Duraclean Journal of Marketing, Management and Technical Topics

Hank Hakewill: Duraclean Loses a Devoted Friend

Those franchisees who were in the Duraclean system from 1973 through 1995 will likely remember Hank Hakewill. Hank started out in the Duraclean system as a franchisee in the Deerfield, Illinois area until he sold his business in 1984 for his first “retirement.” In November, 1985 he joined Duraclean Headquarters’ staff and remained a fixture there until the end of 1995 when he retired for good. Hank’s family notified Duraclean that he passed away in Maine with his family in attendance after a short bought with cancer on March 31 of this year. He was 88 years old. His wife Trudy passed away on June 28 at the age of 86.

While an employee at Duraclean Hank as International Development Manager provided telephone technical support and helped Duraclean meet OSHA compliance on Right-to-Know safety issues. He worked on writing new and revising current Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), product labels and safety programs including the Duraclean Container Labels & Material Safety Sheets booklet and the 3 Part Right-to-Know Training Program. Hank also worked closely with International franchisee prospects on potential sales and then subsequent support for them after the sale.

We never saw Hank without a smile on his face, a kind word or a story to tell which often revolved around his family activities. He and Trudy will be greatly missed.