Located at 27th and Pine Lake Road, Starcrest Cleaners is a family owned and operated professional dry cleaning service featuring a valet drive-thru, same day service Monday through Saturday and text alert. Quintin Yallaly is the co-owner and manager of the Starcrest Cleaners Lincoln location.
How did you get started in the business? – I went to school for accounting and worked in the profession for a year but did not like it. My father owned a portion of the Starcrest stores in Champaign, IL and I was offered a position managing a small store there.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Getting Starcrest Cleaners to come to Lincoln, NE. The Hermes family started, owns, and manages Starcrest Cleaners out of Bloomington, IL. Lincoln is 500 miles away from the Starcrest home office and 400 miles away from our next closest location. In 2009, I first asked the Hermes family to build a Starcrest in Lincoln. On June 30th, 2015 we opened Starcrest Cleaners here. It was a long road.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – The turnaround at the Starcrest in Normal, IL. Starcrest would not have come to Lincoln if the store in Normal did not have as dramatic a success story as it did. In 2009, after saying no to Lincoln, the Hermes family asked me to run the underperforming store in Normal, IL. With an amazing team at the store and a lot of great support, Normal made a tremendous turnaround. This gave the Hermes’ the confidence to come to Nebraska.
Tell us a little about your family. – Michelle and I have been married for eleven years. Both of our families are from central Illinois, and we met at the University of Illinois. We have four children; Cecilia (9), Anastasia (6), Isabel (4), and Simon (18 mos.).
What made you decide to make the move to Nebraska? – In 2006, when Cecilia was 1, we first visited Lincoln and loved it. In 2008, we left Illinois, our families and Starcrest and moved to Lincoln. While away from Starcrest, I discovered that it was the right career fit for me. We spent the next six years trying to get Starcrest to come to Lincoln. In seven years we moved back and forth between Lincoln and central Illinois ten times. Our three youngest children were born in Nebraska.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – When I read Jeffrey Gitomer’s “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless; Customer Loyalty is Priceless” in 2009. After reading it, I knew I had to get back to Starcrest somehow and operate a store from the customer’s perspective.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “Even though it is very busy when you are first starting something, take the time to develop your culture.” – Marc LeBaron
If you could have a super power, what would it be? – Super hand strength so that I could repair equipment without tools.
If you could choose any other profession to be successful in, what would it be? – Many people have told me that they cannot imagine anyone being more passionate about dry cleaning than me. I feel like would be cheating on them if I so much as thought about another profession.
What is your favorite TV show? – I appreciate the dry cleaning knowledge in Seinfeld. I have used scenes from it for training.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – Store phone: (402) 817-5000; Cell: (309) 262-5070; Email: quintinyallaly@gmail.com. You can also visit our website at starcrestcleaners.net.