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Sudbury Steam Cleaners hangs tough for 113 years

Sudbury Steam Cleaners has stood the test of time, but according to Greg Haddad, who along with his family owns the local business – which is one of Sudbury's oldest – it has not always been easy.
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Greg Haddad and his son Chris Haddad, president of Sudbury Steam Cleaners, stand in front of one of the company's large dry cleaners. Sudbury Steam Cleaners was founded in 1901, making it one of Sudbury's oldest businesses. Photo by Jonathan Migneault.
Sudbury Steam Cleaners has stood the test of time, but according to Greg Haddad, who along with his family owns the local business – which is one of Sudbury's oldest – it has not always been easy.

“It's not the same industry from 10 years ago or 40 years ago,” he said.

When polyester invaded most people's wardrobes in the 1970s, it almost killed the dry cleaning industry, Haddad said.

But Sudbury Steam Cleaners persisted. There were around 18 dry cleaners in Sudbury 30 years ago, but there are far fewer today.

Haddad represents his family's third generation to run the local business, and his sons, who have taken over most of the day-to-day work running the company, are the fourth.

Sudbury Steam Cleaners has the capacity to clean around 2,200 lbs of soft goods – clothing, sheets, shoes, curtains, etc. -- an hour. That makes it one of the province's largest cleaners.

The business employs 65 people and has given back to the community in a number of ways over the years – including its Coats for Kids program, and annual support to Children's Aid and the Sudbury Symphony.

Even with its large capacity, Sudbury Steam Cleaners has needed to diversify in recent years to stay relevant, Haddad said.

In the last year, Sudbury Steam Cleaners has greatly expanded its restoration business.

Whenever there's a fire in Greater Sudbury, the company works with insurance firms to recover and restore any soft items that survived the blaze.

Insurance companies from Toronto have even contacted Sudbury Steam Cleaners to see how many soft goods they can handle in the event of a natural disaster.

The business has also taken steps to use more efficient technologies, to save costs, and has plans to reclaim 60 per cent of water the cleaning services use by next year.

But even with Sudbury Steam Cleaners' longevity, Haddad said he would not choose to start a new business from scratch.

“I don't think Ontario is very business friendly,” he said. “We're over-taxed and over-regulated.”

Haddad said he spends around three months out of the year dealing with government regulations and ensuring the business is in compliance. “That doesn't happen in other jurisdictions to this degree,” he said.

Despite the difficulties of doing business in Ontario, Haddad said his sons have the advantage of taking over an established business.

“Hopefully we're around for a few more (years),” he said.

As for his own supervisory role with the business, Haddad said he has no plans to retire any time soon. His father, who is now in his 80s, still checks in on Sudbury Steam Cleaners every week.

“I don't know what I would do if I retired,” he said.

Sudbury Steam Cleaners is the second in a new series NorthernLife.ca has launched to profile local businesses that have stood the test of time, and lasted 100 years or more.

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Jonathan Migneault

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