La Verne Alum Accepts Microsoft Corp. Visionary Award for WASH Laundry
It is an El Segundo company whose products can be seen in apartment complexes, military bases and even at the University of La Verne.
But what sets WASH Laundry apart from its competition is its use of technology, and in March, WASH received recognition for it.
La Verne alumnus John Buccola, Chief Information Officer for the company, accepted the Visionary Award in the Business Insights category at Microsoft Corporation’s Convergence 2015 in Atlanta. The conference is Microsoft’s premier event for its business community.
“We are honored by this recognition for our efforts in using Microsoft solutions to drive productivity, revenue and profitability, while enhancing the multifamily laundry room experience for our customers,” Buccola said.
Buccola graduated cum laude in 2004 from La Verne with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and earned a Masters of Business Administration in 2006 with departmental honors. He had a concentration in Information Technology.
He said La Verne taught him to ask questions and think critically.
“I was already adept technically, but was hungry to learn more about business and how technology could be applied to truly enable an organization,” he said. “La Verne offered world-class instruction that really catapulted my professional and personal growth.”
WASH Laundry’s use of technology drew him to the company.
A Convergence, Buccola demonstrated how to use WASH’s mobile app, which allows customers to open a service request. The app allows a user to scan a bar code on the front of the washing machine, sending information to the company’s command center, and allowing for the dispatching of service managers to the location.
Microsoft’s platforms also house revenue cycle processes and installation information for the company, Buccola said at the conference.
“We think of ourselves as a technology and service company that happens to be in the laundry business, and our future involves providing an expanded portfolio of services to our multifamily clientele,” he said.
The company, which has continuously operated since 1947, has 65,000 locations and more than 5 million people do their laundry in a WASH Laundry room every week.
