Korean American Coin Laundry Association (KACLA)

The Korean American Coin Laundry Association (KACLA) was founded in 2003 to support Korean American coin laundromat owners by sharing information and best practices. Since 2006 Benny Sohn has been the association president for almost 17 years. In addition to information sharing and finding reliable members, he also helps members who need language assistance.

Challenges:

KACLA was facing a challenge of high utility prices and was seeking a reliable natural gas and electricity supplier to provide competitive prices for its members. With 50-60 member stores, Benny needed to make sure that they only selected partners they could trust. Vanguard Energy Services (Vanguard) was recommended to KACLA by a third party. After speaking with one of Vanguard’s account managers, Mark Dehlinger, KACLA was convinced to give Vanguard a try. Vanguard’s customer service model and regional focus made it nimbler in addressing the needs of its customers.

Solutions:

  • Building trust is crucial for developing successful partnerships: KACLA trusted Vanguard to provide its members with reliable and competitive natural gas and electricity prices. Vanguard’s commitment to building relationships based on trust and treating all customers well was key to developing a strong partnership with the association.
  • Personalized and high-quality service is important for retaining customers: Mark worked closely with the KACLA leadership to help them develop strategies that could be individualized to the specific needs of their members. Vanguard and Mark also provided reliable third-party sources and kept Benny and the other association members up to date with the energy market. Mark and Vanguard also continually assist KACLA members with utility enrollments, gas meter issues, and various utility issues, including dealing with utilities following a disaster such as laundromat fire.
  • Good character is as important as technical abilities: The association president, Benny, highlighted the importance of working with people with good character, ability, and honesty, as a partner with good character helps to solve any problem together. Benny knows that Vanguard and Mark have integrity as he has been working with them for almost 20 years.

Conclusion:

Benny expressed KACLA’s appreciation for the reliable, consistent, and personalized service and the competitive natural gas and electricity prices that they have been benefiting from for almost 20 years. Having a reliable energy partner like Vanguard is extremely important to KACLA members as this helps them keep their businesses running smoothly and efficiently.

 

What I find impressive about Vanguard is that they hire good people. It says a lot about a company that can attract such talent. Good people build strong relationships with their customers, and Vanguard is a good company that treats all their customers well, regardless of their size. It is apparent that Vanguard values trust and believes in treating people right.”

Benny Sohn

President, Korean American Coin Laundry Association

Why Choose Vanguard

Through unparalleled attention to detail, cost effective solutions, and customer service, Vanguard Energy is committed to setting a standard of excellence to which others aspire.

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