Linen, Uniform & Facility Services Podcast - Interviews & Insights by TRSA

What is the true value of leadership development? In this episode of the Linen, Uniform & Facility Services Podcast, we sit down with Sergio Peña, district manager at Roscoe Co., Chicago, and graduate of TRSA's Executive Management Institute (EMI), to discuss the lasting impact the program has had on his career, leadership style and professional network.

In this episode of the Linen, Uniform & Facility Services Podcast, Laura Waldman, vice president, Superior Linen Service, Tulsa, OK, shares how TRSA's Executive Management Institute (EMI) helped her transition into an executive leadership role and build a strong network of industry peers. She discusses the program's impact on her professional and personal development, the practical lessons she's applied within her organization and why she believes EMI is one of the industry's most valuable leadership-development programs.

Andrew Wittmann, senior research analyst, Robert W. Baird & Co., gives an update on economic trends in the linen, uniform and facility services industry, including an overview of the potential Cintas and UniFirst deal and its impact on the marketplace. Baird partners with TRSA to publish a quarterly report on economic trends in the industry. For more information and to participate in the survey, contact Wittmann at awittmann@rwbaird.com.

Liz Remillong, vice president of strategic alliances at CORE Linen Services; and Stephanie Gregg, senior consulting director, indirect spend, at Vizient, share their thoughts on the role that group purchasing organizations (GPOs) play in the healthcare sector and their impact on healthcare laundry services. Remillong and Gregg share their thoughts on the evolution and role of GPOs, pressures facing modern healthcare systems, supply chain resiliency and the importance of reusable textiles, infection prevention, ways to improve partnerships between laundries and healthcare providers, and more. For information on TRSA's 15th Annual Healthcare Conference, scheduled for Oct. 14-15, 2026, in San Diego, visit www.trsa.org/healthcare.

At the 14th Annual Healthcare Conference in Boston, TRSA Chair Randy Bartsch, the executive chair of Ecotex Healthcare Linen Service, moderated a panel discussion featuring a dynamic group of industry leaders discussing the evolving landscape of the healthcare market sector. Panelists included Michael Barner, the CEO of CORE Linen Services; Ben Berstein, vice president of corporate development at Nixon Medical; and Phillip Foussard, president at HHS-FMA Laundry. For information on TRSA's 15th Annual Healthcare Conference, scheduled for Oct. 14-15, 2026, in San Diego, visit www.trsa.org/healthcare.