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Ripon - Laser-guided missiles and washing machines, like oil and water, were not a good mix when Alliance Laundry Systems was owned by defense contractor Raytheon Co.

The relationship lasted almost 20 years until the late 1990s, when Raytheon sold Alliance and its other appliance companies, including Amana Refrigeration.

The break-up was hard but necessary, Bruce Rounds, Alliance's chief financial officer, said in a recent interview.

"Raytheon was a classic defense contractor, and we were a commercial laundry company," Rounds said.

"You can imagine going to Raytheon, a missile company, and trying to get a commercial laundry project approved. It just never really worked out that well," he ...

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