The Huntington Co. in Berkley has more than doubled its presence in the textile restoration, dry cleaning, and laundry services markets with its recent acquisition of two dry cleaning brands: Martinizing and Dry Cleaning Station.
“We are very proud to add one of the oldest and most recognizable names in the dry cleaning industry (Martinizing) to our family of brands,” says Wayne Wudyka, CEO of The Huntington Co., which now oversees a portfolio of brands that total more than 750 locations worldwide.
Since its establishment in 1949, Martinizing has grown to become the country’s largest dry cleaning franchise with 422 locations in eight countries including Canada, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, and Peru. The brand — once owned by the late George Strike, a former co-owner of the Cincinnati Reds — will maintain offices in Milford, Ohio, along with its home office in Berkley.
“With 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,” Wudyka says.
The Huntington Co.’s acquisition of the Dry Cleaning Station also brings 12 additional U.S. locations under its umbrella. The move follows the firm’s recent purchase of Pressed 4 Time, a door-to-door dry cleaning pick-up and delivery service, as well as last year’s launch of Bizziebox, a dry cleaning franchise concept that integrates mobile technology with a locker-based pick-up and delivery service to provide dry cleaning and laundry services for tenants of office buildings and residential properties.
The company’s portfolio also includes Huntington Cleaners and Shirt Laundry in Huntington Woods; Huntington Window Fashions in Troy; and Wesch Cleaners in Birmingham; 1-800-DryClean; and Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network franchises.
“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 says.
