After noticing a lack of dry cleaning options on campus, Business junior Andrew Rogers developed plans to implement JayClean, a laundry service for any person with a NetID.
“The idea came to me freshman year when I was looking for a place to dry clean my suit,” Rogers said. “There were no places within walking distance, which made it difficult for someone without a car.”
He, along with two friends, Business sophomore Jonathan Kreifels and Business junior Jeffrey Altman, immediately began devising a business plan to bring their idea to life.
They approached faculty at the Heider College of Business to get their plan rolling. Marketing Director Lauren Lemke said she utilized her marketing expertise to help the students develop a distinct brand for
their business.
“I have helped him create a brand, or a look and feel for the business, since I know how important it is for a company to have its own distinct brand,” Lemke said.
Since Rogers approached her about a year and a half ago, they have been meeting regularly to establish logistics for
the company.
JayClean will be in a kiosk outside the Harper Auditorium on the first floor, Rogers said. Customers first use the kiosk to select the items they will drop off. Then they enter their NetID and proceed through the checkout process, which accepts Visa, MasterCard and JayBucks, with more payment options arriving in the future. After making the payment, customers drop clothes in a plastic bag into a laundry chute. Rogers and his team transformed a small storage closet into a locker room to store the items. Customers will receive an email when their clothing is ready to be picked up, approximately two days later, with a locker number and combination to their clothes.
Rogers said many hours of hard work have been put into get this business approved. He and his team worked in close contact with Residence Life and several other departments across campus. However, Rogers said that the time has been well worth it because it taught him a lot of things about what it is like to run a business.
“Starting JayClean has not only given me real world experience, but also given me the opportunity to apply what I learn in the classroom to a real business,” Rogers said.
Rogers said he is excited to open JayClean in the near future and has many goals for his business. Most importantly, he wants to serve as a positive role model for other students to transfer their classroom knowledge into the real world. Lemke said that this is exactly what he is doing.
“Andrew has worked tirelessly to make this idea a reality,” Lemke said.
She also highlighted the support system that Creighton provides for students like him to make their dreams a reality.
“It really goes to show the spirit of Creighton by how well this business idea has been received by other students, faculty and staff at the university,” Lemke said.
Rogers and his team said they hope to have their business running full-time in the fall of 2015. Pricing for dry cleaning services will correspond to those at Max-I Walker.