CASE STUDY

Metro Laundry Service Named to The Inc. 5000 for the First Time

MVB’s Offensive Line Helps Metro Laundry Achieve National Recognition, 625% Revenue Growth, and a $10+ Million Valuation

Metro Laundry has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies for the first time. 

Metro’s recognition is the latest result of a relationship with My Valuable Business that began in 2012. Since then, Metro has increased annual revenue by 625%, grown its company value by 1,666%, and reached an enterprise value of more than $10 million. 

This milestone also marks the ninth time in seven years that MVB or one of its clients has made the Inc. 5000. 

Metro Laundry’s story demonstrates what MVB’s Optimize to Maximize™ methodology is designed to deliver: growth in the short term and increased enterprise value over the long term. 

Executive Summary

When Metro Laundry Service came to MVB in 2012, the company needed bank financing for working capital and equipment purchases. Metro Laundry’s owner was deeply involved in daily operations, leaving little time to focus on securing capital, planning for expansion, or increasing the company’s long-term value. 

MVB put its Offensive Line to work, bringing together accounting, business strategy, owner optimization, and marketing through the Optimize to Maximize™ methodology. 

MVB first helped Metro Laundry establish the financial clarity required to obtain funding and expand its operations.

We then strengthened cash flow, supported business expansion, guided the company through the 2018 government shutdown and COVID-19, and helped turn Metro Laundry’s operational leadership into marketplace leadership. 

The results helped Metro Laundry Service earn its first place on the Inc. 5000 and establish itself as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies. 

GOAL

  • Obtain the financing needed to expand Metro’s operations 

  • Build a stronger and more scalable company 

  • Increase annual revenue and enterprise value 

  • Reduce the company’s dependence on its owner 

  • Establish Metro Laundry Service as an operational and marketplace leader 

ACTIONS

  • Structured Metro Laundry’s financial records 

  • Revitalized the company’s cash flow 

  • Secured the foundation for expansion 

  • Streamlined client payment terms 

  • Guided Metro Laundry Service through the 2018 government shutdown 

  • Helped Metro Laundry Service remain open throughout COVID-19 

  • Positioned the company as an industry leader 

  • Expanded Metro Laundry’s marketplace presence 

  • Integrated financial strategy with marketing investment 

RESULTS

  • Metro Laundry Service’s first appearance on the Inc. 5000 

  • Ninth Inc. 5000 recognition across MVB and its clients in seven years 

  • 1,666% increase in company value over 11 years 

  • $10+ million enterprise value 

  • 625% increase in annual revenue over 11 years 

  • Survived the 2018 government shutdown 

  • Remained open throughout COVID-19 

  • Became an operational and marketplace leader 

  • Email click-through rate 261% higher than the industry average 

  • Social media engagement rate 163% higher than the industry average 

Background

MVB began working with Metro Laundry Service in 2012. At the time, Metro Laundry’s owner was so involved in daily operations that there was little time to focus on the company’s next step: obtaining the funding needed for growth. 

Increasing Metro Laundry’s long-term value was an important objective, but the company first needed reliable financial records, stronger cash flow, and a practical strategy for expansion. 

Those foundational needs became the starting point for a relationship that would ultimately help Metro Laundry Service achieve national recognition on the Inc. 5000. 

How We Did It

Updated Metro Laundry Service’s Financial Records

MVB’s first step was bringing Metro Laundry Service’s financial records up to date. This gave Metro Laundry’s leadership and prospective lenders a clearer and more reliable view of the company’s financial position. 

That clarity helped Metro Laundry obtain the financing it needed to begin its growth and value-creation journey. 

Set the Foundation for Growth

After securing funding, Metro Laundry Service upgraded its equipment in 2014. MVB directed the search for a new location and worked with Metro Laundry’s internal team to oversee the transition to a larger facility. 

The expansion increased Metro Laundry Service’s operational capacity and created the foundation the company needed to serve more clients and grow its local presence.

 

Implemented the Optimize to Maximize™ Methodology

MVB assessed Metro Laundry Service using its proprietary Optimize to Maximize™ framework and identified the essential steps required to execute a sustainable growth plan. 

The assessment revealed that Metro Laundry’s most significant immediate need was stronger cash flow. Addressing that need first would provide the stability and resources required to pursue the company’s larger growth goals.

 

Improved Cash Flow

MVB optimized Metro Laundry’s existing revenue streams by introducing stricter payment terms, implementing a formal collection policy, and adding annual rate increases to client contracts. 

These changes resulted in faster client payments, stronger cash flow, and a 46% increase in the rates Metro Laundry Service charged from 2013 onward.

 

Navigated Two Major Crises

Metro Laundry Service’s growth was tested by two significant disruptions: the 2018 government shutdown and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

2018 Government Shutdown

The shutdown limited Metro Laundry’s revenue for several months. MVB helped the company adjust its operations and protect the business until conditions improved. 

COVID-19

Less than two years later, COVID-19 forced many commercial laundry companies to close. 

MVB helped Metro Laundry Service adapt its operations so the company could continue serving clients while protecting its employees.

Metro Laundry’s ability to remain open established the company as a reliable partner, strengthened client loyalty, and attracted new business during and after the pandemic. 

Turned Operational Leadership Into Market Leadership

In 2024, Metro Laundry Service began working with MVB’s marketing team to ensure its public presence reflected the strength of its operations. 

MVB conducted a comprehensive brand audit and helped define Metro Laundry’s ideal market position as a small, minority-owned company with industry-leading expertise. We redesigned Metro Laundry Service’s website and implemented an omnichannel content strategy that showcased the company’s experience, capabilities, and leadership. 

The results included an email click-through rate 261% higher than the industry average and a social media engagement rate 163% higher than the industry average.

 

Integrated Financial Strategy with Marketing

Because the MVB Offensive Line integrates accounting, business strategy, and marketing, Metro Laundry Service knew how much it could—and should—invest in marketing to grow sustainably. 

Instead of relying on disconnected service providers, Metro Laundry benefited from one coordinated strategy that maximized its resources, strengthened its market presence, and kept financial and marketing decisions aligned. 

The Results

After bringing clarity to Metro Laundry Service’s finances, MVB’s Offensive Line established the systems needed to support sustainable growth. 

Metro Laundry strengthened its cash flow, expanded its operational capacity, survived two major crises, and became recognized as both an operational and marketplace leader. 

Over 11 years: 

  • Metro’s company value increased 1,666%.

  • Enterprise value grew to more than $10 million. 

  • Annual revenue increased 625%. 

Metro Laundry’s first appearance on the Inc. 5000 provides national recognition of that sustained growth. 

It also validates the long-term work behind the milestone: accurate financial information, disciplined cash-flow management, strategic expansion, resilient operations, and integrated marketing. 

  $10M+ 

METRO LAUNDRY SERVICE

INC. 5000 HONOREE 

MVB’s Ninth Inc. 5000 Recognition in Seven Years 

Metro Laundry Service’s achievement continues a larger record of results. 

Counting MVB and its clients, Metro Laundry represents the ninth time in seven years that a business working with MVB’s approach has earned a place on the Inc. 5000. 

That repeated recognition is direct evidence for Optimize to Maximize™. It demonstrates that MVB does more than help companies prepare for an eventual transition or increase in valuation. The methodology also helps businesses produce measurable growth in the present. 

Metro Laundry’s results support both halves of that promise: 

  • Short-term growth that earned Inc. 5000 recognition 

  • Long-term value creation that increased the company’s valuation more than sixteenfold 

Where Are They Now? 

MVB continues to serve as Metro Laundry Service’s trusted advisor, guiding the company’s accounting and marketing efforts while helping its leadership build on its position as an industry leader. 

Metro Laundry’s first Inc. 5000 appearance is an important milestone in that journey—and evidence of what can happen when financial clarity, operational discipline, and marketing strategy work together. 

Growth now. Enterprise value for the long term.