An Interview with Jim Gilligan of Snedicor Cleaners: “As for Service & Quality ..we are at the top!”
CINET – The International Committee of Textile Care – has been growing ever since its founding 35 years ago and until this day, new members are being welcomed in this global network of researchers and practitioners interested in sharing and developing their knowledge on textile care and its role in society. In this edition CINET proudly presents new member Jim Gilligan of Michigan (US)-based Snedicors Cleaners. In a personal interview, he tells his story and shares his visions on sustainability and business success.
Personal Profile
Jim Gilligan describes himself as an outdoorsman. He enjoys cycling and sports such as canoeing and kayaking, and he has a great love of nature. He entered the dry-cleaning business in the early 1980s when his dad bought a drycleaner, and he got involved in the business. The company was founded in 1914 and is in its 110th year of operation. Gilligan: “When my dad bought the place, it was a PERC drycleaner, and that didn’t align with my way of being an outdoors person in the beautiful environment of Michigan with its Great Lakes – a sportsman’s paradise!
So, I started looking for environmentally friendly cleaning techniques. In the late 1990s, some environmentally friendly solutions, such as CO2 and Rynex, came on the scene. Buying a new drycleaning machine is expensive and the new processes were as yet unproven. I couldn’t afford to pick a process that might not be around for long. In the early 2000s, GreenEarth Cleaning seemed to take the forefront, and some very large companies, such as Johnson’s in the UK and Men’s Warehouse in the US, adopted it. However, the industry had some lingering negative perceptions about GreenEarth (longer cycling times and less quality in cleaning etc.). I needed to see it in action, and then I got the chance to visit a much larger operation, Karl Chehade Dry Cleaning in Australia, that had turned to using 100% GreenEarth successfully and didn’t have any of the problems the ‘nay-sayers’ were talking about. When I got home again, I ordered a Union HL-860 drycleaning machine installed in 2006.”
Environment-based strategy
Gilligan: “This is our 18th year exclusively as a GEC drycleaning operation. We also employ the Harmony Wetcleaning system, using a Yamamoto dry-to-dry wetcleaning machine and Harmony’s detergent that is made of organic Camellia flowers from Asia. It felt really good to ‘clean up’ this company and get it aligned with my environmental ethics!” He also states to keep on moving forward. “In 2022 we put our first EV delivery van in service, and we are looking forward to adding more EV vans to our fleet. In March of 2020, we became a 100% pick-up and delivery. It is working out great!”
Choices to be made…
Gilligan: ‘At the beginning of the pandemic, I had already been wondering whether I should continue my one store lease since my next lease was going to be much higher. I had already considered having only one location in the building that I own. In 2019, I built a stand-alone process facility around the delivery vans, so I already the process plant in place I needed to be a heavily delivery-oriented company. Apart from that, COVID-19 had much impact – customers wearing facemasks or staying at home, my employees having to wait on customers face-to-face at the counter – and in one moment, I suddenly decided that – although we had an essential business – I was going to close my stores and serve all our customers with contact-free pick-up and delivery. Soon thereafter, I decided that I would never reopen my stores. That’s how I pivoted my company”.
Free Pick-up & Delivery
Operation & Business Outlook
Gilligan: “We have 3 full-time vans – each doing one route a day, with one additional route on Saturday and Sunday. We do everything on-site here except for some rugs, leathers, and furs that we send out to specialty cleaners. We are mainly (90%) focused on B2C and do a little B2B. We also go to offices to pick up and deliver customers’ clothes. By the end of 2023, we ended ahead of 2019 revenue with a much greater margin of profit. The company has become much more efficient, easier to manage, and more profitable. Our main business driver is that we’re 100% non-toxic, since nowadays many people are searching for non-toxic alternatives in cleaning. We have also found out that most people like the convenience of Free Pick Up & Delivery once they try our services”. In the future, Gilligan is optimistic: “In 5 years’ time, I would expect to be about double the volume we are doing now. I anticipate expanding AND densifying our territory.
IT and its benefits
Gilligan: “Our primary IT is our point of sales system. Apart from that, I’m using a lot of AI, such as a delivery efficiency app and a production efficiency app. It helps us to stay very efficient and transparent. It also helps me create complex spreadsheets so I can really manage, especially on expenses. I also use AI to help write articles for the website and social media.”
Quality & Pricing
Gilligan: “ As for service and quality.. we’re at the top, also in pricing! We are in business to make a profit, and we charge accordingly. We write about our services on our website so customers can see our pricing and read how we clean their garments. By the time they sign in for us, they understand that – although they may be paying more – they will be getting a better product”.
Job Market & Team
Gilligan:” Even if I have a small company of 12 people, we have really good employee loyalty. Our production supervisor is a former owner operator, and she’s got more experience than I have. I have learned that hiring and training drivers is much easier than hiring store CSRs, so since the pandemic, we have had no problems finding good people. In short, we have a great crew and a very little turnover.”
Sustainability & Role Textile Care
Gilligan: ”I think many people have lost touch with the clothing they wear. We used not to own so many clothes and cherished the clothes that we owned and took care of them. We all know that fast fashion is killing the planet, so I think that drycleaners can educate customers on how nice it is to have a good suit or buy beautiful pieces that may last for decades. I have sweaters that are 30 years old that I still love to wear, and they look great! Of course, professional textile care plays a big role here: high quality goes along with sustainability and good processing!
