Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Desai.
Hi Jay, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m a Mechanical Design Engineer. I love coffee and fascinated doing business in coffee/cafe industry on side. I saw boring and crappy laundromat on TV, as being a huge Apple fan and also huge admire of Steve Jobs I wanted to reinvent an industry by taking things to next level and also providing better experience on doing laundry. It was started in my mind in early 2017 then by late 2017 put few things on paper. In 2018 I was doing research on local laundromat and coffee shops, trying to figure out what can be done. I reach out to my cousin in Florida who is a Heart Surgeon and he liked the idea and supported me, he is also my partner. My local friend & cousin also joined in this adventure and that’s how our partnership started. I had multiple discussion with laundry industry veterans, owners, and distributors and then decide on going with state-of-the-art ELCTROLUX machines for my self-service laundry. I also wanted to change how cloths are being done using harmful chemicals and solvent in dry-cleaning facility, I wanted to go for an eco-friendly and sustainable approach, so we added wet-cleaning. For coffee, I reached out Greenville best and its own Due South Coffee roasters, Ryan at due south helped me and provided much-needed guidance on coffee and cafeteria business. Food is my religion and wanted to make sure we offer high-quality food options using fresh and locally sourced ingredients. I visited Oak Hill Cafe in mid-2019 and love their food and approach toward suitability and local oriented business. Their vision was 100% matching my vision so I approached Lori (Part owner) and she introduced me to Chef David and then everything changed for good. Oak hill Cafe is very much committed to quality and for the environment and also provide their full support to GLL. I’m very happy that GLL is the Brand due to its vision and partnership with locals like Due South & Oak Hill Cafe. Our distributor for laundry equipment is also local Highland Equipment (Asheville). Furniture for laundry and cafe was done by Soteria Foundation of Greenville, they are well known for their reclaimed wood. CELY construction is GC and Johnston design Group is an architect without their help and support this project would not have happened.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not a smooth road, being a startup getting finance from Bank is tough, but we had strong financials and robust project plan so after some difficulties we managed thru it. Then COVID hit and had some construction-related issues and delays, material & equipment shortages due to pandemic. Even one of the local laundromat owner/ businesses tried to damage us due to jealousy but we didn’t lose our focus and commitment.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a mechanical design engineer. I’m specialize in designing systems for skyscraper, bridges, and other commercial constructions. I’m proud of my family and friends, I’m proud of Greer, Greenville, and upstate community. I’m grateful to locals who supported me, this town gave me and my family a lot and now it is my family payback time. I start my work at 4:30 am and work thru 5 pm, me and my wife make sure we spend time with kids and family, and we are lucky that we have loving family.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
When I design Green Laundry Lounge business, I made sure that this business must have pickup/delivery, outdoor seating, drive-thru ets, and in COVID we needed that most so I’m happy that we were ahead in our though process. COVID though us many things and most important is humanity and value of each individual life.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@greenlaundrylounge.com
- Website: www.greenlaundrylounge.com
