March 2014
| Business World Magazine | 125
benefit of the membership. That exchange
of ideas, advice and counsel is alive and well
within the IAHTM membership. Beyond
the high level of education we provide to
members, that exchange of ideas is one of the
reasons we exist.
BW: What are some other advantages of
the collectivity? Any associa-
tion sells its value proposition
on the idea that we’ll be a col-
lective, we can bargain to-
gether, we can do this together
or that together. But, in your
opinion, what are some of the
main reasons why being a part
of this organization is better
than going it alone?
LARK:
Certainly, the group
buying power that we have – we
actually have a number of ven-
dors in the industry who supply
equipment, chemicals, linen,
production management software and other
related supplies. Jointly, we’ll handle well
over 750 million pounds of laundry per year.
This gives us a great deal of volume purchas-
ing power.
I think one of the greatest benefits that
I’ve seen, is what we call a peer review. This
is a program wherein two or three of our
counterparts will travel to your plant and
do an optional audit and make suggestions
about how you can make changes or maybe
handle some issues you’re having. Given the
wide range of expertise and talent our mem-
bers have, these peer reviews are invaluable.
I think there’s a trust, there’s a code of con-
duct that engenders trust. It’s networking,
too. We’re spread all over North America,
but there’s a great deal of networking that
takes place on a daily basis in addition to our
educational conferences twice a year.
Dr. Janet Lapp Speaker - Indianapolis Conference
