By Rey Chavez
Our member highlight for the month of July is Division Laundry & Cleaners, a service-oriented business that is an icon in the City of San Antonio for over 80 years. They provide the most comprehensive commercial laundry service in South and Central Texas with unmatched expertise and efficiency in areas critical to our region’s healthcare, government, and hospitality sectors.
From Left: Patrick A., Patrick R., Patricia, TheresaPre-COVID days, the company had approximately 400 employees, $18 million in revenues, and is this year’s San Antonio Business Journal’s Family-Owned Business Awards Corazón de San Antonio winner. Patrick R. Garcia is the President of the company and it was founded by his father Peter G. in 1938. Currently, Patrick has his children, Patrick A., Theresa, and Patricia, the third generation of the family, in leadership positions and they are helping him run the company.
In the 80 plus years of servicing our military, hospitality and healthcare communities, Division Laundry & Cleaners have weathered an abundance of hard times to include World War II, recessions of 1948-1949, 1973-1975, the great recession of 2007-2009, and the current COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, a fire destroyed their company in 2001. The resiliency to forge ahead and be successful is attributed to Patrick’s mother and father, Cecilia and Peter G., respectively, who consistently pushed to be the best laundry service in San Antonio, emphasizing quality service; the best workmanship; keeping your word; hard work; and loyalty to employees, suppliers and customers. Those attributes paid off and continue today. They are the keys to help the next generation ensure the company’s future remains successful.
Joining SAMA in 1985, Patrick and his company, have used the association’s programs such as environmental, management and leadership training, and employment seminars to benefit their company. They are environment focused and have employed environmentally responsible practices that not only reduce water usage by 10 million gallons a year, but also keeps their costs down.
Earlier in the coronavirus pandemic, Patrick and his company have been leaders in the community in the fight against COVID-19. Partnering with SAMA, Dixie Flag & Banner Company, San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind, Helmy Plastic Manufacturing & Industrial Design, and Bexar County, they were instrumental in providing medical grade fabrics to Dixie Flag; ordering same material for the SA Lighthouse; provide face shield examples to Helmy Plastics; and help start the Medical Manufacturing Alliance of South Central Texas with Bexar County. They are also planning to provide critical essential PPE supplies for our medical community in hopes to eliminate supply shortages.
Patrick and his company are superb assets for SAMA, and we thank him for being a board of director, Rate Advisory Committee member for SAWS, member of the Region L South Texas Regional Water Planning Group and big supporter of our association.
