Spring 2012
Curious Stain Problem Last year, with the help of Eco-Lab, Whitecap was
able to solve a mystery stain problem. It seemed that every year, a yellowbrown stain appeared sometime in July. We learned after a substantial amount
of research, where the stain originated, and how to handle it. The reaction between your skin, sweat, or salt water and certain sunscreens will leave a brown
to yellow color stain wherever the sunscreen rubbed off skin onto linen.
Most sunscreens will leave stains like this. Zinc Oxide and Titanium
Dioxide, which are physical sunscreens, will leave rust-like stains when combined with salt water and / or sweat. This particular stain can be reduced significantly with rust removers and an oxidizing bleach. However, sunscreens
containing Avobenzone and Oxybenzone, which are chemical sunscreens, will
be become brighter or more pronounced if bleached, or if washed in a process
with certain commercial laundry chemicals. After learning of the undesired reaction, Whitecap Linen worked with our chemical vendor to adjust the wash process, preventing these particular chemicals from mixing in our wash cycle. An
immediate improvement to the linen was seen after implementing these
changes. Unfortunately, these stains are not removed by laundering. A chemical process occurs that actually hides them from the naked eye when laundered
correctly.
An additional tidbit for fair skinned folks: Sunscreens that contain
Avobenzone are not photo-stable. Meaning, they are not stable when exposed
to light. The SPF of Avobenzone is highly diminished with sunlight exposure, so
you don’t get the protection your skin needs, or the value you expected for your
money. Some natural sunscreen suggestions are shown at right. Informing
guests will help them avoid stains on their clothes and your linen, and give you a
boost with customers for providing such great information.
Introducing…
Volume 5 Issue 1
Natural Sunscreens
Natural Sun SPF 25 Sunscreen for Active Lifestyles
by Aubrey Organics Several
products to
protect your
face and body
are available at http://www.aubreyorganics.com/ providing broad spectrum protection for water activities.
Oat Protein Sunscreen SPF 30 by
Kiss My Face-see the
web site
www.kissmyface.com/
. All natural products
for during and after
sun.
Vanicream SPF 30 Sunscreen go to http://
www.vanicreamstore.com/
Vanicream has a number
of Sensitive Skin products
that won’t Clog pores.
Bruce Slavin has accepted the
position of President of the corporation, with Bob
Oakes remaining Chairman, and Monica Mauffray
remaining as Vice President of Operations. Bruce is
actually an old friend of Whitecap, as an original investor. Recently, Bruce has been working with Mr.
Oakes in property management. He brings great
experience in the linen industry for Whitecap to draw
upon, having managed linen and sewing production
facilities for more than 35 years. We welcome Bruce back, and look
forward to a long relationship with him at Whitecap Linen.
Bruce Slavin, pictured above
Whitecap Sales Department has added a new Sales Representative—
Ronnie Wheeler began with Whitecap in late March, to cover
areas west of Columbia, and will work closely with Mark Yacobi, Senior
Sales Representative. Living in Rocky Mount, NC, he is centrally located
to his customers. Ronnie is a top notch Sales Representative with many
years experience in the linen industry. We are excited to add him to our
Team at Whitecap Linen.
Our transportation department has a new face—David Slavin has joined
our company as Transportation Supervisor, reporting to Donald Montgomery, our Transportation Manager. David has a wealth of warehouse
and inventory skills that will enhance our company after working in textile Ronnie Wheeler, pictured above
management, distribution, and production facilities. Welcome to Whitecap, David!
David Slavin, pictured at left.
“Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves—
to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today.”
~ Stewart B. Johnson
Page 2
The Wave
Bed Makers—why use them? The biggest portion of overhead in Resort Property Management businesses is
taken up by payroll and inventory. These figures must be huge, when you add all the house cleaners, maintenance people,
reservation clerks, administrative personnel, inventory replacement costs, warehouse employee hours paid to count, organize, and pack bags, vehicles and personnel to deliver and pick up linen—a longer list of expenses than other types of businesses—but common to a resort area like the Outer Banks.
Whitecap Linen has a streamlined operation specifically for packing out individual house configurations, delivering
linen, making beds, stripping and picking up of used linen. Using Whitecap crews for your linen installation and recovery
eliminates a large block of man hours, payroll, and warehouse space. House cleaners no longer need to do the bed making
and stripping, or drag dirty linen back to your warehouse. We’ll do it all for you, leaving room in the day for more houses to be
cleaned. You have the option of renting our linen—renting allows you to eliminate inventory control issues completely, or fill
in where you have a shortage one week.
Linen for every property is packed to individual house configuration, and delivered by a bed making team. Each bed
is neatly made, with towels laid out for each guest—then it’s on to the next house.
We made an investment in custom computer programs, equipment, trained personnel, and vehicles to give our customers the best possible service in Bed Making and Linen Delivery. If you have a single house, a few houses, or hundreds of
rental homes, our system will work for you. Please call our offices to discuss this service. We are the original Bed Making
service on the Outer Banks. No one will serve you like Whitecap Linen--we are the best!
Call Us For More Information and Pricing (800) 206-2976 or (252) 491-4268
Spring Cleaning Time
Spring Cleans are most likely in full swing for rental homes along the Outer Banks. Whitecap Linen offers many of the items for replacement, such as regular and waterproof mattress pads, non-allergenic pillows,
zippered pillow protectors, and shower liners. A selection of bedding is available for order, if the existing one is beyond washing or repair. The styles include throw style bedspreads, duvet covers and shams, duvet inserts, and woven bedspreads with
matching pillow shams.
Items available to property managers by special order are nearly unlimited. Kitchen and amenity goods are sold by
the case pack. Whitecap Linen has a wide selection of amenities available for your guests’ convenience—soap, lotion, shampoo, individually wrapped plastic cups, toothpaste, deodorant, mouthwash, and so forth. Please inquire about products not
shown in our item list—we are happy to fill your accessory needs.
The convenience of free delivery to Whitecap customers saves you the hassle of taking time out to go shop for replacement items during the stress of cleaning or repairing a rental home for visitors. A list of stock items can be found on our
web site at http://www.whitecaplinen.com/whitecap-supply.html. Please call our office for amenity item pricing.
Mattress Pads $26.30—46.00
Down Alternative Pillows $11.50—13.50
Shower Liners $7.20—10.50
Wash Cloths $8.00 / dz
Waterproof Mattress Pads $24.50—44.10
Bar Towels $7.95 / dz
White Bib Aprons $1.75 ea.
Terry Check Dish Towels $19.50 / dz
Pillow Protectors $2.25—4.00 ea.
Your one stop shopping experience !
You are welcome to order by phone (800-791-2976, x. 209), by fax (252-796-6778, Attn: Angela),
or by email ([email protected]), or from your Sales Representative.
In Memoriam
All of us at Whitecap Linen are greatly saddened by the loss of Rufus Rose, who
passed away in the early morning hours of April 9, 2012.
It is rare for any of us to be honored with time to spend with such a
wonderful person as Rufus Rose. He loved to worship, be with his family,
work, meet new customers, and play with his red truck. Always happy and
optimistic, he fought his battle with cancer bravely over the past year.
He will remain a part of Whitecap Linen, living in our hearts, just as he will
with all who knew him. God Speed, Rufus.
“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge ‐ myth is more potent than history ‐ dreams are more powerful than facts ‐ hope always triumphs over experience ‐ laughter is the cure for grief ‐ love is stronger than death.” — Robert Fulghum Page 3
The Wave
More Nasty Little Critters Bed bugs along the east coast and in resort areas are still a real problem for all businesses in the tourism industry. These creatures are using guests as their favorite mode of travel from site to site. We keep
learning and researching—knowledge is your best friend where these pests are concerned. Some updated information can be
found on the University of Kentucky Entomology web site, http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp. Michael Potter with the UK College of Agriculture gives extensive information on life cycles and eradication.
Bedbugs are small parasitic insects of the family Cimicidae (most commonly Cimex lectularius). The term usually
refers to species that prefer to feed on human blood. All insects in this family live by feeding exclusively on the blood of warm
blooded animals. The name 'bedbug' is derived from the insect's preferred habitat of houses—and especially beds—where
people sleep. Bedbugs, though not strictly nocturnal, are mainly active at night and are capable of feeding unnoticed on their
hosts. Eradication of bedbugs frequently requires a combination of pesticide and non pesticide approaches. Effective pesticides for areas that cannot be effectively heated are parathyroid, dichlorvos, and malathion. High heat has been found to do a
good job in killing these critters in items that can be laundered, like pillows and comforters, clothing. The heat must be over
120 degrees F, and sustained for 10 to 20 minutes. Bed Bugs have six life stages (5 immature and an adult stage). They will
shed their skins 5 times through a molting process during stages of their lives. The discarded outer-shells look like clear, empty
exoskeletons of the bugs themselves. Below are pictures of most these stages so they can be recognized by everyone in your
organization. Being aware, training employees on how to identify them, and having an eradication plan will help keep these
pests at bay.
Our websites include a web contact form, links to read or receive our Newsletter, and links to follow Whitecap Linen and Beach Detail through social media. Join Us! Follow Us! Tweet Us! We want to hear from you. Slide of Cimex
lectularius
Bedbug (4 mm length; 2.5 mm
Blood-fed Cimex lectularius
width), shown in a film roll plastic
container. On the right is the re- A bedbug nymph feeding on (Note the differences in color
with respect to digestion of
host
cently sloughed skin from its nymph
blood meal)
stage.
Remember Those PAR Levels?
Are we calling your office to say, “ you are out of pillowcases!” Or, “you are
short 100 queen sets to make your order.” Or, “you don't have enough inventory to make your sets—you need to buy 30 dz
queen flat sheets and 50 dz bath towels”. As the summer season approaches, we thought it good to revisit this subject in
the hopes that 2012 will see better stock levels and less shortages in linen orders.
When the level of your inventory is too low, you don’t have enough PARS in stock. What is a PAR? This is defined
in Housekeeping Management, a textbook by housekeeping professionals M. Kappa, A. Nitschke, and P.Schappert, as the
“total number of each type of linen that is needed to outfit all guestrooms one time”. This is also know as a house setup.
When figuring the house setup, the number should be set at your 100% occupancy for several days. If you change linens
daily, you need to take that into account to determine your house setup, or one PAR. Also, you should include requests for
extra linen, cribs, sofa beds, and rollaway beds.
Too often inventory numbers are set below the maximum capacity of rental properties, rather than at the highest
capacity possible for each property. Housekeeping Managers should consider three factors, when they calculate the number of PARS for linen inventory—the laundry cycle, replacement linens (stained, torn, etc.), and emergency situations. What
is installed in the property is the first PAR (the house setup). The second PAR is your soiled linen on the way to the laundry. Your third PAR—a full turn of linen— is on your shelves, ready for use.
Whitecap Linen recommends that our COG customers (Customer Owned Goods) have AT LEAST 3 full PAR in
their inventory. Unfortunately, 3 PAR does not really allow for emergency situations, shorter stays, or unexpected turnover.
3 PAR has only allowed for the very basic movement of your linen.--one on the bed, one dirty, one on your shelves. Part of
Whitecap's commitment to our customers is that we want to get your linen back on your shelves as quickly as possible to
allow you to function smoothly and efficiently.
We do encourage all our customers to expand their inventory to the 3 PAR
level as their minimum. This insures you a full PAR is installed, while your dirty is in process, and one freshly processed
PAR is getting back on your shelves.
Room In The Inn? Outer Banks churches and businesses have been doing a great thing over the last 3 winters—
providing safe nights for our homeless. It is hard to think about—42 people having no place else to go during the winter
months, and would have been cold and hungry without the help of their neighbors. Whitecap Linen was a small part of this
endeavor to house and feel the homeless for a 20 week period, approximately mid-November to early April. Many gave
money, time, food, supplies, and support. This program can benefit from everyone’s support to prevent a person in need
from sleeping cold, or going hungry. Call a local church to ask how you can help “Room In The Inn” continue to succeed.
“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see
misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” ~ St. Augustine
Page 4
The Wave
Whitecap Is Excited To Add These Customers Since our Last Newsletter:
Aqua S Restaurant & Spa, Duck, NC
Bambino’s Little Italy, Corolla, NC
Birchwood Country Club, Nashville, NC
Burger Boy, Wilson, NC
Tom Clayton
Dailey Grind Café, Greenville, NC
Fishbones Raw Bar & Rest., Kill Devil Hills, NC
Fountain Lodge Motel, Chocowinity, NC
Georgie’s Sport & Oyster Bar, Belhaven, NC
High Cotton BBQ, Kitty Hawk, NC
Hurricane Heather’s, Buxton, NC
Island Perks, Buxton, NC
JK’s North and JK’s South, Kill Devil Hills, NC
Just For The Beach Rentals, Corolla, NC
Midvales Restaurant, Hatteras, NC
Maccripine Country Club, Pinetops, NC
Nashville Diner, Nashville, NC
Outback Kitchen, Avon, NC
Julie Parson’s Cleaning Svc, Nags Head, NC
Pete’s Pour House, Kitty Hawk, NC
Pungo District Hospital, Belhaven, NC
Roanoke Country Club, Roanoke Rapids, NC
Sonic Drive In, Rocky Mount, NC
Sunset Grill and Raw Bar, Duck, NC
Sun Services, Harbinger, NC
The Coffee House, Manns Harbor, NC
The Creamery, Wilson, NC
The Popcorn Factory, Grandy, NC
Trio, Kitty Hawk, NC
Washington County Hospital, Plymouth, NC
Mike Valentine
Atlantic Dentistry, Kitty Hawk, NC
Beach Road Pizza, Corolla, NC
Boss Hogg’s Restaurant, Washington, NC
Café Franco’s, Kill Devil Hills, NC
Crystal Coast Tent & Event Rentals, Emerald Isle, NC
Elks National Shrine, Winton, NC
Fish Hook Café, Belhaven, NC
Sean Gamber, Currituck, NC
Greenville Country Club, Greenville, NC
Hurricane Mo’s, kitty Hawk, NC
Island Essentials (returned), Emerald Isle, NC
Jeanette’s Pier, Nags Head, NC
Jolly Roger Restaurant, Kill Devil Hills, NC
Little Man, Plymouth, NC
Madison Buffet, Wilson, NC
Marshes Light, Rocky Mount, NC
Ocean View Motel, Emerald Isle, NC
Paper Canoe, Kitty Hawk, NC
Pelican Shores, Kill Devil Hills, NC
Pizza Inn, Ahoskie, NC
River House Restaurant & Bar, Colerain, NC
Shipwreck Grill, Buxton, NC
Spoon River Artworks & Market, Belhaven, NC
Silver Lake Motel, Ocracoke, NC
Seaside Vacations, Kitty Hawk, NC
The Colonial Inn, Nags Head, NC
The Pack House Inn, Edenton, NC
Tommy’s Pizza, Hertford, NC
Vacation Resort International, New Bern, NC
Ruth Shelton
Debbie McLaughlin
Rising Gas Prices
As fuel cost continues to rise, Whitecap Linen (and everyone else)
struggles with how to cope with this added burden. For the last year or so, a small fuel
charge was required to offset the high cost of keeping our service level high for our customers. Being able to deliver at any time has been a long-standing benefit for all Whitecap customers over the years. Now that $4.00 per gallon is a reality, the ability to make multiple deliveries will need to be reduced. Whitecap is working hard to schedule pick up and delivery
for each customer at the optimal time, and make all our routes fully loaded round trips whenever possible. We are grateful to our customers for understanding this fuel cost burden.
When unscheduled trips are required to deliver additional orders, a new Delivery Trip
Charge will be added to customer invoices. Every effort will be made to inform our customers at the time of the requested delivery of the additional charge. It is very important that we
maintain good communication with our customers and keep everyone informed. Planning
ahead will eliminate extra delivery runs and this new fee. Thank you for your cooperation.
Company Directory
Toll Free 1-800-791-2976
Local 796-6777
Bruce Slavin, President
X. 203
Monica Mauffray, Vice President,
Whitecap Linen
X. 204
Mark Yacobi, Senior Sales Representative
X. 214
Ronnie Wheeler, Sales Representative
Cell: 252-394-6155
Donald Montgomery, Transportation Mngr.
X. 210
Angela Brickhouse, Office Manager
X. 209
Judy Norman, Payables
X. 215
Wanda Davenport, Receivables
X. 211
Willie Mae Tillett, Reception
X. 212
Wayne Mauffray, Maintenance
X. 218
Sonia Salazar, Lead Production Supervisor
X. 206
Sonja Helton, Production Supervisor
X. 207
Ronda Forbes, General Manager
Beach Detail
252-491-4268, X. 15
Miles Griffin, Warehouse & Transportation
Beach Detail
252-491-4268, x. 14
Sheryl White, Customer Service, Billing
Beach Detail
252-491-4268, x. 12
Beach Detail Toll Free 800-206-2976
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And the Water Goes Round and Round...To recycle, that is! Whitecap Linen has
added a new water recycling system to our plant. The water from our washers is processed,
and reused to minimize our environmental impact, and reduce our overhead expenses. This
reflects back to our customers in our rental and bulk prices. Our system came on line in the
summer of 2011, but the recycling system required specific chemical formulas that react correctly with the recycling process. A change in chemical companies this winter was required
to optimize our chemical and water usage. This added green process saves thousands of
gallons from the Tyrrell County water system , and saves Whitecap Linen in utility expenses.
We look forward to future improvements to our Columbia facility.
To Our Valued Restaurant Customers…Will you help us help you to keep restaurant rental prices as low as possible? Over the winter months, there were many restaurants that closed without calling for a last pick up. On re-opening this
year, the soiled linen was unsalvageable. Replacing lost inventory raises rental prices for everyone. Try to reduce your stock
level the last few weeks, and keep your cost lower. Remember: credits are not given for linen sitting on shelves, unused. Letting our office, or your delivery person, know in advance of you closing date, will help Whitecap get the longest life from the
linen, and keep rental prices down. Let us pick up your linen, and restock your shelves the next spring with a fresh supply before re-opening. This allows Whitecap to accurately track inventory, and keep fresh linens on your shelves for the season.
Let’s communicate better with each other. As always, Whitecap is grateful for your business!