September 10, 2025

LAVATEC inducts seven Hall of Fame members at The Clean Show ceremony

Beacon Falls, Conn. – September 10, 2025 – LAVATEC had one of its most successful events ever at The Clean Show when it was held August 23-26 in Orlando at the Orange County Convention Center. The new partnership with VEGA Systems was a success, several deals were completed at the show, and history was made when the first class of customers were celebrated and entered into the LAVATEC Hall of Fame.

"I want to thank everyone who visited our booth at The Clean Show. It was well attended and it was great to see everyone interact with the LAVATEC and VEGA staff in the booth and at the customer appreciation event," said president Mark Thrasher.

"We won back business with some old customers, worked out a few new deals for the future, and I was impressed with how many conversations we had about the VEGA equipment that was demonstrated. There were also many discussions about TUMBLE, a new AI bot we introduced that works with all of our equipment. And it was great to see all of our Hall of Fame members get the credit they deserve."

Hall of Fame Customers Shine in the Spotlight

Six customers and one individual were recognized for their achievements during a booth ceremony on Sunday afternoon, August 24.

"These seven have delivered outstanding results, some for a very long time over many years, and some for a shorter yet very successful period of time," explained Thrasher to the audience who attended.

"Each one has placed an extremely high value on doing their very best to exceed their own customer’s expectations, much like our emphasis on doing the same. They have been steadfast in their commitment to investing in cutting-edge, high performance equipment to provide the very best product to their customers."

The first to be recognized was the Cintas Corporation, LAVATEC’s oldest partner that has purchased more than 1,000 machines in a span over 35 years.

Next was Division Laundry from San Antonio, Texas, who invested in the first of their three LAVATEC tunnel systems 30 years ago. It is still operating today to service their healthcare and hospitality client base that has expanded to the Dallas, Houston, and Oklahoma markets in recent years. Theresa Garcia represents third generation ownership and she accepted the award on behalf of the family-owned, 86-year-old company.

Mario Villareal from Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa spoke about their nearly 30-year history with LAVATEC equipment, including a tunnel system that has run for nearly 145,000 hours. One of the leading medical institutions in Oklahoma and the anchor for the Saint Francis health system, they recently built a new laundry facility that houses all-new LAVATEC washing and drying machines, ironers, and the Clean Rail system.

Cecil Lee collected the plaque for Metro Detroit Area Hospital Services. Their partnership with LAVATEC began nearly 20 years ago, and they have successfully used LAVATEC tunnel and rail systems and dryers to grow every year. In 2024, they processed 34 million pounds of laundry and continue to significantly reduce their water and energy usage year-after-year.

Greg Decious, the owner of Bay State Linen near Boston, is a firm believer in equipment technology and was recognized for his company’s continuous improvement. Bay State uses LAVATEC machines to service an impressive list of hospitality customers throughout the New England region.

Portland Hospital Service Corporation was the final customer to speak. A tremendous asset serving people in Oregon and the Northwest region, they have been a LAVATEC customer for 23 years. General manager Shawn Swingholm and chief engineer David Rowning manage a tunnel system that runs 14 hours a day, six days a week to help process 34 million pounds of laundry each year. They recently decided to invest in two more LAVATEC tunnel systems, along with high speed presses and 14 dryers.

The final inductee was Vinny Samuel, president and co-owner of JVK Operations which operates facilities in New York and New Jersey. He was recognized for his individual achievements which began 40 years ago when he started as a plant engineer. Samuel later designed laundry plants around the world before starting his own business. Today, it is a major provider to healthcare and hospitality customers in New York and on Long Island, the Philadelphia market, and some areas in Connecticut.

Thrasher thanked all who attended and said the next class of Hall of Fame members will be announced at the 2027 Clean Show in Las Vegas.

TUMBLE and VEGA score points

Booth visitors were amazed with the introduction of TUMBLE. An intelligent AI assistant software program, it helps operators improve their efficiency and reduce downtime by providing instant answers to questions about machine operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

TUMBLE proactively monitors machine status and guides operators with step-by-step solutions, including those based on past interactions. Since it is fully integrated into LAVATEC’s osLaundry intelligent data management information system, for customers it means less training time is needed for employees, with faster problem solving and a more reliable production flow.

Technical experts explained this to visitors who were in the booth watching separate demonstrations of LAVATEC’s LT60 eight compartment tunnel washer, LX-445 washer extractor, and LP572 LAVAPress single stage extraction press, in addition to a trio of premium and energy efficient gas dryers: the TT745, TT757, and FL633.

Those visitors also saw demonstrations of flatwork equipment from VEGA Systems. Each machine in the booth left an impression on how it could help any size laundry operation. The range included the high quality VEGA MULTIFOLD SUPER 2.2 full-dry folder and VEGA MULTIFOLD 4S towel folder, sorter and automatic stacker, to the VEGA TRANSFEED for smaller piece feeding and the VEGAFOLD 2S to accommodate a wider cross-fold section of larger pieces.

About Lavatec Laundry Technology, Inc.
Delivering dependable commercial laundry equipment engineered for higher returns throughout their lifecycles has been the Lavatec Laundry Technology mantra for over three decades. Some LAVATEC manufactured equipment has been on the job for more than a quarter century. A rarity among manufacturers of continuous tunnel washers, LAVATEC offers center transfer, bottom transfer and double-drum construction options, plus a full range of readily integrated, end-to-end laundry system components: washer extractors, extraction presses, centrifuges, dryers, conveyor systems, pickers, feeders, ironers and folders. Simple design, durable construction, user-friendly operation and low maintenance are hallmarks of LAVATEC machines. A global leader with equipment in laundry operations throughout Europe, the Far East, South and North America, more than 8,000 LAVATEC machines have been installed in the United States alone. For more information, visit www.LLTusa.com.