Martinizing and Dry Cleaning Station Join The Huntington Company Family of Brands

BERKLEY, Mich., Nov. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Martinizing International, LLC, an affiliate of The Huntington Company, LLC, a multi-concept franchisor located in Berkley, Mich., has acquired Martinizing, the largest U.S. based franchise drycleaning brand with 422 locations in eight countries including Canada, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan and Peru, along with Dry Cleaning Station, a full service dry cleaner with 12 locations in the U.S.

Already the largest provider of mobile drycleaning and laundry services in North America, The Huntington Company and its affiliates' portfolio of franchise brands that provide textile restoration, drycleaning and laundry services now has more than 750 locations, doubling its number with the addition of Martinizing and Dry Cleaning Station.

"We are very proud to add one of the oldest and most recognizable names in the drycleaning industry to our family of brands," said Wayne Wudyka, CEO of The Huntington Company.  "To Martinizing, we will bring significant support from our corporate office, comprised of a truly top-notch team of professionals in each department, including IT, sales, operations, marketing, training, legal and accounting.

"We are operators first and foremost, having run multiple drycleaning plants ourselves dating back to 1992, along with highly successful routes and the largest textile restoration division in America.  This hands-on experience has served as the genesis for the growth, development and success of our multiple franchise concepts," added Wudyka.  "As a franchisor, we are committed to working with each franchise to implement meaningful tactics and strategies that capitalize on our shared knowledge and expertise."

Wudyka confirmed that Martinizing will maintain offices in Milford, Ohio, along with its home office located in Berkley, Michigan.

Founded in 1949, Martinizing became a worldwide brand and the largest drycleaning franchisor in the U.S. following the return of George Strike to the family business in 1978.  Strike became co-owner of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds in 1981 and was renowned for his community service.  Strike passed away in 2012 at age 82.

"George Strike created quite a legacy for this company," Wudyka said.  "While I never had the opportunity to meet Mr. Strike, his passion for community involvement and devotion to family, in addition to his business accomplishments, are very admirable, and we look forward to building on all that he was able to achieve."

Tony Strike, George's son and Martinizing's president from 1988-2006, added, "I am very optimistic that my father's passion and vision will be continued under this new ownership.  I firmly believe that Martinizing is in the right hands from a culture and resource standpoint, and I look forward to what The Huntington Company will bring to the organization."

Dry Cleaning Station licensed its first store in Columbus, Ohio in 1993. Today, Dry Cleaning Station offers a full service retail store that provides quality dry cleaning and shirt processing on premises, as well as pick-up and delivery services and satellite convenience locations in some areas.

The addition of Martinizing and Dry Cleaning Station builds upon The Huntington Company and its affiliates' recent expansion of retail drycleaning brands including the addition of Pressed 4 Time, a door-to-door pick-up and delivery service, in May and the 2013 launch of bizziebox, a revolutionary drycleaning franchise concept that integrates mobile technology with a locker-based pick-up and delivery service to provide drycleaning and laundry services for tenants of office buildings and residential properties.

In 2012, the 1-800-DryClean franchise system was acquired as the organization's first retail-oriented drycleaning franchise.  The 1-800-DryClean system provides convenient and affordable pick-up and delivery service for neighborhood residents and office workers in 22 states.

Wudyka launched CRDN, the Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network, in 2001, which is the largest franchise network of insurance textile restoration providers in the U.S.  Serving the U.S., Canada and the U.K., CRDN restores garments and textiles damaged by fire, smoke, water and other contaminants.  With more than 150 franchises and annual sales in excess of $100 million, CRDN is comprised of some of the largest and most prominent drycleaners in North America.

About The Huntington Company and its Affiliates

The Huntington Company and its affiliates are privately held companies located in Berkley, Michigan. The companies that make up the family of brands are Huntington Cleaners & Shirt Laundry, Huntington Woods, Mich.; Huntington Window Fashions, Troy, Mich.; and Wesch Cleaners, Birmingham, Mich.; as well as the 1-800-DryClean, bizziebox, Pressed 4 Time, Martinizing, Dry Cleaning Station and Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network franchises. To learn more, visit www.thinkhuntington.com.

SOURCE Martinizing International, LLC

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