individual certification and received their certificate and recognition at the Annual EMI/PMI Graduation Dinner. Chris Thompson, a regional manager for G.A. Braun Inc., spoke on behalf of the graduating class. Thompson noted that he leaves the program feeling “inspired and invigorated, with a number of true friends and confidants that will share what they can to help each other along the way.”
