Southern Indiana Business September-October 2020 | Page 38

Gary Maloney, co-owner at Nu-Yale Cleaners, said the business has diversified over its
more than 60-year history and now includes restoration service for items damaged in
fires. Pictured, Maloney holds a child’s stuffed toy that has been restored. He said the
company has rushed such important things before to make sure they get back to the
children.
Now, the company provides retail dry
cleaning and personal laundry — which
has seen an uptick in recent years —
through 12 locations in Southern Indiana
and Louisville. They also do home and
office pickup and delivery, cleaning the
items in their location in Jeffersonville’s
River Ridge Commerce Center, where
they’ve been since 1995.
They work with the military on uniforms
and supplies, and with garment
manufacturers to repair and clean items
before they go onto store shelves.
Ever-diversifying, Nu-Yale has also
added fire restoration to their list of services,
helping families regain necessities
and special items like a family quilt, or
child’s favorite stuffed animal.
And when COVID-19 hit in the spring,
company officials knew they needed to
get ahead of things to help ensure the
safety of the staff and customers, and the
strength of the business.
“You do have an attachment that you
want to keep it going,” co-owner Gary
Maloney, Bill’s brother, said. “A lot of
people put in a lot of work and they all
went through bad times.”
Although many businesses were temporarily
shuttered or restricted under
orders from Indiana and Kentucky governors
at the start of the pandemic, Nu-Yale
was among types considered essential,
and remained open.
“So we had to figure out ‘OK, how
do we do this?’” Gary said. “Everything
happened fast and you were hunting for
answers.”
As effects of the virus rippled from
coastal states to the Midwest, the owners
kept in contact with others in cities
already hit. That way by March, they
already had safety protocols in place —
employees were separated by at least 10
feet, their temperatures taken daily. UV
lights were installed in the HVAC systems
in all buildings, to clean the air.
Although some business has dipped
for Nu-Yale during the pandemic, like
hotel linens, there have been new services
needed, like washing floor mats
for schools.
They’ve limited storefront hours to 40
weekly from 70, but have not had to lay
off anyone, and are working to provide
38 September / October 2020