Spotlight: Leslie Cross – Management Support

Welcome to our Spotlight series, where we delve into the stories of our Alsco Uniforms employees; exploring their experiences, career trajectories, and the unique insights they’ve gained along the way. This interview features Leslie Cross, our Management Support at Alsco Uniforms. We sat down with him recently to unpack his time within the company and gain valuable insights into his professional journey.

How long have you been at the company and when did you start?

I initially started in the Service Department as a Service Delivery Person in 1979. When I left Alsco in 1981, I had become a Service Delivery Manager. My partner had to attend a course of training that was only available at RMIT in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. I worked for Princes Fabricare Services in Melbourne, a private laundry business, on a personal recommendation of the Auckland Branch Sales Manager, as he knew the Princes family. That company was eventually acquired by Alsco, has become Alsco Mulgrave.

I was contacted in the last month I was staying in Melbourne by both the Auckland Service Manager and the Auckland Production Manager to see if I was interested in coming back to Alsco. On returning from Melbourne in 1981, I decided to try the Production Team environment as I’d only ever seen this aspect of our business as an outsider when working in the Service Department. I then proceeded to garner experience by working through the soil checking in area, the washroom section, where my trainer had been there 10 years already and is still with Alsco today. I then progressed to the finishing area and became a production supervisor. I stayed in the Production Team for approximately three years before moving back into the Service Team for another six years, then moved to the Textile Manager role for another six years. I finally moved to our Head Office as a Support Person for the IT Projects Manager in 1996 and have been at our Support Centre for the last 28 years.

There have been many exciting changes in our business operations, in our team structure and in technology during that time. We basically are the same service company, but business aspirations and methods have evolved so much in 40 years, and that’s what makes Alsco Uniforms such an interesting company to stay at long term. The chances to be involved in changes and making an aspirational choice for success of those changes and growth in yourself.

What advice would you give someone considering a career at Alsco?

There is the opportunity to learn from so many experienced and passionate people. Those who start at Alsco tend to stay for a long time. We’ve had people start as an entry level employee and progress to many different managerial roles such as Branch General Manager and even as far as becoming the CEO. We’ve had people move to Alsco operations in other countries because the opportunity exists when we are a company that spans 5 continents.

What’s your favourite part about working for Alsco?

It is a cliché, but people are my favourite aspect of working for Alsco. Your day goes so easily when the colleagues you work with excel at what they do and extend their knowledge and use that to become gold bricks where they are, or to gather experience to grow in the company as leaders and examples to everyone that’s here and everyone who wants to know what Alsco is about.

Have you received any training or qualifications through Alsco?

Yes, I have received training. In the simplest example of training received for something we take for granted today. When I started at Alsco, we did not have desktop computers. We had dumb terminals, and when I got my first desktop computer, I was sent on courses on how to start one! And simple things in Excel and Word. Amazing today looking back on such simplistic things.

What would you say your biggest achievement has been in your career with Alsco?

Actually, I have two achievements I will mention:

1. I never expected to be here this long! But the work life has been so interested that the work itself has been so much fun that it doesn’t feel like work at all.
2. Working on projects and processes that will leave a legacy for success of Alsco and its people, now and into the future.

Ready to kickstart your career?

Head over to our careers page to find an opportunity which best suits you!

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Why Use Microfibre Cloths and Mops?

We source all of our high quality microfiber cloths directly from Filta, and work together closely to determine the most effective microfiber options that elevate your commercial cleaning solutions.

When it comes to cleaning, microfiber cloths and mops outshine traditional cotton options for several reasons:

• No lint or streaks are left behind, ensuring a spotless result.
• They can absorb up to eight times their weight in water.
• Gentle on delicate surfaces, these  won’t leave scratches.
• With just water, they can clean almost any surface.
• Not only environmentally friendly but also budget friendly.
• Easy to clean and maintain, they stay effective even after 300 washes.
• Filta microfiber cloths are HACCP Hygiene approved with a 0.15 Decitex rating.
• Designed for optimal performance, they’re 40cm x 40cm in size and made from Commercial Grade weight microfiber.
• Featuring true 80/20 split fibres, these cloths efficiently capture dirt and bacteria during cleaning.
• Now made entirely from waste and recycled plastic!

Here are some useful tips on integrating microfibre cloths into your standard commercial cleaning routine

Dusting and cleaning surfaces

For a swift and effortless dusting solution, opt for a dry microfibre cloth. Thanks to its positive charge, the cloth functions like a dust magnet, efficiently trapping dust particles instead of allowing them to scatter.

Cleaning glass and mirrors

Just take a damp cloth to wipe away dirt, debris, and fingerprints from the surface. Follow up with a dry cloth to buff the area, achieving a streak-free shine. No need for window cleaner, but feel free to use some if you prefer.

wet/dry flat mopping

Revolutionise your wet mopping routine with Microfiber Mop Heads, surpassing standard mop heads for a more hygienic and superior clean.

When it comes to wet/dry flat mopping floors, Microfiber Flat Mops have become the industry standard. Their enhanced hygiene, lightweight design, and ergonomic features make them far more user-friendly than traditional wet mop/bucket combinations. Simply apply your preferred floor cleaner, spray it onto the floors, and effortlessly wipe them clean with the Microfiber Flat Mop.

Opt for a long fringe mop for optimal results in dry mopping and see how close the mop gets to the surface for the most hygienic clean yet.

kitchen counters and stove tops

Clean your kitchen counters and stovetops effortlessly by using a damp microfibre cloth to tackle everyday messes. Microfibre is especially effective in clearing away food spills on glass and other smooth surfaces, leaving them streak free.

bathroom sinks, tubs, showers, counters, bathroom floors, toilets and sanitary

In the competitive landscape of commercial cleaning, tackling challenging tasks requires a cloth that consistently delivers. Filta Microfibre stands out, providing an efficient clean with minimal effort, thanks to the cloth’s advanced technology.

The microfiber composition ensures that each wipe is equivalent to the cleaning power of 15 cotton wipes, ensuring a spotless result from the first attempt. With Filta Microfibre, cleaning time is reduced by 30%, offering a more effective and time-saving solution.

stainless-steel appliances and chrome faucets

Discover the magic of microfibre as it brings outstanding results to your cleaning routine. Achieve a sparkling finish by using a damp cloth to wipe down stainless-steel appliances and chrome faucets.

Transform your faucets and fixtures with just a few swipes of the cloth, leaving them gleaming and shiny in no time as the absence of lint ensures a streak-free result every time!

colour coded for convenience

Red: bathroom floors, toilets, and sanitary.

Yellow: bathroom sinks, showers, and counters.

Blue: glass, mirrors, and dusting.

Green: food prepping areas, kitchen appliances, and stainless steel.

GET A QUOTE TODAY

Speak to one of our friendly Alsco Uniforms sales representatives today to discover how microfibres can save you time and money in your commercial space.

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Spotlight: Shihan Alam – Business Support Analyst

Welcome to our Spotlight series, where we delve into the stories of our Alsco Uniforms employees; exploring their experiences, career trajectories, and the unique insights they’ve gained along the way. This interview features Shihan Alam, our Business Support Analyst at Alsco Uniforms. We sat down with him recently to unpack his time within the company and gain valuable insights into his professional journey

How long have you been in the company and when did you start?

I officially started with Alsco in November 2018. The reason I say officially is because I actually started as a casual – then Alsco eventually made me permanent. At the beginning of my career, I was working in production and did that for around 8-9 months. I then moved onto a Service Delivery Driver role, which I did for a little over a year. After that, I saw that there was an opportunity/opening within the admin team as an EDP operator (Electronic Data Processor). I managed to get that role, which I also did for around 8 months.

After doing the EDP role for a bit, I saw an opportunity to work out of our Support Centre as a Business Support Admin in the Sales and Marketing department. At the time, I was working mainly with our internal systems as well as customer care, and product/price admin. Finally, I moved into the Finance department, in which the role morphed into more analysing/data analysis and reporting and that eventually became a full-time role, and is what I’m still doing now! So this role will be my fifth role within Alsco so far.

What is your favourite part about working for Alsco?

Well I’ve worked in many different departments, and pretty much everywhere I’ve found that people are really friendly, really helpful, and if you don’t know anything or if you need any help, there are a lot of people here who are happy to give their time in order to get you on track. The  company culture also provides opportunities for career advancement as I said, so this coupled with the friendly environment are some of the highlights of working for Alsco Uniforms. 

Have you received any training or qualifications through Alsco?

Yes I have. So far, I have completed the Level 2 Retail Sales training back when I was a Service Delivery Driver. I felt that it helped me so much, because one of our KPI’s was to generate sales, not just simply delivering tea towels, you’ve gotta do some sales as well! That training covered in detail how we could go about doing this and how to approach, which gave me a lot more confidence in the role. 

What would you say has been your biggest achievement in your career with Alsco?

The biggest project that I’m currently working on now is around automation using a new software platform.  This software has helped a lot in consolidating and streamlining our information processes, particularly in handling invoices. So for example, if we had 70 or 80 customer invoices, that process used to take about a month to do and now it only takes less than a week, which is really good!

This has been really beneficial for my personal growth, as I’ve had the opportunity to work with this new tool, but also for the organisation as well. We’ve saved a lot of time and man-hours by implementing this. 

I also did a project for the Auckland Branch’s store team. So previously, we had been putting all of the stock/products on different shelves within the store without having a tracking system in place. Meaning no-one was able to track a product’s whereabouts. So when I was working in the IT department,  I actually added all of the product and stock codes into one of our internal systems, and configured it to store all sorts of information such as the bin location number, so each shelf and isle would have their own unique code/barcode.

That way, we had an identifier for each individual shelf, and we were able to assign and locate every single product to that particular shelf. Whether it be a stock take, or simply wanting to find an item, the process became a lot more streamlined and improved efficiency a lot. This project was something that I fully conceptualised and implemented. 

What advice would you give someone considering a career with Alsco?

I would say if you get a chance to work with Alsco, definitely start doing whatever role you can get your hands on! The reason being is because Alsco can give you the opportunity to move up and progress in your career. This allows you to transition from a job to the job that you want. Which is something that I have personally experienced during my time at Alsco. 

Ready to kickstart your career?

Head over to our careers page to find an opportunity which best suits you!

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Spotlight: John Gibbs – National Business Development Manager

Spotlight Series: A Journey with Alsco Uniforms – Interview with John Gibbs, National Business Development Manager. 

Welcome to our Spotlight series, where we delve into the stories of our Alsco Uniforms employees; exploring their experiences, career trajectories, and the unique insights they’ve gained along the way. Our inaugural interview features John Gibbs, the National Business Development Manager at Alsco Uniforms. We sat down with him recently to unpack his time within the company and gain valuable insights into his professional journey. 

John, could you share your career progression at Alsco Uniforms, including your roles and duration?

So, I started at Alsco in 2003 as a Sales Executive, and I held that position up until June 2020. I was then headhunted back in May of 2021 to an awesome role just like the Sales Exec role based at Support Centre as a National Business Development Manager, which was a newly created role at the time. I’m really enjoying it, it’s been awesome.

What was your role like back when you started, and how does it differ now? 

As a Sales Executive in the early 2000’s, our focus was all about hunting new business with very little farming of existing accounts. This generally involved cold calling, and yes, in some cases we did start at one end of the street and virtually went door to door. It was selling in its purest form and quite a lot of fun. 

We didn’t get many phone leads and our internet presence was virtually non-existent. I can recall how another rep and I would write our proposals in longhand at home and drop them on the desk of Lyn Southern in the morning, our sales support, who would type them up and print them for us. 

Now as Business Development Manager, my key role is focused on new business and growing existing accounts with a focus on garment accounts, in particular food garment accounts. I work closely with Alan Gardner, the National Accounts Manager as a number of the new businesses I deal with also fall across multiple branches.

What training or qualifications have you achieved with Alsco’s help?

I received some awesome David Forman sales training back in the day a couple of weeks after I started and then again in 2020. You can imagine a sales course back in 2003 might sound a little bit ‘ah wow, has that got any relevance now?’ but I feel that the training really opened my mind up to a whole raft of things about the science of selling, and about general interaction with people – I really enjoyed it. I thoroughly recommend those sorts of courses. 

I’m a bit of a course junkie, I always sit up the front, suck everything in like a sponge, and dominate the question-and-answer time with the facilitator. I also did the Leadership Development training at level 3, which helped to develop my skills and knowledge to become an effective team leader. The inaugural leadership course is one that many of our team across the business are involved with today.

What is your favourite memory during your time with Alsco?

One of them would definitely be winning a mat campaign. I think it might’ve been back in 2015/2016. So that prize was a 10-day trip to the U.S. visiting the Milliken research and development facility. We got to see the infamous Milliken guest house, as well as tour the Milliken museum. 

I had such a great time over there along with three other guys. It was great to also visit the Alsco Uniforms Atlanta branch which was my first look at seeing the First Aid Kits which we developed. Another highlight  which I should probably mention, was meeting my partner Donna through work!

Finally, what advice do you have for those looking to embark on a career with Alsco Uniforms?

For anyone considering a career at Alsco New Zealand, I’d say embrace opportunities for learning and growth. Alsco Uniforms has been a cornerstone of my professional journey, and has provided so many avenues for development and recognition. 

Ready to kickstart your career?

Head over to our career’s page today to find an opportunity that best suits you!

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