Sudsies loves highlighting special people and organizations in our backyard. But this time, we decided to look right inside our home to recognize inspirational work and attitude. So, we’d like to introduce you to Luis Moreno, general manager of Sudsies. Overseeing the operations, customer service, staffing & training, and finances, Luis’ work in realizing the Sudsies vision is as instrumental as the LBD was to Coco Chanel, the red sole to a Louboutin, the Daytona to Rolex…. you get the point.
Luis’ philosophy is straightforward: Work smart, love what you do, be positive, embrace the company culture, and everything else will come together.
His career is a classic example of how to rise in ranks through a company. At 17, Luis was looking for a summer job and was introduced to Sudsies Founder, Jason Loeb, by his cousin who worked for the dry cleaner at the time. Luis’ first position was to hand out flyers promoting the business during the summer. His spirit was enough to impress, and when he graduated from high school, he started full-time pressing garments in the plant. Soon after learning all the cleaning processes on the back-end, Luis moved into customer service.
“That’s when I really started to love this business,” reflects Luis. “I got to witness first-hand our customers enjoying the quality of work we put into their clothing.”
Sudsies’ internal mantra of “we’re not in the laundry business…we’re in the people business” captured loyalty both externally and internally. The company’s team has swelled from 12 to 105 employees since Luis first joined in 1997. Sudsies now serves Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties with pick-up and delivery, and the entire nation with Sudsies Express service. As Sudsies has grown, so have Luis’ roles and responsibilities.
Among the many general manager duties, Luis maintains that his foremost job is to train, coach and motivate in a way that brings out the best in each team member. It is also to ensure that his managers are leading with high ethical standards. And Luis isn’t just a happy face – he knows his stuff. Sudsies regularly sends him to the industry’s top seminars to learn more about the latest dry cleaning and eco-friendly technology and products, speciality techniques for more delicate fabrics, designer wear and care, and other trends. Luis says this specialized professional development helps him educate the clients. Additionally, this education allows him to relate, understand, and implement improvements on behalf of his fellow employees.
“It inspires me when I see their growth,” says Luis about his team. “To see that my own knowledge or guidance has helped them to emerge as better professionals only makes me want to teach more.”
When asked how he maintains that smile every day, now after more than 17 years with Sudsies, Luis provides the perfect response, “Funny, I’m actually smiling now that you just said that. Simply, we have great support: our ownership, our management, our staff. We have a culture that recognizes the incredibly large and important role everyone plays in running our business smoothly. Smiling is easy when you know you’re part of a great team striving for the same thing.”
