10/23/2012
Zengeler Cleaners Celebrate 50th Anniversary Serving Libertyville

Bob Zengeler, Sr., has worked at Park Avenue store since family acquired that location

Northbrook, IL, October 23, 2012: 2012 included several landmarks for Zengeler Cleaners, the Midwest’s oldest and largest cleaners. The company recently celebrated serving customers for 155 years, including 50 years at their Park Avenue location in Libertyville. The Park Avenue store was acquired from Grande Cleaners in 1962 – and one of the “constants” at the location is Bob Zengeler, Sr.: the family patriarch has worked at the store ever since.

“The Libertyville community has been very good to Zengeler Cleaners,” noted Tom Zengeler, President of Zengeler Cleaners and the Great-Great Grandson of John Zengeler, who originally founded the family-owned company back in 1857. “Our Park Avenue location enjoys the benefits of many loyal, long-time customers – one of the significant factors in our success at that store.”

Both Bob Zengeler, Sr. and son Michael Zengeler have spent the majority of their careers working at the Park Avenue location. “For many years, my father was the first person to arrive at the store each morning, firing up the boiler and overseeing plant operations. My brother Mike, who’s become an expert in fabric care and stain removal, worked side-by-side with Dad for many years. Their personal attention to that location reflected just how important we felt the Park Avenue store was to our family business.”

Success at the Park Avenue store led to the 1987 opening of a second Libertyville store, in the Brookside Shopping Plaza on the north side of Peterson Road. That location was successful, too, resulting in the construction of a brand new, state-of-the art facility ten years later, also located on Peterson Road, just east of Butterfield Road. The two stores have a combined 75 years doing business in the community.

Bob has been a fixture in the community as well as at the Park Avenue store. He’s a charter member of Libertyville Rotary, joining that service organization in 1962, the same year the family acquired the Park Avenue store. Just as importantly, Bob has actively supported the company’s involvement in Libertyville through the sponsorship of youth teams and support for charitable organizations, reflecting the family’s long-standing belief that a good business should be a great partner in the community.

A picture of Robert Zengeler, Sr. and son Michael Zengeler is enclosed. For more information about Zengeler Cleaners’ 50th anniversary celebration in Libertyville, contact Tom Zengeler at (847) 272-6550, or visit www.zengelercleaners.com. Zengeler Cleaners has eight locations, including Deerfield, Hubbard Woods, Northfield, Winnetka, two Libertyville stores and its headquarters store in Northbrook – with its newest store in Long Grove. Zengeler Cleaners . . . America's First Family of Dry Cleaning™.