In Memoriam – Laundrylux Founder Bernard Milch

Laundry industry pioneer and innovator Bernard Milch, who founded LaundryLux, recently died at the age of 93.

Milch was a Holocaust survivor, who lost much of his family in World War II. He came to the United States with $8 in his pocket and the dream of a new life. He started in business as a mechanic and later obtained the sales and marketing rights for the Swedish Wascator machines in North America.He was sure he could adapt them for the growing coin laundry and institutional markets. He made a success of the brand in the US and for that he was honoured by the Kingdom of Sweden in 1980 for his contribution to Swedish-American business when he was knighted with “Nordstjerneorden,” the Order of the North Star. From a refugee with virtually nothing, he became a Swedish Knight. “Only possible in America!” he used to say.

Cody Milch, president of Laundrylux: “Laundrylux is what it is today because my grandfather had such drive and determination. He was a visionary who saw possibilities at a time when conventional wisdom said he was crazy trying to sell a more expensive machine from Scandinavia. Ignoring the sceptics, he risked all of his savings, worked incredibly hard, and became the quintessential American success story.”