VF Corporation, a leader in branded lifestyle apparel, announced that Candace S. Cummings, Vice President – Administration, General Counsel & Secretary, and a member of VF's Operating Committee, will retire on April 30, 2012, after more than 17 years of service to the company. Laura C. Meagher, Vice President – Deputy General Counsel, will be named Vice President – General Counsel & Secretary and join VF's Operating Committee effective May 1, 2012.

Cummings, 64, began her VF career in 1995 as Vice President – General Counsel, and became Vice President – Administration and General Counsel in 1996 and Secretary in 1997. She is VF's first General Counsel and was responsible for the establishment of VF's global Law Department. Throughout her career, she has provided legal oversight to support VF's growth, which has involved more than 20 acquisitions, including major brands such as The North Face, Vans, Nautica and Timberland, as well as dramatic international expansion. She was instrumental in the development of VF's Global Compliance Principles and currently serves on the Board of Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP).

"The past two decades have included many milestones for VF, from significant acquisitions, to international expansion, to substantial increases in our direct-to-consumer capabilities," said Eric C. Wiseman, VF Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "These milestones would not have been achievable without strong legal guidance, and we have been fortunate to have had Candace's leadership in this area. We thank her for her many years of passionate service and dedication to our company. And while we will all miss having Candace on our team, we are very happy for her as she begins a new chapter in her life."

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Richard Fairfax, U.S. Department of Labor deputy assistant secretary, will be a presenter during March's Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA) Leadership & Legislative Conference in Washington.

Fairfax oversees the enforcement and construction directorates for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In his previous post as OSHA's enforcement programs director, he offered opinions on various safety regulations of interest to the textile services industry, in particular, those dealing with bloodborne pathogens and lockout/tagout.

His March 28 presentation comes as OSHA increases fines, as the average levy per serious violation has risen from $1,050 to $2,200 in the agency's last two fiscal years. OSHA also is moving forward with its Injury and Illness Prevention Program (I2P2), an initiative that could see businesses revamping safety and health efforts.

MINNEAPOLIS — G&K Services has announced that Chief Executive Officer Douglas A. Milroy will be taking a planned temporary medical leave, starting Feb. 29, to treat an aortic aneurysm.

The company expects that Milroy will recover fully within four to six weeks and will completely resume his normal duties upon his return.

Milroy will continue to serve as G&K's chief executive officer and as a member of the board of directors, and will, as circumstances allow during his recovery, remain actively involved in G&K's operations and business.

Read more at American Laundry News. 

Are there substantial differences in equipment and procedures between a commercial or rental plant and an institution-based laundry? If so, what are they, and why do such differences exist?

Healthcare Laundry: Scott Beaton, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

There are two major differences between institutional and commercial rental laundry plants regarding laundry processing equipment and operational procedures. The overarching difference is that each must serve a different master.

One is customer-based, high-volume, and driven to make a profit, while the other exists to provide a service for a captive audience. Due to these differences, the degree of necessary automation varies substantially.

The other major difference is that commercial/rental plants wash and process linen to meet the needs of both regulatory and customer-based demands. They deliver linen in a manner that guarantees and produces a positive net operating margin. This is driven by the fact that they are in business to make a profit.

Rental laundries typically spend more on their equipment, training and education of their workforce than an institutional facility. Pounds per operator hour, or PPOH, become the mantra. The old adage "time is money and money is time" comes to mind. These large, high-volume shared-service laundries and commercial plants tend to be highly automated, with batch washers, shuttle conveyors and pass-through dryers greatly reducing manual-labor requirements.

She intended to retire in August, but she said, "they kept asking me to stay."

For Baylor's Air Force ROTC program, Betty Spencer's contributions have been a constant for more than 30 years. While the organization saw 15 detachment commanders, thousands of students and three headquarters come and go during the past three decades, it had only one uniform custodian.

Spencer said the main motivation for her long career was the connection she made with the program's students, but she plans to finally leave the program — and enjoy her retirement — at the end of the semester.

"I wanted mainly some part-time work," Spencer said, recalling her attempts to find a job once her son was old enough. "I came over, was interviewed by the colonel at that time, was hired and went to work Aug. 21, [1981]. It never crossed my mind that over 30 years later I'd still be here."

Lt. Col. Carl Wooten, first-year commander of the detachment, said Spencer's expertise was invaluable to him as he adjusted to his new position this year.

"When you have anybody that's been associated with a program that long, there's a certain amount of comfort in knowing that part of the program is taken care of," Wooten said. "We've got 109 students in the program and I know they're going to get the uniforms they need in a timely manner. She has a very good plan for issuing the uniforms."

Textiles: Tom Langdon, Encompass Group

I am vice president of sourcing and purchasing for Encompass Group. I have spent the past 30 years in a variety of roles and responsibilities in the textile industry.

For the last 20-plus, I have traveled the globe, extensively developing and sourcing all types of textile products. My product experience spans from retail home fashions, to protective and military apparel, and into the medical textile products area. I am experienced in woven, non-woven, and knit manufacturing techniques along with all aspects of printing, dyeing and finishing.

My educational credentials include a Bachelor of Science degree from the Stetson School of Business at Mercer University, along with various continuing education certificates in customs, compliance, CTPAT, supply chain management, and ISO 9000 registration. I sit on the Techtextil North America 2012 Symposium Advisory Council and chair the Medical Educational Section. I see my role on the panel as giving readers the layman's perspective on each monthly topic and how obtaining the actual textile items is affected.

Two of our biggest challenges in 2011 were the unprecedented run-up in raw-material costs and mitigating the impact to our customers. We also were faced with some historic geopolitical changes in the world, of which the unrest in Egypt created some specific obstacles to our industry.

I was already scheduled to visit Egypt at the end of January 2011, the week before the Mubarak regime fell. I remember spending the first half of the Super Bowl on the phone with my travel agent rearranging my itinerary to cancel the Egypt portion of my trip. Later, I found out that the head of the largest government-owned textile mill in Egypt was removed from his post and arrested.

The leaders and staff of TRSA were deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Milton Anzora, 24, on Nov. 26 at Prestige Corp. in Bay Shore, N.Y. Initial news reports indicate that he was crushed while working on or near a shuttle conveyor system. Suffolk County police said they are investigating and have notified the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

Our heartfelt condolences go to Mr. Anzora's family and we extend our thoughts and prayers to all colleagues at Prestige, a TRSA member company. We are grief-stricken by the loss of one of the employees of our industry, and we believe that every individual who works in our business feels the same way.

TRSA member companies have long dedicated themselves to making their workplaces safe. We are redoubling our efforts to ensure that other such accidents do not occur by developing new educational resources, including a Safety Best Practices manual and organizing a Safety Summit meeting in June 2012. We recognize that improving occupational safety and health is an ongoing commitment.

Since 2006, TRSA has surveyed member companies to enable them to collaborate to reduce work injuries and illnesses industry-wide. This survey shows that the typical laundry facility has achieved a remarkable 42% improvement in its Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) – i.e., the number of work-related injuries per 100 employees. There has also been a 33% reduction in the rate of occupational injuries and illnesses resulting in Days Away from work, Restricted activity or job Transfer (DART Rate).

In addition, the SafeTRSA program provides Web-based safety training resources at no cost to the industry. These include videos and manuals customized to rental laundry operations. Such guidance assists members and nonmembers alike in achieving OSHA compliance and enhancing the overall safety of their workplaces.

About TRSA and the Textile Services Industry

Based in Alexandria, Va., TRSA represents the $16-billion textile services industry that employs nearly 200,000 people at more than 2,000 facilities nationwide. These companies provide laundered textiles and other products and services that help businesses project a clean and attractive public image. The industry reaches every major business and industrial region, Congressional district and city in the country. Most Americans benefit at least once a week from the cleanliness and safety provided by the industry—through its laundering and delivery of reusable linens, uniforms, towels, mats and other products for the healthcare, hospitality and industrial/manufacturing sectors. TRSA member companies' services minimize environmental impacts on air, water and solid waste disposal while reducing costs for millions of customers.

Lake Forest, IL, June 20, 2011:

White Swan Brands announces the retirement of Marc Rapport, effective June 30, 2011. "We want to thank Marc for his 37 years of service in the industry and for his dedication to White Swan Brands," says Michael Gann, Executive Vice President of White Swan Brands. "Marc has dedicated the majority of his career to representing our brands in a very professional manner in the Northeastern Sales Territory. Although we are sad to see his tenure end, we wish him the best as he spends time with his wife Laurie, his grandson and working on his golf game. Thank you Marc for your commitment to our company."

Effective immediately, White Swan Brands announces Ray Granda as its new Northeast Sales Territory Manager. "We are very excited for Ray to join our sales team," continued Gann. "His 29 years of experience representing other brands in this territory will make the transition seamless as Marc departs. "Ray resides in the Boston area, and will assume responsibility for accounts in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine. Ray can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

White Swan Brands is a family of quality products and programs developed to meet the needs of health care and food service professionals. Our brands include Fundamentals, META, WS Gear, Fusion, Five Star Chef Apparel, and AMPs hosiery. We are also the manufacturer and marketer of the Jockey™ Scrubs line of scrubs and labcoats.

OOBE Inc., a leading brand of custom-designed uniforms, has promoted Marijana Mijacevic to director of design.

She will be primarily responsible for the creative vision and design direction of each uniform apparel line, ensuring the highest quality and proper fit of all products. She also will oversee development of seasonal plans and timelines for all uniform programs.

Mijacevic has been employed at OOBE since 2006. Prior to that, she was a garment engineer at Sara Lee in Winston-Salem. She also has held merchandising and facility engineering positions at Levi Strauss and served as an instructor at a premier fashion design school in Canada. Mijacevic has a master's degree in clothing engineering technology and an engineering degree in textile technology from the University of Zagreb in her native Croatia.

Original article: http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20110620/BUSINESS/306200032/OOBE-promotes-Marijana-Mijacevic-to-director-of-design.

Kalamazoo, MI – Edwards Garment Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Jose Gomez, Vice President of Sourcing & Operations. "We are extremely pleased to have Jose join the Edwards team" comments Gary Schultz, CEO. Jose has been in the apparel sourcing industry for over 14 years and has a wealth of experience in developing supplier sources, improving supply chain management, and growing international business while maintaining high quality standards. His most recent position was with Alternative Apparel in Los Angeles where he was responsible for building and refining their supplier network. Prior to Alternative Apparel, Jose spent over 12 years working for Kurt Salmon Associates, the premier consulting firm in the apparel industry where he specialized in global sourcing and manufacturing. His knowledge of sourcing and supply chain management will assist Edwards in continuing their strong success and growth in the Image Apparel Industry.

Edwards Garment has been manufacturing and supplying corporate, casual and uniform apparel for 140 years. The company is privately held and headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. "Dressing you from top to bottom", Edwards products are available through a nationwide network of dealers and distributors. To learn more about Edwards Garment, please visit the Company's website at www.edwardsgarment.com .