Westbank Dry Cleaning Features Customers in 15th Anniversary Marketing Campaign Headline

Westbank Dry Cleaning celebrates 15 years in business on April 1, 2008. The award-winning Austin, TX based drycleaner is featuring several of their customers who are well-known Austinites in a series of print ads endorsing their business.

Austin, TX (PRWEB) March 27, 2008 -- William and Angie Charnes weren't joking when they opened their business on April fool's day 15 years ago. The Austin couple decided to forgo any franchise affiliation and opened their first independently owned dry cleaning store like many entrepreneurs, with high hopes and a steely determination.

What started 15 years ago on a shoe-string budget has far exceeded our expectations, says owner William Charnes.

We're so pleased that such great people and friends were willing to lend their faces to help us celebrate our anniversary, says William Charnes.

It has been so much fun to watch you develop your company into a first class business. Not only do you provide superior service and a superior product, but you never forget to give back along the way. Thanks for all you do for our community.

We wanted our business to look like an upscale clothing boutique, says Charnes.

It's a real tribute to the type of business people the Charnes' are

with close to 30,000 dry cleaners nationwide, it's not easy to differentiate yourself from your competitor down the street, and to do it as an independently owned start-up is even tougher.

To help celebrate their business milestone, the couple decided to ask some of their customers to lend their faces to a testimonial ad campaign. The photos are being used in a series of print ads throughout the year. The customers are local "celebrities" or well-known business people in the Austin community and include: Roxanne Wilson, from NBC's The Apprentice, Ava Late of BMW of Austin, Donnie Little, former University of Texas quarterback, Eric Moreland of Moreland Properties, Patty Hoffpauir, owner The Garden Room, and US Congressman Michael McCaul's wife, Linda and their children. "We're so pleased that such great people and friends were willing to lend their faces to help us celebrate our anniversary, says William Charnes. "They truly represent what our tagline tries to convey, Authentically Austin, Absolutely Clean."

Over the years, friends have become customers and customers have become friends. Jeff Newberg, Endeavor Real Estate Group Principal, and friend, has watched Westbank since the beginning, "It has been so much fun to watch you develop your company into a first class business. Not only do you provide superior service and a superior product, but you never forget to give back along the way. Thanks for all you do for our community."

In 1993, the couple purchased one 35-pound dry cleaning machine and two presses and operated a dry cleaning plant and drop store out of less than 1100 square feet in the Westbank Market location at 3300 Bee Caves Road in Austin, Texas. They outsourced their laundry their first year. Austin was about to experience the dot-com boom with Dell Computers in its backyard. Westbank Dry Cleaning capitalized on the new influx of people moving into the Austin area by heavily marketing its high quality and friendly service. A second location was added in July of 1996 which included a laundry production facility. The Charnes were determined to stand out from their competition. They had their storefronts professionally designed and put money into details like custom built counters, lighting, carpet and artwork. "We wanted our business to look like an upscale clothing boutique, says Charnes. "When people think of dry cleaners, it often conjures up images of a hot, dirty sweatshop. Our plant was visible from the counter….it was air conditioned and clean, a comfortable place to work and to leave your clothing to be cleaned."

The business has since grown to nine locations with more than 50 employees and they've just moved into a new, 10,000 square foot production facility which it purchased in 2007.

That type of success is not typical in today's market says Nora Nealis, Executive Director of the National Cleaners Association. "It's a real tribute to the type of business people the Charnes' are," says Nealis, "with close to 30,000 dry cleaners nationwide, it's not easy to differentiate yourself from your competitor down the street, and to do it as an independently owned start-up is even tougher."

Customers who visit any Westbank [location http://www.westbankdrycleaning.com/locations/location.html on Tuesday, April 1st can enjoy birthday cake as well as a "15% No-Fooling" discount.

About Westbank Dry Cleaning
Westbank Dry Cleaning has nine Austin locations and has provided high quality dry cleaning and laundry service since 1993. The business is affiliated with the Dry Cleaning & Laundry Institute, The National Cleaner's Association and The Austin Independent Business Alliance. They are the only Austin cleaner with triple certification from the Dry Cleaning & Laundry Institute including Certified Environmental Dry Cleaner and they are Austin's only Sanitone® Master Dry Cleaner. The business has been nominated for the Annual Greater Austin Business Awards for Community Service and was voted a favorite local business by the West Austin News. For more information visit our website.

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