Student entrepreneur hopes to clean up with laundry service

By Jessica Alway

Every great entrepreneur has to start out somewhere. For Bill Gates and Paul Allen it was Harvard, Phil Knight's career began at University of Oregon, Ty Warner started at Kalamazoo College, and the staring point for freshman Mike Mason just might be Santa Clara University.

Over the past year Mason, from Boston Mass., has organized a weekly laundry service for students living on campus, sponsored by the Housing and Residence Life and AllDorm, a Santa Clara based retail business which caters to the needs of college students.

Now, after months of planning he launched the month-long pilot program in Swig on Monday. Participating residents drop off their laundry bag on the assigned day and it is returned professionally sorted, washed, dried and folded the next day.

"I know some might see it as an unnecessary luxury," said Dan Alvarado, a freshman Swig resident participating in the program. "But I justified my decision because I don't like to use the Swig laundry room. The washers stain my whites yellow and if I don't get down there right when my clothes are done, other kids thros them on the floor. I figured out that the service probably costs me about $10 more a month, but I think it is worth it."

There is a one-time only $5 initial start fee for the program, which pays for an AllDorm laundry bag. The one-month pilot program is $38.95, but if residents are unhappy with the first week of service, they may cancel by April 10 for a free refund. The total cost of the program is $43.95.

Mason, an undeclared business student, was first introduced to the idea of a laundry service over three years ago. His mom, Lois Mason, went to visit her older daughter at Middlebury College in Vermont during her freshman year and realized she was not doing laundry. Lois Mason looked into other options and decided to sign her daughter up for the laundry service provided by the school, Mason said.

When he came to Santa Clara and noticed there was no service in place, the wheels began to turn. Mason first contacted AllDorm to ask them how they became affiliated with the school. AllDorm CEO Ryan Garman was so excited about the idea that he asked to be involved, said Mason.

With the backing of AllDorm, he went to the Housing and Residence Office to create a plan.

Together they spent hours working out the logistics, preparing to launch the program this spring, said Mason. He sent out a mass E-mail to all Swig residents last quarter, manned an information booth last week, and even talked to many Swig residents. In the end, about 35 residents signed up for the program, almost 8 percent of the Swig population, according to Mason.

"I absolutely think this program has potential," said Mason, who is currently running the program without any personal financial gain. "I think the demand is there, but I know students are hesitant to let someone else do their laundry. All I can tell them is this isn't just some 'Joe Shmoe' from the street, these are professionals."

All the clothes are laundered at Santa Clara Laundraland. For the duration of the pilot program Mason is personally completing all the physical labor involved in the transport of laundry bags to and from the Laundromat.

He plans to hire other individuals to help if the program grows out to other buildings on campus. But others on campus are skeptical if the program is such a good idea.

"I don't know if I support it," said Cathy Justl, the resident director of Dunne. "I feel like college is a time when young adults learn how to be on their own. Learning how to do your own laundry is part of that. Telling funny stories about how you dyed all your whites purple is part of the experience. I think it is more like pampering, instead of teaching students to live on their own."

Valerie Sarma, the resident director of Swig has a slightly more positive perspective. In fact, she herself signed up for the plan.

"I think it is great opportunity, if students chose to use it," said Sarma. "I know some students want to do it on their own, but others are just too busy with other things. This service could make life a lot easier for them. It is so convenient just to put my laundry in a bag and be done with it. I am not very particular about my laundry, but I do know there is a certain risk involved. If someone doesn't think the convenience is worth it, I understand that."

During his advertisement campaign, Mason learned just how neurotic some people can be about their clothes, he said. Various students voiced concern about how the clothes would be sorted and felt insecure with a stranger touching their underwear, but by far the biggest concern was the loss of items, he said.

"I try just to put a student's mind at ease," said Mason. "I remind them that a professional is doing their laundry, this is the type of thing they do for a living. The know how to sort and it isn't anything new for them to see underwear. Yours won't faze them. But seriously, clothes are rarely, if ever lost, and in the horrible case that does happen, every bag is insured."

On the contract AllDorm agrees to be held liable up to $50 per bag laundered, regardless of the contents, which applies to items that are damaged or lost.

But AllDorm is not responsible for clothing, bleeding, shrinking or other changes. Despite these risks, some residents are convinced that Mason can make the program work.

"He has such a good head on his shoulders," said Alvarado, who also lives on Mason's floor. "He will sit down and study for two hours, get it all done, and still have time to play frisbee with the guys. He is extremely efficient with his time. Plus, he has more charisma than anyone I have ever met and he moves his eyebrows a lot."

Sarma agrees that Mason has the potential to run a successful business.

"He is very organized and mature," she said. "He spent a lot of time working with the Housing and Residence Life Office and has done a good job promoting. I can tell he is very devoted to the service. I am curious to see how it will work out."

Sarma said an expansion of the service could impact how many washers and dryers the university puts in the dorms.

Even if more students sign up there will still be others that still want to do it in Swig, she said, and the university should provide them that opportunity.