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