Clean Franchise Brands (CFB), the largest dry cleaning and laundry company on the planet, recently named John Powers as the vice president of franchising for Martinizing Dry Cleaning. Powers took on the role after CFB acquired Martinizing in Spring 2021.

As vice president of franchising, Powers will lead efforts to recruit new Martinizing Dry Cleaning franchise owners in the U.S. and abroad. Part of that initiative includes the acquisition of independent dry cleaners and laundromats to be converted to Martinizing locations.

“We are delighted to have John in this role. His experience with the Martinizing brand and his more than two decades in franchising make him an invaluable asset as we begin to sell Martinizing franchises throughout the US and internationally,” said Kevin Dubois, CEO of Clean Franchise Brands.

Powers began with Martinizing in 2018. Prior to that, he was part of the corporate teams for such franchises as Ruby Tuesdays, BD’s Mongolian Grill and Molly Maid.

“CFB’s acquisition of Martinizing has been a game changer in so many ways and the timing could not be better,” said Powers. “The pandemic has led many independent dry cleaners to sell or retire. With the resources that CFB can offer, prospects can buy a franchise with a set location and customer base already there. I’m feeling very fortunate for this opportunity at this point in time.”

Powers, a graduate of SUNY-Cortland, resides in the greater Detroit area with wife Deborah. The couple have two adult children, Brooklynn and Lauren.

Martinizing Dry Cleaning was not the only franchise CFB acquired in Spring 2021. CFB also added 1-800-Dry Clean, Pressed4Time and Dry Cleaning Station in Spring 2021. Combining those franchises with the franchise CFB already owned, Lapels Dry Cleaning, gave CFB more than 400 locations in seven countries including Canada, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan and Peru—making it the largest dry cleaning company on the planet!

“The pandemic has been a very difficult time for dry cleaners. Many local independents have not survived. Yet recent industry reports indicate a strong trend in growth for the dry cleaning and laundry industry,” said Kevin Dubois, CFB CEO. “We are very excited to have finalized the FDD for Martinizing Dry Cleaning and make that opportunity available to prospects literally across the globe.”

According to a report put out by Research and Markets, “The dry-cleaning and laundry services market is poised to grow by $13.62 billion during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of almost five percent.”

For complete information on the Martinizing Dry Cleaning franchise opportunity, visit martinizingfranchise.com. To schedule an information call about the Martinizing opportunity, call 248-654-7009 or go to https://calendly.com/martinizing/introduction.

About Martinizing Dry Cleaning:
As part of Clean Franchise Brands, Martinizing is among the largest U.S. based dry-cleaning franchise systems with more than 400 locations in seven countries including Canada, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan and Peru. Martinizing was founded in 1949 and remains a trusted, iconic name in dry cleaning in the U.S. For more information, visit https://www.martinizing.com/.

About Clean Franchise Brands, LLC:
Based in Naples, Florida, Clean Franchise Brands, LLC is now the owner of the following brands: Lapels Dry Cleaning; Martinizing Dry Cleaning; 1-800-DryClean, Pressed4Time, Dry Cleaning Station and Bizziebox. Collectively, the brands have 500 plus stores in 40 states and nine countries. Clean Franchise Brands corporate offices are located at 711 5th Avenue South, Naples, FL 34102.

For more information, go to https://calendly.com/martinizing/introduction or contact John Powers at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

New York, NY – ADELAIDE BOOKS is proud to present the latest work by Don Sampen – The Whims of War

THE WHIMS OF WAR is an historical novel taking place in Philadelphia between 1775 and 1780. Unlike other accounts of this period, it tells the story of a family businessman drawn reluctantly into taking sides in the Revolutionary War. In the process it explores both conflicts among family members and friendships between ideological foes.

Don Sampen is an appellate attorney in Chicago who writes for a living. He has written many articles, book chapters, and briefs in court on non-fiction topics. The WHIMS OF WAR is his debut novel of American historical fiction. Two considerations inspired Don to write the novel. One was an interest he developed to write the kind of historical novel he would want to read. The writing turned out to be a labor of love. He is convinced, moreover, that others will enjoy the final product as well. As a second reason, Don wanted to present a not-so-simple picture of the American Revolution, an event of huge historical significance that many people take for granted. He tells the story from the perspective of a business and family man, in a city, Philadelphia, whose citizens were conflicted over the prospect of independence.

Title:  The Whims of War
Author:  Don Sampen
Publisher: Adelaide Books
Publisher Website: https://adelaidebooks.org/
Publisher Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ISBN:   978-1955196819
Price:  $ 22.30
Page Count: 460  pages
Formats: paperback

Description of the company: ADELAIDE BOOKS LLC is a New York based independent company dedicated to publishing literary fiction and creative nonfiction. It was founded in July 2017 as an imprint of the Adelaide Literary Magazine, with the aim to facilitate publishing of novels, memoirs, and collections of short stories, poems, and essays by contributing authors of our magazine and other qualified writers.

New York, NY – ADELAIDE BOOKS is proud to present the latest work by Eugene Christy – The Isle of the Blest

They say you can't judge a book by its cover. The novel you're holding in your hand right now proves precisely that point. It's not about stone statues. It's not a sentimental depiction of an Ireland wished for by American tourists, German fly-fishermen on vacation, and Italian industrialists looking to buy a castle for a second home. In fact, you might even find the title of this story, The Isle of the Blest, more than highly ironic. For this novel is the fifth and final installment in author Eugene Christy's foundational and innovative series, The Twentieth Century Quintet, and it tells the story of Tony LaStoria's grandson, Nick Petrovich, and his beloved Irish sweetheart Sheila Blake, during the year of Internment. It is, in fact, an eyewitness account of that unforgettable chapter of The Troubles, which began exactly fifty years ago this year: the heartbreaking story of two young people in love, and how and why they are forced to confront the searing realities of that troubled time, and along the way, to learn perhaps the real meaning of The Isle of the Blest, a story which should not be forgotten today.

What readers are saying:

On Vol. 1, Arrivederci New York: With the tenderness of a poet, Christy initiates the reader into this epic journey by expertly unfolding the first chapter of a young man's courageous belief that he can find what we have all come to know as the American Dream. David W. Berner, author of Things Behind the Sun

Vol. 2, My Son The American: A literary gem just waiting to be discovered . . . This isn't a history lesson but a life lesson with the story told the same way as if you were regularly having tea with a best friend and learning more and more about that friend's life . . . Shawn R.

Vol 3, The Heart of the Century: His account of the historical events they live through feels to the reader like a real time experience, due to the intimacy he creates with his fictional family. Jeffrey R., Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshop

Vol. 4, The Education of Nicholas Petrovich: As we go on this remarkable adventure in Eugene Christy's 4th novel, it is an extremely powerful story that will keep you captivated at all times. Linda M.

The Twentieth Century Quintet, as a series, from various readers:

Can't wait to find out what happens next! . . . Just started reading it and I can't put it down! . . . Looking forward to the rest in the series coming out. A true look into the lives of real people making their way in America . . . there's an animal exuberance in Gene Christy's storytelling that makes you want to keep reading, from one trial and adventure to the next, all the way to the end.

Title:  The Isle of the Blest
Author: Eugene Christy
Publisher: Adelaide Books
Publisher Website: https://adelaidebooks.org/
Publisher Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ISBN: 978-1956635003
Price:  $27.30
Page Count:  604 pages
Formats: paperback

Description of the company: ADELAIDE BOOKS LLC is a New York based independent company dedicated to publishing literary fiction and creative nonfiction. It was founded in July 2017 as an imprint of the Adelaide Literary Magazine, with the aim to facilitate publishing of novels, memoirs, and collections of short stories, poems, and essays by contributing authors of our magazine and other qualified writers.

Part 2 of The John Nelson Collection, Sold December 12th, Grosses $1.1 million at Andrew Jones Auctions in Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles, CA, USA, December 16, 2021 -- Andrew Jones Auctions had great expectations going into Part 2 of the John Nelson Collection, held December 12th. After all, Part 1, in October, more than doubled its presale estimate to total $1.6 million. Part 2 did not disappoint, as 18th century European style from England to Italy led the 271-lot white glove auction to a $1.1 million gross.

“We welcomed many new faces to our gallery for the busy auction preview for Part II of the John Nelson Collection,” said Andrew Jones, president and CEO of Andrew Jones Auctions. “The word was spreading about the rare and unique works being offered, and collectors didn’t want to miss out. It was like turning back the clock to the halcyon days of antique auctions.”

Following are highlights from the auction. All prices quoted here include the buyer’s premium.

The top lot of the day was an elegant George I chinoiserie decorated cabinet on later stand that fetched $27,500, almost seven times its presale estimate. Also, an impressive pair of 20th century Louis XVI style gilt bronze and cut glass 16-light chandeliers lit up the room for $23,750, while a monumental mid-18th century Italian rococo giltwood mirror found a new home for $12,500.

Fine art was led by a set of four English chinoiserie panels that realized $17,500 and six Italian School oils depicting the battle of Vaslui, where Stephen III of Moldavia defeated the Ottoman commander Hadım Suleiman Pasha. Two large Italian Carrara marble busts of classical women made $22,500, while a pair of life-size Italian white painted models of seated lions hit $16,250.

Notable and unusual was a Continental Neoclassical style oak center table, with architectural lines conceived as an octastyle Doric temple. It sold for $20,000, ten times its low estimate. An Italian model of the Duomo di Milano fetched $8,125, and a pair of lovely Louis XIV style gilt bronze mounted Chinese crackle glazed celadon porcelain cache pots left the room for $10,000.

The future series of sales for The John Nelson collection will be a celebration of the unerring eye of a more than 50-year Los Angeles design and antiques institution – and the man behind John Nelson Antiques. The collection features Chinese porcelain, paintings, French decorative arts, sculpture, antiquities, Grand Tour objects, European furniture, mirrors, chandeliers and more.

Andrew Jones Auctions’ next event will be DTLA Collections & Estates to be held Wednesday, January 12th, 2022. The sale will consist of 350 lots of antiques, design, Chinese works of art, accessories and more. Part 3 of the John Nelson Collection will be held on February 20th, 2022.

To learn more about Andrew Jones Auctions and the DTLA Collections & Estates auction, as well as Part III of the John Nelson Collection, slated for January 12 and February 20, respectively, visit www.AndrewJonesAuctions.com. Updates are posted often. Andrew Jones Auctions can be reached by telephone at (213) 748-8008, or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

About Andrew Jones Auctions:
Opened in the summer of 2018, Andrew Jones Auctions is a full-service fine art and antiques auction house specializing in the liquidation of estates and collections featuring fine art, antiques and collectibles. The firm understands market trends and has foresight for the 21st century. The highly experienced staff has a wealth of knowledge with international savvy, having worked for many years at major international auction houses in North America and Europe, sourcing property from all corners of the United States. Andrew Jones Auctions’ sales are diverse and eclectic, and feature fine diamonds to contemporary art, spanning from antiquity to today. To learn more about Andrew Jones Auctions, please visit www.AndrewJonesAuctions.com.

Andrew Jones Auctions can be reached by telephone at (213) 748-8008, or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

New York, NY – ADELAIDE BOOKS is proud to present the latest work by Veronica Carrera: 140 Miles of Life: A Remarkable Journey to Self-Acceptance & Love

All hell breaks loose the moment Veronica Carrera, a leader in the Mormon church, falls in love with a fellow female student at Brigham Young University. Battling her innate feelings, the devout missionary confesses her temptations to the Bishop in a futile attempt to hold tight to her spiritual home.

After her church shuns her, a shocked Veronica embarks on the toughest one-day endurance race in the world to reclaim her power, inadvertently beginning a much more important, internal journey of healing and self-love.

This inspiring memoir will have you cheering for Veronica as she embarks on a journey to dig deep, believe in herself and defy all limits by competing in the 140-mile Ironman race.

140-Miles to Self-Acceptance and Love tells the story of overcoming childhood and religious trauma as a queer, brown-skinned immigrant. It also issues a clarion call to recognize the realities that drive far too many LGBTQ youth and adults to commit suicide under shame from their churches and families.

Veronica’s story of triumphing over adversity, not only offers hope and inspiration for readers to discover true inner wisdom and acceptance but may save lives!

Veronica Carrera holds a B.A. in French from Brigham Young University and an M.B.A. from Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management, where she was honored as “The 2015 Best Executive EMBA.” She recently completed the Inner M.B.A. (conscious leadership program) at New York University and is currently pursuing a Life Coaching certification with Jay Shetty.

She is an avid triathlete and passionate advocate for human rights, a highly sought-after speaker and a successful sales leader at one of the top tech companies in the world. She is also the creator/producer of the LinkedIn Live show 30 Minutes of Wisdom-Rising in Consciousness & Mindfulness.

Title:  140 Miles of Life: A Remarkable Journey to Self-Acceptance & Love
Author:  Veronica Carrera
Publisher: Adelaide Books
Publisher Website: https://adelaidebooks.org/
Publisher Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ISBN:    978-1956635041
Price:  $22.30
Page Count:  318 pages
Formats: Paperbac 

Description of the company: ADELAIDE BOOKS LLC is a New York based independent company dedicated to publishing literary fiction and creative nonfiction. It was founded in July 2017 as an imprint of the Adelaide Literary Magazine, with the aim to facilitate publishing of novels, memoirs, and collections of short stories, poems, and essays by contributing authors of our magazine and other qualified writers.