About Us

Company Overview

TLC Linen Services is a family owned, privately held company, and the market leader providing products, services, and supplies to food and beverage, hotel and medical and businesses. Founded in 1933 by Westervelt Terhune, the company has grown from a one-man operation to the most broadly recognized brand in Southeast Louisiana in the linen rental and uniform business. The quality of TLC’s products is of the highest caliber and service levels are unsurpassed.

Headquartered in New Orleans, LA, the business is still run by the family of Mr. Terhune. Helen and Charles LeBourgeois own and operate TLC. Helen, great-granddaughter of Westervelt Terhune, is the 4th generation to actively manage TLC.

The Early Days

Wiped out by the stock market crash of 1929, Westervelt Terhune was teetering on the brink of personal bankruptcy at the height of the Great Depression in 1933. With a wife and 2 children to support, Terhune decided to take a gamble. Acting on the advice of a friend, he moved to New Orleans and started the TOWEL AND LINEN COMPANY. The rest is a typical American Success Story – a modern business, greatly influenced by the character and entrepreneurial spirit of a young man, refusing to be beaten. It’s that philosophy of innovation and service that still characterizes TLC Linen Services today.

TLC Linen Services Today

Over time, the business has expanded New Orleans and now operates in Baton Rouge, Acadiana and the North Shore, in addition to Metro New Orleans. Our product line has also expanded beyond linen and uniform rentals to include the service and sale of mats, mops and restroom products.

Both 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina put significant dents in TLC’s operations. After Katrina, for instance, our facility was, at one point, under 5 feet of water where it ultimately rested at 2 feet for just shy of three weeks. Undeterred and spirits still strong, we persevered. Through the dedication, tenacity, commitment and sheer physical strength of a lot of incredible people and the grace of God, TLC has emerged from both tragedies stronger than ever.

State of the art equipment, automation and technological advances have allowed TLC to do what we do best … take care of our customers. As we continue to grow, our guiding principles remain central to the way we conduct ourselves. At work and out in the field, we combine common sense with creativity to find solutions. Behind everything we do is a customer focused philosophy, and a determination to achieve our common objectives through cooperation and teamwork. We believe these values distinguish us from our competition, and would make Mr. Terhune proud.

Customers and team members alike, a great many have been with TLC for decades. In fact, some customers have never had linen service from anyone else.