The Business Problem:

Uniting a Distributed Team 

When we started working with ImageFIRST over 13 years ago, they knew that they had to be remarkable in order to compete. “We do laundry,” said then-CEO Jeff Berstein. “It's not that complicated. Laundry can be copied. But what can't be copied is our ability to execute and our culture.”

Jeff needed to get the entire company pointed in the same strategic direction—which was no small feat with over 50 locations to consider. The team had to align on two key questions:

• What are we marching towards?
• How will we get there?

Without discipline and a way to sustain

How Rhythm Helped:

Creating a “Less Is More” Strategy

The Rhythm team facilitated ImageFIRST’s next planning session to help them establish strategic alignment. Through guided discussion, their team cut through the clutter and honed in on three high-impact goals: 

• Increase customer loyalty/retention to 98%
• Increase team of "A" managers by 25%
• Customer advocates to show 4 remarkable acts per week

Following Rhythm methodology, ImageFIRST stuck to just three long-term objectives. They oriented all company activities around supporting these goals rather than scattering their employees’ energy in too many directions.  

From the Big Picture to the Finer Details 

These initiatives required various departments to collaborate smoothly and methodically. The executive team would need a bird’s eye view of this activity to ensure success. The Rhythm software allowed them to: 

• Track progress at the company, regional, and individual levels across 50 locations 
• Set up core priorities and KPIs for every region across the country

Regional managers used weekly dashboards to flag any stuck areas and make quick adjustments. Managers tracked and celebrated the remarkable acts with clients performed by their Customer Advocates.

The Results:

A Market-Leading Company With a Loyal Following 

In 2018, Calera Capital acquired a majority stake in ImageFIRST, and Rhythm continued on the journey with them as they acquired more companies in the industry. 

Jeff Berstein never wavered in his commitment to make execution a competitive advantage. The results speak for themselves:

• 16% compound annual growth rate system-wide since 2003
• 100% budgeted revenue since 2015
• 95% customer retention over the last 5 years