In 1998, the largest drycleaning operation in the United States was a company named "Johnson Group, Inc.", which was also known as "Dryclean USA." It operated some 400 locations in 12 states and was managed by Jim Barry, Chief Executive Officer.
In the summer of 1998, several investors in the Midwest were seeking additional investors for a new method of drycleaning clothes. One of the potential investors knew Jim Barry and recommended that he be contacted, given his knowledge of the drycleaning industry and his ability to ultimately become an investor.
Because many new solvents had been introduced, tried, and failed previously, Jim was dubious about what he heard. However, Jim knew how important it was to his operation and to the drycleaning industry in general to identify an alternative solvent. As a result, he agreed to view the new solvent in operation.
What Jim saw was incredible. An inventor was handling a chemical used in cosmetics and realized it was removing the fats and dirt from his hands. He wondered if that chemical could remove fats, oils, and dirt from clothes. Lo, and behold, it did! While the chemical has been around for a long time, no one had found a way to use it as a solvent to dryclean clothes. The process of doing so was patented and now forms one of several baseline patents for the GreenEarth Cleaning System.
Based upon the initial demonstration, Jim realized that this solvent was not just an alternative solvent, but it was actually a solution to many of the problems being encountered by the drycleaning industry. It not only cleaned in a way that was superior to any other solvent Jim had seen, but it also seemed to solve all of the other key issues at hand; i.e., environmental issues, safety issues, economical use, no large capital investment required. It also uses the same procedures as drycleaners currently use, and because it is environmentally friendly, it is landlord friendly. Thus, many of the convenient locations that drycleaners cannot rent today could become available using this new solution.
Jim contacted other people he trusted in the drycleaning industry: Jim Douglas, a well-known drycleaner in California, and Ron Benjamin, who had been in the drycleaning business in the 1980's. He invited them to help set up a company that would be "of drycleaners, for drycleaners." These individuals entered into an agreement with the inventors who owned the patented process and formed GreenEarth Cleaning, L.L.C.
The system was first utilized at an actual drycleaning operation, the "alpha test site," in Sacramento, California. After six months, it became apparent that the GreenEarth silicone-based drycleaning solvent was, indeed, the Solution the industry had been looking for!
The system was introduced to the entire drycleaning industry at the Clean Show in Orlando in June 1999. GreenEarth then implemented an "Affirmation Phase," wherein 29 independent drycleaners used this silicone solvent in their retail operations for more than a year. The primary purposes of the "Affirmation Phase" were:
During the "Affirmation Phase," over 26,000 test measurements were taken at the "Affirmation Sites" on still bottoms, wastewater, filter cartridges and exposure levels. All tests confirmed that GreenEarth is nonhazardous and safe to use.
By October 2000, machines and detergents were ready and, with the outstanding test results achieved, GreenEarth began to offer this remarkable drycleaning process to the drycleaning industry in the U.S. and Canada.
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