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2 • WINTER 2022


POLISH IS<br />

your passion<br />

WINTER 2022 • 3


CONTENTS<br />

Around the Wash:<br />

Carwash Cats ..................5<br />

Tips ..................................... 6<br />

Around the Wash:<br />

Pitfalls ............................. 10<br />

Fun & Games ............... 14<br />

Innovations .................... 19<br />

Extra! Extra! .................. 20<br />

Association Calendar<br />

& News ............................ 26<br />

Industry Dirt ................. 30<br />

Tricks of the Trade .... 40<br />

Cover Story .................... 50<br />

Get Wise About Water<br />

Reclaim............................ 54<br />

Darwin ............................. 59<br />

VOL. 50, NO. 1, WINTER 2022<br />

Publisher Jackson Vahaly<br />

Editor Debra Gorgos<br />

Design Katy Barret-Alley<br />

Note to Self<br />

BY DEBRA GORGOS, EDITOR<br />

In the pile of rubbish that was 2021—from political turmoil, health crises,<br />

and (on a smaller end of the scale) entertainment hiatuses and travel plans<br />

that went kaput, there were actually a lot of bright spots from the past year.<br />

On a global scale, we made extreme advances on the planet of Mars after<br />

NASA’s six-wheeled robot was able to carbon dioxide to oxygen for the first<br />

time. After 34 years, pandas are now off the endangered species list. One of<br />

the best shows I have ever seen debuted (Only Murders in the Building). And<br />

Yamagata, one of the deadliest strains of influenza, which had been killing<br />

500,000 people per year, have pretty much disappeared.<br />

On a more intimate level, Self Serve Car Wash Magazine is now 50+ years<br />

strong, and this fall will mark my fifth year as the editor; the self serve industry<br />

is doing well, and the importance of small business patronage is strong<br />

and acknowledged from towns to metropolises. I’m not going to lie… when I<br />

met so many of you at the 2021 Car Wash Show and the Northeast Regional<br />

Carwash Convention, I was energized and eager to start promoting the resiliency<br />

of this industry even further and showcase self serve owners’ hard work.<br />

While others learned to make homemade focaccia, self serve owners were out<br />

their cleaning out the pits, the garbage, emptying vacuums, re-hanging the<br />

hoses ...etc. ete. There was no resting. No working from home, you’ve already<br />

been doing that. No virtual anything. Your feet have been consistently on the<br />

pavement, in the cold temperatures, in the unbearable heat, hands marked<br />

with dirt, water, perfumes, criminals, messy customers, or both. While the<br />

world weeps over the past two years’ delays, stressors and damp squibs, you<br />

all still showed up. I praise you. I see you. I admire you all.<br />

Now that it is a new year, I am excited to share more positive stories. What<br />

are your goals? Maybe you have a small one… To paint, to get new signage?<br />

Or big ones? To expand, add new equipment… add a new additional revenue<br />

maker. Maybe you’re done with goals altogether, and maybe showing up every<br />

day is enough cause to celebrate or be proud. I get it. I will never pretend<br />

to know how it is, but I understand.<br />

And before I sign off, I hope you all appreciate this issue as much as I appreciate<br />

you. Also, the advertisers deserve admiration, for being so steadfast<br />

in their participation.<br />

Onward and upward,<br />

Editor Emeritus Jarret J. Jakubowski<br />

Editor Posthumous Joseph J. Campbell<br />

Editor Posthumous Julia E. Campbell<br />

Self Serve Carwash News is published 4 times<br />

per year and is independently owned by Jackson<br />

Vahaly. Web address is www.sscwn.com.<br />

All inquiries should be directed to:<br />

Self Serve Car Wash News<br />

110 Childs Ln., Franklin, TN 37067<br />

jacksonv@sscwn.com<br />

Copyright 2021. 2 Dollar Enterprises/<strong>SSCWN</strong>. All Rights Reserved<br />

4 • WINTER 2022


Another<br />

Car Wash Cats<br />

How about some heartwarming news? The following are stories<br />

of cats found at car washes, who eventually found forever<br />

homes. Now, for a collective “awwwwwwwwwwwwww……”<br />

Time for some more car wash cats!<br />

Meet Basic,<br />

Deluxe<br />

& Ultimate<br />

SUBMITTED BY MATT<br />

HUNTER OF TYPHOON<br />

WASH IN MAGNOLIA,<br />

ARKANSAS<br />

FULL SPECTRUM<br />

STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD.<br />

INTRODUCING THE ULTIMATE LIGHT<br />

SHOW FOR SELF SERVES.<br />

T 800.285.6780<br />

E sales@ggled.net<br />

www.ggled.net<br />

Actively market your car wash with eye catching colors and dramatic light shows that attract<br />

business and set your site apart from competition. Sync all your lighting together, easily scroll<br />

through any color imaginable or select from one of our unique preset color changing scenes<br />

controlled by a user-friendly app on your own device. Easily create stunning light shows that<br />

support holidays, site branding, community events and more to increase seasonal traffic.<br />

WINTER 2022 • 5


TIPs<br />

EQUIPMENT TIP<br />

Vacuum Electrical<br />

Maintenance<br />

Follow this checklist when it comes<br />

to checking your vacuums:<br />

1. Check wire connections<br />

• Look for any wire wear<br />

• Look for any loose wires<br />

2. Blow out coin mechs and<br />

motors with compressed air.<br />

3. Ensure you have the proper<br />

amps for your equipment. These<br />

include:<br />

• 3 motors pull 24 amps<br />

requiring 30 amp svc<br />

• 2 motors pull 16 amps<br />

requiring 20 amp svc<br />

4.Always use a licensed<br />

electrician to check for and<br />

maintain the:<br />

• Proper voltage<br />

• Length of run<br />

• Proper wire gauge<br />

Tips provided by J.E. Adams<br />

CUSTOMER SERVICE TIP<br />

Use the multidemographic<br />

review<br />

Turn to your friends and family members (preferably those who<br />

aren’t afraid to tell the truth) and ask them to visit your self serve car<br />

wash. Ask people from all different generations and genders. Then ask<br />

them the following questions:<br />

• What time did you visit?<br />

• Was the property clean?<br />

• Was the signage helpful?<br />

• Was the menu easy to<br />

understand?<br />

• Was any of it confusing?<br />

• Did you get enough time<br />

to wash your vehicle?<br />

• Did you feel safe and secure<br />

at the wash?<br />

• If not, what would have made<br />

you feel more safe?<br />

• How was the vacuum area?<br />

• Was it neat and picked up?<br />

• Did the vacuums work well?<br />

• What can I do to make the<br />

car wash better?<br />

Then, if you want an even more in-depth customer analysis, ask them<br />

to visit your competition and compare the two experiences. Make sure<br />

you tell them you are looking for and will appreciate honest feedback<br />

and there will be no hard feelings.<br />

BUSINESS<br />

MANAGEMENT TIP<br />

Are you<br />

prepared for<br />

the worst?<br />

From a car ruining one of your bays, to a thief<br />

damaging your coinbox, and the unfortunate<br />

possibility of a natural disaster, it is important<br />

to know how to prepare for a loss in business<br />

income. The following is information provided<br />

by ready.gov, a national public service campaign<br />

designed to help businesses and individuals.<br />

■ Business Impact Analysis<br />

A business impact analysis (BIA) predicts<br />

the consequences of disruption of a business<br />

function and process and gathers information<br />

needed to develop recovery strategies. Potential<br />

loss scenarios should be identified during a risk<br />

assessment. Operations may also be interrupted<br />

by the failure of a supplier of goods or services<br />

or delayed deliveries. There are many possible<br />

scenarios all of which should be considered.<br />

Identifying and evaluating the impact of<br />

6 • WINTER 2022<br />

disasters on business provides the basis for<br />

investment in recovery strategies as well as<br />

investment in prevention and mitigation<br />

strategies.<br />

■ Consider the Impact<br />

The BIA should identify the operational and<br />

financial impacts resulting from the disruption<br />

of business functions and processes. Impacts to<br />

consider include:<br />

• Lost sales and income<br />

• Delayed sales or income<br />

• Increased expenses (e.g., overtime labor,<br />

outsourcing, expediting costs, etc.)<br />

• Regulatory fines<br />

• Contractual penalties or loss of contractual<br />

bonuses<br />

• Customer dissatisfaction or defection<br />

• Delay of new business plans<br />

■ Timing and Duration of Disruption<br />

The point in time when a business function<br />

or process is disrupted can have a significant<br />

bearing on the loss sustained. A store damaged in<br />

the weeks prior to the holiday shopping season<br />

may lose a substantial amount of its yearly sales.<br />

A power outage lasting a few minutes would be<br />

a minor inconvenience for most businesses but<br />

one lasting for hours could result in significant<br />

business losses. A short duration disruption<br />

of production may be overcome by shipping<br />

finished goods from a warehouse but disruption<br />

of a product in high demand could have a<br />

significant impact.<br />

■ Conducting the BIA<br />

Use a BIA questionnaire to survey managers<br />

and others within the business. Survey those<br />

with detailed knowledge of how the business<br />

manufactures its products or provides its services.<br />

Ask them to identify the potential impacts if<br />

the business function or process that they are<br />

responsible for is interrupted. The BIA should<br />

also identify the critical business processes and<br />

resources needed for the business to continue to<br />

function at different levels.<br />

■ BIA Report<br />

The BIA report should document the potential<br />

impacts resulting from disruption of business<br />

functions and processes. Scenarios resulting<br />

in significant business interruption should be<br />

assessed in terms of financial impact, if possible.<br />

These costs should be compared with the costs<br />

for possible recovery strategies.<br />

The BIA report should prioritize the order of<br />

events for restoration of the business. Business<br />

processes with the greatest operational and<br />

financial impacts should be restored first.<br />

■ Business Disruption Scenarios<br />

• Physical damage to a building buildings<br />

• Damage to or breakdown of machinery,<br />

systems or equipment<br />

• Restricted access to a site or building<br />

• Interruption of the supply chain including<br />

failure of a supplier or disruption of<br />

transportation of goods from the supplier.<br />

• Utility outage (e.g., electrical power outage)<br />

• Damage to, loss or corruption of<br />

information technology including voice and<br />

data communications, servers, computers,<br />

operating systems, applications, and data<br />

• Absenteeism of essential employees


WINTER 2022 • 7


TIPs<br />

MARKETING TIP<br />

Get on base!<br />

Spring training is just weeks away and America’s<br />

favorite pastime is about to take over the parks,<br />

televisions, sports news sections, etc. According to<br />

ESPN, more than 25 million kids played baseball<br />

or softball in 2018, and nearly 15 million of those<br />

were “core” players who played 13 or more times in<br />

a year. Therefore, it might be worth your while, and<br />

your advertising budget, to consider sponsoring a<br />

local team. Those shirts and uniforms, emblazoned<br />

with your car wash name and logo will be seen<br />

by parents, fans, umpires, referees, grandparents,<br />

coaches and players. Plus, it can also build loyalty<br />

with those grateful for the donated money.<br />

Another idea is to buy and/or rent a fence sign<br />

or “billboard” at the local ballpark. They are also<br />

available for advertising at local skating rinks,<br />

basketball courts and soccer fields. Another thing<br />

to consider is that because a lot of local youth<br />

groups are registered as non-profits, a sponsorship<br />

would be considered a tax write-off.<br />

If you have a local AA baseball team there are<br />

many marketing ideas for that arena. Consider<br />

advertising in the programs, on a field sign, or maybe<br />

man a booth at the stadium in which you hand out<br />

flyers and giveaways or host a raffle. Another idea<br />

is to sponsor an inning and have your business’s<br />

name broadcasted out by the game’s announcer.<br />

This might also be heard if the games are broadcast<br />

on the local radio stations. You can also sponsor an<br />

entertainment segment in between innings.<br />

And, if its too late to sponsor a baseball team,<br />

there is always hockey and basketball sponsorship<br />

opportunities.<br />

Better act now though as Spring training is already<br />

underway and Spring is just around the corner.<br />

And to prove sponsoring a team works, here is<br />

a picture of myself, editor Debra Gorgos (the only<br />

one not wearing a hat). This was back in the mid-<br />

1980s and I still remember that CT Male was the<br />

sponsor of our softball team for so many years.<br />

LEGAL TIP<br />

How to register<br />

your trademark<br />

and logo<br />

If you’ve taken the time and creative energy<br />

to come up with a great name and/or trademark<br />

for your business, you should also take the time<br />

to register them both. The last thing you want is<br />

anyone stealing your hard work and creativeness.<br />

It is not difficult to do this. You simply have to visit<br />

United States Patent and Trademark Office (uspto.<br />

gov) to get started. If you’re still in the designing<br />

phases, you have to do some research. According<br />

to upcounsel.com, you’ll need to make sure that<br />

no similar mark already exists in the Trademark<br />

Electronic Search System, found at https://<br />

tmsearch.uspto.gov/. If you find something similar,<br />

the next step is making changes to your mark so<br />

that it doesn’t infringe.<br />

Once you’ve determined that your mark is<br />

truly unique, upcounel.com stated, you can start<br />

using the TM symbol at the end. The three main<br />

placement techniques for notifying competitors of<br />

your intent to use the mark are:<br />

• Placing a symbol (TM, ®, * [asterisk], or<br />

dagger/double dagger) at the first use of<br />

the trademark but not on subsequent uses,<br />

then adding a footnote that overviews the<br />

trademark<br />

• Placing the TM or ® symbol next to the<br />

trademark every time you use it<br />

• Using a different font or formatting, such<br />

as bold, italic, or uppercase, for the<br />

trademarked words to differentiate them<br />

from other text.<br />

Here are a few frequently asked questions<br />

found on Legalzoom.com which deals with small<br />

business legal matters.<br />

■ I found a trademark similar to mine.<br />

Can I still register it?<br />

Oftentimes no, because it could create confusion.<br />

But if the other mark is used for different<br />

products or services, it might be possible because<br />

consumers may not be confused about who sells<br />

what. Take the Delta trademark. Delta Dental,<br />

Delta Air Lines, and Delta Faucet Company<br />

coexist because the products are different enough<br />

to prevent consumer confusion.<br />

■ Do I need to register my business<br />

name and logo separately?<br />

Yes. The USPTO (United States Patent and<br />

Trademark Office) allows one trademark—that’s<br />

one name, one logo, or one slogan—per application.<br />

You can register a logo that includes text,<br />

but then the design and the text together are<br />

considered one trademark. Want them protected<br />

individually? You’d need to file two applications.<br />

■ What’s the difference between a<br />

basic and a comprehensive search?<br />

With a basic search, we look for direct hits (aka<br />

exact matches) in the federal database to see if<br />

someone already registered your mark. With a<br />

comprehensive search, we look for exact and<br />

similar matches—plus, we’ll see if someone uses<br />

but hasn’t registered your mark.<br />

■ How long will it take to register my<br />

trademark?<br />

Ideally, six to nine months if you’re using your<br />

mark in commerce. The USPTO will review your<br />

application within a few months, and then either<br />

send an Office action with questions or concerns,<br />

or approve your trademark for publication. If<br />

published and there are no objections by the public<br />

within 30 days, your mark is officially registered.<br />

If you’re not yet using your mark in commerce,<br />

it can take longer. After making it through the<br />

previous steps, the USPTO will grant a Notice<br />

of Allowance—which says they’ll register your<br />

mark once you provide proof of use in commerce<br />

through a Statement of Use. Once that’s submitted<br />

and approved, your mark is officially registered.<br />

8 • WINTER 2022


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WINTER 2022 • 9


Around The Wash: Avoiding Pitfalls<br />

Avoiding Pitfalls<br />

The Pitfalls<br />

of Owning<br />

a Car Care<br />

Business<br />

By Rob Schruefer<br />

rob@onspotdetailing.com<br />

It is the ‘American Dream’ to create and operate<br />

your own business. There is a freedom and feeling<br />

of satisfaction that comes with working for yourself<br />

and being your own boss. Ask anyone and I bet<br />

they would say they would start their own business<br />

if given the opportunity. What most people do not<br />

realize or want to acknowledge is that 8 out of 10<br />

businesses fail within the first year of operation. I<br />

don’t have actual figures, but I would guess a self<br />

serve car wash would fail because many think it<br />

requires little work and is a fail proof business. But<br />

to be successful in the the industry it is vital to<br />

avoid some of the biggest pitfalls that cause a business<br />

to close.<br />

The following are some of the common pitfalls<br />

that I personally see detailing business owners fall<br />

(and sink) into, which would also apply to self<br />

serve car wash business owners.<br />

■ PITFALL #1:<br />

Not Securing Capital<br />

Failing to secure capital to keep the business<br />

running is one of the trickiest parts of starting your<br />

own business. You need this money upfront in order<br />

to start. It could take years for a business to<br />

become established and make enough money to<br />

support itself, and you. The leap from going from<br />

a full-time job elsewhere can be a scary and expensive<br />

venture. When I started my company, it<br />

was tedious. I spent the first 5 years of the business<br />

working at night and on weekends at a bar to ensure<br />

money that the company made could be put<br />

back into the company. It is imperative to have<br />

several months-worth of operating income available<br />

to you in case of an emergency. This money<br />

can cover you during an injury, bad weather, or<br />

just a downturn in the amount of work coming in.<br />

If you need capital prior to starting the business, it<br />

can be obtained through bank loans, investors, or<br />

the Small Business Administration (SBA), just to<br />

name a few.<br />

■ PITFALL #2:<br />

Ignoring Your Demographic<br />

Not knowing or understanding your market can<br />

keep you from having loyal and repeat customers<br />

and will hurt your advertising efforts. The demographics<br />

and needs of the community will ultimately<br />

dictate the type of services you can offer,<br />

and what you can charge for those services. Do<br />

some research, ask around, visit the competition<br />

and find out what the majority of the people in<br />

your area are looking for in a self serve and are<br />

willing to pay. You can find vehicle information,<br />

median household income, and other buying habits<br />

from the Internet to help you guide your decision.<br />

You may find that your main client is going to<br />

be women ages 30 to 45, with a household income<br />

of $60k, and driving a minivan. Put a picture of a<br />

minivan on your website. Have a “Back to School”<br />

or “Mother’s Day” special. And be sure to speak<br />

to her in a way that makes her want to use your<br />

car wash -- this will make the difference between<br />

success and failure. Know who your client is and<br />

give them the service they want.<br />

■ PITFALL #3:<br />

Being Mean<br />

If you have an employee, being someone that<br />

no one wants to work for will make your business<br />

sink. And, if you’re mean to your customers, expect<br />

the same. Everyone wants to be treated with<br />

respect. Always remember that your employee(s)<br />

and customers are people too, and they have fam-<br />

Definition of PITFALL: pit·fall<br />

/ˈpitˌfôl/<br />

noun<br />

a hidden or unsuspected danger or difficulty.<br />

A Few Other Pitfalls<br />

According to Entrepreneur Magazine, here<br />

are a few other pitfalls to avoid:<br />

Ignoring the Competition: Never<br />

underestimate your competition. Competition<br />

can crush your business totally if you aren’t<br />

careful, especially if you haven’t taken the<br />

time to fully understand it. Startups based<br />

around a new idea sometimes get too sure of<br />

themselves, neglecting to keep a watch on<br />

the markets -- competition isn’t necessarily<br />

a bad thing, but you need to make sure you<br />

differentiate yourself in a way that makes<br />

your company seem like the more appealing<br />

service.<br />

Becoming Complacent: Too many<br />

companies have failed because they were<br />

overly dependent on one thing. Maybe it<br />

was a highly valuable customer, or a very<br />

talented and experienced worker. Maybe it<br />

was an environmental condition that allowed<br />

for the company to be successful. But<br />

remember: Customers can opt out. Workers<br />

can quit. Environmental conditions can --<br />

and will -- change. If you allow any part of<br />

your business to be dependent on anything,<br />

you’re setting yourself up for disaster (or at<br />

least a huge gamble). Instead, hedge your<br />

bets by investing in multiple variations and<br />

multiple, complementary dependencies.<br />

10 • WINTER 2022


WINTER 2022 • 11


Around The Wash: Avoiding Pitfalls<br />

ilies to support and bills to pay, and places to go. They want their opinions<br />

and concerns heard, acknowledged and addressed. Not all suggestions will be<br />

implemented, or are even logical, but it is important to listen. More than just<br />

listening to them, reward them for hard work with adequate pay and bonuses.<br />

It’s important to remember that your reputation as a good, or horrible boss<br />

or business owner can spread like wildfire. Negative word-of-mouth can hurt<br />

a business, even if you own an exceptional car wash, so make sure your own<br />

employee(s) or customers are doing some good marketing for you. Do not let<br />

ego, or stubbornness become a pitfall that you cannot overcome.<br />

■ PITFALL #4:<br />

Ignoring the Pitfalls<br />

Thinking you know everything and have it all figured out is another big pitfall.<br />

You have to always keep yourself in check and know that small businesses<br />

fail all the time. The aforementioned pitfalls are just a few of the many I see<br />

business owners fall into, and there are so many more out there to be aware of<br />

and avoided. Avoiding them will certainly help in keeping your business afloat<br />

and will certainly help you along your journey to becoming an established business.<br />

Read reviews of your business. Check the Nextdoor App, Facebook, Yelp<br />

and Google to see if anyone is talking about your business. Ask your customers<br />

if they are satisfied. Take classes provided at tradeshows and the SBA. It is important<br />

to be flexible and think outside the box for solutions to help you avoid<br />

becoming part of the 90% that do not make it.<br />

Why Startups Fail<br />

The following graphics were from Entreprenuer.com:<br />

Rob Schruefer is the owner of On The Spot Detailing out of Columbia, Maryland.<br />

He proudly serves on the board of the International Detailing Association and works<br />

tirelessly to ensure that detailing business owners receive business development<br />

support to help them achieve their goals. When not writing the cover story, Rob is a<br />

regular contributor for Auto Detailing News with his column, The Business of Detailing.<br />

Famous Companies that Failed to Pivot<br />

It’s no secret that familiar and once-popular business chains are<br />

closing down...forever. From Toys R Us, to Kmart, to non-brick and<br />

mortar companies such as MySpace and Motorola. People will say they<br />

miss the businesses, but how much money were they actually giving<br />

them. Little to none was the case and the businesses ultimately closed.<br />

The reason? According to experts, it’s because they failed to pivot and<br />

change with the times, and the generations. The baby boomers had<br />

different needs than Generation X-ers, but some businesses didn’t<br />

consider this or maybe didn’t want to waste potential time and money on<br />

investing in such changing needs.<br />

Toys “R” Us CEO David Brandon, stated in a U.S. Securities and<br />

Exchange Commission filing in 2017 that the company fell behind its<br />

competitors “on various fronts, including with regard to general upkeep<br />

and the condition of our stores.” And, while Amazon.com competition<br />

wasn’t helping matters, customers complained of the stores’ warehouselike<br />

environments with little to no customer service.<br />

As for the once extremely popular and money-making machine that<br />

was Blockbuster, it wasn’t Netflix that did the company in, it was the<br />

company’s failure to reimagine its prototype. While the business did<br />

welcome new ways to make money and serve its clientele by offering<br />

video game and music rentals in the 1990s, it didn’t think past the way<br />

in which to make money through $3+ rentals and late fees. In fact,<br />

Netflix approached Blockbuster with a proposal to team up and set the<br />

stage for a mail-order and brick and mortar prototype. But that proposal<br />

was rejected. According to Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix, that<br />

meeting was upsetting, but not detrimental. In his book, No Rules Rules:<br />

Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention. Hastings wrote: “I am often<br />

asked, “How did this happen? Why could Netflix repeatedly adapt but<br />

Blockbuster could not?” That day we went to Dallas, Blockbuster held all<br />

the aces. They had the brand, the power, the resources, and the vision.<br />

Blockbuster had us beat hands down.<br />

It was not obvious at the time, even to me, but we had one thing<br />

that Blockbuster did not: a culture that valued people over process,<br />

emphasized innovation over efficiency, and had very few controls. Our<br />

culture, which focused on achieving top performance with talent density<br />

and leading employees with context, not control, has allowed us to<br />

continually grow and change as the world, and our members’ needs,<br />

have likewise morphed around us.”<br />

12 • WINTER 2022<br />

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WINTER 2022 • 13


FUN&<br />

GAMES<br />

WHAT’S DIFFERENT?<br />

Think these two pictures taken at a self serve car wash are the same?<br />

Think again! There are four differences. Can you spot them all?<br />

1. Drum is smaller 2. Outlet is missing 3. Cinder block lines are missing 4. Lock on control box is missing<br />

LET’S GO FOR …<br />

A TRIP<br />

AROUND THE<br />

WORLD!<br />

Can you guess where the<br />

following car washes are<br />

located? The choices are:<br />

1. Romania<br />

2. Ontario, Canada<br />

3. Brisbane, Australia<br />

4. Poland<br />

14 • WINTER 2022


SHAQ’S<br />

COSTLY<br />

SELF SERVE<br />

CAR WASH<br />

MISTAKE<br />

Basketball legend and multi-business owner Shaquille O’Neal knows a thing<br />

or two about making bank. But making it to the bank is a whole other story.<br />

As the owner of 150 car washes across the country, O’Neal admits to not<br />

being very business savvy when he first started out in the industry.<br />

Graham Bensinger on his show, Shaquille O’Neal revealed this bizarre<br />

story about his car wash. He told Graham Bensinger on his show, In Depth,<br />

that he was being an irresponsible business owner.<br />

“I would get the coins and the quarters and I’d just take them home and put<br />

them in my safe. But so much money was coming in, I didn’t think we could<br />

take quarters and dimes to the bank like that. I didn’t want them to think I<br />

was, you know, breaking into vending machines. So I would just take them and<br />

dump them in plastic bags and pillowcases and put them in the house.”<br />

His fear of cashing in the coins eventually caught up with him, to the<br />

tune of $250,000 in misappropriated funds. His financial advisor called him<br />

and asked if he could account for the missing ¼ of a million dollars.<br />

“What?” O’Neal replied. Oh yes, he said, “I think that’s at home in my safe.”<br />

For Details Visit • www.swcarwash.org<br />

WINTER 2022 • 15


INNOVATIONS<br />

INTRODUCING<br />

Inventory App<br />

Kleen-Rite Corp., the largest family-owned<br />

car wash distributor in the<br />

country, has introduced the new KR<br />

Stock app, bringing car wash inventory<br />

management to the palm of your<br />

hand. Kleen-Rite has developed an application<br />

aimed squarely at making life<br />

easier for car wash owners, whether<br />

they own one site or one dozen sites.<br />

KR Stock allows operators to keep<br />

track of the inventory levels of the<br />

Kleen-Rite products they need the<br />

most. Operators and employees can easily<br />

keep track of the products they currently<br />

have in their inventory, see which<br />

car wash they’re being stored at, and order<br />

immediately from the app. Instead<br />

of carrying around a pen and paper to do<br />

things the old-fashioned way, or having<br />

to deal with cumbersome spreadsheets,<br />

this app uses intuitive actions and icons<br />

to let operators adjust on the go, from<br />

their phone or tablet.<br />

The KR Stock app offers:<br />

• Inventory Management in<br />

the Palm of the Hand: Access<br />

inventory counts right from any<br />

handheld phone or device – both<br />

amount and car wash location.<br />

• Fast Track Ordering: Ability to<br />

order right away in the app when<br />

restocking is needed.<br />

• Personalized Management for<br />

Preferred Items: No information<br />

overload about irrelevant<br />

products, instead providing focus<br />

on previously-ordered products<br />

for focused reordering.<br />

• Order History: Past orders<br />

are shown, and can be clicked<br />

through immediately to add those<br />

products to the cart for reorder.<br />

Any experienced car wash owner<br />

knows that keeping a flow of chemicals,<br />

parts, equipment, vending items,<br />

and other supplies is absolutely crucial<br />

to the success of a car wash. This lets<br />

them spend less time shopping, and<br />

more time managing their car wash.<br />

The new KR Stock app is easy to access.<br />

Simply download the KR Stock<br />

app from the preferred download location<br />

– the app is available in both<br />

the Apple Store or Google Play Store.<br />

Access is done using customers’ existing<br />

Kleen-Rite customer log-in information,<br />

and allows them to get started<br />

immediately!<br />

16 • WINTER 2022<br />

Disinfectant<br />

Wipes and Ready<br />

to Use Cleaner<br />

Malco® Products, Inc. has launched the addition<br />

of Disinfectant Products to its product portfolio.<br />

Malco Disinfectant Wipes are multi-purpose wipes<br />

that clean, disinfect3, and deodorize hard, non-porous<br />

surfaces in one easy step. Made with an EPA-approved<br />

bleach- and alcohol-free formula, the wipes<br />

are effective against cold1 and flu virusesttt and kill<br />

99.9% of bacteria in 15 seconds**. They are also effective<br />

against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes<br />

COVID-19, after 30 seconds***.<br />

Malco Disinfectant RTU Cleaner is a ready-to-use<br />

cleaner that disinfects3, sanitizes, cleans, and deodorizes<br />

hard, non-porous, and soft surfaces§. The cleaner<br />

is also made with an EPA-approved bleach- and<br />

alcohol-free formula that is effective against cold1<br />

and flu virusesttt and kills 99.9% of bacteria in 5 seconds****<br />

and is also effective against SARS-CoV-2,<br />

the virus that causes COVID-19, after 30 seconds***.<br />

“Malco has been providing trusted cleaning products<br />

to the automotive, marine, and consumer products<br />

markets for years. Once the pandemic hit, it only made<br />

sense that we should expand our offering to include<br />

No pile-ups patent<br />

New air freshener company<br />

Founded by three Los Angeles natives, Smellies is<br />

dedicated to developing high-quality scents that are<br />

environmentally friendly.<br />

“We are downright obsessed with delivering premium,<br />

safe, sustainable multi-use air that fills lives with freshness,”<br />

explained spokesperson Frank Ponce De Leon.<br />

Smellies air fresheners are available in ten scents:<br />

Vanilla, Black Ice, New Car, Tropical, Honey-Peach,<br />

Blueberry, Citrus, Fresh Linen, Lemon, and Lavender.<br />

Smellies is not just focused on odor removal and promoting<br />

multi-use air fresheners for all, but the brand is<br />

committed to protecting the planet and improving air<br />

quality worldwide through its Fresh Air Initiative.<br />

NEW AND IMPROVED PRODUCTS<br />

AND SERVICES FOR SELF SERVE CAR WASHES<br />

disinfectant products,” said Malco President Seth Glaburman.<br />

“The Malco Disinfectant Products provide our<br />

existing customers access to the products they need,<br />

where and when they need them to keep their business,<br />

vehicle, office, and home safe for all who enter.”<br />

Malco Disinfectant Wipes are industry standard 7”<br />

x 8” and available in a 75 count canister. Malco RTU<br />

Cleaner is available in a 22 oz spray bottle, 1-gallon, or<br />

5-gallon sizes to support the demand from consumer<br />

and automotive customers. The disinfectant products<br />

are available for purchase from local distributors<br />

across the U.S or on the Malco Automotive website.<br />

††† Influenza A Virus, Pandemic 2009 H1N1 Influenza A Virus, Human Coronavirus¹<br />

** Staphylococcus aureus (Staph), Klebsiella pneumoniae, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli (E. coli)<br />

O157:H7<br />

3 When used according to disinfection directions<br />

*** When used according to package directions<br />

****Staphylococcus aureus (Staph), Klebsiella pneumoniae<br />

§Composed of 100% cotton, 100% polyester, or 50/50 cotton/polyester<br />

DRB, an Akron, Ohio-based provider of car wash<br />

point-of-sale and optimization technology, announced<br />

that it has been awarded a patent for No-<br />

Pileups, a full-tunnel optimization system for conveyorized<br />

car washes designed to reduce in-tunnel<br />

collisions and optimize tunnel capacity.<br />

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”)<br />

issued U.S. Pat. No. 11,127,283 relating to NoPileups<br />

on September 21. The patent covers NoPileups’<br />

ability to configure cameras, LIDAR, RADAR or<br />

SONAR to track the relative positions of vehicles<br />

in the tunnel and trigger a stop of the conveyor and<br />

wash equipment when a collision threat is detected.<br />

NoPileups was developed to solve the growing<br />

challenges of in-tunnel collisions, particularly with<br />

the prevalence of automatic braking systems. The system<br />

uses computer vision and machine learning technology<br />

to monitor car wash tunnels and automatically<br />

stop the conveyor when collision threats are detected.<br />

With NoPileups preventing in-tunnel collisions, car<br />

wash operators can confidently load vehicles at optimum<br />

levels, allowing them to wash more cars during<br />

peak hours. It also helps them identify misaligned<br />

equipment so the tunnel runs at top performance.<br />

“NoPileups has been a true game-changer in the<br />

car wash industry, helping its users save money on<br />

damages and preserve their reputation all while increasing<br />

their operational efficiency,” said Dan Pittman,<br />

President of DRB.<br />

The first NoPileups system was installed in 2016.<br />

There are now more than 700 NoPileups systems<br />

installed in car washes across the United States.<br />

“Smellies Fresh Air Initiative is our pledge to sustainability,<br />

protecting vulnerable forest and ocean<br />

habitats, and meeting our annual carbon emission<br />

offset goals by offering our customers CO2 compensated<br />

shipping options at checkout to ensure carbon-neutral<br />

shipping operations.”<br />

“We also strive to reduce our environmental<br />

impact by using fully recyclable, minimalist, and<br />

eco-friendly packaging. To achieve our sustainability<br />

goals, Smellies partnered with the Ocean Conservancy,<br />

TerraPass, and the National Forest Foundation,<br />

which fund projects that promise fresh air for all,”<br />

stated Business Partner Greg Svorinich.


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WINTER 2022 • 17


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18 • WINTER 2022


EXTRA!<br />

EXTRA!<br />

Presenting the news stories featuring<br />

self serve car washes<br />

New wash opens in Tasmania<br />

Co-directors Ken Upchurch and Heath Lang have<br />

opened a self serve car wash in Legana, Tasmania, Australia,<br />

according to a December 11 Examiner story.<br />

The was includes several cashless self-wash stations, a<br />

large in-bay automatic car wash, self detailing bay, and a<br />

pet wash.<br />

“The car wash was intended to be completed in September<br />

but sourcing the specialized labor required to construct<br />

the facility was delayed by quarantine issues,” the story said.<br />

“We looked around and thought about what the community<br />

needed, and we’re just hoping the community agrees,”<br />

Upchurch said in the story.<br />

New wash opens in McGregor, Minnesota<br />

Two couples, Brandon and Janae Popp and Jordan and Alli Barten, recently formed a partnership<br />

called Bartopp Properties and now own a self serve car wash as their first venture, a<br />

December 11 Message Media story said.<br />

Brandon and Janae Popp reside in McGregor, Minnesota, where Brandon serves as the<br />

superintendent at Minnesota National Golf Club and Resort. Janae is a registered nurse.<br />

Jordan and Alli Barten live in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, where Jordan is a commercial banker<br />

and Alli is a daycare provider.<br />

“The partnership will bring diverse experience to the new business,” the story said. “Living<br />

in the McGregor area and knowing the local community well is a bonus,” Brandon said in<br />

the story. “We hope to try and fill a void in the car wash world of a small community. We are<br />

excited to learn and grow with the business.”<br />

“The biggest initial change is we will be open year-round, which was one of the bigger<br />

requests from customers,” Alli said in the story.<br />

A new in-bay automatic wash, which will be installed and operational by early-spring and<br />

large self-serve bay will be kept as-is. “Bartopp Properties is also working in collaboration<br />

with McGregor Oil to bring savings to the community and encourage the support of local<br />

businesses. The new owners would also like to eventually add a pet wash in the future, another<br />

popular request,” the story said.<br />

Currently, there is only one other automated car wash in McGregor.<br />

“We are very excited about the purchase, and we will be moving quickly to complete all of<br />

the updates,” Alli said in the story. “As a family with many connections to the area, we look<br />

forward to serving the community and keeping it clean - one car at a time!”<br />

Texas self serve serves as<br />

Covid-19 testing site<br />

The D&D Coin Op self serve car wash in San Antonio<br />

was turned into a Covid-19 testing site back in December,<br />

according to a Fox 29 news report.<br />

The December 8 story said the post-holiday surge of<br />

COVID-19 along with a lack of supply forced some people<br />

to wait for several hours in line to get a COVID test.<br />

The testing clinic which was run by Nomi Health was<br />

one of many pop-up clinics across the county.<br />

The testing site was open every day for the second week<br />

of December from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. including on Saturday.<br />

Renovated car and truck<br />

wash opens in Barryville,<br />

New York<br />

Jim Sallusto and his son Matt had been visiting<br />

the area of Barryville for the past 27 years,<br />

and now they’re living here permanently as<br />

co-owners of the newly renovated Barryville<br />

Car & Truck Wash. According to a December 29<br />

River Reporter story, “Matt is in charge,” Jim said<br />

at the December 18 ribbon cutting and celebration,<br />

“I’m just the eye candy.”<br />

Matt said they installed the most modern self<br />

serve car wash equipment. ”In deference to the<br />

proximity to the Upper Delaware River, the car<br />

wash is equipped with a series of holding tanks<br />

that filter out sediment, salt and any chemical<br />

residue from the biodegradable soaps. The produced<br />

grey water is then pumped out by a local<br />

carrier,” the story said.<br />

New wash opens in<br />

Toms River, New<br />

Jersey<br />

Prestige Auto Spa NJ, of Toms<br />

River, New Jersey, recently opened<br />

its doors last November, according<br />

to a press release.<br />

Prestige Auto Spa NJ is locally<br />

owned and operated by Jeff Kovatch<br />

and Sal Branchizio, long-time<br />

friends and long-time car enthusiasts,<br />

the press release stated. Driven<br />

to build a community car wash<br />

that offers more, Prestige offers<br />

full-serve and self serve bays along<br />

with oil changes, window tinting,<br />

headlight restorations, detailing,<br />

and more.<br />

WINTER 2022 • 19


EXTRA! EXTRA!<br />

The Brits are going after litterers in a<br />

whole new way<br />

Littering is apparently a £850 million (which equals $1,146,225,000 in<br />

US dollars) problem in jolly ol’ England, according to a January 12 MSN<br />

story. However, not one to sit on its britches, a British tech company called<br />

Littercam “has developed a technology that uses AI and computer vision<br />

to detect littering and match it with the offender’s license plate. Cameras<br />

can be mounted on lampposts or plugged into existing CCTV cameras.<br />

The software is in its first six months, but it’s already being trialed in Kent,<br />

Central London, Essex, Scotland, and The Netherlands.”<br />

According to the story, the UK spends about £850 million cleaning it<br />

up from the streets. The Littercam algorithm is trained to detect the 10<br />

most common litter types, including cigarette butts, cups, and fast-food<br />

packaging. When the computer catches a litterbug in the act, it registers<br />

the offense and matches it with the license plate. (The algorithm can also<br />

be used to detect graffiti and waste on the side of the road.)<br />

Current software does not offer facial recognition, and the data can only<br />

be accessed by authorized law enforcement agents. The car’s information<br />

will be then sent to the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, and<br />

each incident will be reviewed. Littercam will then issue a penalty notice<br />

to the car’s registered owner, featuring snapshots of the license plate and<br />

the littering offense. The maximum penalty is £150, which equals about<br />

$200 US dollars.<br />

“Fundamentally, it’s about behavior change,” said Andrew Kemp, Founder<br />

of Littercam, “but more broadly, we’re a technology company that wants<br />

to take on challenging data science problems to deliver the technology of<br />

the future, particularly from an environmental perspective.”<br />

At-home car washing banned (sort of) in<br />

California<br />

According to a January 4 Associated Press story, Californians will face<br />

mandatory restrictions governing their outdoor water use as the state endures<br />

another drought and voluntary conservation efforts have fallen short.<br />

The rules adopted January 4 by the State Water Resources Control<br />

Board come after Californians failed to meet Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call<br />

for a voluntary 15% reduction in water use compared to 2020. Between<br />

the months of July and November, water usage was down by just 6%.<br />

State climatologist Michael Anderson also warned that forecasts show<br />

January, February and March could be drier than average.<br />

Despite a rainier-than-normal December, “significant parts of the state’s<br />

water system are still under stress from the extremely dry conditions earlier<br />

in 2021 that dropped many of California’s largest reservoirs to record<br />

and near-record lows,” the story said.<br />

Eric Oppenheimer, chief deputy director for the state water board, said<br />

in the story, “We need to be prepared for continued drought.”<br />

Among the water uses restricted under the new rules: Outdoor watering<br />

that results in excessive runoff into the street and sidewalks; washing cars<br />

with hoses lacking shut-off nozzles; using potable water to wash driveways,<br />

sidewalks, buildings and patios and for street cleaning or to fill decorative<br />

fountains or lakes.<br />

According to the story, much of the Western United States is experiencing<br />

a drought, but only California has adopted statewide restrictions on<br />

residential water usage.<br />

This isn’t the first time Californians have been put under water restriction<br />

laws. The state enacted similar restrictions during the five-year<br />

drought which ended in 2017. Some cities and local water districts even<br />

made them permanent.<br />

The state has also set up a website where individuals can turn in their<br />

neighbors who might be violating the rules. “During California’s last<br />

drought, people engaged in so-called “ drought shaming “, the process of<br />

publicly outing people who are wasting water by posting videos to social<br />

media,” the story said.<br />

20 • FALL 2021<br />

Don’t drive with a dirty window in Spain!<br />

If anyone is looking for a major change in scenery, consider opening a car<br />

wash in Spain! Why? Because car washes are becoming an important part of a<br />

driver’s life. According to a January 4 Sur story, drivers can be fined up to 3,000<br />

euros for not keeping the windows of their cars clean from dirt, ice and snow.<br />

“According to the country’s traffic rules, vehicle windows need to be kept<br />

clean along with headlights and license plates. Under safety laws, the police<br />

can impound a car if it has ‘deficiencies that constitute a particularly serious<br />

risk to vital safety,’” the story said.<br />

According to Owner and Founder of Grupo Moure and Elefante Azul, “Car<br />

washes are an essential activity for any driver. …Today a good carwash center<br />

is equipped with highly efficient technology and a computer that manages<br />

the different phases of the process leaving an impeccable final result. Washing<br />

a vehicle is more than just mixing water with soap and rinsing,”<br />

Where or where did all the PPP money go?<br />

An in-depth report by Jim Probasco of Investopedia dug deep into the<br />

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and where and to whom the funds were<br />

dispersed. The January 23 story, outlined the PPP, which was enacted as part<br />

of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act),<br />

and provided small businesses with approximately $800 billion in low-interest<br />

uncollateralized loans from April 3, 2020, through May 31, 2021.<br />

According to research and analysis conducted by the National Bureau of<br />

Economic Research (NBER), the program “preserved 2 to 3 million job-years<br />

of employment at a cost of $170,000 to $257,000 per retained job-year (a<br />

job-year is defined as one job for one year.)<br />

“Almost all PPP loans are expected to be forgiven with 94% of eligible<br />

small businesses in the U.S. receiving one or more loans under the program.<br />

Roughly 25% of PPP loan funds went directly to workers who would have<br />

lost their jobs. The rest (75%) went to business owners, shareholders, creditors,<br />

and suppliers of companies receiving loans,” the story said.<br />

Also of note, according to the story:<br />

• NBER analysis of PPP found that 75% of PPP funds went to<br />

business owners, shareholders, creditors, and suppliers and roughly<br />

25% to workers who would have otherwise lost their jobs.<br />

• Marginal propensity to consume (MPC) (spend the money on<br />

consumption) for the top 75% of PPP recipients was 0.5, about half<br />

that of workers which was 1.0.<br />

• The high cost ($170K to $250K) per job saved was another<br />

unfavorable aspect of the program.<br />

• 94% of eligible small businesses that received assistance.<br />

• Most of the negative outcome is blamed on the untargeted nature of<br />

the program due to the lack of administrative capacity in the U.S. to<br />

administer a program of this type.<br />

• A percentage of PPP loan funds that went to businesses reinforced<br />

the company’s bottom line in the form of windfall profit.<br />

“What is less certain is the degree to which small employers would have<br />

shuttered their doors permanently versus on a temporary basis, the story<br />

questioned. The data, NBER said, offer stronger support for PPP helping<br />

small companies avoid temporary closure than for preventing them from<br />

shutting their doors forever.”<br />

It appears that 25% of PPP funds were paid to businesses that used the<br />

funds to pay retained and previously unemployed workers. The remaining<br />

75% of funds, were given to creditors who would not have been paid yet<br />

also became beneficiaries. “Business owners could use loan proceeds to pay<br />

non-payroll expenses, including rent, utilities, and mortgage interest. Using<br />

the funds for these expenses made that part of the loan forgivable.”<br />

However, it was found that some percentage of PPP funds went to, “owners<br />

and shareholders of PPP-receiving firms as residual claimants in cases<br />

where businesses would have met some or all of their payroll and other<br />

financial obligations absent PPP (AKA, windfall profits),” according to<br />

NBER. In other words, according to the story, some businesses received the<br />

benefit of PPP funds but didn’t need some or all of those funds in order to<br />

stay open and solvent.


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WINTER 2022 • 21


self serve<br />

& support equipment<br />

SINGLE VACUUM<br />

• Stainless Steel arches that are<br />

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• Fixed SS Boom to provide the hose<br />

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• Vacuum boom can be ordered<br />

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• Post is 3” x 6” x 8’ tall for the<br />

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Used for 2-6<br />

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• Easy access to chemicals<br />

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SUPER SAVER<br />

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Features<br />

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high pressure wax<br />

• All stainless steel construction<br />

• Totally self-contained<br />

• Removable pump assembly<br />

• Model CAT 5CP2120<br />

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• Brass regulators<br />

• Automatic chemical mixing tank<br />

• Fused terminal blocks<br />

• 3 HP 3 PH motor<br />

The Power Pack<br />

self-service car<br />

wash system<br />

is designed for the space<br />

conscious. The modular<br />

stainless steel framework<br />

is about 25% shorter but<br />

still includes most of the<br />

same features as the<br />

Super Saver 2500.<br />

Optional<br />

Features<br />

• Bug remover<br />

• Triple foam<br />

brush<br />

• Triple shine<br />

• Spot-free<br />

rinse (low or<br />

medium<br />

pressure)<br />

• Marine<br />

engine flush<br />

UNDER $10,000.00<br />

*STARTING AT UNDER $10,000.00<br />

CARWASH IN A BOX<br />

• Marinas<br />

• RV Parks<br />

• Beaches<br />

• C-Stores<br />

• Apartments<br />

• Car Rental<br />

• Auto Dealerships<br />

• Car washes<br />

• Laundromats<br />

and More!<br />

International models available.<br />

9400 Series Vacuum<br />

The 94000 Series Vacuums are constructed of high<br />

quality, stainless steel and provide high performance.<br />

SCAN<br />

Here<br />

22 • WINTER 2022


WINTER 2022 • 23


TRACK<br />

THAT CLICK!<br />

CLICK IT<br />

IT<br />

GOOD!<br />

“We’ve been advertising to car wash operators for 7 years now, and<br />

have tried and tracked many of the different industry advertising<br />

options. As far as online opportunities focused on the car wash<br />

industry go, nothing has provided the consistent click-throughs at<br />

the rate of the CarWashForum.com.” JIM LANMAN, TOUCH4WASH<br />

24 • WINTER 2022


WINTER 2022 • 25


2021<br />

CALENDAR<br />

OF EVENTS<br />

*All events are<br />

subject to changes<br />

due to current<br />

circumstances.<br />

FEB 27<br />

MAR 1, 2022<br />

2022 SCWA<br />

CONVENTION & CAR<br />

WASH EXPO<br />

Fort Worth Convention Center<br />

Fort Worth, Texas<br />

MAY<br />

9-11, 2022<br />

THE CAR WASH<br />

SHOW 2022<br />

Music City Center<br />

Nashville, Tennessee<br />

JUNE<br />

7-8, 2022<br />

HEARTLAND CARWASH<br />

ASSOCIATION:<br />

2022 PRODUCT &<br />

EQUIPMENT SHOW<br />

The Prairie Meadows<br />

Events and Conference Center<br />

Altoona, Iowa<br />

SEPT<br />

17-19, 2022<br />

NORTHEAST REGIONAL<br />

CARWASH CONVENTION<br />

Atlantic City Convention Center<br />

Atlantic City, New Jersey<br />

Association News<br />

Carwash Association of Pennsylvania<br />

CAP President shares<br />

hopes for the new year<br />

The following is a letter from Keith Lutz, president of<br />

the Association, to the CAP members:<br />

Dear Fellow Carwash Professionals,<br />

Friends and Colleagues:<br />

The start of any new year brings with it a hope for change,<br />

advancement, and growth. Combine this with the fact that<br />

2021 was not a magical “reset” we were hoping for coming<br />

off of 2021. So for many reasons, I think we can all say<br />

that we look to 2022 with a renewed hope of progress while<br />

also celebrating the obstacles we continue to overcome as<br />

an industry.<br />

Foremost, I wish to recognize and celebrate the recipient<br />

of CAP’s Carwasher of the Year Award, Josh Lindsay of<br />

WetGo Car Wash (Northwest PA). Josh embodies the passion<br />

and energy that makes the carwash industry great!<br />

He has advanced his career with WetGo over the years,<br />

helping them open new locations and providing exceptional<br />

customer service every step along the way. In his words, “I<br />

know I’ve had a positive impact on a guest’s day when I see<br />

a smile on their face!” Congratulations, Josh!<br />

CAP is also looking forward to again hosting various networking<br />

events this year, which includes our annual baseball<br />

outing, dinner and tabletop show, and golf outing fundraiser<br />

and picnic. Specific dates will be confirmed soon, so please<br />

stay tuned into our communications, visit our website at<br />

www.pacarwash.org, or email executivedirector@pacarwash.<br />

org to receive updates. We really hope to have you join us at<br />

one or all of these events – families and spouses are welcome!<br />

If you are not a current CAP member, we invite you to join<br />

our growing network of operators and vendors from across the<br />

Commonwealth. We have hit the ground running in 2022<br />

with plans to invest additional resources into our membership<br />

this year, resources that will help all carwash businesses,<br />

both operators and vendors, better connect, collaborate and<br />

contribute to our industry. Please visit us today at www.pacarwash.org<br />

learn more and get involved.<br />

New York State Car Wash Association<br />

New Yorkers enjoy a game at Citi Field<br />

The Association recently stated that despite a rainout<br />

on May 28, the New York State Car Wash Association<br />

(NYSCWA) was able to move its annual Mets Event to<br />

September 17. The Mets took on the Philadelphia Phillies<br />

at Citi Field in Flushing Meadows/Corona Park, New<br />

York. The game, according to the NYSCWA, saw the<br />

Mets fight back from an early lead by the Phillies, and unfortunately,<br />

their efforts fell short with a 4-3 loss to Philadelphia.<br />

“Every time we come to Citi Field, it’s exciting<br />

and a really great day for our members and their families,”<br />

NYSCWA President Walt Hartl stated. “I wouldn’t<br />

miss this event, and I’m so thankful we were able to hold<br />

It is with great pride that I say that the carwash industry<br />

continues to prove its resilience and commitment to being a<br />

helpful community within and beyond the borders of Pennsylvania.<br />

Now into a new year, some of us will enter the industry<br />

while others will exit, some of us will grow or expand, while<br />

others may look to downsize or sell. The common denominator<br />

is our passion for serving others, in whatever form that<br />

may come. Thank you all for serving our industry well and<br />

being a part of this very special community.<br />

Best wishes for a safe, healthy and prosperous 2022!<br />

Keith Lutz<br />

President, Carwash Association of Pennsylvania<br />

it this year, albeit on a smaller scale.”<br />

COVID restrictions limited the number of attendees<br />

in the Porsche Party Suite to 35, but that did not dampen<br />

everyone’s excitement at being back together and enjoying<br />

America’s greatest pastime, a statement read. “I’ve<br />

been involved in this event for more years than I care to<br />

remember, and every year it brings a smile to my face,”<br />

said Event Coordinator Mike Benmosche. “You couldn’t<br />

ask for a better venue. And you couldn’t ask for a better<br />

group of operators in which to enjoy it.”<br />

This year’s event was sponsored by Micrologic Associates,<br />

Ledgewood, New Jersey.<br />

26 • WINTER 2022


WINTER 2022 • 27


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Southwest Car Wash Association<br />

Association News<br />

Newt Gingrich to give Keynote address<br />

The SCWA is excited to announce that former<br />

Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will headline<br />

the SCWA 2022 Convention & EXPO as Keynote<br />

Speaker. SCWA continues the tradition of providing<br />

World Class Speakers and Premier Educational<br />

opportunities for our convention attendees, a<br />

statement read.<br />

Speaker Gingrich is an intellectually fearless visionary<br />

and historian and is one of the foremost<br />

economic, social, political, and security-focused<br />

thinkers today, the SCWA stated. “He is wellknown<br />

as the architect of the ‘Contract with<br />

America’ that led the Republican Party to victory<br />

in 1994 by capturing a majority in the United<br />

States House of Representatives for the first time<br />

in 40 years.” Gingrich was also a candidate for<br />

President of the United States in 2012.<br />

Recognized internationally as an expert on world<br />

history, military issues, and international affairs,<br />

Newt Gingrich is the longest-serving teacher of the<br />

Joint War Fighting course for Major Generals, according<br />

to the SCWA. He also teaches officers from<br />

all six services as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar<br />

and Professor at the National Defense University. In<br />

addition, Newt Gingrich served as a Member of the<br />

Defense Policy Board. He was a member of the Terrorism<br />

Task Force for the Council on Foreign Relations,<br />

and he co-chaired the Task Force on United<br />

Nations Reform, a bipartisan congressional effort to<br />

modernize and improve the United Nations.<br />

“Now, more than ever, we need to understand<br />

where we are as a country and what needs to be<br />

done to preserve businesses and personal opportunities.<br />

You will be able to pose questions prior<br />

to and during the Keynote, so come prepared to<br />

hear and learn from one of our nation’s foremost<br />

thinkers,” the SCWA stated.<br />

Speaker Gingrich will address the SCWA convention<br />

attendees at the General Session on Monday<br />

morning, February 28th.<br />

The 2022 SCWA Convention & EXPO will take<br />

place February 27 - March 1, 2022, at the Fort<br />

Worth Convention Center.<br />

The SCWA has been known for its impressive<br />

list of keynote speakers. Past addresses have been<br />

made by Former United States Vice President<br />

Dick Cheney, and media emperor Steve Forbes.<br />

Car Wash Operators<br />

of New Jersey<br />

Association lobbyist<br />

makes Power List<br />

Car Wash Operators of New Jersey<br />

(CWONJ) Lobbyist, Al Gaburo, with<br />

Princeton Public Affairs Group (PPAG)<br />

in Trenton, New Jersey, has been named<br />

to New Jersey Globe’s 2021 Power List,<br />

stated the Association. The annual recognition<br />

honors the 100 most politically<br />

powerful personalities in the state, focusing<br />

on those who impact politics and government<br />

in New Jersey.<br />

Gaburo and his team at PPAG have<br />

crafted legislation to keep professional<br />

carwashes open during public health<br />

emergencies, state emergencies or Executive<br />

Orders declared by the Governor,<br />

according to a statement. The board has<br />

been working closely with PPAG for the<br />

last year on these efforts. The legislation<br />

is slated to be introduced in mid-January.<br />

New England Carwash Association<br />

Event hosted at Gillette Stadium, new Board of Directors named<br />

Not even a Nor’Easter could not dampen the<br />

spirits of nearly 90 attendees on October 26,<br />

NECA reported regarding an Association event<br />

including car wash tours and gathering at Gillette<br />

Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.<br />

At 1 p.m. the motor coach tour, sponsored by<br />

Sonny’s Car Wash Services Northeast, departed<br />

for the first tour of remodeled RoJo on Rte. 1 in<br />

Norwood, Massachusetts, NECA stated. Presenting<br />

sponsors included AutoWash Technologies, Simoniz<br />

and Vacutech. The next stop was the new<br />

RoJo on Rte. 1 in Walpole. Presenting sponsors included<br />

DRB, Modernwash and Sonny’s Car Wash<br />

Services Northeast. The buses then dropped all off<br />

at Patriots Place for the Hall of Fame tour sponsored<br />

by Washify.<br />

“We had the entire CBS Sporting Club, overlooking<br />

Gillette Stadium, for our annual meeting and<br />

reception sponsored by Autowash Maintenance<br />

Corporation, Cross Insurance and National Carwash<br />

Solutions. A brief state of the association report<br />

was presented by Treasurer John Shalbey and<br />

by VP and Membership Co-Chair Jeffrey Katseff.<br />

Past President Bob Katseff conducted the election<br />

for our 2022 Board of Directors. The microphone<br />

was then handed back to President Patrick Mosesso<br />

who presented the 2021 “You Make It Happen”<br />

award to a very surprised Mark Delaney. Mark’s<br />

brother Mike and father Chuck were there to celebrate<br />

this honor.”<br />

According to the NECA, Delaney is a quiet<br />

guy that really gets things done. “In fact, when he<br />

was growing up, that quiet served him really well.<br />

He became the most popular caddy at the country<br />

club down the street from where he grew up,<br />

eclipsing his two brothers in popularity. The golfers<br />

just really liked his quiet competence.”<br />

As is the case with many of our members, NECA<br />

stated, car washing is his family business. Mark<br />

started vacuuming cars as a teen and as soon as he<br />

could drive, he would drive the vehicles onto the<br />

track. Delaney studied business in college and eventually<br />

joined his brother Mike at Allston Car Wash.<br />

This was a great help to his Mother and Dad.<br />

Mark eventually served on the NECA Board of<br />

Directors from 2017 through 2019. “During that<br />

time, he logically worked with the golf outing<br />

committee but his service to NECA did not end<br />

when his term on the Board ended. This is something<br />

that does not happen often. Mark agreed to<br />

take on the outing chairmanship and his very first<br />

outing in 2018 was so successful, that despite being<br />

held during a Nor’Easter, we made our largest<br />

charitable contribution to date, only exceeded by<br />

our 2019 outing. He did the legwork for our 2020<br />

outing, which unfortunately could not be held,<br />

but our 2021 Outing was a great success thanks to<br />

his leadership.”<br />

The 2022 Board of Directors Elected at the annual<br />

meeting include:<br />

OFFICERS<br />

President: Patrick Mosesso, Auto Bright Car Care<br />

Immediate Past President: Mat Paisner, ScrubaDub<br />

Car Wash<br />

Operator Vice President: Jeffrey Katseff, Turnpike<br />

Car Wash<br />

Supplier Vice President: Chris Zona, Autowash<br />

Technologies<br />

Treasurer/ Secretary: John Shalbey, Jr., RoJo Co.<br />

OPERATOR DIRECTORS<br />

Tony Lombardo Scrub-It Car Wash<br />

Derek Mourad Neponset Circle Car Wash<br />

Chris Ouimet Fitzy’s Car Wash<br />

Felix Taranto Triton Wash Car Care Center<br />

Chris Vercollone Briteway Car Wash<br />

SUPPLIER DIRECTORS<br />

Matt D’Souza Washify Services<br />

Mike Snow Maintenance Tech<br />

Brian Stanikmas Simoniz USA<br />

WINTER 2022 • 29


INDUSTRY DIRT<br />

HAPPENINGS<br />

IN & AROUND THE SELF<br />

SERVE CARWASHING INDUSTRY<br />

PSD Codax welcomes Mark<br />

Byard as new manager of<br />

business development<br />

PSD Codax of Bristol, England, part of ICS and<br />

OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions, global leaders in<br />

vehicle wash and payment solutions technology,<br />

welcomed Mark Byard as the new Manager of<br />

Business Development<br />

A December 6, 2021, press release stated that in<br />

this role, Byard will be directly responsible for PSD<br />

Codax sales and marketing efforts in the UK, Ireland<br />

and Scandinavian markets, as well as overseeing<br />

PSD Codax’s growth in the European market.<br />

Prior to joining PSD Codax, Byard was the Business<br />

Development Manager and Head of Sales for<br />

Kärcher Wash Systems, where he was responsible for<br />

overseeing business growth and key accounts. Before<br />

joining Kärcher Wash Systems, Byard held a variety<br />

of roles in the car wash industry from engineer to<br />

technical service manager to installation manager.<br />

“Mark has a level of experience, background and<br />

connection to the vehicle wash market that we find<br />

most beneficial to help understand and respond to<br />

our customers’ requirements,” said Rob Deal, Vice<br />

President of Corporate Sales for ICS, in a press release.<br />

“His depth of experience is exactly what we<br />

have been looking for as we expand our business<br />

development efforts to continue our growth. We<br />

are excited for the future and look forward to the<br />

impact Mark will bring to our customers.”<br />

“Over the last few years, the customer needs<br />

have changed and the requirement for contactless<br />

payment at the wash bay entrance has been a regular<br />

request,” Byard also stated in the press release.<br />

“I’m excited to join PSD Codax and be a part of<br />

offering vehicle wash operators the solutions they<br />

need to help increase profits by providing a seamless<br />

wash experience with the latest in payment<br />

system technology.”<br />

As Self Serve Car Wash News previously reported,<br />

OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions was formed in January<br />

2019 and consists of PDQ Manufacturing, Inc.,<br />

Belanger, Inc., and Innovative Control Systems.<br />

EverWash Acquires<br />

omniX Labs<br />

EverWash of Philadelphia,<br />

a leader in car wash<br />

membership and subscription<br />

management,<br />

announced that it has<br />

acquired omniX Labs, industry-leading<br />

real-time<br />

vehicle analytics, and Machine Learning (ML)<br />

platform. This acquisition will deepen EverWash’s<br />

capability to gain key sales and marketing insights<br />

at car washes to benefit their wash partners and<br />

customers. Together, EverWash and omniX Labs<br />

will use vehicle-centric data to improve the car<br />

care life cycle experience, while setting their eyes<br />

on other industries that can benefit from their proprietary<br />

analytics and ML models.<br />

“As a proven leader in the innovation and development<br />

of the car wash membership business,<br />

EverWash efficiently provides a mobile platform<br />

for subscribers and robust end-to-end solution for<br />

car wash operators,” said Scott Caplan, Co-Founder,<br />

and President of EverWash, in a November 15,<br />

2021, press release. “In order for our business to<br />

embark on the next leg of our high-growth journey,<br />

the acquisition of omniX Labs will accelerate<br />

our ability to provide even more vehicle-centric<br />

actionable data that we can use to personalize the<br />

customers' experience and improve the operators'<br />

bottom line."<br />

“omniX Labs shares EverWash’s commitment<br />

to actionable data for the pursuit of client and<br />

customer success,” said Anoop Kanthan, CEO &<br />

Co-Founder of omniX Labs, in the press release.<br />

"We’re excited to contribute to their expansion<br />

by continuing to provide intelligent sets of eyes to<br />

help optimize the car wash experience. Ultimately,<br />

our insights will enable both EverWash and<br />

omniX to develop the next generation of car care<br />

solutions via the vehicle becoming an extension of<br />

the consumer’s wallet.”<br />

EverWash and omniX Labs have been working<br />

together since May 2020, but this complete merger<br />

will bring two leading technology platforms together<br />

to provide car care operators and retailers<br />

full lifecycle visibility into their customers.<br />

Express Wash Concepts<br />

acquires Kleenco<br />

Express Wash Concepts<br />

(EWC) of Columbus, Ohio,<br />

announced on January 19,<br />

2022, that it acquired Kleenco,<br />

a leading supplier of car<br />

wash service, chemicals and<br />

components to automotive<br />

dealerships. Kleenco joins the Express Wash Concepts<br />

portfolio which presently includes 60 operating<br />

express tunnel car wash locations throughout<br />

Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Virginia.<br />

Powered by Express Wash Concepts, the newly<br />

enhanced Kleenco offers an expanded network<br />

of highly skilled car wash service professionals, an<br />

easy-to-use online service portal for scheduling<br />

service and chemical delivery, a fully stocked parts<br />

warehouse, and faster dispatched service calls, a<br />

press release stated. Award-winning chemical supplies<br />

are provided by industry leader ChemQuest.<br />

"We have drawn upon the deep breadth of experience<br />

from of our current Kleenco and Express<br />

Wash Concepts teams and look forward to providing<br />

our dealership customers with the best possible<br />

service, chemicals and components for their<br />

washes," John Roush, Express Wash Concepts<br />

Chief Executive Officer, stated in the press release.<br />

Moving forward, Kleenco's three-tiered service<br />

approach will offer a wide range of service options<br />

for automotive dealerships who at minimum want<br />

to keep their washes running with access to the<br />

best chemistry in the business, to higher volume<br />

dealerships looking for the convenience and value<br />

of automated chemical delivery, regular wash inspections<br />

and cleaning, to on-demand service.<br />

Discounted promotional options are also being<br />

offered to dealerships who prefer to provide customers<br />

with the convenience and value of washing<br />

at one of Express Wash Concepts' 60+ brand locations.<br />

Express Wash Concepts was formed in April<br />

2018 with the announcement of a strategic investment<br />

partnership with Wildcat Capital Management,<br />

the family office of TPG Capital co-founder,<br />

David Bonderman. In 2021, EWC announced its<br />

geographical footprint expansion beyond Ohio<br />

and into Virginia, Pittsburgh and Indiana through<br />

the acquisitions of Green Clean Express Auto<br />

Wash, CleanTown USA and Snazzy's Express Car<br />

Wash. The Company plans to open an additional<br />

50+ locations in 2022.<br />

30 • WINTER 2022


f W


Carwash<br />

Boom Assembly<br />

MODEL 203<br />

Zierco’s Original Swivel and<br />

Boom Assembly, with<br />

New Rebuildable<br />

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• Feather light rotating action<br />

• Twin compression springs are<br />

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of hose and gun weights<br />

• Swivel rotates 360˚ - 12 ft.<br />

diameter<br />

MODEL 203 FEATURES<br />

• Temperatures to 280˚ max.,<br />

pressure to 2000 psi<br />

• Longer hose life as spring<br />

prevents kinks<br />

• Ruggedly built, satisfaction<br />

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• Proven performance with over 50 years<br />

service in the field (Since 1962)<br />

OPTIONAL<br />

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CALL<br />

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107C Cartridge Features:<br />

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• 100% 304 Stainless Steel Internal<br />

Materials Eliminate Failure Due to<br />

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• Double O-Ring Design Uses Any<br />

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7355 S. 1st. Street<br />

Oak Creek, WI 53154<br />

sales@zierden.com<br />

TM<br />

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32 • WINTER 2022


Carwash<br />

Boom<br />

Assemblies<br />

Zierco’s Easy Service Swivel and<br />

Boom Systems with<br />

MODEL 204 and 206 FEATURES<br />

• Twin compression springs are tension-adjustable<br />

for a variety of hose and gun weights<br />

• Swivel rotates 360˚ - 12 ft. diameter<br />

• Temperatures to 280˚ max., pressure to 2000 psi<br />

• Longer hose life as spring prevents kinks<br />

• Ruggedly built, satisfaction guaranteed<br />

• Optional stainless steel components<br />

• Proven performance with over 50 years service in<br />

the field (Since 1962)<br />

Boom Systems with Full 360 Degree roTATIoN<br />

Booms are Available with 3 Different Mountings<br />

MODEL 204<br />

ENHANCE YOUR SELF SERVING<br />

CONVENIENCE<br />

STYLE B<br />

Flat Plate<br />

Mounts directly<br />

to the ceiling or<br />

beam.<br />

Easy to Use -"Feather Light" rotating action<br />

STYLE C<br />

Swivel Base<br />

Mounts directly to<br />

the ceiling.<br />

MODEL 206<br />

OFFSET Overhead Carwash Boom<br />

Allows for TWO Center Boom Installation<br />

STYLE D<br />

Wall Bracket<br />

Mounts to wall and<br />

is adjustable so<br />

boom swings<br />

to wall when<br />

not in use.<br />

Ideal for foaming brushes.<br />

FOR COMPLETE<br />

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CALL<br />

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CONVERSION KIT<br />

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Remove boom body<br />

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7355 S. 1st Street<br />

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Fax: (414) 764-9763<br />

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WINTER 2022 • 33


INDUSTRY DIRT<br />

Suds Creative and<br />

Retention Express<br />

announce new partnership<br />

Suds Creative, of<br />

Meridian, Ohio, a<br />

leader in data-driven<br />

marketing and CX<br />

technology for the<br />

car wash industry,<br />

announced on January 5, 2022, a new partnership<br />

with Retention Express LLC, an outsourced,<br />

white labeled, customer experience support team<br />

focused on membership retention across all customer<br />

touchpoints for car wash operators. The<br />

partnership will focus on identifying strategic<br />

opportunities for collaboration between the companies<br />

on a client-by-client basis. “Our goal is to<br />

drive greater revenue for our clients and we’re laser-focused<br />

on strategies and tools that will help<br />

the hundreds of operators we work with achieve<br />

their business goals. Aligning with Retention Express<br />

allows us to expand our ability to help clients<br />

deliver outstanding customer support to members<br />

and customers without increasing their own<br />

team size and allowing their employees to better<br />

serve on-site customers,” said Jason Baumgartner,<br />

CEO of Suds Creative, in a company press release.<br />

Added Bobby Thomson, CEO of Retention Express,<br />

“We are thrilled to partner with Suds and<br />

to provide car wash owners a dedicated solution<br />

to closing the back door of churn, delivering superior<br />

customer support, and creating more satisfied<br />

customers. We really are able to quarterback the<br />

off-site customer experience while our specialists<br />

capture the voice of their customer by solving every<br />

inbound customer inquiry through a first call<br />

resolution approach and providing owners with<br />

valuable insights and analytics.”<br />

SBA pledges support in<br />

recovering from pandemic<br />

Last year, according to a November 24, 2021,<br />

Small Business Administration (SBA) press release,<br />

shoppers came together in full force to support<br />

their local communities, and Small Business Saturday<br />

hit a record high with an estimated $19.8 billion<br />

in reported spending. This year, holiday consumers<br />

broke new records. Under Administrator<br />

Isabella Casillas Guzman, the U.S. SBA has been at<br />

the forefront of the recovery effort, equitably delivering<br />

economic relief to small businesses along<br />

Main Streets – from the mom-and-pop restaurants<br />

and retail shops to the contractors and small manufacturers.<br />

While much progress has been made to<br />

get Americans back to work, back to business, and<br />

back to normal, the Administration and the SBA<br />

have continued to make equity a priority by increasing<br />

access to government resources, lowering<br />

the barriers to opportunity, and helping expand<br />

the reach of the customers we serve.<br />

The U.S. SBA’s implementation of President<br />

34 • WINTER 2022<br />

Updates made to COVID EIDL guidelines<br />

The U.S. Small Business Administration<br />

(SBA) announced on November 19, 2021, the<br />

updated guidance for COVID Economic Injury<br />

Disaster Loan (EIDL) program applicants<br />

to better serve small business owners in need,<br />

while funding remains available. Since its inception,<br />

the COVID EIDL program, a federal<br />

disaster relief loan designed to better serve and<br />

support our small business communities still<br />

reeling from the pandemic, especially hard-hit<br />

sectors such as restaurants, gyms, and hotels,<br />

has approved nearly $300 billion in relief aid.<br />

Specifically, the following updated guidance is<br />

being provided:<br />

• EIDL loan and Targeted Advance<br />

applications will be accepted until<br />

December 31 and will continue to be<br />

processed after this date until funds are<br />

exhausted.<br />

• Supplemental Targeted Advance<br />

applications will be accepted until<br />

December 31; however, the SBA may be<br />

unable to process some Supplemental<br />

Targeted Advance applications submitted<br />

near the December 31 deadline due to<br />

legal requirements. The SBA cannot<br />

continue to process Supplemental<br />

Targeted Advance applications after<br />

December 31 and strongly encourages<br />

eligible small businesses to apply by<br />

Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) and other<br />

traditional loan programs have helped the smallest<br />

of small businesses survive, and the work continues.<br />

In the midst of a global pandemic, under<br />

Administrator Guzman, the SBA delivered a record<br />

number of its traditional loans to our nation’s<br />

small businesses while also scaling up to meet the<br />

immense demand for COVID-related economic<br />

relief. In 2021, SBA has overseen the distribution<br />

of nearly $416.3 billion in emergency relief aid<br />

to more than 6 million impacted small businesses<br />

through the Paycheck Protection Program ($280<br />

billion), Restaurant Revitalization Fund ($28.6<br />

billion), Shuttered Venue Operators Grant ($13.4<br />

billion), COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan<br />

(EIDL) program ($88 billion), and COVID EIDL<br />

Targeted and Supplemental Advance programs<br />

($6.3 billion combined). This support has directly<br />

helped small businesses stay open and keep workers<br />

on payrolls, especially for those owned by our<br />

underserved, including women, people of color,<br />

veterans, and rural and low-income communities.<br />

Highlights of the significant ARP resources going<br />

to our hardest hit, underserved small businesses:<br />

• The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant<br />

has awarded grants to nearly 13,000 live<br />

venues, theaters, and other entertainment<br />

and cultural hubs. Since the inception of<br />

the SVOG program, more than 90% of the<br />

December 10 to ensure adequate<br />

processing time.<br />

• Borrowers can request increases up to<br />

their maximum eligible loan amount for<br />

up to two years after their loan origination<br />

date, or until the funds are exhausted,<br />

whichever is sooner.<br />

• The SBA will accept and review<br />

reconsideration and appeal requests<br />

for COVID EIDL applications received<br />

on or before December 31 if the<br />

reconsideration/appeal is received<br />

within the timeframes in the regulation.<br />

This means six months from the date of<br />

decline for reconsiderations and 30 days<br />

from the date of reconsideration decline<br />

for appeals – unless funding is no longer<br />

available.<br />

“The COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan<br />

(EIDL) and EIDL Advance programs still have<br />

billions of dollars available to help small businesses<br />

hard hit by the pandemic. More than 3.8<br />

million businesses employing more than 20 million<br />

people have found financial relief through<br />

SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans,” said<br />

Patrick Kelley, Associate Administrator for<br />

SBA’s Office of Capital Access. “Key enhancements<br />

have been made to the loan program that<br />

will help our nation’s businesses recover and get<br />

back on track.”<br />

grants have supported venues with fewer<br />

than 50 employees – or the smallest of<br />

small businesses – a key priority of this<br />

Administration.<br />

• The retooled COVID EIDL Targeted and<br />

Supplemental Advance programs have<br />

provided almost 500,000 small businesses<br />

approximately $6.3 billion in financial relief,<br />

focused on supporting those from lowincome<br />

communities who were especially<br />

hard-hit and are still reeling from the<br />

pandemic.<br />

• And the Community Navigators Pilot<br />

Program has awarded nearly $100 million<br />

in funding to 51 organizations that will work<br />

with hundreds of local groups to connect<br />

small business owners to government<br />

resources and help level the playing field<br />

for America’s entrepreneurs. The two-year<br />

grants were designated in three tiers at $1<br />

million, $2.5 million and $5 million.<br />

Through SBA’s core lending programs, $44.8 billion<br />

in funding was delivered to small businesses in<br />

fiscal year (FY) 2021 through more than 61,000<br />

loans. Out of $36.5 billion in 7(a) loans, nearly $11<br />

billion went to minority business owners ($7.5 billion<br />

for Asian American and Pacific Islanders, $2.1<br />

billion for Hispanic Americans, $959 million for<br />

Black Americans, and $246 million American In-


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INDUSTRY DIRT<br />

dians), $5 billion to women-owned businesses, and<br />

$1.2 billion to veteran-owned businesses. Through<br />

the SBA’s $8.2 billion 504 program, minority business<br />

owners received nearly $1.9 billion in lending<br />

($1.1 billion for Asian American and Pacific<br />

Islanders, $632 million for Hispanic Americans,<br />

$106 million for Black Americans, and $26 million<br />

American Indians) with over $712 million<br />

going to women-owned businesses. The SBA also<br />

increased its support of rural small businesses by<br />

nearly 33 percent.<br />

“However, we know work remains in closing<br />

capital gaps,” the press release stated. “Despite<br />

significant growth in the SBA’s core 7(a) and 504<br />

lending programs, many entrepreneurs continue to<br />

face challenges in accessing funding to start and<br />

grow their businesses. Small-dollar lending in our<br />

7(a) program has decreased and become more<br />

concentrated with limited lenders, which is why<br />

the SBA will prioritize direct lending and expanded<br />

distribution networks to fill capital gaps in FY<br />

2022 and beyond.”<br />

Further, as many small businesses continue to face<br />

uncertainty due to the pandemic, the SBA stated it<br />

made key improvements to the COVID EIDL program<br />

so that entrepreneurs could take advantage of<br />

the billions of dollars in remaining COVID EIDL<br />

funds available, including implementing 24 months<br />

of deferred payments, and flexible use of funds and<br />

a new cap of up to $2 million.<br />

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Build<br />

Back Better Act will revitalize entrepreneurship.<br />

President Biden’s historic legislative priorities,<br />

the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Build<br />

Back Better Act (BBB), will be transformative for<br />

the small business economy. And, with the passage<br />

of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re on our<br />

way there. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will<br />

empower America’s entrepreneurs to innovate,<br />

create good-paying jobs, and provide the essential<br />

goods and services to rebuild our infrastructure<br />

and address climate change. Specifically, the Bipartisan<br />

Infrastructure Law will:<br />

• Improve small businesses’ ability to<br />

get their goods quickly into the hands<br />

of their customers by upgrading our<br />

nation’s transportation infrastructure. The<br />

President’s plan invests an additional $621<br />

billion in transportation infrastructure and<br />

resilience to help small businesses get<br />

their goods to their customers by reducing<br />

shipping and logistics delays through<br />

upgrading our nation’s rails, roads, bridges,<br />

public transportation, ports, airports, and<br />

freight rail.<br />

• Help small businesses reach new customers<br />

and recruit/hire new employees by providing<br />

universal broadband. President Biden’s<br />

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest<br />

$65 billion in broadband infrastructure,<br />

ensuring that every American has access to<br />

affordable, reliable high-speed internet and<br />

fostering a more robust micro businesses<br />

ecosystem.<br />

Small business owners: Be aware of this scam<br />

Small business owners are being targeted by scammers attempting to pose as Small Business<br />

Administration (SBA) representatives. According to a January 19, 2022, report by<br />

SmallBizTrends.com, Tiffany Bernhardt-Schultz, Southwest Wisconsin Regional Director<br />

for the Better Business Bureau, stated, “We know that consumers were filing for loans and<br />

business owners were filing for some financial support. Scammers have found a way to capitalize<br />

and to lure their victims into their tricks. …Scammers have become very complex.<br />

They want you to feel that their offer is real. You shouldn’t base your decision on calling<br />

them back without doing research.”<br />

If you’re contacted by someone attempting to gain loan or personal information, you can<br />

report suspected attempts on the Better Business Bureau website, as well as read up on all<br />

the latest scams being reported. Also, make sure to always conduct research into any person<br />

or organization that requests personal or sensitive information regarding a loan request before<br />

handing it over.<br />

A January 14, 2022, by WMTV reported that Kim Whitmore, the owner of Ujima United<br />

of Milwaukee, a small public health consulting firm, had applied for a EIDL loan during the<br />

pandemic. “My consulting business didn’t have as many projects going as it normally did,”<br />

Whitmore said in the story. “So I was eligible and applied.”<br />

About six months ago she started receiving phone calls from a friendly woman telling her<br />

she’d been approved for the loan. “They would make it sound like I talked to this person already<br />

when clearly I hadn’t talked to an individual about my loan yet,” explained Whitmore<br />

in the story.<br />

Thankfully, Whitmore, according to the story, was suspicious enough of the phone calls and<br />

did her research before calling anyone back, but she sees how easily someone could fall for it.<br />

“I think there’s a good chance that many people would believe them, call back, and provide<br />

some information,” said Whitmore. “I know how easy it is for people who are so desperate for<br />

that relief to trust that the information they are getting is real. …It’s hard enough the way it<br />

is during the pandemic for small businesses,” said Whitmore. “To add this potential risk that<br />

could jeopardize the already shaky finances of many small businesses is really unfortunate.”<br />

• Provide opportunities to access billions of<br />

dollars' worth of federal, state, and local<br />

government contracts, including more than<br />

$37 billion through the U.S. Department<br />

of Transportation (DOT). President Biden’s<br />

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes<br />

a historic procurement effort designed<br />

to support small businesses and tackle<br />

long standing inequities in the contracting<br />

system. The benefits are long, but chief<br />

among them will be opportunities to<br />

access billions of dollars' worth of federal,<br />

state, and local government contracts for<br />

infrastructure and clean energy projects<br />

such as manufacturing solar panels, wind<br />

farms, batteries, and electric vehicles (EVs)<br />

that will grow our energy supply chains<br />

and build the national network of charging<br />

stations.<br />

The Build Back Better Act, if passed, will make<br />

even more investments in small businesses. From<br />

filling capital gaps with direct lending options, an<br />

expanded mission lender network and increased<br />

micro and emerging investment companies to<br />

incubation and acceleration programs, investments<br />

at SBA will be historic. It will also make<br />

key investments in the issues that matter to small<br />

business owners the most: strengthening a skilled<br />

workforce and assisting workers with affordable<br />

childcare, eldercare and health care options.<br />

“In the coming months and years, the SBA will<br />

reimagine itself to help small businesses prepare for<br />

the future through a customer first experience and<br />

technology forward resources to meet businesses<br />

where they are,” the press release stated. “We know<br />

we still have work to do. Under Administrator Guzman,<br />

the SBA team is thinking creatively about how<br />

to best support entrepreneurs at all stages of their<br />

life cycles in a post-COVID world. As the pandemic<br />

taught us, the world has grown increasingly<br />

interconnected. Yet, many in the small business<br />

economy lack the capital, knowledge and resources<br />

to leverage opportunities to grow in domestic supply<br />

chains and global markets. As President Biden’s<br />

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law positions American<br />

businesses to compete in the burgeoning industries<br />

solving climate change and to grow clean-energy<br />

supply chains that will help expand global exporting,<br />

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And it will be ready to support through our extensive<br />

on-the-ground resource networks, including<br />

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and 51 community navigators. Small business<br />

owners will have access to critical expertise needed<br />

to leverage every opportunity they deserve arising<br />

through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or the<br />

Build Back Better Act.”<br />

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TRICKS OF THE<br />

(Note: Some posts feature<br />

minor edits for readability.)<br />

Presenting some of the best discussions from the Self Serve, IBA and General Discussions sections of CarwashForum.com. To view more<br />

posts discussing some interesting and common problems, as well as some of the best and brightest solutions, visit CarwashForum.com<br />

Welcome<br />

to the world of self<br />

serve car washes!<br />

Today marked 1 full week since taking ownership of the car wash. I felt<br />

like everything was coming along slowly but surely. A few minor leaks here and<br />

there… no big deal. That is until I was about to go home around 7:30 pm. In the bay I was<br />

working on, water starts pouring from the ceiling. Now, for a week into this I felt like I had a decent understanding<br />

of what most things do and where the water flows for the self service bays. I shut off the valves as I<br />

thought this would stop the rain, but nope! It still looks like someone left the hose running in the attic. I scrambled<br />

around shutting off the RO tank and looking at solenoids as if I knew what I was doing. During this time I ventured<br />

into the attic a few times to make sure it was still leaking, I guess. Finally, after about an hour of figuring and<br />

scrambling I found the issue. There is a solenoid valve from the city water that feeds the pump and it was not closing.<br />

I cobbled some parts together to shut the bay off for the time being (it was already not in service). I am really<br />

feeling like a car wash owner now! JOSWHAHA<br />

Looks like you have some work ahead of you. In<br />

your first pic, you see the rust on the reducer fitting.<br />

Someone used a steel fitting. You don’t want<br />

to do that. The smallest piece of rust will stop at<br />

your wand nozzle and piss off your customers.<br />

There is also a galvanized fitting. I wouldn’t use<br />

them either. It will take longer but they will rust.<br />

More things to clean up in your second pic. Fittings<br />

leaking and soon to blow etc.<br />

Some will say galvanized is ok, but brass or<br />

stainless is the way to go.<br />

Take some time, clean up all the issues one bay<br />

at a time, and you will reduce your number of<br />

emergency repairs.<br />

And by the way, open up that solenoid valve, if<br />

the seats are good you can get a rebuild kit for a<br />

few bucks.<br />

Also, the water should have been coming out of<br />

the wand, not in the ceiling, so you need to fix those<br />

leaks before putting that bay back in service. TOMS<br />

PTCARWASH<br />

Are you running hot water? If not, you can eliminate<br />

those solenoids. MEP001<br />

Cold only, it looks like those valves open on my presoak<br />

feature. I’m not sure about that yet though.<br />

JOSWHAHA<br />

They shouldn’t. They’re only for cold rinses, and<br />

presoak comes out of a tank which has to meet<br />

with water out of another tank, otherwise the<br />

pressure will just stop the flow of presoak. The<br />

only thing that should open with your presoak solenoid<br />

will be the 453P solenoid on the high pressure<br />

pump outlet. MEP001<br />

In time, your perspective changes. A leak would have<br />

freaked me out when I first opened. Now, I actually<br />

don’t mind repairing a leak at all, because it’s so simple<br />

to diagnose and repair most of the time. WAXMAN<br />

Normally such breakdowns only happen when<br />

you’re away on vacation! Somehow my car wash<br />

equipment knows when I’m unavailable! STARRWASH<br />

40 • WINTER 2022


Et tu, tunnel?<br />

TRICKS OF THE<br />

I currently operate my two sites (self serves and IBAs) without any employees. I keep running numbers<br />

to determine if I want to build a tunnel. With 11-13$ an hour it might make sense but I see 18$ right<br />

around the corner for entry level wages. The local restaurants are already at $15 starting for teens,<br />

entry warehouse is at $20, Amazon is at $22. The labor shortage isn’t going away. Can most tunnels stay<br />

competitive without raising membership fees with these labor rates? Does anyone have any models that<br />

have taken rising wages into account? Hesitant to jump into this model given this factor. C-RAY<br />

I wouldn’t touch this model with a ten foot pole.<br />

There seems to be very little ethics involved and<br />

the business model appears to be to just build<br />

right on top of a wash that looks to be successful.<br />

Not to mention the cutthroat pricing and all the<br />

free stuff. The canaries will stop coming out of the<br />

mines soon (actually I think it’s already started)<br />

and you should be able to pick one up for pennies<br />

on the dollar. The industry finally pretty much<br />

killed off the gas station freebie wash, and now it’s<br />

turned on itself. I.B. WASHINCARS<br />

What I see to support that is non-stop advertising<br />

for help wanted and managers working nights and<br />

weekends to cover. Just a matter of time before<br />

they increase prices to cover higher wages so they<br />

can recruit competitively. I just don’t think 40-<br />

50$ Monthly unlimited memberships are digestible<br />

over the IBA prices. C-RAY<br />

I recently retired and now use an express myself.<br />

I pay $17.95 per month for my first vehicle and<br />

$8.95 for the second one. $26.90 keeps my vehicles<br />

washed all month. There is also another express<br />

just 1/4 mile away. I think they look at any<br />

major intersection as the potential for 5 express<br />

washes, because eventually someone will build a<br />

two-story wash... I.B. WASHINCARS<br />

I’ve watched numerous express washes up wages a<br />

few bucks an hour in the last year. Every area is<br />

different but I’d expect $13 to be the new $10<br />

within a year. If you want “okay” employees that<br />

aren’t all in high school and less hiring issues it<br />

should be at least $15. If you want solid people<br />

you’re going to have to offer $17+. The bigger<br />

question is if you want to put tons of time into<br />

managing and hiring employees as well as working<br />

at the wash when someone quits or doesn’t<br />

show up.<br />

The market is accepting higher membership<br />

prices. $40 plans aren’t that rare, even among<br />

major players in the unlimited game. The competitive<br />

building is the biggest risk. People are<br />

only getting riskier and dumber.<br />

All that said, if you’re willing to put in the<br />

cash and the time an express is highly rewarding.<br />

If you’re willing to work your ____ off I recommend<br />

it. MC3033<br />

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WINTER 2022 • 41


TRICKS OF THE<br />

There’s a hole in the<br />

vacuum,dear Liza, dear Liza<br />

We have recently installed some premier vacs which have fantastic<br />

suction, but if the nozzle is on say a mat or hard surface, when the air flow<br />

gets blocked the motors definitely start to smell of burn. Is it best to drill<br />

some holes in the nozzle to prevent motor burn out? CARWASHIRELAND<br />

I use a HVAC crimper to notch some V’s at the<br />

claw. CAR_WASH_GUY<br />

Same. COPPERGLOBE<br />

Me too. I.B. WASHINCARS<br />

I used to file notches in the end, but I don’t waste<br />

the time since I replace at least a couple a week<br />

from getting run over. MEP001<br />

Drill 3 holes on top. Takes about 3 minutes.<br />

It’s an absolute MUST DO, & it’s a FREE<br />

improvement that makes a definite difference.<br />

SOONERMAJIC<br />

I’ve seen the claws with holes. Makes no sense to<br />

me, give them the best suction you can then cut<br />

it down an inch from where they need it and increase<br />

your electric bill at the same time. Grooves<br />

at the claw edge improve airflow where the dirt is.<br />

MEP001<br />

Same. Except that I just use wire cutters, 2 small<br />

V’s on the bottom of each claw. PAULLOVESJAMIE<br />

We drill holes. Have done it for years at our full<br />

service location. Holes or notches make it easier<br />

to use the vacuum, neither option creates a decrease<br />

in effectiveness of the nozzle. DAVIDM<br />

Well, if you compare the 2 side by side, you’ll<br />

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Having the holes or notches actually improves<br />

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42 • WINTER 2022


WINTER 2022 • 43


TRICKS OF THE<br />

Parking lot loot!<br />

Does anyone rent out parking lot space<br />

to windshield repair or other service/<br />

vendors? If yes, how much do you charge<br />

monthly? Thanks. CARWASHBG<br />

Timely question as I’m talking to someone later about putting a<br />

food truck on site. That would pay maybe $400 a month. MAC<br />

<strong>SSCWN</strong> EDITOR CHIMES IN: Food trucks are making a killing. According to smallbizgenius.net,<br />

there are over 24,000 active food trucks in the United States and the food truck<br />

market size in 2020 surpassed 1.2 billion dollars. Experts predict the food truck industry<br />

will see a growth of 2.4% for 2021. Other ways to use empty lot space for a profit include:<br />

a Christmas tree lot, a pop-up fireworks stand, a pumpkin patch, boat and RV storage, or<br />

you can think way, way, way outside of the box, like Jack Anthony, CEO of 7 Flags Car<br />

Wash did back in 2001. Anthony said that one of the best things he ever did with one of<br />

his self serve bays at one of his car washes in California, was to use a bay as a flower shop.<br />

From the Fall 2001 issue of Self Serve Car Wash News:<br />

Then there’s the Magic Carwash in Manahawkin, New Jersey, which used to turn one of<br />

its self serve bays into a drive-thru flu shot clinic. This took place prior to flu season. And,<br />

while it was set up as a community service and didn’t bring in any additional profits to<br />

the car wash, it was a good deed which garnered positive media attention. The car wash<br />

discontinued the flu-shot bays when chain pharmacies such as CVS, Rite-Aid and even<br />

grocery stores started offering flu shots to the masses.<br />

FROM THE SPRING 2008 ISSUE OF <strong>SSCWN</strong>:<br />

The wash I’m buying is on a street with 26,000 vehicles per day.<br />

There is not enough room on the lot for a food truck but I could<br />

rent out a couple of spaces for windshield repair etc. Was thinking<br />

maybe $500 a month, but not sure if that’s too high. CARWASHBG<br />

People usually get $1500-2000 a month for a food truck in Austin<br />

if they supply them with water and electricity. I wouldn’t expect<br />

much from a windshield repair. I can’t imagine they would do the<br />

volume. I also wouldn’t want them soliciting customers, which<br />

I expect they would have to do to get enough business. MEP001<br />

Would love to do a food truck, trying to configure a way that<br />

doesn’t interfere with car wash, but may not be possible. Good<br />

point about soliciting customers, wouldn’t want that. Any other<br />

ideas for who to rent lot space to? CARWASHBG<br />

For what it’s worth, several years ago I rented space to food truck<br />

and he did well until received a letter from the lawyers for the<br />

7/11 beside me with a copy of an agreement from the county and<br />

the 7/11 which said that no food can be sold within 500 yards of<br />

the 7/11 property line. TOM THUMB<br />

Make sure to check your insurance policy to see if you’d be covered<br />

for any incidents involving a renter. May need extra liability<br />

which is cheap or the renter likely needs to provide proof of coverage.<br />

KRAMERWV<br />

Are you setting a certain amount of hours/days for the truck to<br />

be there, or did they come to you with that already in mind? And<br />

are you basing your price on their time on your property with the<br />

truck, or is it a flat fee you would charge? WASHNSHINE<br />

I don’t have a parking lot tenant yet, but it’s a busy street. I’d<br />

want something that pays monthly since would be easier for me.<br />

CARWASHBG<br />

Ain’t no bay high enough!<br />

I’m working with a wash right now with a major mess problem from trucks and food carts, and I need to put up<br />

height restriction pipes. Anyone have to do this and have the ideal height to keep out these vehicles and still<br />

allow all others like high-roof vans? I’d like to include RVs, but the bays are really too narrow for them to get<br />

in and wash. I’m also debating whether to hang them by chains or to attach them to the upright columns. I’ve<br />

watched trucks just drive under them. I’ve been thinking about a chain on one side and a wire with a plug on<br />

the other, so if they do get in they’ll disconnect power to the bay. MEP001<br />

Best way is to find the type of vehicle you wish to<br />

accommodate and then look at the manufacturer’s<br />

specs. Then add 6”. You should be able to accommodate<br />

the Amazon type of vans or county people<br />

movers. RVs can become a pain if they clean<br />

out their holding tanks when you are not around. I<br />

would avoid them unless you do not mind the possible<br />

mess. ROZ<br />

Most tall sprinters are around 9 and a half feet, so<br />

maybe 10 feet max would work KRAMERWV<br />

Maybe you could run furnace screws into the bottom<br />

of the pipe so they’ll hear a screeching on their<br />

paint when they run through them. BRICKS<br />

44 • WINTER 2022


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WINTER 2022 • 47


TRICKS OF THE<br />

Thanks, but no thanks…<br />

As it says… anyone else get something like this?<br />

Basically, you have the best place in town! Here’s 4<br />

stars But I’ll never be back because your credit card<br />

minimum is the average and I didn’t notice cash was<br />

only $2 … I’m so confused MARTINS<br />

I once got a 3-star review, all it said was “It’s busy”.<br />

Yeah, I run a good car wash just so YOU can’t get<br />

in. MEP001<br />

I responded, I think, very professionally:<br />

Hey John, Thanks so much for the review! We<br />

have been working hard on the upgrades to the wash<br />

since we took over a year ago! I’m happy to hear the<br />

upgrades and new soaps are being enjoyed! I’m sorry<br />

to hear our pricing has caused you to go elsewhere,<br />

however, I think there is some confusion that hopefully,<br />

I can clear up!<br />

Our start price is only $2 (quarters) as shown on<br />

the timer in the new timer boxes. Our credit card<br />

option however is a minimum $3 start and a $15<br />

maximum per swipe. This covers the start time and<br />

the credit card processing fees for CC usage. Additionally,<br />

you get 6 minutes with the $3 cc price!<br />

We only just installed the credit card options back<br />

in March and have left the CC start time at $3 since<br />

install. Our plan is to not touch it unless there is a<br />

change in credit card processing fees.<br />

As for the cash price we did raise it from $1.50<br />

to $2 as we installed and updated the facility to better<br />

products, chemicals, and overall equipment for<br />

your use. We are very set on constantly improving<br />

our wash for our customer and have no future plans<br />

of increasing our start price any further at this time.<br />

Our hope is to have the automatic touch free removed<br />

and replaced with a new unit sometime in<br />

the next year as well, increasing your options with<br />

us even more! We are also looking into replacing all<br />

our vacuums with multi combo units as well. Until<br />

then we have gutted them and replaced them with<br />

all new motors, hoses, and tips!<br />

We truly appreciate your feedback and hope this<br />

has helped clear up any confusion there might have<br />

been. We truly hope to see you back at our wash<br />

again! We are always improving it for clients like<br />

you! We want to make sure we offer the absolute<br />

best product for you and your vehicles. MARTY<br />

It’s always someone in this world that wants something<br />

for nothing and here is a prime example. I dare<br />

wouldn’t let this get to you have done everything in<br />

your power to be professional. Some customers just<br />

don’t think about the tens and hundreds of thousands<br />

of dollars it costs us to be in business. The carwash<br />

industry has always and will be behind on pricing<br />

if we as operators kept up with pricing over the<br />

years. In the SS like the laundry industry, we would<br />

be $10 to start with quarters. People pay $7-$10 in a<br />

Laundromat but complain about $2 in the SS bays.<br />

You, good man, keep doing your thing as an operator.<br />

TDLCONCEPTSLLC<br />

I put my card limit at $9. Just Monday night I<br />

checked the cameras and there were two young<br />

ladies that swiped a card and were making videos<br />

of them doing different things. The only water they<br />

used was the trickle, to spray in the air. They never<br />

pulled the trigger. The rest of the time they were<br />

twerking on different areas of the car and giggling as<br />

they watched the videos. They never hit the button<br />

to stop their card so it only cost daddy $9. I should<br />

save the video in case they call and complain. It’s<br />

probably not good for the pump to bypass for that<br />

long, so I don’t feel too bad about it. My quarter start<br />

up is $1.75 for 3:58. $2 min CC.<br />

And my wash isn’t nearly as nice as yours. BRICKS<br />

<strong>SSCWN</strong> EDITOR CHIMES IN:<br />

HERE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW TO HANDLE A NEGATIVE REVIEW.<br />

It is always wise to respond to reviews,<br />

whether they are on Yelp, Google<br />

or Facebook. This not only shows<br />

professionalism, but also shows<br />

appreciation for the positive reviews.<br />

According to Business Warrior,<br />

“Responding to online reviews should<br />

be a priority for every business owner.<br />

In a time when customer reviews<br />

can directly influence the amount of<br />

new business you’re getting, no one<br />

can afford to let negative feedback sit<br />

unattended.”<br />

48 • WINTER 2022


Mud on the tires, money<br />

in the pocket<br />

TRICKS OF THE<br />

Wondering if there is any interest in washing your own semi/boat/RV? Want to start a self serve truck wash<br />

but not sure if there’s enough interest. Found a great potential spot across from a truck stop. Maybe everyone<br />

would prefer someone else do it or just drive thru an automatic. CBISHOP<br />

Those who have truck height bays at their self serves<br />

know that the taller vehicles/equipment trailers<br />

bring a ton of revenue.<br />

However, even if you can take all kinds of vehicles<br />

at a SS idk if it would financially make sense to<br />

do a new builder. MC3033<br />

The idea was since it’s right off a busy hwy (talking<br />

service road) and next to a truck stop the trucks coming<br />

in would be good and would also cater to RVs.<br />

There’s just nothing else out here except in the<br />

towns and nothing tall enough. I have 2 truck stops<br />

within 5 miles of each other as well.<br />

The biggest question is would truck drivers prefer<br />

SS or prefer drive thru or someone like blue eagle to<br />

do it for them. CBISHOP<br />

I wouldn’t expect much revenue from RVs. They’re<br />

almost all retirees on a fixed income. I know this<br />

from years of doing state safety inspections. I would<br />

inspect one probably every two weeks, and there<br />

would usually be a running light not working. I<br />

would only charge $1.50 to replace the bulb, which<br />

half the time was just corrosion on the bulb base or<br />

a loose ground wire, and not once in five years did<br />

someone opt to have me do it. It probably cost them<br />

more in gas to go home, fix it, and come back for the<br />

re-inspection.<br />

Trucks will spend a lot, especially dump trucks,<br />

but you have to have the right location. There needs<br />

to be some sort of dirt/gravel/clay yard permanently<br />

nearby. Construction doesn’t help because it will<br />

eventually end. And dump trucks will make a huge<br />

mess. The bay will have to be cleaned after almost<br />

every truck, or it will build up so fast they won’t<br />

even be able to get in. My late cousin used to have<br />

a 4-bay truck wash, even had one of the first credit<br />

card systems. He said they could spend between<br />

$50 and $100 washing a truck. This was in the mid-<br />

90s when most self-serves were still $1 for at least<br />

4 minutes. MEP001<br />

I could make good $ off a pet wash where I am located,<br />

but I have no interest in cleaning up after people<br />

and their pets.<br />

Same with a truck wash for me. I have a 2 acre<br />

lot, and near a lot of industry. I would not want to<br />

clean up after trucks, and the junk they leave behind.<br />

You also need to have the space and your parking<br />

lot etc, need to be made to handle 50,000# plus<br />

vehicles.<br />

I also believe owner/operators would be the only<br />

ones interested in washing their trucks. Corporate<br />

drivers won’t spend their time or money to wash.<br />

But again, that is what I think. I would do some research.<br />

Maybe start by asking some of the drivers<br />

at the stops how they get washed and who pays?<br />

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WINTER 2022 • 49


LET’S GET<br />

PUMPED UP FOR<br />

A NEW YEAR!<br />

What goals are being<br />

set for self serves from<br />

around the country?<br />

As new year’s resolutions have a good and a<br />

bad side – from too much pressure to succeed vs.<br />

motivation to try and do better – there is certainly<br />

nothing wrong with having attainable goals. To<br />

stay stagnant and not move with the times, the innovations,<br />

and the whatever-letter-we’re-now-on<br />

generational spending habits, is one way to lose customers.<br />

According to the book The Most Powerful<br />

Goal Achievement System in the World by<br />

Mike Pettigrew, “In fact, a lot of people hate<br />

setting goals, and this is because they think<br />

they might fail. Then if they try and fail,<br />

they can become ever more disillusioned,<br />

feel more disempowered,<br />

and doubt themselves even more<br />

than they did before. So, it’s no<br />

wonder that goal setting can<br />

become an uncomfortable topic.<br />

…However, the fact is that if<br />

we set clear, concise goals, we are<br />

forever doomed to drifting and reacting<br />

to changing circumstances.”<br />

“Takes a lot of<br />

hard working…<br />

maybe you<br />

should be<br />

disciplined.”<br />

- HANS<br />

50 • WINTER 2022


WINTER 2022 • 51


PUMPED UP FOR A NEW YEAR!<br />

That’s the key: clear, concise goals. New lights?<br />

Designing a company t-shirt? New trash signs?<br />

Painting the bays? Raising your prices? Is there<br />

anything you want to do? If you’re wondering<br />

what others are doing take a look at what self serve<br />

owners are planning for this year.<br />

“First of all, before you pump, you<br />

must warm up or else you’ll hurt<br />

your muscles. Now, listen here:<br />

We can’t make you warm up,<br />

that’s entirely up to you!” - HANS<br />

THE SECRET OF SUCCESS FROM VID<br />

ODERMAT OF BROWN BEAR<br />

This story is told by Car Wash Hall of Famer Vic Odermat, president of<br />

Brown Bear Car Washes, to Perry Powell during his podcast, Wash Ideas.<br />

“Keep plodding on. Damn the torpedoes, full<br />

speed ahead. That’s exactly what I did. It was<br />

from the ground up. You helped yourself by<br />

picking yourself up off the ground and continuing.<br />

If you have a goal in mind, I think anyone<br />

can succeed. But they have to have some idea<br />

or some goal of what they want to be or what<br />

they want to do.<br />

… But the next year I knew I had to do<br />

something. I went and leased a sign for $135<br />

a month. That helped. But I think the thing that<br />

really helped was that there was a local newspaper<br />

called the BALLARD Tribune. I took out a<br />

one-inch column ad on the front page and made<br />

every Tuesday be Ladies’ Day and I gave fifty<br />

cents off. I think between the sign and the Ladies’<br />

Day promotion, we generated the volume.<br />

Within a year, year and a half, I was doing close<br />

to 5,000 cars a month. Then, when the opportunity<br />

came to acquire another car wash that had<br />

been built in 1965 by Dan Hanna – in business<br />

with another individual – I acquired that car<br />

wash. And then, in 1967, another car wash had<br />

been built that was having trouble and I acquired<br />

that car wash. Then I built my first car wash in<br />

1969. I built another in 1970. Acquired another<br />

two or three washes that year, too. And we just<br />

continued to grow. I want everyone to know –<br />

that in my opinion: ‘Bulls make money. Bears<br />

make money. And pigs get slaughtered either<br />

way.’ And I would like to encourage everybody<br />

to have a philosophy in mind. Perseverance in<br />

principle is more important than ambition.”<br />

“One of my exciting new goals is to further<br />

enhance the security at my car wash! I already<br />

have 31 HD video cameras, provided by Alert<br />

360. They recently added a video monitoring<br />

service, using 2-way audio cameras where they<br />

can speak with individuals to discourage loitering<br />

and/or illegal behavior. Between 11 p.m.<br />

and 5 a.m., they monitor 14 of my cameras.<br />

When they see such behavior, they announce,<br />

“This is Citrus Heights Car Wash Security....”<br />

If the activity continues, they can immediately<br />

call me or the police. Video monitoring is much<br />

cheaper than having a security service drive<br />

through 3-5 times a night or having a patrol<br />

officer sitting on-site for 6 hours a night (which<br />

can intimidate female customers). Knowing<br />

that a 3rd party is watching over my business,<br />

has given me more peace of mind. Since my<br />

car wash is located on a busy corner, I have<br />

opted to upgrade the sound system with louder<br />

speakers. My car wash is open 24 hours and<br />

stays busy, so I don’t want to close it down at<br />

night with a gate.”<br />

- Kimberly Berg of Citrus Heights<br />

Car Wash, Citrus Heights, California<br />

“LED. LED. LED. Just having a super hard time<br />

nailing down exactly what bulbs/fixtures we<br />

want to do. …We may put in something today<br />

that we love, and 12 months from now it’s obsolete.<br />

And the lighting colors never match when<br />

you have to start putting in different LED lights<br />

because the ones used before aren’t made anymore.<br />

I don’t want the washes to look bad, so<br />

we’ve been very hesitant to pull the trigger on<br />

this. The consistency with metal halide technology<br />

has been fabulous for the last 24 years. But<br />

we feel it’s time that we switch over to LED.”<br />

- Jeanine Humphrey of Hidden Cove Car Wash, Utah<br />

“I always try to do something either new or upgraded<br />

each year. This year I will be replacing a<br />

landscaped/vacuum Island that is outdated. I am<br />

working with a landscape contractor now about<br />

putting in something done all in stone. Up-todate,<br />

more modern and aesthetically pleasing.”<br />

- Timm Bauldauf of Advanced<br />

Car Wash, Voorheesville, New York<br />

“I’ve worked hard for the last 20 years making<br />

sure everything works how I want it and improving<br />

energy efficiency. The hard work is finally<br />

paying off now because I have few breakdowns.<br />

The downside is that I get very bored without<br />

having a large project in progress or on the<br />

drawing board.<br />

I intend to add more colored LED lights to<br />

complement the existing lighting on my Razors.<br />

People typically make favorable comments about<br />

the lights so adding more should bring more compliments<br />

and satisfied customers. I hope it helps<br />

differentiate my washes from the competition.<br />

I’m also considering some new business opportunities<br />

and partnerships.<br />

I’m trying to locate another property for a<br />

wash in a neighboring community, but land<br />

prices are too high. I’m trying to convince my<br />

competitor to sell to me but that looks to be a<br />

VERY long time from now.<br />

After 22 years of washing cars, which should<br />

read as “picking up after slobs,” I’m feeling a<br />

little burnt out. I still love this business, but I may<br />

be ready for a new challenge.”<br />

- Eric H of Leominster, Massachusetts<br />

“Increase another 20%”<br />

- Mac of Cape Coral, Florida<br />

“Our goals can only be<br />

reached through a vehicle<br />

of a plan, in which we<br />

must fervently believe,<br />

and upon which we must<br />

vigorously act. There is no<br />

other route to success.”<br />

– PABLO PICASSO<br />

“I’m planning to do all the finishing touches on<br />

my remodel of my automatic wash. I am completing<br />

the signs for my entrance archway. I would<br />

like to add another sign on the front of my wash<br />

that says: Car Wash Open 24 hours. I would<br />

like to build a small storage shed for my hand<br />

tools and some car wash items. I should repave<br />

a section of my parking lot. I am closing on a<br />

five-plex apartment building with a commercial<br />

space that’s currently set up as a beauty shop.<br />

That should keep me pretty busy, but what I really<br />

want to do is sit around and watch the cars go in<br />

and out of my new razor car wash!”<br />

- Waxman of House of Wax, Orange, Massachusetts<br />

“I want to install new all-in-one bay meter boxes,<br />

with adding on some new options in the bays.”<br />

- Sydney H. King of The Good Spray Car Washes, Utah<br />

“Upgrades! Several new in bay features...Purchase<br />

new sites.”<br />

- Kyle Peel of Happy Days Car Wash<br />

of Jackson, Louisiana<br />

52 • WINTER 2022


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WINTER 2022 • 53


Get Wise<br />

About Water<br />

Reclaim<br />

Some things that you should have known but weren’t told about reclaim<br />

By Dean Taylor<br />

dean@progressivepump.com<br />

In this article, I am going to discuss a basic truth<br />

that many car wash owners need to know, but are<br />

not often told. I, like other authors of water reclaim<br />

articles, have also read many times about new approaches,<br />

new technology, and “innovations” for<br />

reclaim systems, “basic facts” about biological or<br />

ozone systems, etc. Such articles are mostly informative<br />

to a degree, and accurate in what they say,<br />

but leave pertinent basic facts unsaid. Herein I try<br />

to state some of the often unsaid basic facts that<br />

should be understood by anyone considering a reclaim<br />

system, no matter the type. Let’s consider it<br />

“reclaim 101.” A good understanding of the very<br />

basics of reclaim systems will put you in a far better<br />

position for discussions with your sales rep enroute<br />

to specifying one.<br />

It’s dirt, and it has to go<br />

somewhere!<br />

First, the water from washing cars is really, really<br />

dirty, possibly containing dirt, sand, salt, organic<br />

material (e.g. bird droppings, etc.) and car applications<br />

(oil, wax, surfactants, detergents, soaps, etc.),<br />

and any manner of other dissolved or suspended<br />

solids. These materials must be altered and/or removed<br />

to an acceptable degree from the wash ef-<br />

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54 • WINTER 2022


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WINTER 2022 • 55


56 • WINTER 2022<br />

www.SonnysDirect.com 800-327-8723


Around The Wash: Water<br />

fluent before the water is reclaimed sufficiently<br />

for reuse as wash water.<br />

However, reclaim for rinse water is<br />

a whole different matter. The aforementioned<br />

contaminants must be substantially<br />

removed from the water to<br />

be reclaimed and must go somewhere.<br />

Somehow, this is an often ignored truth.<br />

They don’t just magically (or biologically<br />

or chemically) just disappear.<br />

So, where does it go?<br />

The material to be removed can all go<br />

to one place, your settling tanks. This is if<br />

you are using biological systems or chemical<br />

(ozone) systems with auto back wash<br />

filters. Or, it can be split between two<br />

places if you are using a chemical system<br />

with filter bags (any number, but usually<br />

from one to three) and the settling<br />

tanks. The basic consideration is that it<br />

collects somewhere, and must eventually<br />

be removed or it will fill up your settling<br />

tanks, clog your filter bags (if used), etc.<br />

One manufacturer who uses a unique<br />

patented auto back wash filter offers a<br />

“sludge interceptor” for the effluent from<br />

the auto-backwash filters, which keeps<br />

the sludge from returning to the settling<br />

tanks.<br />

And remember, there is no magic, effortless<br />

method or system when it comes<br />

to reclaiming water. All reclaim systems<br />

will require some sort of maintenance<br />

and/or filter changing.<br />

Dean Taylor is the Applications Engineer<br />

at Progressive Pump and Treatment,<br />

a provider of commercial and industrial<br />

water treatment equipment and services,<br />

in Sarasota, Florida.<br />

Want to Recycle Water?<br />

Read this first.<br />

By Dean Taylor<br />

If the benefits of recycling water are attractive to<br />

the self-service operator, there are a few other guidelines<br />

that should be addressed with the manufacturer<br />

prior to making the investment.<br />

■ ODOR CONTROL: Foul water odor often associated<br />

with reclaiming is one of the fastest ways to lose<br />

customers. Be sure the system addresses complete odor<br />

control. Get an odor control guarantee in writing from<br />

the manufacturer. Beware if they cannot or will not offer<br />

an odor control guarantee with the equipment.<br />

■ PARTICULATE FILTRATION: Be sure the system<br />

will filter to below 10 microns. Many self serve<br />

equipment manufacturers require this parameter to<br />

warranty their pumps and equipment. Larger particles<br />

such as sand and dirt can harm pumps and prematurely<br />

wear out spray tips.<br />

■ MAINTENANCE: Be sure the maintenance isn’t<br />

going to cost you more time and money than it’s worth.<br />

What’s the point in recycling if you have to babysit the<br />

equipment? Beware of those promoting a “no maintenance”<br />

reclaim system. There are no “magical” water<br />

treatment systems. All reclaim systems will require<br />

some sort of maintenance and/or filter changing.<br />

■ BACKWASHING: Systems that automatically<br />

backwash are usually returning the dirt to the water<br />

it was just removed from. Although backwashing can<br />

help reduce daily maintenance, there are tradeoffs that<br />

can be very time consuming and costly to the operator.<br />

Monthly pumping of tanks and clogged sewer lines are<br />

common with automatic backwashing systems. Many<br />

cities do not allow backwash to go to sewer. Foreign<br />

materials can be detrimental to backwashing systems<br />

and media filters. If at all possible, avoid systems that<br />

have media filters and/or automatically backwash.<br />

■ SPACE: Be sure you have space for the reclaim system.<br />

Some systems are cumbersome and require more<br />

space than an equipment room can offer. Although<br />

some reclaim systems can be placed outside or in-bay,<br />

keep in mind that freeze protection may be required.<br />

■ TANKS: Reclaim systems also require water collection<br />

tanks to be placed in-ground or above ground. Be<br />

sure there is adequate space to implement tanks. Most<br />

manufacturers will recommend required tanks with<br />

their product information.<br />

■ COMPATIBILITY: Insure the reclaim system is<br />

compatible with the soaps, detergents and chemicals<br />

that are being used at your self serve car wash. These<br />

products will be going down the drain and the reclaim<br />

system will encounter them. Many chemical manufacturers<br />

are now offering “reclaim compatible” products.<br />

Ask the reclaim manufacturer if you will need to<br />

change the chemical diet of the car wash when recycling<br />

with his equipment.<br />

■ WARRANTY: Be sure the manufacturer is going to<br />

stand behind the equipment. Equipment failure can be<br />

costly and time consuming. Be sure your warranty covers<br />

all components for at least a year.<br />

In short, there are several great methods for the<br />

self serve operator to realize increased profits by conserving<br />

water. Do your homework and make sure the<br />

items you implement to conserve water are justified,<br />

cost effective and will not be adversely affected by<br />

contaminants such as oil, grease.<br />

How are the water supplies<br />

across the country?<br />

At the time of this publication, drought conditions<br />

were impacted the usual areas (see map below). And, it<br />

seems as if extremely dry conditions were causing water<br />

restrictions throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Montana. .<br />

The following is the drought outlook for the United<br />

States, according to Climate.gov.<br />

WINTER 2022 • 57


58 • WINTER 2022


Darwin<br />

DARWIN at<br />

the<br />

CARWASH<br />

The investment in security cameras pays off for carwash operators<br />

(and the readers of <strong>SSCWN</strong>) with these mostly frustrating, sometimes funny -- and always cautionary<br />

-- stories of Darwins Caught on Camera. Images of these criminals and/or their vehicles were given<br />

to police and the press. Many have been caught thanks to the prowess of security cameras.<br />

Two rules everyone needs to know:<br />

A prank only really works if it’s funny. and, two,<br />

don’t pull a prank on a self serve car wash owner.<br />

In Tower, Minnesota, Tom Anderson, the owner of<br />

Tower Car Wash, was sick and tired of a trespasser<br />

putting a closed sign at the front of his car wash.<br />

According to a November 4 Timberjay story, Anderson<br />

said, “I got seven calls on Sunday morning,<br />

asking me why the car wash was closed. That’s<br />

seven customers I lost.” This apparently wasn’t the<br />

first time the car wash was tampered with.<br />

Increasingly frustrated by the loss of business, the<br />

story said, and the impact on his business’s reputation,<br />

Anderson finally got some answers after viewing<br />

surveillance camera footage from a nearby business.<br />

Video not only showed the suspect in action,<br />

Anderson also recognized him as well.<br />

Anderson consulted with the St. Louis County<br />

Sheriff’s office, and sent a letter to the person involved,<br />

notifying them that if they are seen in or<br />

around the premises in the future, the sheriff or<br />

state police will be notified and can arrest him for<br />

trespassing, the story said.<br />

Due to other theft and vandalism issues at his self<br />

serve car wash the past summer, Anderson said he<br />

is looking into adding further security measures at<br />

the car wash, as well as moving to a credit-card only<br />

system. The car wash will also be converted into a<br />

gated self serve in which only members can enter.<br />

“It will be like a gym membership,” Anderson<br />

said in the story. “With a one-time membership<br />

fee. Then I can track who is there and make sure it<br />

is always left in good condition.”<br />

Scrub a dub dub, one man’s now in<br />

the jug.<br />

A man is facing multiple charges after allegedly<br />

crashing a stolen vehicle before attempting to carjack<br />

another vehicle in Worcester, Massachusetts.<br />

Kristoff from Frozen? Chris Pratt from his days on Parks and Recreation?<br />

I’m trying to figure out who this lovely man<br />

reminds me of…..Cousin Eddie from National<br />

Lampoon’s?<br />

Here’s the actual picture of a man caught<br />

on camera breaking into the Palm Springs Car<br />

wash in Ontario, Canada, on November 29:<br />

According to a Simcoe.com story, the robbery<br />

According to a November 15 Boston 25 News<br />

story, around 2 a.m. on November 14 an officer<br />

was flagged down by a woman who said she had<br />

gotten into an altercation with a male suspect at a<br />

Scrub-a-Dub car wash.<br />

The woman said she had pulled over her car to<br />

help a man who crashed a vehicle into the concrete<br />

foundation of a business sign. She said she<br />

took place at 3 a.m. An investigation found that<br />

the ATM and vending machine were also broken<br />

into. It also looks as if he is pointing his fists<br />

into the security camera.<br />

The guitarist from Foo Fighters? Mark Zuckerberg?..........Rutherford<br />

B. Hayes? Ulysses S.<br />

Grant?<br />

approached the driver of the vehicle, later identified<br />

as William Vasbinder, who then exited the<br />

vehicle and tried to get into the woman’s car. The<br />

woman said she tried to intervene, but an altercation<br />

ensued. The man then allegedly punched her.<br />

She somehow managed to stay focused enough<br />

to pull the keys away (I personally would have<br />

crumbled to the ground after getting punched and<br />

WINTER 2022 • 59


Turns out Facebook isn’t just for socializing or stalking your exes,<br />

it can also be used to catch<br />

criminals! Clear Lake Car<br />

Wash in Clear Lake, Wisconsin,<br />

was broken into on<br />

December 5, prompting the<br />

owner to make this plea on<br />

the business’s Facebook page:<br />

We need your help to identify!<br />

Your local car wash was broken<br />

into at around 7:45 pm CST<br />

Sunday 12/5, by this person below<br />

(via cutting our locks). This<br />

is an alert to our local Clear<br />

Lake business owners to be on<br />

watch. We have the suspicion<br />

this suspect was scoping out the tools needed in an<br />

attempt to break into our machines at a later time.<br />

If you or anyone you know can identify this person,<br />

you can remain anonymous by reporting this<br />

person to the Clear Lake WI Police Department at<br />

715-263-2156.<br />

The suspect, male, appears to be wearing black<br />

glasses, has scruffy short groomed beard with mustache,<br />

black/dark silver wedding ring on his left ring<br />

finger. About 5ft 10in.<br />

As always we appreciate your local business.<br />

We are small business owners like many navigating<br />

through the many challenges faced with Covid,<br />

And then we have the<br />

carwashforum.com user<br />

named “Bricks” who posted:<br />

Caught these people in the act of dumping<br />

about five bags of trash less than an hour ago<br />

on a random camera check. Crystal clear license<br />

plate shot. Our police are great. An officer<br />

is going to their house now. The other guy<br />

pleaded guilty Monday….<br />

supply chain issues and rising costs to do business.<br />

We are working hard to always offer a quality<br />

and affordable wash. Over the past few months,<br />

we’ve invested thousands into new chemicals and<br />

improvements to the self-serve and automatic bays,<br />

along with a new service agreement by the same<br />

company who maintains Kwik Trip. We are open<br />

for business and we can’t wait to see you soon for<br />

your next wash at your favorite local Clear Lake<br />

Car Wash!<br />

God Bless & Thank You.<br />

And, apparently, the posting worked as the<br />

suspect was caught.<br />

would stay down there whimpering, but that’s just<br />

me) and the assailant then sped off on foot.<br />

Surveillance video from a nearby car wash confirmed<br />

the encounter.<br />

Officers arrived on the scene right after the suspect<br />

fled and were able to track down Vasbinder.<br />

And in a shock to no one, the vehicle he crashed<br />

into the sign, it turns out, was stolen and his driver’s<br />

license had been revoked. Vasbinder is now<br />

facing charges for assault and battery, carjacking,<br />

operating a vehicle without a license, leaving the<br />

scene of property damage, and using a motor vehicle<br />

without authority.<br />

And I thought showing<br />

up late to work was offensive.<br />

But, in true Dumb Criminals fashion, some employees<br />

are just bad… and some are just plain<br />

psycho! A former employee of Telly’s Restaurant<br />

& Pizzeria in Epping, New Hampshire, is now<br />

in jail for vandalism, thanks to a neighboring car<br />

wash’s camera.<br />

According to a December 21 Seacoastonline.com<br />

story, Alexander Garrett is accused of breaking the<br />

windows at Telly’s, causing $39,000 in damages.<br />

Police arrested Garrett on December 11 after<br />

Epping police were given surveillance footage<br />

from the nearby American Legion, Epping Dry<br />

Cleaners and Epping Car Wash. That footage<br />

caught him allegedly taking a hammer to the windows<br />

of Telly’s.<br />

“According to a police affidavit filed by Epping<br />

police detective Russell Hero, police were called to<br />

Telly’s at 1 a.m. by an employee reporting the damage.<br />

Employees of Telly’s interviewed that night<br />

pointed to Garrett as a suspect stating he was a<br />

former disgruntled employee and was suspected of<br />

breaking two windows when he was let go. Garrett<br />

was also in the area that night, according to one employee<br />

and later verified by police. Apparently Garrett<br />

had been asked to leave the nearby Applebee’s<br />

restaurant due to ‘a previous complaint of him harassing<br />

or stalking the employees,’” the story said.<br />

And, here’s another Facebook post<br />

that helped in capturing this guy:<br />

I am trying to figure out what he used to cover<br />

the lower half of his face…is it a seat cushion?<br />

Police in Lawrence County, Missouri, posted the<br />

above image and message on its Facebook page:<br />

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office is asking for<br />

your assistance in identifying the suspect and/or vehicle<br />

pictured below. The person pictured is suspected<br />

of burglarizing the car wash on Hwy 39 in Miller,<br />

MO at approximately 4:00 am on 11/23/2021. The<br />

suspect stole an undetermined amount of cash in the<br />

form of quarters and dollar bills. While doing so, he<br />

caused an extensive amount of damage to the facility.<br />

The suspect is described as a white male in his<br />

early to mid 20s. He was wearing a brown Carhart<br />

jacket with hood, a black stocking cap and gloves. His<br />

face was partially covered. The interior camera was<br />

an infrared camera thus the quality is not great. All<br />

images are still images. We ask that you pay specific<br />

attention to his somewhat unique eyebrow pattern as<br />

well as the vehicle.<br />

The vehicle appears to be an early 2000’s light blue<br />

or possibly gray Ford Windstar or Freestar van. It<br />

does not have license plates but is displaying dealership<br />

license plate inserts that are solid black with red<br />

lettering. If you recognize the suspect, the vehicle or<br />

happen to know which dealership uses those license<br />

plate inserts, please let us know.<br />

And, it looks like the posting also worked as the<br />

suspect was recognized and arrested.<br />

60 • WINTER 2022


WINTER 2022 • 61


And, from carwashforum.com,<br />

we have forum user Toms<br />

PTcarwash, of Landisville,<br />

Pennsylvania, who was able to turn a<br />

“grass-clip-leaving-bandit” (that name<br />

doesn’t roll off the tongue) thanks to his<br />

security cameras. Here is his post: Bad pic,<br />

but his guy was dropping huge bags of grass<br />

clippings in the middle of the bay for a couple<br />

weeks. I was able to get his plate on this drop<br />

and had the police return his clippings!<br />

Back that thing up, but not like<br />

that! A driver in Cleveland, Ohio,<br />

is wanted after he backed out of a car wash bay and<br />

into a vacuum station. According to the WOIO<br />

story, the driver then drove off. The car wash’s surveillance<br />

footage captured the incident on January<br />

8 and the images have been released to the public.<br />

Another evil person is locked up, thanks to a<br />

car wash’s security footage, according to KSAT.<br />

In San Antonio, Texas, a 19-year-old man was arrested<br />

after being accused of kidnapping a woman<br />

from a car wash and sexually assaulting her.<br />

Francisco Javier Juarez Gonzalez was charged on<br />

December 2, 2021, with aggravated kidnapping,<br />

aggravated sexual assault and evading arrest.<br />

An arrest warrant affidavit stated the 58-yearold<br />

victim called the police and reported that she<br />

was abducted at a car wash. She said the man displayed<br />

a gun and demanded her to get inside her<br />

vehicle on the passenger’s side.<br />

He then drove her to an unknown location<br />

where the assault took place. He then returned to<br />

the car wash to get back into his own vehicle.<br />

But, his getaway was short-lived as surveillance<br />

footage from the car wash captured the suspect’s<br />

description and the suspect’s vehicle.<br />

The story said that the police caught up with<br />

the suspect’s vehicle and attempted to pull it over,<br />

but Gonzales along with another man fled on foot.<br />

However, both men were eventually apprehended.<br />

This is a story in which that lovely trash, containing<br />

personal information, that is so often dumped<br />

at self serve washes, has actually done some good.<br />

Two men have been arrested in East Baton Rouge<br />

Parish, Louisiana, after a string of at least 15 burglaries,<br />

a January 11 WBRZ story said.<br />

According to the story, three suspects were<br />

caught on a doorbell camera pulling on a car’s<br />

door handles and then driving off in a black Hyundai<br />

Sonata.<br />

When deputies investigated the incident, they<br />

learned that three different police departments<br />

were working on various burglaries between January<br />

8 and 9 involving the same vehicle.<br />

In one incident police responded to Benny’s Car<br />

Wash after two men were caught on camera throwing<br />

away items that were in new or good condition.<br />

Police also found a black duffel bag, backpack and<br />

Gucci wallet that contained a checkbook with a<br />

name, at the car wash. Then cameras showed they<br />

were driving the black Hyundai Sonata. A ha! Go<br />

get ‘em, Columbo.<br />

Law enforcement agents were able to trace the<br />

car back to an AVIS rental car service and eventually<br />

caught up with 19-year-old Bobby Duncan and<br />

18-year-old Daniel Buffington, and a female. All<br />

three were detained and taken in for questioning.<br />

Offering up even more incriminating evidence,<br />

officers logged into the female’s cell phone location<br />

records and deputies were able to link Duncan<br />

and Buffington Deputies to many of the 15<br />

burglaries.<br />

I would like to know what the firefighter said<br />

after he climbed up the ladder in this next story.<br />

“Hey, man…like the jig is up, there’s literally no<br />

where to go unless you’re Spiderman.” Or maybe<br />

the guy was waiting for a helicopter to drop a rope<br />

ladder and whisk him away? Who knows…..<br />

A man in Texarkana, Texas, has been arrested<br />

for allegedly breaking into a car wash by entering<br />

through a hole in the roof, according to a January<br />

24 Texarkana Gazette story.<br />

This all took place around 4:15 a.m. at the<br />

Baywash Car Wash. Police were called to check<br />

the property after an alarm went off. They heard<br />

movement up on the roof and discovered 37-yearold<br />

Wayde Land. Land refused to come down.<br />

“When the suspect refused to come down off the<br />

roof after police arrived, the Texarkana Texas Fire<br />

Department responded with a ladder truck to get<br />

him down,” the story said.<br />

“Before his arrest Land had allegedly used a<br />

grinder saw to cut a hole in the roof that was just<br />

big enough for him to slip through and get inside<br />

the building. Once he got in, he allegedly loaded up<br />

several tools he found and also broke into one of the<br />

vending machines on the wall too,” the story said.<br />

It wasn’t such a quick trip<br />

for the driver of a truck<br />

in New Ulm, Minnesota, according to a January 27<br />

Gazette report. Wait… can we talk about the name<br />

“New Ulm,” for a minute. New Ulm…..just doesn’t<br />

roll off the tongue. No offense, as I live in a county<br />

called Schenectady (Skin-neck-tid-ee) for crying<br />

out loud. Anyway, the truck was parked at the Kwik<br />

Trip North car wash entrance for 30 to 40 minutes<br />

in the early morning hours of January 25, causing<br />

police officer Tara Martin to take notice.<br />

“Martin reported she noticed the truck due to<br />

the -9 degree temperature and -27 degree wind<br />

chill, but the truck’s driver’s side window was<br />

down and it had not moved for 30 to 40 minutes,<br />

despite no vehicles in the car wash,” the story said.<br />

Police approached the truck and saw the driver<br />

drop a large amount of $100 bills onto the<br />

floor from his hand. Police said they also noted an<br />

overwhelming odor of masking scents despite the<br />

truck window being down for a long time for at<br />

least 40 minutes.<br />

When questioned, the driver was identified as<br />

Robert Olson, who said he believed he was in New<br />

Auburn and said he lived in Brownton. However<br />

his driver’s license showed he did not live there.<br />

After searching his vehicle, police found a vape<br />

device with what was recognized as THC concentrate,<br />

a baggie that tested positive for methamphetamines,<br />

28.9 grams of marijuana, .5 grams of<br />

THC concentrate and 1 gram of cocaine.<br />

Olson was arrested and charges include two<br />

felony counts of 2nd-degree narcotic drug possession<br />

near a park, three counts of felony 3rd-degree<br />

drugs, two counts of 4th-degree and 5th-degree<br />

drugs and possession of more than 1.4 grams marijuana<br />

in a motor vehicle.<br />

Olson should count himself lucky that this<br />

didn’t take place in Northampton, England, because<br />

he could have also received a fine for spending<br />

too much time at the car wash (And for those<br />

of you who have no idea what I’m talking about,<br />

turn to the Extra Extra section of this magazine<br />

and look for the “Man fined for spending too much<br />

time washing car” story).<br />

62 • WINTER 2022


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owner friendly.<br />

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See all these exciting products and more at<br />

our all new website, www.ivs-vacuum.com<br />

or call us at 800.9<strong>68</strong>.8227<br />

Durable, long lasting stainless steel<br />

construction with fully customizable<br />

signage to match your location.<br />

WINTER 2022 • 63


TAP<br />

TO PAY<br />

Make accepting payments<br />

as cost-effective, simple,<br />

and easy as possible with<br />

CryptoTap. Transform<br />

your carwash with an<br />

easy-to-use contactless<br />

payment technology that<br />

accepts customers NFC<br />

payments from cards,mobile<br />

wallets, and wearables.<br />

Meter Boxes<br />

Strong. Secure. Dependable .<br />

Replace your existing Ginsan or Jim Coleman meter doors for ultimate<br />

flexibility, dependability and profitability. With the same high quality<br />

features as our Vault Door, we stock sizes for Ginsan, Jim Coleman,<br />

Dilling-Harris, Hamilton Dan, Mark VII, and many more.<br />

Features<br />

• Plug-In Wiring Harness for Easy Removal & Servicing<br />

• Push Button Selection has LED Back Lit Indicators<br />

• Pre-Fabricated Holes for Easy Electrical Access<br />

• 8, 10, or 12 Push Button or Rotary Selection<br />

• Accepts Coins, Tokens, Bills, Credit Cards<br />

• 7 Guage Stainless Shell Construction<br />

• Double Medeco Security Locks<br />

• Eye Catching Graphics<br />

• Safe Pipe Ready<br />

• Digital Display<br />

Call Us Today!<br />

Turn Your Wash Into A Reliable Revenue Producing Business.<br />

Whether you are a new investor or looking to upgrade your current equipment, Carolina Pride can deliver what you need!<br />

(800) 421-5119<br />

www.cpcarwash.com | sales@cpcarwash.com<br />

225 Crown Blvd. Timberlake, NC 27583 | PO Box 488, Roxboro, NC 27573

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