CA
Curbside.2024
Curbside 2024 Speakers
SPEAKERS
Sasha Strauss, CEO, Innovation Protocol
Sasha Strauss speaks from 25 years in brand strategy, having defined brands for leading corporations, philanthropies, faiths, and academic institutions.
Sasha’s distinct and direct approach to how brands and leadership must communicate is the foundation for his brand strategy consultancy, Innovation Protocol (IP). Their ability to inspire while they inform is why brands like Nestlé, PayPal, LEGO, Google, Disney, Universal, and Korn Ferry have called on their consulting and thought leadership since 2006.
While running IP as CEO, Sasha has been a professor for 17 years, concurrently teaching brand strategy at UCLA, USC, and UCI business schools. That coursework, coupled with IP’s client work for innovators, directly impacts Sasha’s impassioned keynote speeches at the world’s preeminent conferences.
Matt Simmons, Co-founder, Curbside Laundries
Matt Simmons oversees Super Suds, one of the busiest laundromats in Los Angeles County, with his brother, Aaron. After revolutionizing their own business through technology, Matt and Aaron founded Curbside Laundries to help other laundry owners streamline their wash fold dry and pickup and delivery operations to become more profitable.
Matt earned his MBA in entrepreneurship at USC and previously helped spearhead a subsidiary of Everbridge, which is now on the NASDAQ. This subsidiary provided consultation and cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) to the staffing industry.
Carlos Ochoa, Owner, Bubbles & Bleach
Randy Roberts, Garment Care Evangelist, Columbus Express Laundry
Randy Roberts is a Garment Care Evangelist with more than 30 years’ experience running regional and national sales organizations for Fortune 15 brands. Most of the organizations were built from the ground up in areas where the company was struggling.
Columbus Express Laundry is a Midwest-based WDF/laundromat that has been in existence since July 2021. During this time, the company has experienced rapid growth and made significant bets, including moving into a private facility and the procurement of a folding machine to improve productivity.
Joe Dan and Kelli Reed, Owners, Splash ‘Em Out
Joe Dan and wife Kelli, owners of Splash ‘Em Out, started their journey in the home cleaning business in 2001. Recognizing the need for laundry services, they expanded their offerings and successfully opened their first laundromat in 2004. Today, they operate a family-owned network of nine laundromats, with a 20,000-square-foot commercial facility.
Committed to maintaining high standards, all Splash ‘Em Out locations are uniformly branded, meticulously maintained, and fully attended. Joe Dan and Kelli prioritize creating a family-oriented environment, where customers are treated like extended family members, creating a home away from home atmosphere. With a strong emphasis on cleanliness and safety, they go the extra mile to ensure their customers feel comfortable and secure. As a locally owned and operated business, Joe Dan and Kelli cherish their community and hold their customers’ satisfaction in the highest regard.
Joe Dan and Kelli are educating laundry owners with tips and tricks on their YouTube channel Splash Em Out Laundromat.
Don't wait until it's too late!
Get your tickets today.
Stephanie Staley and Claudia Millard, Owners, WeWash Laundry Co
Meet Stephanie Staley and Claudia Millard, the dynamic duo that turned their laundry loathing into a laundry-loving empire when they founded the game-changing WeWash Laundry Co. WeWash was born in February 2020 in the most unconventional way possible. This unorthodox approach turned out to be their secret sauce, enabling them to flourish during a global pandemic when laundry became more of a necessity than ever before. They are now a bustling team of 23+ dedicated employees.
Steph, a wife and mother of three, was born and raised in the heart of Des Moines, Iowa. She earned a degree in Public Relations and Marketing from St. Ambrose University, which instilled in her the invaluable power of marketing. Having careers in event planning and marketing, she has enjoyed putting it all to use launching WeWash Laundry Co. With a strong belief in the adage “you’ve got to spend money to make money,” Stephanie has a keen understanding of the importance of strategic investments and the transformative role they play in achieving business success.
Claudia, a wife and mother of three, has a heart as big as her home state of Texas. Born and raised in San Antonio, she brought her Texan spirit and ambition to Iowa in 2010. With a background in healthcare placement, her journey took an exciting turn when she ventured into the world of entrepreneurship, co-founding the thriving startup, WeWash Laundry Co. Her determination and business acumen have played a significant role in the company’s success. What truly sets Claudia apart is her passion for connecting with people. She thrives on mentoring new business owners and enjoys fostering growth and sharing knowledge.
Jennifer Sharber, Owner, JRae Laundry
In 2016, Jennifer left her full-time “retirement” job to pursue entrepreneurship. Her side business, JRae Commercial Cleaning, had grown and required her full-time attention. In 2018, she founded Keeping It Bookkeeping Services where she has a team of five (5) full-time bookkeepers. Then in 2022, she seized the opportunity to co-own a long-standing local laundromat, resulting in the establishment of JRae Laundry Services. Collectively, Jennifer employs 45-50 valued team members.
Jennifer’s pursuit of higher education occurred later in life, and she ultimately earned an MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. Her success in business is attributed not only to her education but also to her hands-on work experience, which has helped her deliver superior products and services to her customers and clients. Jennifer loves what she does and finds value in connecting with her community and other women in business. In her spare time, she hosts the She’s Valiant podcast which highlights other women in business.
Rachel Brannaman, Director of Digital Strategy, Marathon Consulting
Rachel Brannaman is the Director of Digital Strategy at Marathon Consulting. From Fortune 500 corporations to local businesses, she has a passion to increase a company’s bottom line using data-centered digital strategy with a creative approach.
Rachel has worked alongside Curbside and her PPC and SEO team members supporting pickup and delivery laundry PPC and SEO strategy since she joined 6 years ago. Through endless testing and data analysis, the Marathon team is passionate to share their findings with the industry.
Brian Wallace, President and CEO, Coin Laundry Association
A leader in the laundromat industry for 30 years, Coin Laundry Association’s President/CEO Brian Wallace is a popular presenter, author and advocate for laundromat owners in the U.S. and around the world. He has led hundreds of educational seminars and penned numerous articles on all things related to successful laundromat management.
Brian is also a passionate supporter and co-founder of the LaundryCares Foundation and serves as its Executive Director. The foundation focuses on supporting families at the laundromat with early childhood development and literacy resources – including mini-library spaces and free books for kids among other initiatives.
Brian Grell, Co-founder and EVP of Eastern Funding and Chairman of the LaundryCares Foundation
Brian Grell is Eastern Funding’s co-founder and has been in the laundry industry for almost 40 years. Prior to joining Eastern Funding, Brian served as Controller for the largest coin operated laundry equipment distributor and route operator in the United States from 1987 to 1997.
Brian is the current Chairman of the LaundryCares Foundation and Past Chairman of Coin Laundry Association. As the self-proclaimed “ZombieMat🧟♂️ Slayer,” Brian’s passion is to help transform underperforming laundromats by helping operators apply industry best practices. Through the efforts of the LaundryCares Foundation, the laundromat business is becoming more than just “clean clothes.” For Brian, it’s about laundries connecting communities in other meaningful ways!
Colleen Unema, Founder of Brio Laundry University and Training & Education Chair of Aloha Laundry Life
After retiring from teaching high school and university biology and chemistry, Colleen opened a laundromat in 2013. Brio Laundry quickly became synonymous with excellent service, beautiful surroundings, and bar none, the best place to do laundry in a very large radius. She invested heavily in marketing and building her brand. Over the years she expanded operations to include a dry cleaner and commercial laundry. All three businesses are high performers. With a ten year business plan to sell all in 2023, she didn’t have to look far for the next owner. Her son, Travis, has taken the helm and has proven to be an astute businessman. With his recent expansion of the original Brio to now nearly 5000 sf, business is booming.
Colleen now spends her time teaching again, this time laundry. She founded Laundry University in 2023 so other laundries and launderers can use her training system on an online university platform. She is also the Laundry Coach for Aloha Laundry Life. Colleen was Coin Laundry Association Member of the Year 2022.
