Episode
Chris Schrader, Joel Bien-Aime & Heather, Matt Simon: How to Keep Growing | Live from Maverick
- Podcast
- Cleaner Conversations
- Published
- Jul 20, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1518
- Processing state
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Summary
This week on Cleaner Conversations, we talked with Chris Schrader from Best & New Brand Cleaners in Nashville, Tennessee, Joel and Heather from New Process Cleaners in Johnstown, New York, and Matt Simon from Columbus Cleaners in Columbus, Ohio. Recorded at the Maverick Dry Cleaners event in Wichita, Kansas, these conversations bring together three operators working through different stages of growth. Chris is approaching 30 years in business with a wedding gown focus, Joel and Heather are navigating the challenges of a rural market, and Matt is focused on building the leadership and marketing systems needed for his company’s next season. In this episode, we get into working on the business instead of staying trapped inside it, building stronger leadership teams, improving company culture, creating more consistent marketing, expanding pickup and delivery, and finding new revenue opportunities. We also talk about Chris growing sales by 145%, building a strong customer base inside an affluent neighborhood, and creating a profitable wedding gown niche. Joel and Heather share the importance of relationships, community, and fresh perspectives, while Matt explains why customer awareness may be one of the industry’s biggest opportunities. This is a conversation about getting unstuck, learning from other operators, developing your people, and building a business that can grow beyond the owner. Topics Covered: • Working on the business instead of inside it • Building leadership teams and improving company culture • Creating a consistent marketing strategy • How Chris grew sales by 145% • Building strong neighborhood adoption • Growing a wedding gown cleaning niche • Pickup and delivery and the future of convenience • Creating new services and revenue opportunities • Increas…