NCALC 2026 Spring Meeting
Advance Registration is Required for Each Individual Attendee.
Employees of member companies, and their spouses and/or companions are eligible for the discounted member registration rates.
What: North Carolina Association of Launderers and Cleaners (NCALC) will hold its regular Spring Meeting in New Bern, North Carolina for planned education, professional networking, association business meetings, and social functions.
Who: All NCALC members, friends, and spouses are encouraged to participate.
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We Appreciate Our Event Sponsors!
We are currently seeking additional sponsors for this and other events. Click here for details.
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Where: Known as the home North Carolina’s first capital, as the birthplace of Pepsi Cola, and for its scenic location where the Trent and Neuse Rivers meet, New Bern, NC, will be the site of the 2026 Spring Meeting. On Saturday, May 2, the planned education, networking, and the business meetings of the NCALC standing committees and Board of Directors, will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton New Bern -- Riverfront at 100 Middle St, New Bern, NC 28560. Dinner socials are being planned for both Friday and Saturday evenings for attendees to enjoy fellowship with other attendees and to experience local restaurants. Specific locations will be shared with participating registrants.
Accommodations: A small block of hotel rooms is being reserved for our group at two partnering hotels, the Doubletree by Hilton New Bern Riverfront and the recently opened boutique property, Tryon Riverfront Inn (adjacent to Doubletree). Our group rate is $199 per night plus applicable tax for reservations made by Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Room reservations should be made through the following linked pages:
Our Tentative Schedule of Activities (Subject to change)
Friday, May 1
- Early arrivals for individual fun activities
- 6:30 pm Welcome Dinner Social at the Doubletree by Hilton New Bern -- Riverfront
Saturday, May 2
- Breakfast on your own
- 8:30 am Gathering for networking and coffee
- 9:00 am NCALC Standing Committee Meetings
- 10:00 am Networking Break
- 11:00 am NCALC Board of Directors Meeting
- 1230 Lunch provided
- 1:30 pm Education Session(s)
- 6:00 pm Gathering at hotel for walk over to nearby local favorite restaurant to join pre-assigned dinner outing group.
- 6:30 pm Dinner with pre-assigned groups at local restaurants.
Sunday, May 3
- No planned group activities, participants depart
Education Sessions
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Facilitator/Speaker |
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Wet Cleaning vs. Dry Cleaning – Why Do I Need It?
We as dry cleaners have been attempting Wet Cleaning for years. Most of the garments are simply being laundered. However, you have been carefully washing in water some “Dry Clean Only” garments as well. However, this process was very laborious, time-consuming, and caused a struggle to finish. This was reserved for garments that were just too filthy to dry clean successfully. We carefully washed the garment in a sink or bucket. Used gentle detergent and then carefully squeezed out water and hung to dry in the boiler room. The next day we struggled to finish and sent out a clean garment that cost us more to produce than we charged for it.
Today, with the proper equipment, chemistry, and knowledge you are able to produce more in water than you can in traditional dry cleaning in the same amount of time, with superior results, and with higher profitability.
This session will include an in-depth discussion on Dry Cleaning and Wet Cleaning of yesterday and today. We will dive deep into the proper Equipment & Chemistry needed and more importantly… WHY.
The presentation will cover the initial investment and the proper training needed to properly produce wet cleaned garments, and help ease your mind about the difficulties of this big step.
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 Frank Briercheck has been in our industry for now 33 years. In 1993, he began as an owner of a rural Dry Cleaners near West Central Florida. Frank was operating a 4500sq ft central plant, 4 drop stores and multiple routes along will fire restoration as a separate entity all before it was considered “Main Stream” to do so. He added Tuxedo Rental and Sales to all stores in 1995 and began using Seitz products in 1999 (2 years after they began selling in North America) to begin processing his own leather cleaning.
In 2006, for family reasons, sold the operation and began a new career as the Sales and Marketing manager for Phenix (now FabriClean) Supply. In 2017 a friend lured him to developing Vended Laundry Stores and selling laundry equipment. Finally in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic and after both using Seitz in his plant and selling it at Phenix/FabriClean, Seitz offered an opportunity to join the company as the Director of Marketing and now Vice President of Sales for North America. He has traveled the nation and world visiting Cleaners and learning best practices that can be shared with others. Frank has mastered both Wet and Dry Cleaning, garment care, and plant operations. He enjoys teaching and sharing with others with special emphasis in Customer Service.
 Jacinto Abreu has over a decade of combined experience in chemical sales, service and technical support in Commercial, Event Rental, Healthcare, Hospitality and Vacation Rental Laundry, Dry Cleaning, Textile Restoration and Wet Cleaning. As Technical Sales Representative – North Carolina & Virginia | Seitz Chemical, Jacinto is committed to delivering innovative solutions that enhance quality, reduce costs, and strengthen customer partnerships across the North Carolina and Virginia territories.
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Hot Topics for Cleaners
Facilitated discussion about several topics of interest, and questions from participants.
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 Mirandia Belvin (Quality Cleaners of Garner) is a powerhouse serial entrepreneur with a deep-rooted passion for business and people. With over 25 years of experience in administration and operations, she has built a dynamic portfolio that spans multiple industries—including a successful dry cleaning service, a trucking company, a virtual assistant consulting firm, and a vending machine business. Her hands-on approach and innovative mindset have allowed her to not only launch thriving businesses but also mentor and support other entrepreneurs along the way. |
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Dinner Socials: Our dinner socials are designed to give our participants opportunities for informal networking and fellowship while enjoying local favorite restaurants.
On Friday evening, participants will gather at 6:30 pm for a welcome reception and dinner on the patio at the Doubletree by Hilton New Bern Riverfront.
On Saturday evening, participants will meet at preselected restaurants and join their assigned groups at 6:30 pm for informal Dutch Treat dinner outings. These outings provide an excellent opportunity for further networking and fellowship among our participants. (We need to have registrations for all participants to assure we have reserved adequate space at the restaurants. Please do not sign up unless you are actually planning to participate.) Our restaurant selections are easily walkable from our hotels in historic downtown New Bern. Reservations are being made for:
Morgan's Tavern and Grill -- located at 235 Craven St, New Bern, NC 28560 in a building built in 1911/1912 known as the "New Bern Garage Company, Inc." Morgan's Tavern offers casual dining, great service, and a wonderful atmosphere.
The Chelsea Restaurant -- located at 335 Middle St, New Bern, NC 28560 in the Stanly Building, built in 1912 and first used as a pharmacy by Pepsi-Cola inventor Caleb Bradham. The menu is ambitious, innovative, and guaranteed to satisfy. The Chelsea offers an award-winning combination of “New American Cuisine” featuring the freshest seafood, center-cut beef, delightful pastas and salads to suit everyone.
Planning Your Visit to New Bern: For ideas on things to do while you are in New Bern, check out this website: https://visitnewbern.com/
