All Star Laundry hopes to clean up in Lakewood Ranch

While owner Cheryl Walstad was excited about the opening of her All Star Laundry & Dry Cleaning's new facility at Portal Crossing in December, she already was thinking about a third Lakewood Ranch site that is expected to open in 2016.

Walstad and her husband, Dave, opened their first Lakewood Ranch service center at 6243 Lake Osprey Dr. and the second will be located at 10520 Portal Crossing at the Lakewood Ranch Commerce Park. Cheryl Walstad said she expects to host a grand opening before Jan. 1.

She also noted that they have signed the agreement to open a third site adjacent to the new Wawa at the intersection of Lorraine Road and State Road 70.

The service center at Portal Crossing will utilize the GreenEarth and Ozone EcoWash system. "Our business model really lends itself to green environmental responsibility," Cheryl Walstad said in a release.

She explained that many dry cleaners still use Perc, which she said is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a cancer causing agent.

The new location at Portal Crossing is expected to hire 10 employees. The company aims on growing along the I-75 corridor in Sarasota and Manatee counties and north to the Tampa-St. Petersburg markets.

Besides providing same-day laundry and dry cleaning for residential and commercial customers, it also handles professional and college sports uniform cleaning along with medical and hospitality services. Cheryl Walstad, who said that she and her husband are very involved in the Lakewood Ranch community, believes their first location in Lakewood Ranch has been successful due to customer service.

"Both my husband and I own businesses and we know that it's all about customer service," she said.