Z-Line Specialty Laundry
Dubuque, Iowa 52001
Nineteen-year-old Zach Beytien, from Dubuque, Iowa, is a budding entrepreneur, still in the process of starting his own business. With support from his family, Zach is hard at work developing a commercial laundry service. Services will include laundering items such as towels, linens, bedding, uniforms, and lab coats. Pick–up and delivery will be part of the service package. Becoming the owner and operator of a business will be a remarkable accomplishment for Zach, who has autism.
In 2007, Zach’s family made the difficult decision to move him to an out-of-state treatment facility where he could receive specialized help with learning to manage aggressive behaviors. Zach later returned to Iowa and lived for some time at Woodward State Resource Center. He made great progress in those settings. Now he is back near his family in Dubuque, where he lives in a home designed to serve individuals with autism.
Zach receives Supportive services through the local provider that operates the home, through Iowa’s Money Follows the Person Grant (a program of the Department of Human Services), and he is supported by his family. Zach’s support team helped him identify his interests and his ideal conditions for employment. He values being neat and organized and functions best in an environment that suits his sensory needs and allows him to take breaks if he becomes overstimulated or anxious. Zach’s family taught him how to sort, launder, and fold clothes at an early age. He enjoys the laundry process and works best with known routines, where his personal space is respected, and everything is orderly.
Owning and operating a small laundry business will allow Zach to interact with others when orders are picked up and delivered, while still maintaining an orderly environment at the laundry. One of the most important employment conditions for Zach is routine. Change is difficult and anxiety producing for Zach, but he thrives on routine work that others might consider dull or repetitive.
With assistance, Zach has developed a business plan, targeting businesses and schools in the area as potential clients. His efforts are supported by the Dubuque Public Schools, the Iowa Self Employment Program through IVRS, a Social Security Dedicated Account, Griffin-Hammis & Associates, Iowa Work Incentive Planning and Assistance, and Money Follows the Person. The Beytien family has experience with business ownership - Zach’s brother, who also has autism, operates his own scanning business in Dubuque. Zach and his team are scouting storefront locations for his business, exploring potential contracts to provide laundry services with local businesses, and planning for a grand opening for Z-Line Specialty Laundry in 2014.