Zengeler Cleaners: 150 years of dressing to the nines

The party the Zengeler family threw in September to mark 150 years in business was more than a lavish bash, more than an occasion to recall the way things were and to reminisce.

To hear customers and former employees tell it, it was a celebration of the past and of the company as it is today -- strong, expanding, earning loyalty by revering customers and employing a compassionate management style.

Eleanor Dominique, a Zengeler Cleaners customer for 53 years, was among the more than 350 revelers gathered at the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling to pay tribute to the Zengeler family and their family business, now in the hands of fifth-generation owners.

A former Libertyville resident who currently lives in Grayslake, Dominique said she relied on Zengeler Cleaners to keep her wardrobe in top form while she pursued careers in real estate, sales and executive secretarial work.

"I was a single mother working two jobs," she said.

Her clothes were so well-cared for, she said, that she still sports favorite pieces from the past.

"I still wear my 32-year-old Pendletons. When people see my Pendleton suits, I say, 'Zengeler Cleaners.'"

Excellent customer service, she said, is just part of the explanation for the company's longevity and prosperity. Another key, she said, is the way the company treats its work force.

"They're a good company. They're nice to their people," she said.

"They're class, they're the best. You've never seen a company where people worked so long," she said, adding that a neighbor worked at Zengeler's Hubbard Woods store in Chicago for 20 years. And that's just one example of many employees who hang onto their jobs at Zengeler for decades.

Maurice Felgar retired in September after 65 years of service.

"It's one … good company and I had two great bosses," said Felgar, of Libertyville. "They helped you. They helped the customer. They treated the customer as number one. They treat the help well."

Felgar said he drove a truck to pick up and deliver laundry to customers, mostly in the Lake Forest area, early in his career. Later, he drove shipments between several of the company's store locations.

Zengeler currently has stores in Deerfield, Northbrook, Northfield, Winnetka, Hubbard Woods and two in Libertyville. Plans call for the opening of an eighth store in Lake Bluff this fall.

"They treated us good from the very beginning," said Felgar. "I never thought about quitting."

"He'd get up at 5 or 5:30. Never once did I hear him say, 'I don't want to go to work today,'" said his wife, Ruth. "He just enjoyed his work and his bosses. When he came home, he left the job until the next morning."

The company was started in 1857 by German immigrant John Zengeler in Chicago. When the original location was destroyed in 1871 by the Great Chicago Fire, the Zengeler family persevered, finding a new location in Chicago and starting over. Eventually, the company branched out to the North Shore.

Handed down to each subsequent generation, the company is currently headed by Tom Zengeler, the youngest of former president Bob Zengeler Sr.'s three children.

Tom's brother Bob manages the Northfield store while brother Mike oversees production. Bob Zengeler Sr. continues to work and serve as a mentor, said Tom Zengeler.

The company employs about 150 workers.

"Over 20 percent of our employees have been there 20 years or more," said Tom Zengeler. "We do not have a lot of turnover. We really like people to come to work with us and stay with us. It's a family atmosphere. We work alongside our employees. We're kind of hands-on management. We realize the job is kind of a difficult job."

The family was congratulated for keeping the business and a strong work ethic alive by U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, who read a commendation in the U.S. House last May. Gov. Rod Blagojevich issued a proclamation in honor of the company's 150th anniversary.

And at the Wheeling bash, several dignitaries lauded the family's accomplishments. Wheeling's former mayor, Sheila Schultz, presented the family with an Illinois House resolution honoring the family's business efforts.

Tom Zengeler said there was no parental pressure to keep the business in the family.

"(My father) gave us the option of whether we wanted to go into the business or not," he said.

He said he never felt any tug to let his ambitions lead him elsewhere.

"I enjoy it," he said.

When asked whether Zengeler Cleaners will likely remain a family-owned business when the next generation reaches maturity, he said he plans to give his children options, just like his father did.

"I have four kids, but they're young," he said. "I don't know yet."