commercial - Maytag Commercial Laundry

From the
Dependability
People
commercial
Volume 51 • Number 2
Wisconsin Maytagequipped
laundry sees
double-digit increases
since opening!
Bay View Maytag
Laundromat
Owners Steven and
Janet Ste. Marie
Visit mclaundry.com for digital brochures or for more information visit our website at MaytagCommercialLaundry.com

Cover Story
WISCONSIN Maytagequipped
laundry owners
embrace new technology;
reduce utility expenses to
approximately 15% of sales
2 MAYTAG COMMERCIAL MERCHANDISER

Cover Story
Steven Ste. Marie believes in looking at
the bright side of things. Even though the
economy has been in a slump, people living
on Milwaukee’s South Side thought he
was out of his mind to consider putting a
brand-new Maytag-equipped laundry on a
busy corner, just two doors down from an
old, run-down laundry. But he decided to
go ahead anyway — and he hasn’t been
disappointed with the results.
“I location,” said owner
believed in the idea that
we could do well at this
Steven Ste. Marie. “I studied the
traffic patterns in the streets and on
the sidewalks. One time during a
blizzard I sat in my car and counted
more than a dozen pedestrians in
an hour passing by the empty store
front, even more on bicycles and this
was when the snow was piled high.”
The neighborhood where the
laundry is located is undergoing a
renaissance. It is being transformed
from a place that was less desirable
to live to a trendy, upscale area for
young professionals and students
attending nearby colleges and
universities.
“There are dozens of apartment
buildings in the area. Many of them
have been renovated over the past
few years. A large number of college
students live in those apartments
and most provide little or no on-site
laundry equipment,” he pointed out.
He purchased a vintage 9,800-
sq.-ft. building on the corner of
Kinnickinnic Ave. and Homer, two
miles from downtown Milwaukee,
and carved out 3,500-sq.-ft. for the
laundry. “Since there was a basement
under the first floor, I had to tear
out the old wooden floor joists and
replace them with steel to support the
laundry equipment,” he said. “That
floor will be there a hundred years
from now.”
The Bay View Maytag-equipped
Laundromat opened in August of
2009 and, according to the owner,
it’s been “going great” ever since.
“July 2010 was our best month ever,
and August was even better. We’ve
experienced double-digit increases
for several months. We have
considerable pricing power, raising
prices several times already without a
murmur from customers. Milwaukee
is planning a water rate increase
soon and I may have to again look at
raising prices.”
According to Ste. Marie, one of
the best decisions he made was to
install Maytag Commercial Laundry
equipment and to utilize the services
and expertise provided by Bill
Doerner of Great Lakes Commercial
Sales, the Maytag Commercial
Laundry Distributor serving the area.
“I love the Maytag equipment.
It’s the Cadillac of the industry and
Bill and the Great Lakes team are the
best in the state. I couldn’t have done
this big of a project without them.”
Open daily from 6:00 a.m. to
MAYTAG COMMERCIAL MERCHANDISER
3

Cover Story
The Bay View Maytag Laundromat is equipped with six Maytag 30-lb. multi-load washers
priced at $3.25 a load. According to the owner, approximately 15 to 20 percent of customers
upgrade to the Super or Ultimate Cycle options.
10:00 p.m., the store features two Maytag
60-lb. front-load washers priced at $6.25
($6.75 Super Cycle/$7.25 Ultimate Cycle);
six Maytag 30-lb. front-load washers at
$3.25 ($3.75 Super Cycle/$4.25 Ultimate
Cycle); 35 Maytag high-efficiency frontload
washers at $2.00 ($2.25 Super Cycle);
10 Maytag top-load washers at $2.00;
two Maytag 75-lb. multi-load dryers at
$2.50 for 36 minutes of dry time; and 10
Maytag 30-lb. stack dryers at 25 cents for
8 minutes of dry time. He estimates 15 to
20 percent of customers upgrade to the
Super or Ultimate Cycles.
When he heard the cost of utilities
for a typical laundry usually runs in the
range of 20 to 25 percent of volume, he
took this as a challenge to make certain
his store did better. “I kid you not, our
utility expenses now run closer to 15
percent,” he said, “primarily because
The 10 Maytag Energy Advantage 30-lb. stack dryers are priced at 25¢ for 8 minutes of dry time.
4 MAYTAG COMMERCIAL MERCHANDISER

Cover Story
“I love the Maytag equipment. It’s the Cadillac of the industry and Bill
Doerner and the team from Great Lakes Commercial Sales are the best
in the state. I couldn’t have done this big of a project without them.”
— Steven Ste. Marie
of the advanced energy-saving
technology we built in to this store,
from the Maytag Energy Advantage
equipment to the lighting and
monitoring system.”
One example is sensors in the
ceiling that automatically dim the
lights when no customer traffic is
detected. “When a customer comes
in the lights turn up,” he said. The
store is monitored by remote camera
surveillance, and there is a web-based
thermostat system for temperature
control, even fan speed.
“I can monitor what’s happening
in the laundry from any remote
location where I have access to a PC
or PDA,” he said. He even opens
the store and locks it at night using
automatic door locks.
In addition, he made certain
the building was insulated from
top to bottom to achieve maximum
efficiency. “The new Maytag
equipment, especially the Maytag
dryers, are great energy savers in
themselves,” he pointed out.
The store offers two flat-panel
TVs, study areas with free wireless
Internet, a children’s play area and
a row of video, snack and soft-drink
vending machines. “I included
energy- and sports-drink dispensing
machines. These items alone have
tripled my drink sales and boosted
our profit margin.” There’s also an
ATM, two bill changers and an eightcolumn
soap vender.
The owners held a Grand
Opening with door prizes, a clown
and reduced pricing, which they
promoted in newspaper ads, flyers
and signage. “We want to support
the neighborhood, especially events
like team sponsorships and the local
Neighborhood Association,” he
said. “We also conduct a periodic
drawing for gift cards and prizes, as a
reward to frequent customers and to
generate fun and excitement.”
Before deciding to open the
To accommodate extra-large loads, the store offers two Maytag 75-lb.
multi-load dryers priced at $2.50 for 36 minutes of dry time.
Steven and Janet Ste. Marie worked closely with Bill Doerner (left) of
Great Lakes Commercial Sales on planning and equipping the laundry.
MAYTAG COMMERCIAL MERCHANDISER
5

Cover Story
store, both he and his wife held full-time jobs. His wife
continues to hold hers but he is now devoted full-time
to the laundry and managing rental properties. The
building houses the Maytag-equipped laundry as well
as a retail shoe store, a furniture restoration business
and an 1,800-sq.-ft. fitness center owned by a fireman.
The fitness center is used primarily by police and fire
department personnel.
“We haven’t had any security problems, being right
next door to a firehouse and because there’s usually a
police squad car or two in the area,” he said.
Operating a business of his own has been a lifetime
dream for Steve. “When I’m in the laundry, which is
often, I like to meet the customers, ask them how we’re
doing and use the feedback to make their experience
even better.”
He’s considered opening another store but
premium locations like the one he found in the
Milwaukee neighborhood aren’t easy to find. “When
it comes to success in this business, the old real estate
adage of ‘location, location, location’ should be kept
uppermost in mind,” he concluded.
US Capital Corporation provided equipment
financing assistance for this project.
The Maytag Mix
10
35
6
2
10
2
Maytag ® Top-Load Washers:
$2.00 a load
Maytag ® High-Efficiency Washers:
$2.00 a load ($2.25 Super Cycle)
Maytag ® 30-lb. Washers:
$3.25 a load ($3.75 Super Cycle)
Maytag ® 60-lb. Washers:
$6.25 a load ($6.75 Super Cycle)
Maytag ® 30-lb. Stack Dryers
25¢ for 8 minutes of dry time
Maytag ® 75-lb. Dryers
$2.50 for 36 minutes of dry time
6 MAYTAG COMMERCIAL MERCHANDISER

Maytag ® Sign Identification Program
THE SIGN OF GOOD THINGS TO COME…
Put the power of
the Maytag ®
brand
to work for you
With more than 100 years in the business, Maytag ®
products are well known for dependability and
performance. If your laundry is Maytag-equipped,
consider taking full advantage of the powerful Maytag ®
brand name with high-impact exterior signs. Available
in a variety of sizes and configurations, these signs
were designed by professionals in identification and
graphics to capture attention 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. For complete details on Maytag’s
newly redesigned sign program, contact the Maytag ®
Commercial Laundry Distributor serving your area.
Maytag surveys indicate customers
actively seek out coin laundries
equipped with Maytag machines.
Single-Face Flush Wall Mount
or Double-Face Pole Mount
Standard Sizes:
• 2'6" x 6' (Wall Mount Only)
• 4' x 8'
• 4' x 9'
• 5' x 10'
• 6' x 12'
Channel Letters
Standard Sizes/Options:
• 3'3" x 10'3" Lighted Channel
Letters with Raceway
• 3'3" x 10'3" Lighted
Channel Letters
• 3'3" x 10'3" Non-Lighted
Channel Letters
Single-Face Flush Wall Mount
Standard Sizes:
• 2' x 8'
• 3' x 12'
Custom sizes available for all options shown
Custom face replacement and built-to-order sizes available on a per
quote basis. Contact your Maytag ® Commercial Laundry Distributor
for information and pricing.
Interior Illuminated Window Display Signs
Standard Sizes:
• 9" x 37.5" Single-Face Illuminated
• 12" x 49.5" Single-Face Illuminated
MAYTAG COMMERCIAL MERCHANDISER
7

Wickenburg, Arizona
Sunshine makes all the difference…
Maytag-equipped
Arizona laundry
‘greenest’ in the state!
The new Maytag-equipped laundry operates out of
a former branch bank office location and includes
a drive-up for customers who want to drop-off and
pick-up their laundry without getting out of the car.
West Plaza Laundry Owner Darrel Stadel (right) worked closely with Coin &
Professional Equipment Company’s Mark Svancara on the project.
Stadel points to the copper lines that bring solar-heated
water to the heat exchangers on the back side of each the
dryers. He estimates solar energy provides up to
75 percent of the energy needed to operate the dryers.
8 MAYTAG COMMERCIAL MERCHANDISER

Wickenburg, Arizona
The West Plaza Laundry
has 32 solar panels on the
roof providing nearly 100
percent of the hot water for
the washers and most of the
energy needed to heat the 10
Maytag stack dryers using an
engineering technique that
forces hot water through heat
exchangers installed into the
back side of each dryer.
Store Manager Debbie Jordan spends a lot of her time educating customers on
the advantages of using the energy-efficient Maytag washers and dryers.
Darrel Stadel was raised in
Topeka, Kan., in a family
that believed in risk-taking.
He carried that entrepreneurial
heritage with him to Wickenburg,
Ariz., and for the past 35 years has
been everything from a real estate
broker, to a car wash owner, property
manager, homebuilder, remodeler
and now the owner of a new “green”
Maytag-equipped self-serve laundry.
He also owns Wickenburg West
Plaza, the town’s premier open-air
shopping center in the community of
5,082 residents, 52 miles northwest
of Phoenix. He acquired the
mall, anchored by Alco and CVS
Pharmacy, in 2005 and has had no
trouble keeping it full, despite the
current economic downturn.
He did have one 1,600-sq.-ft.
end-cap space, a former branch
bank, vacant in 2009 and because
retail was so challenged at the time,
he decided to put in a self-serve
laundry — but not just any laundry.
He wanted a coin laundry that
would be recognized as one the most
environmentally clean and efficient
in the nation.
“I follow trends and it’s no
secret the ‘in’ trend for businesses
these days is green operations,” he
said. “I looked around for the most
energy efficient and most progressive
firm in the industry to help make
my laundry the best. I interviewed
several firms and in the end chose
Coin & Professional Equipment Co.
(C-PEC), the Maytag Commercial
Laundry Distributor in this area, to
help with the equipment selection
and design of the store. Dave
Svancara and his son, Mark, have
been invaluable it helping me get this
laundry up and running. I couldn’t
have done it without them.”
Opened in November of 2009,
West Plaza Laundry has 32 solar
panels on the roof providing nearly
l00 percent of the hot water for the
washers and most of the energy
needed to heat the 10 Maytag
stack dryers using an engineering
technique that forces hot water
through heat exchangers installed
into the back side of each dryer.
“We use natural gas to initially
bring the dryers up to operating
temperature and once the heat
exchangers reach peak efficiency the
gas cuts off and the dryers operate
100 percent from energy coming
from the solar panels,” said Stadel.
“I estimate we save as much as 75
percent of the natural gas we’d
normally use to heat the dryers and
90 percent or more of the gas we
would use to heat hot water for the
MAYTAG COMMERCIAL MERCHANDISER
9

Wickenburg, Arizona
“Dave Svancara and
his son, Mark, have
been invaluable
it helping me get
this laundry up and
running. I couldn’t
have done it without
them.”
— Darrel Stadel
The West Plaza Laundry offers eight ENERGY STAR® qualified Maytag high-efficiency front-load
washers at $2.25 a load ($2.50 with Super Cycle).
washers. I’m guessing we’re one of
the most energy- and cost-efficient
self-serve laundries in the nation in
terms of costs of utilities.”
He hastens to point out such
savings couldn’t be achieved in colder
and cloudier climates, “since we’re
blessed here with sunshine almost
every day of the year. It’s abundant
and it’s free.”
Wickenburg was named in
1868 for a gold miner, Henry
Wickenburg, who struck it rich in the
mountainous area. The year-round
population is officially 5,082 but
nearly doubles in the winter months
when the snowbirds arrive to take
advantage of the weather that reaches
in the 80s from January through
May.
“Initially, I didn’t recognize how
important these seasonal travelers
would be to our business,” said
Stadel. “Customers often have to wait
for machines in the wintertime but
the summer is slower. That’s why
we’re advertising quite a bit right now
to make sure the locals know that
we’re here and how environmentally
friendly and convenient this store
really is.”
When he began planning the
laundry there were two other older
self-serve stores in the community.
One closed before his new store
opened and the other is located two
miles away. “We tell everyone it costs
no more to do laundry here and it’s
better for the environment. The word
is quickly getting around.”
“There’s no extra cost to
customers to go totally green,” adds
Debbie Jordan, store manager since
it opened. “My primary job is to help
people understand the advantages,
both in saving money and getting a
better wash, when using the frontload
washers instead of top-load
machines that most of them have
used all their lives.
“A lot of our customers are older
and have never used a front-load
washer. When they come in they
invariably head toward the top-load
machines. I’ll visit with them and
before long they’ll try the frontloaders
and be delighted with the
results. But it does take effort to
re-educate them.”
She also manages the laundry’s
drop-off service, which is growing
in popularity. “We run a 99-centa-pound
special and also have a
canopy-covered drive-up for people
to drop-off and pick-up their laundry.
They don’t even have to get out of the
car. We deliver it to them.”
Stadel says he expects volume
to continue to improve. “We have a
diverse population here, with lots of
renters and people living in mobile
home parks. Most don’t have laundry
10 MAYTAG COMMERCIAL MERCHANDISER

Wickenburg, Arizona
The 10 Maytag Energy Advantage
30-lb. stack dryers are priced at
25¢ for 8 minutes of dry time. For
extra-large items, the store offers
two Maytag 75-lb. dryers.
Owner Darrel Stadel (right) chats with C-PEC’s Mark and Dave
Svancara, owners of the Maytag Commercial Laundry distributorship
serving Arizona from offices in Phoenix and Tucson.
facilities at home. This is an agricultural area, so we have a
lot of rural people come to town for services. With our giant
capacity Maytag washers and dryers we attract customers with
comforters and blankets and other bulky items that won’t fit
into the smaller equipment they have in their homes.”
Amenities include two TV monitors, hot and cold beverage
vending, snack machine, men’s and women’s restrooms, an
eight-column soap vender, two change machines and tables and
chairs for relaxing.
The store is open 7 days a week, 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with
the last load in by 8:00 p.m. Like most business people, Stadel is
concerned with the economy, but remains optimistic. “I’ve been
around long enough to know things do come back. With the
efficiencies and technology built into this store, I’m confident
we’re well positioned for future success.”
He points to the busy West Wickenburg Way highway that
runs along the front of his shopping mall. “That highway used
to be the main road that folks traveled from Phoenix to Los
Angeles and vice-versa. When the Interstate opened, business
owners figured it was the end of the line for them. But look at
the traffic out there today. Busier than ever. It just takes a little
faith.”
Maytag multi-load washers help attract non-traditional customers
looking to wash items such as bedspreads, comforters and other items
too large for home laundry machines.
The Maytag Mix
7
8
4
3
10
2
Maytag ® Top-Load Washers:
$1.75 a load ($2.00 Super Cycle)
Maytag ® High-Efficiency Washers:
$2.25 a load ($2.50 Super Cycle)
Maytag ® 40-lb. Washers:
$5.00 a load ($5.50 Super Cycle)
Maytag ® 50-lb. Washers:
$7.00 a load ($7.75 Super Cycle)
Maytag ® 30-lb. Stack Dryers:
$0.25 for 8 Minutes of Dry Time
Maytag ® 50-lb. Multi-Load Dryers:
$1.00 for 24 Minutes of Dry Time
US Capital Corporation provided equipment
financing assistance for this project.
MAYTAG COMMERCIAL MERCHANDISER
11

To find the independent Maytag ® Commercial
Laundry Distributor serving your area, visit
MaytagCommercialLaundry.com and click
the “Distributor Locator” link.
Commercial Merchandiser
Froehlich Communications, Inc.
309 Court Avenue, Suite 234
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Financing as low as 3.99% Fixed *
on Maytag ® Commercial LAUNDRY
EQUIPMENT
Limited Time
Why wait Now is a great time to upgrade to new Maytag ® Commercial
washers and dryers. Act now for low fixed rate financing, plus take advantage of
potential year-end Section 179 tax deductions ** up to $500,000, disability access
tax credits ** up to 50%, the best warranty in the business and significant utility
savings that can put more money in your pocket month after month.
Act now for
year-end
savings and
HOT RATES!
Contact your local Maytag ®
Commercial Laundry Distributor
or call U.S. Capital Corporation at
1-866-374-0722 for complete details.
* Rate effective as of November 1, 2010. 3.99% Fixed for 12-month term. 24-, 36-, 48-, 60-, 72- and 84-month terms
available. Minimum 3+ years business ownership required. Replacement and expansion equipment purchases
eligible for finance promotion. Financing for newer owners and start up laundry projects available. Subject to credit
approval and individual’s creditworthiness. Restrictions apply. See distributor for details. Offer valid for a limited
time and subject to change. **Not all taxpayers are eligible for these deductions and tax credits. Consult with your
tax advisor before making decisions based on this information.
Published by Maytag for owners of Maytag ® Commercial Laundry
equipment in the United States, Canada and foreign countries.
For further information or address changes, write Froehlich
Communications, Inc., 309 Court Avenue, Suite 234, Des Moines, IA
50309. ® Registered Trademark/ Trademark of Maytag Corporation
or its related companies. Copyright © 2010. All rights reserved.