ARCS's Second Quarter Newsletter 2019
Greetings Everyone!
Tufted Rug Revival
Tufted rugs are made by a canvas material being stretched over a frame. Wool is then punched through the canvas with a tufting gun. Once the face fiber is tufted completely, a secondary backing is glued to the canvas. This latex glue is what holds the rug together.
Relatexing a Tufted Rug
By: Tim Urback, Atiyeh Bros. Portland, OR, CRS, ARCS Board of Directors
Many times customers mention to us that a white or yellow sand-like material is coming out of the back of their rug. As cleaners, we know that this issue is caused by the latex in the rug breaking down. Fortunately, this is something we can fix. By removing the backing and applying new latex and backing material to the canvas layer, we can stabilize the rug and extend its lifespan.
ARCS Annual Convention
Another great success! If you don't come every year to the ARCS Annual Convention, you are seriously missing out! What is not to love about it? Every year it's at a new location, in a new city, visiting different rug facilities, learning secrets, seeing colleagues, drinking and eating just amazing food, and business vacationing!
This year was no exception at Indianapolis. Amazing topics were covered including "Why take in carpet cleaners as wholesale customers?" and Having multiple drop-off locations." Amazing rug stores and facilities were toured. The wealth of rug knowledge that eats, drinks, and parties under the same roof is something you wouldn't want to miss. A huge thanks to our hosts, Michael Joseph from Joseph's Imports Inc., Tom and Jordan King from Oriental Rug Cleaning of Indianapolis, and Mitch and Jennifer Mauck from Lagenwalter.
Our 2019 Conference business day ended with a slideshow of all of the unique things we run across as rug cleaners. It was an entertaining wrap up to a great day of content! We are already accepting submissions for the 2020 Conference. We are collecting photos of any and all of the following:
- Interesting items found in rugs
- Strange requests for cleaning (i.e. taxidermy dog)
- Odd incidents at your plant
- Exceptional before and after's
Please email your photos to jennifer@dallasrugcleaner.com with a quick explanation of the picture(s).
~ Upcoming Events ~
(Click each class title for more specific details)
Effective Communication for Rug Cleaners Course (Online)
Date: August 20 & 22, 2019
Time: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST
Location: Online Member Price: $125; Nonmember Price: $200
This class will cover all of the important steps that can make or break your customer experience:
- * Learn about your company and what you offer
- * Elevator Pitch
- * Common Pre-Inspection Conditions
- * Terminology: How to Convey Technical Explanations in Layman's Terms
- * Help new customers navigate the rug cleaning process
- * How to Make Repeat Customers Continue to Feel Valued
- * THE IMPORTANCE OF DOCUMENTATION
- * Managing Customer Expectations
- * Dealing with Complaints
- * Proper Phone Etiquette
- * Proper In-Person Etiquette
- * Inter-Office Communication
Introduction to Rug Care, Fall (Online)
Date: September 17th, 19th, 24h, 26th 2019
Time: 3 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. EST
Location: Online Member Price: $150; Nonmember Price: $225
ARCS's Introduction to Rug Care course is designed to increase student's knowledge at a fraction of the cost of other formal education programs. Geared towards employees and those new to the industry, the Introduction to Rug Care course gives students the information they need to make informed cleaning decisions and speak confidently with customers about the cleaning process.
The Experience Convention & WoolSafe Collaboration (Las Vegas, NV)
Date: September 18, 19 and 20, 2019 (21st - WoolSafe Collaboration)
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Price: Coming Soon
Topic/Speaker(s): Building a rug plant - Jordan King Rug Intake/Beginner ID - Scott Ring Marketing/Networking - Scott & Miranda Gwilliam Viscose - Ben Knause Color Run - Randy Hyde Demonstrations - Shearing, Tiny Simple Repairs - Robert Mann Moths & Mold - Jarrod Horton
Earn IICRC Credits by attending any ARCS event.
Turkey Trip
Join ARCS for rugs, art, great food, history and culture.
Date: November 1st-16th, 2019 Registration includes lodging, meals (no alcohol), site admission(s) and travel within Turkey. Registration is double occupancy, single occupancy is an additional fee. Roundtrip airfare to Turkey is not included with registration fee, however group travel will be arranged from Chicago to Istanbul for those interested.
EarlyBird Registration thru July 1, 2019 (ONLY 1 MONTH LEFT!!!)
ARCS Member: $2,950.00 Non-member: $3,400.00 Single Occupancy Accommodation: $400 General Registration July 2, 2019 - September 31, 2019 ARCS member $3,150.00 Non-member $3,600.00 Single Occupancy Accommodation: $400
About the Trip: We will visit a number of different cities and villages, meeting people all along the way, including:
- * Istanbul - Carpet museums, Aya Sophia, Mosques, wholesale carpet dealers, covered bazaar, markets, and much more.
- * Izmir - private tour of ATC - a premier carpet restoration facility. Ancient ruins of Ephesus, small village carpet production in Seljuk, visit a small neighborhood wash plant.
- * Central Anatolia - Aksaray, Guzelyurt, Ilhara Valley with its ancient Christian Churches, and on by bus to Kayseri.
- * Kayseri - Visit handmade carpet industry facilities scattered around the area.
- * Istanbul - back again for more sights, shopping, and great food.
For more details, please contact: info@rugcarespecialists.org
We are very excited to add Fibercare as a new member! This father and son family business joined us at the Indianapolis ARCS Convention and actually won the Oster Hand Clipper we gave out as a prize! (Andrew, son, pictured to the right) 925 Rosewood St. Jenison, MI 49428 616-667-8580 office@fibercaregr.com
John (pictured below) purchased Fibercare as an existing carpet cleaning business in 1994. Training was taken very seriously early on (and still is) by becoming certified with IICRC, attending Carpet Inspector School, attending Management training, etc. Over the years, the business grew along with the cleaning opportunities to include rug cleaning and repair, carpet repair, upholstery cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, wood floor cleaning, and leather cleaning. In 2004, we were asked by a local rug manufacturing company to clean a 1300 sq. ft. wool White House Rug. Thankfully, it came out well and has opened many doors of opportunity for us.
While Andrew has 'grown-up' in the business, being John's son, this past year he has stepped forward to take over the business. Andrew is very involved as the Lead Technician and learning the details of the behind-the-scenes involved with running a business. With Andrew stepping in more, this allows John to focus more time on rug repairs, which he finds both challenging and enjoyable. We enjoy helping the customers with restoring their rugs so they can continue to enjoy them for years to come. The stories behind the rugs are always very interesting as well. We recently cleaned and repaired a Navajo rug that has become a family heirloom. It was originally given to the client's parents while they were missionaries in South America several years ago.
The intention of this feature is to help members get to know new members, their families, and their business better. To have your business highlighted in the next available newsletter, please email your inquiry to: meg@aladdincleans.com and office@rugcarespecialist.org.
