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DULUTH, Ga. —IPA, makers of scrubEx and alEx™, has named Sarah James its director of product management. Serving in a new position created to capitalize on growth opportunities, James is responsible for complete product positioning and strategy for the company.

James earned her MBA from King College in Bristol, Tenn., and has six years of healthcare laundry experience. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the Association for Linen Management (ALM) and is currently the chair of the marketing committee.

IPA manufactures automated scrub suit and linen dispensing systems for the healthcare market.

RIPON, Wis. — Alliance Laundry Systems has promoted Jennifer Whitney to financial services manager.

Whitney will continue to work with all of Alliance’s finance groups, including Speed Queen Financial Services, UniMac Funding, Huebsch Financial and IPSO Finance. In her new role, she will be responsible for all equipment loan underwriting and origination, finance program and promotion development, marketing services support, and distributor and customer relationship development.

For more than 13 years, Whitney has been a key member of Alliance’s finance team. She recently worked in a dual role where she successfully developed Alliance’s acquisition financing portfolio and worked as a liaison to marketing services and ALSU.

“We’re extremely honored to offer Jennifer this opportunity, especially since she’s played such a key role in our division,” says Todd Rice, director of Financial Services for Alliance Laundry Systems. “We look forward to her continued success and congratulate her on a job well-done.”

Whitney received her B.B.A. in finance and business administration from Valparaiso (Ind.) University. Prior to joining Alliance, she worked for JP Morgan Chase, formerly known as Bank One.

DENVER, N.C. — Leonard Automatics has added two new employees to its staff, the company reports.

Ron Wilkins (left) joins the company as mechanical engineer. He brings years of engineering and design experience to Leonard, in addition to an understanding of industry-standard software packages and mechanical processes.

Robert Spradley (right) is the company’s newest service technician. He is a career service tech who has worked in high-tech environments all over the world, Leonard says. As a specialist in system installation and integration, he brings years of experience and a wide range of knowledge to the company.

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. — David N. Page has been selected as the new vice president of healthcare for the Institution Division of Venus Group, the company reports.

He has been in the healthcare industry for more than 25 years, including 11-plus years with Medline and 10 years with Angelica.

He brings to Venus Group a wealth of knowledge covering topics from utilization of management programs to optimize operational efficiencies and reduce total linen program costs, to product knowledge within the industry, to having key contacts in some of the larger healthcare facilities and buying groups.

Page is a member of several healthcare associations, and the company plans to draw upon his expertise to develop its healthcare business.

OAK CREEK, Wis. — When Crothall Laundry Services officially opened its new 83,000-square-foot plant during a June 27 ribbon-cutting ceremony, it marked a couple of important firsts for the Crothall Healthcare service line.

The $13 million state-of-the-art facility is the first that Crothall has built from the ground up, and it is reportedly the first laundry in the world to certify (its processing included) under certain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environ-mental Design) standards. And Crothall managed to complete the construction project—aided by many industry vendors—in nine months.

The Oak Creek plant is one of the few facilities in the country to process laundry without using high-pressure steam boilers, Crothall says. Instead, a Thermal Engineering of Arizona (TEA) Steamless Water Treatment System—using natural gas-fired hot-water boilers and heat exchangers that recover heat from wastewater—provides all the hot water needed for washing.

A gas-fired steam tunnel from Colmac Industries used to condition lab coats generates its own steam independent of a traditional boiler.

Chicago Dryer Co. provided 42 pieces of flatwork finishing equipment to maximize the facility’s production output with minimal utility consumption and enhanced ergonomics.

There are two full ironing lines, each featuring an Edge Maxx cornerless spreader-feeder; Powerhouse self-contained, thermal-fluid, deep-chest ironer; Skyline large-piece folders and Bridge linen transition conveyors.

A small-piece ironing line includes a Rapid Feed small-piece vacuum feeding aid, Powerhouse ironer, Skyline folder and DrawBridge linen transition conveyors to move stacked product from the folder directly to the main conveyor.

There are dedicated systems for a variety of tumble-dried items, including three Blanket Blaster cornerless finishing systems, two Skyline fitted sheet and blanket folders and six Air Chicago folders. All have Bridge conveyors.

All feeding and folding equipment incorporates CHI•Touch, an advanced PC-based control system that offers optimum visualization of operating, electronic and mechanical machine functions, as well as real-time display of production numbers.

Crothall management can set, monitor and maintain desired standards and production levels. CHI•Touch guides employees through each step of machine operation and uses the same logic and uniform style display on every machine so staff members can easily switch to a different piece of equipment.

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OSHKOSH, Wis. — Continental Girbau recently presented the Girbau Industrial Distributor of the Year awards to Laundry Pro of Florida Inc., Lakeland, Fla., and Laundry Systems of Tennessee, Sevierville, Tenn. The honor recognizes excellence in distribution and sales.

Led by Ron Jansen, Laundry Pro is a full-service vended, on-premise and industrial laundry equipment distributorship. “Ron Jansen is a great supporter of Continental and took the challenge of being the first to embrace Continental’s new Girbau Industrial brand,” says Continental President Mike Floyd. “He exceeded with flying colors, having installed the first Girbau Industrial TBS-50 Batch Washing system, complete with conveyors, press and ST-100 Drying Tumblers.”

Laundry Systems of Tennessee, led by President Jeff Large, is a well-established full-service vended, on-premise and industrial laundry distributorship. “For years, Jeff Large has been among our most technically equipped distributors in North America,” says Floyd. “He embraced our Girbau Industrial brand from the beginning. His installation of two Girbau Industrial ironing systems in Nashville proved a huge success for all involved.”

Girbau Industrial products include the TBS-50 Batch Washer, SPR-50 Press, ST-100 Drying Tumblers, several models of high-capacity washer-extractors, drying tumblers and finishing systems, as well as feeders, folders, stackers and conveyor systems.

STURTEVANT, Wis., and CINCINNATI — Diversey Inc. and Standard Textile Co. have formed a joint venture to bring “innovative, cost-effective and sustainable laundry cleaning solutions for the lodging and healthcare industries,” the companies announced in a joint press release.

Called Proteus Solutions LLC, the joint venture combines Diversey’s expertise in commercial cleaning and sustainability applications with Standard Textile’s unique capabilities in linen management, textiles and activated water.

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — Maytag Commercial Laundry recently honored exceptional distributors at its 53rd annual meeting, held in Palm Springs, Calif.

The Fred Maytag Award went to Pierce Commercial Laundry Distributors, Mandeville, La., for outstanding achievements and remarkable performance. The Maytag Red Carpet Service Excellence Award went to John Morris Equipment & Supply Co., Springfield, Mo., for exemplifying the excellent service and dependability for which Maytag is known.

RIPON, Wis. — Alliance Laundry Systems LLC has promoted Michael D. Schoeb to chief executive officer. All executive staff will report to Schoeb in his combined role as president and CEO.

Thomas F. L’Esperance will become vice chairman of the board of directors of parent company ALH Holding Inc. L’Esperance joined Alliance in 1996, having previously served as president of Amana Home Appliances and Caloric Corp. and as a senior executive of Raytheon Co. He will continue to serve as a director and will maintain his office here.

RIPON, Wis. — IPSO honored two of its leading distributors, D&M Equipment and Laundry Equipment Services, with its Award of Excellence. The awards were presented based on sales growth, commitment to the IPSO brand, customer service and after-sale support, the equipment manufacturer says.

OAK CREEK, Wis. — The sun glistened off the silvery blades of ceremonial shovels as one group after another took turns posing in front of earth-moving equipment at the site of what is to be Crothall Laundry Services’ first built-from-the-ground-up facility.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place Aug. 11, and site preparation for construction of the $13 million plant in this community south of Milwaukee has since begun.

RIPON, Wis. — UniMac has appointed Washburn Machinery an authorized distributor of its on-premise laundry (OPL) equipment for northern and central Illinois, east central and southern Wisconsin, and Lake County, Ind.

RIPON, Wis. — With the acquisition of commercial laundry distributor Laundry Tek Services, Super Laundry Equipment has expanded its multi-state UniMac territory to include all of Pennsylvania.

“UniMac is proud to continue its growing partnership with Super Laundry,” says Kim Shady, UniMac national sales manager. “Super Laundry is a well-respected laundry equipment distributor, and its extension covering all of Pennsylvania will provide UniMac customers with service and support from Pittsburgh to Birdsboro.”

RIPON, Wis. — Alliance Laundry Systems has entered into an agreement with Bangalore-based Ramsons Garment Finishing Equipment PVT. Ltd. to provide Alliance’s IPSO and D’Hooge products to the fast-growing Indian laundry industry.

India’s rising economy has created higher demand by the growing middle class for personal laundry services, as well as opportunities to invest in Laundromat and multi-housing businesses, Alliance says.

RIPON, Wis. —  Alliance Laundry Holdings LLC has announced results for the three and nine months ended Sept. 30, 2009.

Net revenues for the third quarter of 2009 decreased $24.8 million to $92.8 million from $117.6 million in the same period last year. The company’s net income for the third quarter of 2009 was $9.2 million compared to $4.2 million for the same quarter in 2008. Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2009 increased $0.5 million to $19.6 million from $19.1 million in the same period last year.