2025 Third Quarter Newsletter

3rd Quarter Update

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Upcoming Class Schedule

This year’s summit will feature:

• Expert presentations on business growth, operations, and automation
• Behind-the-scenes plant tours with real-time demonstrations
• Networking with fellow professionals, innovators, and suppliers
• An immersive experience where innovation meets hands-on expertise and realworld connections in the cleaning community

Whether you're a seasoned rug washer or building your business, Rug Summit 14 is your opportunity to learn, connect, and elevate your operation.

Registration

Andrija Malbasa will lead this intensive 3-day, handson rug washing and dye correction class including a full day spent on advanced rug spotting & finishing techniques used in top rug plants across the country.

This class introduces chemicals and techniques used to remove dye migration and stains commonly used in wash plants around the world, exploring with firsthand experiences, their benefits and learning to understand their limitations. Participants receive ample time to experience hands-on wash floor rug washing, dye stripping, fringe color correction, and urine stain removal with reducing agents and oxidizers. The third day we will spend time teaching to evaluate a rug’s ‘after wash’ condition and assess what final finishing procedures it takes to deliver top quality with your rug cleaning service! As a bonus, attendees leave with a Formulation Guide to the reducing and oxidizing products used during the event and a list of various suppliers to purchase from.

Member Registration

Non-Member Registration

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Recap of ARCS 2025 Annual Convention

By James Kruse of D.A. Burns

This was the fourth ARCS Annual Convention that I’ve attended. It was great to see familiar faces, get introduced to new ones, and explore a new city. While it was unfortunate a recent storm had affected many of the cherry blossoms, attending a conference in our Nation’s Capital was still a memorable trip. I struggled with how to summarize the event in a way that would do it justice, so instead of rehashing everything we learned I decided to boil it down to my three top highlights from the trip.

#3: “Branded not Blanded – Dan Antonelli”. Most people know Dan Anotonelli’s company – Kick Charge Creative – because of their impressive vehicle wrap designs. The presentation Dan gave was informative, interactive, and humbling. He provided real-world data of the results that his client and fellow ARCS member, Dan Ayoub, has seen as a result of Kick Charge’s marketing efforts. As if we weren’t impressed enough by that, he then went on to challenge us to audit our own brands real-time with him at the event. I will refrain from sharing my companies’ scores or asking anyone else to do the same.

#2: “George Washington University Museum and Textile Museum”. Those of you who've met me know that I’m not what you would call a “rug enthusiast”. I probably like rugs as much as the average consumer, but I’m just a business owner who happens to own a rug cleaning company. When I saw this museum listed on the itinerary, I thought it would be another tour where I had no idea what I was looking at. While that was still the case here, I was mesmerized. We even got to watch Scott Ring try to convince the Manager of the research lab to pull textiles out of storage for us to see. If every rug/textile tour could be like this one, perhaps I’d consider becoming an enthusiast.

#1: “Plant Tour – Ayoub Carpet Service”. My favorite part of any rug event is always visiting other people’s rug cleaning operations, and this trip was no different. Dan and his team were excellent hosts, opening up their entire facility and making their staff available to answer any question we could think of. I was most impressed by how they fit a highvolume rug cleaning operation in a strip mall outlet setting, where the front half of the building was their floor covering sales storefront. Their two dry room setup is unique and suits them well, but I see huge potential for how it could be used to handle seasonal volume fluctuations or growth / expansion in an efficient manner. And to tie the first day of the event together with the second, we got to see the new vehicle wraps and other branding materials that Kick Charge has implemented for Ayoub. I’m not ready to put my face on the side of our vans, but Ayoub’s looks great!

If my top three highlights are the same as yours, come join me at next year’s convention in Portland to see if we have the same tastes there. If your top three were different from mine, come to Portland next year so you can write the review afterwards. And if you don’t have any top 3 highlights because you didn’t come to D.C., well you missed out on a good time and you should really book your trip to Portland next year to make up for it. I’ll see you there!

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Introducing ARCS New President

Connie Klopfenstein of The Rug Salon by Spot Out

Dear Members,

It’s an honor to introduce myself as the new President of the Association of Rug Care Specialists. As someone who is passionate about our industry and deeply committed to the craft of rug care, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve this incredible community of professionals.

My vision for ARCS is rooted in growth—both in size and in strength. I want to see our association thrive as a welcoming place for all rug washers, whether you're just starting out or have decades of experience; whether you're running a small local shop or a large operation. I truly believe there is something to be learned from everyone, and that our shared knowledge is what makes us stronger as an industry.

In the coming months, I look forward to encouraging more connection, education, and support among our members. Let’s learn from each other, uplift one another, and continue to raise the standard of rug care together.

Thank you for being part of this journey. I’m excited for what’s ahead!

Warm regards,

Connie Klopfenstein

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Introducing ARCS New Board Members

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For great information and sharing!