Focus on quality, service integral to Menasha business’ success
The Gunderson family knows there’s always more laundry to be done. In addition to clothing, there are uniforms, linens, walk mats, textiles and more that need to be taken care of.
For the past 70 years, Gunderson Uniform & Linen Rental has cleaned and rented high-quality products to numerous industries from healthcare providers to manufacturers.
“We’ve been focused on providing quality products and exceptional customer service since my grandfather opened his first store in Neenah,” said Sara Gunderson, who with her brother, Doug, are the third generation of the family to own Gunderson Uniform & Linen Rental.
Beyond uniforms and work apparel, Gunderson provides customers with tablecloth and napkin linen rental services, healthcare rental services, hotel linen, towel and shop supplies along with mops and microfiber rental and restroom supplies, including quality paper towel, tissue, soap and odor control supplies.
“We have dedicated account managers who get to know our customers and understand their needs,” Gunderson said. “We strive to provide world-class service with our certified hygienically clean linen, and our ability to be agile and flexible.”
Providing excellent customer service has been an essential part of Gunderson Uniform & Linen
Rental since Douglas E. Gunderson opened his first laundry facility in 1952. Since then, the business grew organically and through acquisitions. Today, Gunderson serves clients in the Fox Cities, Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Door County, the Lakeshore and Central Wisconsin. All linen is cleaned at two dedicated plants in Menasha. One plant processes healthcare linen and the second is dedicated to industrial linen.
Gunderson’s uniforms and linens are hygienically clean, which means they follow the processes created by the industry group TRSA. The family-owned business holds TRSA certifications in the Healthcare and Hospitality categories.
“Having linen free of yeast, mold, germs, bacteria and viruses is essential to our customers, which is why we sought certification. The certification shows we take all the necessary precautions, have the best practices in place and participate in third party lab testing of our linens,” Gunderson said. “The certification process is rigorous, and we’ve worked hard to ensure the linen we deliver is not just clean, but hygienically clean.”
In addition to being hygienically clean, Gunderson’s garments are tagged with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip to track its garments. About the size of a dime, the RFID chip is sewn into each garment and given an individual tracking number. Each garment can be tracked throughout the laundry and rental process.
“It also gives confidence to businesses that they will get back what they turned in, allowing us to provide accuracy on our deliveries,” said Gunderson, while providing customers certainty where their order is.
In an industry that uses a lot of water and electricity, Gunderson utilizes several sustainability initiatives, including reclaiming heat from the washers and reclaiming water usage. “Our mission is to provide the highest quality products and services in a sustainable and resourceful way,” Gunderson said.
Gunderson said the way the business does laundry today is vastly different than how her grandfather did it 70 years ago. “While there have been significant improvements in the areas of laundry equipment, information technology and fabric technology, the principle of providing quality linen at a fair price with exceptional service has not changed. It still comes down to the basics of delivering a great product with honesty, integrity and a smile,” she said.
Gunderson Uniform and Linen Rental was established by Douglas E. Gunderson in 1952. Seventy years later, Gunderson’s remains a family-run and family-operated business. Headquartered in Menasha, it serves clients in the Fox Cities, Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Door County, the Lakeshore and Central Wisconsin. For more information, visit gundersonfamilycompanies.com/gunderson-linen-service
