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2 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 3
CONTENTS<br />
Fun & Games ..................4<br />
Tricks<br />
of the Trade .......................8<br />
Around the Wash:<br />
Ransomeware ................... 14<br />
Tips ................................... 22<br />
Industry Dirt ................. 24<br />
Association News<br />
& Calendar .................... 28<br />
Polls .................................. 34<br />
Around the Wash:<br />
FAQs about<br />
Chemistry.......................... 38<br />
The Right to Wash<br />
Part 4 .................................. 44<br />
Cover Story<br />
Loyalty Programs ............ 46<br />
Darwin at the<br />
Carwash........................... 50<br />
FUN&<br />
GAMES GIFT-GIVING<br />
Resin Castle<br />
Car Wash Kit<br />
This is the HO Scale<br />
SceneScapes Castle<br />
Car Wash from the Roadside<br />
USA Series by Bachmann.<br />
$43.49<br />
Available through<br />
Hobbylinc.com<br />
SEASON IS HERE!<br />
Consider these items for your wish list...<br />
My Car City<br />
Building Set<br />
My Car City Building Sets -<br />
Savings Set! - Hot wheels<br />
Matchbox Garage, Hospital,<br />
Car Dealer, Gas Station,<br />
Police Station,<br />
''SPARE CHANGE?''<br />
Are you tired of break-ins and being the "neighborhood bank" for everyone<br />
who needs quarters? Switching to tokens can stop these problems.<br />
VOL. 51, NO. 4, FALL 2023<br />
Publisher Jackson Vahaly<br />
Editor Debra Gorgos<br />
Design Katy Barret-Alley<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 />
Railway<br />
Scenery<br />
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A division of<br />
email: james@osbornecoin.com<br />
0 S 8 0 RN E COINAGE ® www.vanbrooktokens.com<br />
Copyright 2023. 2 Dollar Media/<strong>SSCWN</strong>. All Rights Reserved<br />
4 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 5
FUN&<br />
GAMES<br />
Consider these<br />
items for your<br />
wish list...<br />
GIFT-GIVING SEASON IS HERE!<br />
HO Scale<br />
Car<br />
Wash Kit<br />
This is a 3d printed car wash<br />
kit. The car wash consists of 3<br />
walls, foundation,and the roof.<br />
$9.49<br />
Available through<br />
ebay.com<br />
Car wash Diorama<br />
Unfortunately, this one is dis-continued, but maybe you can find it on auction<br />
sites…. Toywonders.com: Availability: This item has been DISCONTINUED.<br />
There are no scheduled production runs for this item. We have no further<br />
information on this item. If we learn otherwise, this message will be updated.<br />
WHAT’S DIFFERENT?<br />
Think<br />
these two pictures taken at a self<br />
serve car wash are the same? Think again!<br />
There are five differences. Can you spot them all?<br />
1 Missing wand holders<br />
2. Girl leaning on car<br />
3. Extra brush holder<br />
4. Two green signs<br />
5. Second set of bay lights<br />
6 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 7
Presenting some of the best self serve<br />
discussions from CarwashForum.com.<br />
Washing in a<br />
Winter Wonderland<br />
Please Note: Some posts feature minor edits for readability. Also note that opinions and statements made<br />
here are by each forum user and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Self Serve Car Wash News.<br />
Mo’ money, less customers?<br />
I wonder if anyone has experience with the overall percentage<br />
increase in sales if I increase from $2 to $3 start on my wash.<br />
I assume I may lose some customers over the increase.<br />
Can I expect a 10%, 20%, 25% increase? - WHEELS<br />
Not sure about increase in sales. But when I remodeled<br />
my wash, I did starting price of $3/4min. Occasionally<br />
someone will say something or someone will<br />
drive through and leave after looking at the price/<br />
sign. The only self serve close by is a couple miles<br />
away on the opposite side of town, has watered<br />
down chemicals and starting price is $3.75. Everyone<br />
I talk to tells me how good my chemicals are and<br />
how clean my place is compared to theirs. If you’re<br />
providing a superior service, you shouldn’t be afraid<br />
to set it to $3. Just my two cents. - MATTWASH<br />
We have been $6 for 5 minutes cash or credit since<br />
Jan 2023 and sales up 12% year to date. - CARWASHBOY<br />
I know every market is different, but with inflation<br />
where it is, interest rates where they are, the cost of<br />
goods sold increasing, why isn’t everyone at five dollars<br />
to start? It’s not that much money guys. I’ve been<br />
at five dollars now going on two years and I have had<br />
very few if any customer complaints. I wish I had<br />
done it a year earlier.<br />
A fountain soda at a restaurant is more than two dollars.<br />
Think about it. - WAXMAN<br />
$3 for 4 minutes is the new Industry Standard like in<br />
2001 it was $2.00 for 4 minutes. If my competition<br />
wasn’t giving it away for free at $1.50 I would be $3<br />
myself… - TDLCONCEPTSLLC<br />
One of the few studies I could find on national water<br />
rates. Utility water bills increased 43% from 2012-<br />
2021. Up 43% over Last Decade, Water Rates Rising<br />
Faster than Other Household Utility Bills - Bluefield<br />
Research Boston, Massachusetts: New analysis<br />
shows water rate growth currently outpacing other<br />
household utility services (e.g., power, gas) at an average<br />
of 4.2% per year. As such, the combined water<br />
& wastewater bill for a typical U.S. household has<br />
swelled to 43.2% from 2012 to 2021, an indicator<br />
of... www.bluefieldresearch.com<br />
Now take into consideration how much have<br />
chemicals, energy, and equipment/repair parts increased<br />
over the last decade? We should probably be<br />
at much higher rates. - MATTWASH<br />
I just went from $4 to $5, in two weeks only one<br />
8 • FALL 2023<br />
person asked about if the price went up. Most of my<br />
customers spend more than $5 so it doesn’t make<br />
any difference to them. Only the cheapskate people<br />
that want to spend the minimum and mess up your<br />
place. You can’t even buy gum and a soda anymore<br />
for $5. I don’t want anyone on my lot unless they are<br />
going to spend a minimum of $5 & up. I’m in the<br />
business to make $$$$ not eat top ramen and give<br />
everything away for free. - RAA007<br />
I agree with you completely.<br />
The car wash isn’t supposed to be a hobby. What<br />
are your vacuums priced at? - MATTWASH<br />
$2 - 6 minutes. 50 % of customers only use about 5<br />
minutes and leave time remaining. - RAA007<br />
Our Vacs are 3$ for 3 minutes. Avg vac revenue per<br />
customer is $5.75. Been that way for over 2 years. -<br />
CARWASHBOY<br />
We have been at a $3 start for several years and have<br />
a competitor that is still at $1.50 and we do well<br />
against them. I can’t wrap my mind around how<br />
they are willing to stay that low with all the cost increases<br />
in the last few years. - OURTOWN<br />
I Just recently went to $2.50 this summer. In 2020 It<br />
was $1 when I bought the place and renovated with<br />
everything you could offer for a self serve and been<br />
going up since. - TDLCONCEPTSLLC<br />
Depends on the area …we are at $3 for 4 mins bays<br />
and $2 for 6 mins vac. Also customer perception is to<br />
be considered also. A lot will just look at start price<br />
and not cost per minute. I know an operator that<br />
won’t raise his start price because of this, and I’ve<br />
seen it personally. He is at $2 start for 2 mins with<br />
pay vacs, his customers still think he is “cheaper” than<br />
the guy down the road at $5 for 5 mins with free<br />
vacs. - KENO<br />
Most washes around me don’t post the time, only<br />
the start price. The three closest to me are $1.25 to<br />
start. - HEYVERN<br />
We decreased ours from $3 to $2. Increased traffic<br />
after that. People don’t like forgetting to put in quarters<br />
and having to put back in $3. From what I’ve<br />
noticed, when we had $3 start, some customers stop<br />
on the wax setting because they don’t want to put in<br />
another $3. We have 1 second for 1 cent, ($0.25 for<br />
25 seconds)... - FUTURAFAN<br />
I raised all my prices this year. Self serve bays are $4<br />
to start for 5 minutes. $5 minimum for credit cards.<br />
Eliminated quarters all together. Vacs went from<br />
$1/4 minutes to $2/5 minutes. I’ve had a couple<br />
people question it and my response is always, “What<br />
do I need to charge to run my business?” Everything<br />
is through the roof right now and I guarantee you<br />
that the price of a cheeseburger isn’t going to dramatically<br />
decrease when gas prices go down, if ever,<br />
or when interest rates go down, if ever. The current<br />
inflation is here to stay. Soap is way up over the last<br />
2 years and so are utilities and labor. Do people ever<br />
question the price of the soda at the C-store, or the<br />
price of a gallon of gas to the clerk? The car wash<br />
industry has been so timid about price increases. I<br />
don’t care what my competitors are charging, this<br />
is what it takes for me to run my business and keep<br />
the doors open longer than just this year. Just my 2<br />
cents! - LIGHTHOUSECARWASH<br />
Did you stop accepting coins? Bills and card only?<br />
Do you have a bill breaker for customers? I’m looking<br />
to do the same - RAA007<br />
NO MORE QUARTERS! I do not have a bill breaker,<br />
but it’s something that I’ve been researching. I<br />
think it would be a good idea to have one. Obvi-<br />
CONTINUED ... P. 10<br />
This is my first winter as a car wash owner. I’m located<br />
in Alabama and do have my weepmizer installed. I have<br />
triple foam and foam brush, and I’m not sure if I need to<br />
weep both or run antifreeze soap. Any insight would be<br />
appreciated! - SSELBY<br />
I’m assuming you have the triple foam on a separate<br />
gun, which I feel would need to weep. With regard to<br />
foam brushes, I prefer having antifreeze soap. What’s<br />
nice is the set-up where your antifreeze soap comes<br />
on at a temperature you set, and the brushes purge<br />
the lines of the summer soap. - WASH4LIFE<br />
Yes, sorry for not clarifying. Triple foam is run through<br />
a splatter gun. Thanks for the response. - SSELBY<br />
Weep is for keeping lines from freezing but AF Soap<br />
helps not only with that but in Chicago we can still<br />
have a busy day when it is 10 degrees outside (Don’t<br />
know if you have that issue) and non AF soap on 10<br />
degree metal will freeze almost instantly. - EARL WEISS<br />
You can use winter formula to protect your brushes.<br />
For triple foam guns to work properly in freezing<br />
conditions consider this: Water weep will dilute the<br />
product. When the Weepmizer turns on the water<br />
the tri-foam product will be diluted and quality delivery<br />
to the active gun will be impacted. This is not<br />
too significant an issue IF the temperature is 34°F<br />
because the weep water is only on for 6 seconds every<br />
minute (assuming Weepmizer’s default programming.)<br />
However, if your customers are using the trifoam<br />
system on a sunny 25°F day, the weep water<br />
will be flowing for 30 seconds every minute.<br />
To resolve this “concern”, you’ll need to install a<br />
normally open solenoid or motorized ball valve on<br />
each weep line to the splatter gun. Wired parallel to<br />
the product solenoid valves, the NO valves will close,<br />
stopping water weep to the active tri-foam gun. -<br />
CANTBREAK80<br />
So many ways to skin this cat! Weeping FB and TF/<br />
PS hoses would have been too costly for me. Something<br />
to consider when weeping these services. My<br />
water/sewage cost is approaching $20 per thousand<br />
gallons. On my HP guns alone for a 4 bay at temps<br />
around 15, I can use 800-1000 gallons a day. 2500-<br />
3000 gallons total per day if weeping FB and TF/PS<br />
hoses. So not cost effective at all. 2nd best is to use<br />
methanol added to the soaps. I’ve tried it and it’s also<br />
expensive. It’s not issue free! I’ve had multiple freeze<br />
ups trying this method. Least expensive (in the long<br />
run) is an automated blow down washer fluid injection<br />
system. Last winter I used less than 50 gallons<br />
of washer fluid for 8 hoses. About $100 total for the<br />
winter. No freeze ups if installed correctly! - 2BIZ<br />
CONTINUED ... P. 12<br />
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<br />
FALL 2023 • 9
ously, it won’t make you any money, but I get the<br />
convenience that it provides to customers. Meters,<br />
vacs, and vending only take cash and card via Nayax<br />
readers. I also have my SS bays, IBA’s, vending, and<br />
vacs on the Beacon mobile app. My portals on the<br />
IBA’s still have coin acceptors, but I did build them<br />
with bill dispensers to return change and DRB won’t<br />
do an option to remove the coin acceptors although<br />
I could block it off myself. I get about $2 per week<br />
of quarters in the hopper so not a big deal. It was a<br />
foreign concept to a few people when they couldn’t<br />
find a coin slot but it’s not a big deal now that customers<br />
are used to it. Location 1 & 2 are now coinless<br />
and location 3 will be as soon as my Ginsan meters<br />
are built and ready to ship! - LIGHTHOUSECARWASH<br />
So, what worked?...<br />
Brookswash21 had the following problem:<br />
Help!!! Ok. Just the other day someone decided to just snatch my whole wand<br />
and hose from the boom in one of my wash bays. The piece that attached to the<br />
boom itself was brass and it sheared it clean.<br />
How do I remove that piece of pipe thread that is left in the boom part? I<br />
thought I used an ease out but I think what I grabbed and used was a thread<br />
maker. I have a whole set of extractors that I bought from a local plumbing<br />
supply house. It has about 20 pieces that go up in size. Short of that you can go<br />
to a hardware store and get an easy out. Remember they turn in reverse and<br />
tighten as they turn. Sometimes it helps to pound them in a little at first. - SOAPY<br />
You are seriously going to lose loyal customers… -<br />
FUTURAFAN<br />
What are you basing that on? We’ve done a ton of<br />
sites that have eliminated quarters and I have not<br />
heard a negative response from a single operator.<br />
Literally every single one has said they may have<br />
lost a couple of customers but their overall revenue<br />
was up. - DAN KAMSICKAS<br />
Our wash uses quarters. We have 4 bays with card<br />
only (coins not accepted because the coin acceptors<br />
broke) and 4 with quarters and card. The majority<br />
of our customers (75%) use the bays with quarters<br />
and about 60% of our customers use quarters. People<br />
like to have options. If we eliminated quarters, we<br />
would have a decent amount of customers stop using<br />
our wash and move to another one that has more<br />
payment options. We also use Touch4Wash, even<br />
less people use that, around 9%. Vacuums also use<br />
quarters, they made up about 1/3 of our profit, now<br />
it’s 1/4. Our recently installed automatic has already<br />
gained quite a bit of traction, roughly 15 cars per day<br />
and the installation was finished in June. - FUTURAFAN<br />
That is your current operation. It says nothing about<br />
what would happen. You’re assuming. I thought my<br />
customers were nuts when they said they were eliminating<br />
coins. I assumed they would lose a bunch of<br />
customers. The end result is their revenue is up. The<br />
time they are putting into collecting quarters is down.<br />
Less work, more revenue. That is the goal. I’m not saying<br />
it’s for everyone but to automatically assume it’s a<br />
bad idea as you have is wrong. - DAN KAMSICKAS<br />
My customers love my washes and they are loyal. I<br />
haven’t had a single complaint. My time is very expensive!<br />
I can collect cash much, much faster than<br />
I can carry around the quarters. It’s easier to take to<br />
the bank and deposit. I eliminate all the maintenance<br />
on the change machines and digging quarters out of<br />
coin acceptors. My start up price is $4. Who wants<br />
to stand there and plug 16 quarters into a slot? People<br />
get out of their car, walk to the change machine,<br />
put in cash, get quarters, walk back to the bay, put<br />
in quarters. I then have to empty the vaults, carry<br />
them back to the change machine and put them<br />
back into another hopper, just to do it all over again<br />
and again and again! Why not just throw that cash in<br />
the bay and save the in between? I get the “we want<br />
customers to use whatever currency they have,” but I<br />
think we need to evolve as an industry. Businesses are<br />
10 • FALL 2023<br />
As soapy says... A #6 screw extractor works for<br />
3/8” fittings. From Ace Hardware: - CANTBREAK80<br />
I use the square extractors like this. I hammer<br />
it into the soft brass fitting and then unscrew it.<br />
From Zoro: - GREGPACK<br />
Soapy is right, get a set of easy outs or bolt<br />
extractors. Great tool to have around the car<br />
wash. You can get them at Lowes or Home depot.<br />
- RANDY<br />
changing how they operate and A LOT of businesses<br />
don’t even accept cash anymore. I won’t look back<br />
and question my decision! - LIGHTHOUSECARWASH<br />
I take CCs with Cryptopay, ones, fives, tens and<br />
twenties for Dollar Tokens and quarters<br />
I added Cryptopay about 2 years ago. My sales are<br />
currently $1 Cryptopay, $1 cash for tokens and 50<br />
cents in quarters.<br />
It’s 23 seconds for 25 cents.<br />
I was surprised that adding Cryptopay didn’t reduce<br />
my cash sales, it just added revenue.<br />
I’m currently $1 start for tokens or quarters and<br />
$3 start for CCs.<br />
I’m ready to do a facelift with new coin boxes<br />
(customer Interface) and paint and decals.<br />
I’m planning to raise my price to $1 a minute and<br />
do count up on CCs<br />
Start price will remain the same. - BILL CAPRON<br />
My logic for going coinless is simply....and might apply<br />
to several of you guys out there.<br />
When to go coinless???<br />
When my change machine dies.......I will NOT<br />
replace it. When my coin acceptors die....I will not<br />
replace them. Simple.<br />
We have been preparing to go coinless.... We have<br />
been slowly putting CC readers and taps (Crypto)<br />
on all our equipment...SS, vending, vacs. Upgrading<br />
paystations for IBAs with chip/contactless readers<br />
also. Simple...We will go “coinless” when the stuff<br />
dies....NOT before.<br />
I think the timing will be PERFECT.... - MONTE<br />
If the leadership & extreme corruption at the federal<br />
level is cleaned up... hopefully there will be a<br />
need to avoid 100% cashless; which could mean that<br />
the practicality & availability of higher denomination<br />
coins could make a strong comeback IMHO!<br />
If it’s brass and you’re in a bind, sometimes a<br />
pair of needle nose pliers will work if you have<br />
room to get them in. Extractors are best, but<br />
worth a try in a pinch. - PCB<br />
Thank you all for the replies. I bought the<br />
smaller ease outs and was surprised it came<br />
out so easy compared to the part I had to remove<br />
from the hose end part. But it’s up and<br />
going again. - BROOKSWASH21<br />
My perspective ... there is a way of not putting “all<br />
our eggs” in the cashless basket. Some of the horrific<br />
persecution to Hong Kong residents is clearly related<br />
to privacy abuses & potential (privacy & merchant<br />
fee) abuses within too much 100% cashless. - MJWALSH<br />
The beauty of the internet - this thread has taken on<br />
a life of its own. As it relates to $3 startup, I asked one<br />
of our employees to check the competition in the<br />
town we are in. The competition is as follows: $1.50<br />
for 4 minutes, $1.75 for four minutes, and $2.00<br />
for five minutes. We are $2 for four minutes. Seems<br />
like I am somewhat higher priced and our revenue<br />
this year is slightly flat. I’d love to move to $3 but<br />
it would make us even more expensive. There is an<br />
argument to be made that we have staff on site and<br />
we provide much better service, but I don’t know if<br />
people will buy into that.<br />
As it relates to coinless, I like learning what others<br />
are doing. At the wash bay we have cryptopay (2<br />
years or so), bill acceptors, and coins. Credit cards<br />
account for about 27% or so of our sales at the wash<br />
bay. We sometimes ask customers why they make<br />
change instead of just using the bill acceptors at<br />
the bays. Their answers range from we didn’t notice,<br />
to they want to control how much they spend.<br />
Our vacuums only accept coins so I am not sure if<br />
we could get away from coins. I’d definitely like to<br />
have less coins, but our customers seem to want to<br />
continue using. Sometimes it pays to give customers<br />
what they want. I am constantly getting irked<br />
at companies that take away my choice and charge<br />
me more. - CENTRALTEX<br />
Exactly, based on our experience... especially on the<br />
laundromat side of our business ... 3 coins vs “forced<br />
to use” 12 coins makes a $3 startup more palatable<br />
for almost 100% of our customers. - MJWALSH<br />
FALL 2023 • 11
I have a 10 bay (10 bay is set up to weep) and<br />
an 8 bay that I run a similar system as 2Biz. I<br />
will be converting the 10 bay to the same system<br />
in the spring. I just took that one over and<br />
do not have enough time to build the system<br />
before it gets cold.<br />
On the 8 Bay I have 2 FB delivery systems, 1<br />
regular soap 1 Winter Blend, Regular soap has<br />
a master NC Solenoid and Winter Blend has a<br />
NO solenoid. Each soap and air is fed to the<br />
manifold in the heated trough.<br />
All the following is controlled by a PLC.<br />
• STEP 1 Temp hits 33.6 and must hold<br />
there or below for 5 minutes. If temp hits<br />
33.6 and holds for 4 minutes then goes<br />
back to 34 then back to 33.6 the timer<br />
resets (the temp controller i’m using will<br />
actually read to the .1 degree).<br />
• STEP 2 After hold time has passed at 33.6<br />
Master Solenoids for Foam Brushes are<br />
de-energized to reach their normal state<br />
• STEP 3 Foam brushes are purged with<br />
air only for approx 20 seconds per bay<br />
2 bays at a time. This blows the main<br />
amount of regular soap from the bay<br />
hose.<br />
when the temperature rises back above 35 and<br />
holds that temperature for 10 minutes.<br />
If a customer activates a foam brush for more<br />
than 5 seconds it will repeat the blow down<br />
(Step 4) 10 minutes after the bay timer has<br />
turned off<br />
I also have manual ball valves in the main line<br />
to bypass the solenoids if i feel i need to manually<br />
override the system for 1 soap or the other,<br />
or during the summer i can turn all outputs off<br />
on the HMI Screen to a neutral state and feed<br />
regular soap bypassing the NC solenoid.<br />
I have it set to not do all the bays at once due<br />
to allowing the main compressor to keep up as<br />
usually during the cycle for the Foam brushes<br />
the Blow down functions on my razor will<br />
probably activate at the same time. You have to<br />
allow the compressor sufficient recovery time<br />
or you will run out of air.<br />
I’ve still got modifications and additions I’m<br />
going to make. I have a bunch of extra outputs<br />
and will probably use some of them with floor<br />
heat, trough heat, and break some stuff into<br />
zones to be able to save some $. Last year was<br />
the 1st year on the fb. I gradually adjusted the<br />
timers and programming to tighten it up. I’ve<br />
still got room to go. I’d rather play it conservative<br />
than have a freeze up. Last December at<br />
Christmas when the big freeze happened. I shut<br />
down early and was well protected. I was about<br />
the only one that was open the day after Christmas<br />
as most everyone else was frozen so all the<br />
$$$ came to me. - CBCHEVY4X4<br />
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• STEP 4 Each Bay turns on the Foam<br />
Brush (air and Winter Blend now) 2 bays<br />
at a time as if a customer were using<br />
it for approx 20 seconds per bay. This<br />
helps clean any remaining regular soap<br />
product from the bay hose.<br />
• STEP 4 Each Bay repeats Step 3 blowing<br />
out each bay hose twice. It cycles<br />
through all bays 2 at a time once then all<br />
bays 2 at time a second time<br />
System has now been converted from regular<br />
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I’m in central Alabama and weep water. I shut down<br />
when a hard freeze is forecast. I don’t have floor heat<br />
and ice will form from overspray on concrete aprons<br />
when those few days where it’s super cold and create<br />
a slip hazard. It’s rarely cold for long so the wash<br />
business really slows down anyway as the vast majority<br />
of my customers will just wait for it to warm back<br />
up in a couple days.<br />
I probably shut down between five- ten days a<br />
year. If you’re near the Tennessee border you may<br />
need to alter your plan and might benefit from having<br />
a little antifreeze foam brush on hand. - GREG PACK<br />
cbchevy4x4: Your system is pretty complex, plus<br />
you still have the cost of methanol soaps. Did you<br />
consider using washer fluid and air to blow out the<br />
lines instead? I would think it would be a lot cheaper<br />
and more effective. I stay open till about 5 below<br />
zero with no doors. No problems with freeze ups.<br />
If it’s going to stay like that for days, I might close<br />
2 bays down and keep 2 open...I have had people<br />
wash at 5 below! Last winter was pretty mild except<br />
for the Christmas time cold snap. I might have<br />
used $50 worth of washer fluid. Normal winters,<br />
maybe $100. - 2BIZ<br />
I did consider it, last winter was the first year with<br />
my system installed vs the old overcomplicated ways<br />
we did things. My methanol soap usage was at just<br />
over 15 total gallons last winter, that includes the<br />
actual customer usage and the soap used to purge.<br />
I know exactly how much soap was used to purge<br />
based on the programming and flow rates and it was<br />
just less than 2.7 gallons ($22 in cost) for the whole<br />
winter. I’d say we had a less than average winter but<br />
I did start the year very conservative in my programming<br />
and probably used 1.5 gallons in the first 1/4<br />
of the cold season. Years before we’d easily use 30<br />
to 40 gallons per year. This year I’m projecting based<br />
on an average of winter temps and average business<br />
probably using 15-20 gallons total. I liked purging<br />
with the methanol as it’s already to the manifold - no<br />
more lines to run, it’s ready to go and by having the<br />
methanol you don’t get the instant freeze of foam on<br />
cold metal so it’s a little easier for customers to wash<br />
off. - CBCHEVY4X4<br />
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12 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 13
Around the Wash:<br />
Ransomware?! Supply chain<br />
worries?! ‘Acts of God’?!<br />
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As we move into 2024 and beyond,<br />
business owners are having to deal with<br />
unprecedented challenges, and the significance<br />
of operational resilience has come<br />
to the forefront. Businesses are grappling<br />
with an array of risks ranging from cybercrime<br />
to supply chain disruptions, and the<br />
need for robust diligence has never been<br />
more evident.<br />
Agility Recovery, Preparis, and The<br />
Conference Board recently collaborated on<br />
a comprehensive study that sheds light on<br />
the increasing importance of operational<br />
resilience. The study, which analyzed data<br />
from over 147 business continuity professionals,<br />
85 executives, and professionals<br />
from 56 firms, highlights how operational<br />
resilience programs can be the critical element<br />
differentiating a business’s success<br />
from its downfall during crises.<br />
Cybercrime:<br />
A Looming Threat<br />
The incidences of cyber-based crime<br />
has grown expeditiously, casting a shadow<br />
over organizations of all sizes and industries.<br />
The study reveals that 90% of resiliency<br />
professionals foresee a surge in risks<br />
14 • FALL 2023<br />
Ten<br />
Steps<br />
Businesses<br />
Can Take<br />
1. Understand risk profiles<br />
2. Realize data<br />
responsibilities<br />
3. Test for incoming<br />
phishing attacks<br />
4. Assess all cybersecurity<br />
roles on a regular,<br />
event-controlled basis<br />
5. Evaluate patches<br />
on a timely basis<br />
National Security Council<br />
Guidance<br />
Cyberthreats are not a new phenomenon. In fact,<br />
cybercrime has seen a sure-but-steady uptick in the<br />
past few years. Following back-to-back ransomware<br />
attacks all the way back in 2021, the head of cyber<br />
and emerging technology at the National Security<br />
Council, Anne Neuberger, wrote a letter to private<br />
sector companies urging leaders to review their cybersecurity<br />
posture as a significant risk to business operations<br />
and resilience. Examining more recent data,<br />
cybercrime has grown by as much as 38% in 2022,<br />
and these figures are likely to be even higher by the<br />
end of 2023.<br />
Here are ten steps provided by ISACA that<br />
businesses can take to be better prepared<br />
for and help prevent ransomware attacks.<br />
6. Perform regular<br />
policy reviews<br />
7. Leverage threat<br />
intelligence appropriately<br />
8. Protect end-user devices<br />
9. Communicate clearly<br />
with executive leadership<br />
and employees<br />
10. Comprehend organizational<br />
cybermaturity<br />
“All organizations must recognize that<br />
no company is safe from being targeted<br />
by ransomware, regardless of size or<br />
location. We urge you to take ransomware<br />
crime seriously and ensure your corporate<br />
cyber defense match the threat.” - Anne<br />
Neuberger, National Security Council<br />
The letter outlined immediate steps companies<br />
can take to protect themselves from ransomware<br />
attacks, including best practices such as multifactor<br />
authentication, endpoint detection and response,<br />
encryption, and a skilled security team. In addition,<br />
companies should back up data and regularly test systems,<br />
as well as update and patch systems promptly.<br />
Neuberger also advised that companies test incident<br />
response plans and use a third party to test the security<br />
team’s work.<br />
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FALL 2023 • 15
over the next three years, with cyberattacks<br />
as a top concern. The Deloitte<br />
Center for Controllership poll uncovered<br />
startling statistics, with 34.5% of<br />
polled executives reporting cyber adversaries<br />
targeting their organizations’<br />
accounting and financial data over the<br />
past year. Astonishingly, nearly half of<br />
the executives expect an escalation in<br />
cyber events targeting financial data in<br />
the coming year.<br />
The financial ramifications of cybercrime<br />
are staggering. According to<br />
Cybersecurity Ventures, the cost of cybercrime<br />
is projected to reach a staggering<br />
$8 trillion in 2023, a figure set to<br />
escalate to $10.5 trillion by 2025. The<br />
alarming truth is that no organization<br />
is immune, as evidenced by the average<br />
cost of a data breach, which hit a record<br />
high of $4.35 million in 2022. Similarly,<br />
the average cost of a ransomware attack<br />
stood at $4.54 million. The time<br />
to identify and contain breaches is also<br />
distressingly long, with an average of<br />
277 days – approximately nine months.<br />
The need for cybersecurity collaboration<br />
across all facets of the organization<br />
becomes acutely clear.<br />
Supply Chain<br />
Vulnerabilities:<br />
A Chain Reaction<br />
of Disruption<br />
The resilience study underscores the<br />
precariousness of supply chains. Forrester<br />
data reveals that over half of security profesp<br />
sionals reported incidents or breaches involving<br />
supply chain or third-party providers<br />
within the past year. This highlights<br />
modern businesses’ interdependence on intricate<br />
supply networks, which can amplify<br />
vulnerabilities.<br />
The consequences of supply chain<br />
disruptions are glaring. The Conference<br />
Board reports that a mere 57% of<br />
firms claim to have responded effectively<br />
to recent events that hindered<br />
their ability to deliver products and<br />
services. This underlines the necessity<br />
of strengthening supply chain resilience<br />
and preparedness. The current scenario<br />
demands a proactive approach that<br />
integrates operational resilience into<br />
the very fabric of an organization. An<br />
alarming statistic reveals that only 24%<br />
of organizations believe senior management<br />
comprehends the firm’s operational<br />
resilience capabilities, highlighting<br />
a critical communication gap.<br />
16 • FALL 2023<br />
Network Security Measures<br />
Equipment Security<br />
• Antivirus installed<br />
and up to date<br />
• Automated<br />
patching and updates<br />
• Supported<br />
operating system<br />
• Computer/tablet<br />
encryption<br />
• Smartphone encryption<br />
Internet Security Measures<br />
• Email security<br />
(email encryption,<br />
anti-malware)<br />
• Web security (DNS layer<br />
security, protected<br />
file sharing)<br />
• Remote workforce<br />
security (cloud file<br />
management,<br />
remote access security<br />
Network Security<br />
• All devices<br />
installed on domain<br />
• Continuous<br />
network monitoring<br />
• Centralized audit<br />
and access<br />
control policies<br />
• Wifi security policies<br />
Top Challenges to Cybersecurity Programs<br />
Leadership Buy-In<br />
• Many organizations operate reactively rather<br />
than proactively when it comes to cybersecurity.<br />
They may not invest in prevention until<br />
the first major breach occurs. Additionally,<br />
robust cybersecurity can carry a high price<br />
tag, though the cost to your company’s bottom<br />
line and reputation will likely be far higher<br />
in the event of a breach.<br />
Increase in Remote Work<br />
• According to Forbes magazine, the rise of<br />
remote work has brought about a significant<br />
increase in cybersecurity threats. With employees<br />
accessing company networks and<br />
data from various locations and devices,<br />
the attack surface has expanded, providing<br />
more opportunities for cybercriminals.<br />
Protect Your Business<br />
Phishing attacks, ransomware incidents,<br />
and data breaches have surged as attackers<br />
exploit vulnerabilities in home networks and<br />
unsecured devices.<br />
Skill Shortages<br />
• There is currently a severe shortage of skilled<br />
cybersecurity workers. According to recent<br />
data, there are roughly 700,000 unfilled cybersecurity<br />
positions in the United States.<br />
When a cyberattack hits, that means that a<br />
significant amount of organizations may be<br />
unprepared to respond to or prevent it.<br />
Shifting to the Cloud<br />
• Especially as a result of the pandemic, many<br />
companies had to take both internal and external<br />
operations online, exposing vulnerabilities<br />
easily exploited by hackers.<br />
Assembling an incident response team with cybersecurity training, educating employees, and<br />
performing emergency plan testing can significantly reduce the risk and cost of a data breach.<br />
Potential Causes of a Data Breach or a Cyberattack<br />
• Lost or stolen passwords are a major cause<br />
of data breach events.<br />
• Malware or virus infection can lead to<br />
unauthorized access of computer systems<br />
and a data breach event.<br />
• Physical loss of laptops or other electronic<br />
devices can provide access to a company’s<br />
network, leading to a data breach.<br />
• Employees may be coerced or manipulated<br />
into revealing secure information, or they<br />
may inadvertently provide access to data.<br />
• A data breach may occur by means of<br />
hard copy materials or files that are left<br />
unprotected.<br />
• A disgruntled employee may also reveal<br />
information intentionally, resulting in a data<br />
breach.<br />
• Data may be breached for financial gain, to<br />
make a political or social point, to engage in<br />
espionage, or for intellectual challenge.<br />
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FALL 2023 • 17
Increasing Weather<br />
Threats: Preparing<br />
for the Unexpected<br />
The significance of solutions like<br />
backup power and workplace recovery<br />
becomes clear when considering the impact<br />
of abnormal weather patterns on<br />
global businesses. Research indicates that<br />
a staggering 70% of companies worldwide<br />
experience operational and financial<br />
setbacks due to weather disturbances.<br />
Shockingly, these disruptions contribute<br />
to an estimated cost of $630 billion annually<br />
for the United States alone, equivalent<br />
to 3.5% of the nation’s GDP.<br />
Recent history demonstrates that the<br />
increasing frequency, intensity, and unpredictability<br />
of weather events pose a<br />
substantial threat. From the Gulf states’<br />
energy crisis triggered by a winter storm<br />
to the havoc caused by Hurricane Ida on<br />
power infrastructure in New Orleans, it’s<br />
evident that businesses are vulnerable to<br />
the whims of nature. In an era characterized<br />
by escalating climate-related challenges,<br />
the prevalence of extreme cold,<br />
scorching wildfires, and heatwaves further<br />
underscores the urgency of bolstering<br />
power system resilience.<br />
Investing in Resiliency:<br />
Bridging the Gap<br />
Amid these challenges, the study<br />
presents a silver lining – a notable 60%<br />
of organizations are earmarking increased<br />
funds over the next three years to bolster<br />
their operational resilience efforts. This financial<br />
commitment reflects the growing<br />
awareness of the importance of being prepared<br />
for disruptions.<br />
Operational resilience must be ingrained<br />
at every level of an organization’s<br />
structure. The study reveals that just 16%<br />
of organizations describe their business<br />
continuity plans as mature, while another<br />
18% classify them as reactive. This suggests<br />
that many organizations are in the<br />
early stages of building and refining their<br />
operational resilience strategies.<br />
This article was provided by Agility Recovery<br />
and Preparis.<br />
Agility Recovery is the leading provider of business continuity<br />
and disaster recovery solutions. Customers receive guaranteed<br />
access to temporary power, furnished mobile office<br />
space, communications equipment, technology, and testing<br />
resources. Agility’s software division, Preparis, provides a<br />
central hub where our customers can use business continuity<br />
planning, emergency notification, and incident management<br />
tools. In the wake of the unexpected, Agility makes resilience<br />
simple by providing the expertise and resources your organization<br />
needs to prepare, protect, and recover quickly.<br />
Understand Your<br />
Supply Chain<br />
Supply chain disruptions<br />
and third-party risk are still<br />
rising trends across every<br />
industry, and managing<br />
those risks will be vital<br />
to succeeding. Here are<br />
some ways to do that.<br />
Though the pandemic<br />
is winding down (sort of…),<br />
impacts on the supply chain<br />
continue to be a top threat to<br />
every industry. Developing a resilient<br />
supply chain is vital to success moving<br />
forward. Here are a few tips on how to do that.<br />
Form Strong Relationships<br />
• Companies are made or broken based<br />
on their relationships with their partners.<br />
For your business to secure its supply<br />
chain, you’ll need to form strong<br />
partnerships at every level.<br />
Assess Weak Points<br />
• As part of understanding your supply chain,<br />
you’ll need to find weak points. Perhaps your<br />
business has a single point of failure, like<br />
sourcing from only one supplier. Regardless<br />
of the area, you need to document the<br />
weakest links in your supply chain.<br />
• Once you have, you can work on creating<br />
contingency plans for disruptions or for<br />
bolstering your resilience. Unsecured<br />
weak points will be the first to fail in future<br />
disruptions.<br />
Vet Your Partners<br />
• Confirm that vendors can meet the demands<br />
of your business. Understand that occasional<br />
delays or issues are likely to happen, but<br />
consistent issues are a red flag.<br />
• You’ll also want to make sure they’re<br />
financially stable. Vendors who aren’t stable<br />
produce additional risks to your supply chain<br />
and cybersecurity.<br />
Assess Connectivity Risks<br />
• Three-quarters of all breaches in 2021<br />
occurred due to integrations with third<br />
parties. Before establishing a partnership,<br />
you need to assess your online<br />
integrations with third parties thoroughly.<br />
• Take the time to ask difficult questions<br />
about their security protocols. Partners<br />
with weak cybersecurity create an easy<br />
attack vector into your systems.<br />
• Evaluate the connectivity required for<br />
your partnership to succeed. Exposing<br />
your most sensitive networks is often<br />
unneeded and creates undue risk.<br />
Assess what systems will need to be<br />
integrated so you can make proper risk<br />
management plans.<br />
Continual Checkups<br />
• Part of your third-party risk management<br />
should include routine checkups to<br />
validate that your security practices are<br />
still a good fit for you and your business.<br />
• Just as your risks and needs change, so<br />
do those of your partners. Take the time<br />
to reevaluate yourself and your vendors to<br />
ensure everyone’s on the same page.<br />
Verify Contracts<br />
• Do your due diligence to ensure legal<br />
accountability and liability are properly<br />
managed to avoid any undue risks.<br />
Take the time to understand every major<br />
section of the contract, including liability<br />
and payment terms.<br />
18 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 19
ZERO HOUR:<br />
Common Mistakes<br />
Made During Crisis<br />
It is very easy to panic when wintery weather threatens<br />
your business. Knowledge of potential mistakes that<br />
happen gives the team working on this exercise the<br />
power to make the plan as failsafe as possible.<br />
Ignoring Warnings<br />
• Being unprepared for long-term power and<br />
communication outages<br />
• Unprepared for generation connection (no<br />
transfer switch, fuel provider, spider box, or<br />
working knowledge of load requirements)<br />
• Failure to prepare for supply chain disruptions<br />
• Failure to adequately stock emergency supplies<br />
• Failure to communicate<br />
• Failure to obtain adequate insurance coverage for<br />
loss of use, loss of revenue, and added expense<br />
• Failure to establish emergency procedures and<br />
providers for call forwarding, temporary power,<br />
communications provider, etc<br />
Prepare Your Business<br />
for Winter Weather Threats<br />
Every business faces various winter<br />
weather threats during the snowy season,<br />
from strong rainstorms, ice, and plummeting<br />
temperatures. Knowing the tactical steps to<br />
prepare your business for winter weather is<br />
essential to avoid downtime. Being prepared<br />
with an actionable plan will minimize the<br />
impact inclement weather can have on your<br />
employees, customers, and revenue.<br />
Having actionable resources at hand<br />
will help your team be educated on what<br />
to do in extreme winter weather conditions<br />
and actions they need to avoid to stay safe.<br />
The first step when preparing for winter<br />
weather disruptions is to define all of the<br />
possible risks of not being ready for a storm<br />
and how they will impact your car wash as a<br />
whole. With proper preparation, the avoidance<br />
of these risks If severe winter weather<br />
hits the area where your business is located,<br />
the following could potentially occur:<br />
1. Power loss<br />
2. Fires<br />
3. Floods<br />
Communications Disruptions<br />
4. Supply chain disruption<br />
5. Property damage<br />
6. Employee injury or illness<br />
7. Transportation disruption<br />
8. Automobile/other<br />
transportation accidents<br />
9. Compromised<br />
access to facilities<br />
10. Personal exhaustion,<br />
hypothermia, heart attack<br />
It is essential to evaluate potential risks<br />
and outcomes to create an efficient inclement<br />
weather plan. Each business will have<br />
unique risks, so defining the possible scenarios<br />
ahead of time is important. Troubleshooting<br />
will eliminate most of the risks,<br />
and having risk management strategies outlined<br />
will ensure handling the events will be<br />
managed quickly and effectively.<br />
Once you have isolated and defined individual<br />
risks, it is good to prepare a plan<br />
of action for each incident. Having all bases<br />
covered is key to keeping business continuity<br />
intact during the winter months.<br />
Drafting Winter<br />
Storm Plans in Stages<br />
Before the Storm<br />
The worst possible scenario for a business is to attempt to<br />
cobble together a plan when a storm is on its way or already in<br />
your area. Covering these elements ahead of time will enable you<br />
to move straight to your plan of action when the storm hits:<br />
Review Insurance Coverage (flooding)<br />
• Evaluate the potential risks to determine your business’s most<br />
detrimental risks, and their potential outcomes: loss of heat, frozen<br />
pipes, inability to access your business site due to snow and ice.<br />
• Identify who will be in charge of clearing the snow and ice from the<br />
property - the business owner or landlord.<br />
• Establish a procedure for restoring electrical service on an item by<br />
item basis (know your electrical load demands ahead of time)<br />
• Determine alternate routes to access business in the event ice or<br />
snow blocks main entrances<br />
• Establish and inclement weather attendance policy for employees<br />
• Meet with and discuss your winter weather preparedness plans with<br />
your vendors<br />
• Stockpile emergency supplies as needed<br />
• Rocksalt, snow equipment remover, kitty litter, and sand<br />
• Service generators and top off fuel reserves<br />
• Ensure all battery-powered devices have new batteries or crank/solar<br />
chargers<br />
• Know ahead of time what local broadcasters will publish the status of<br />
your business to the public<br />
• Ensure redundant communication channels (phone lists of employees<br />
and their relatives/spouses, backup email addresses, etc.)<br />
• Establish remote access to your corporate <strong>web</strong>site to update your<br />
business’s status to vendors and customers.<br />
• Winter weather is challenging to plan for due to its unpredictable<br />
nature. Winter storms are apt to occur with little to no warning, so<br />
creating and reviewing a solid plan will prevent panic, leading to<br />
serious mishaps and consequences.<br />
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20 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 21
TIPs<br />
TAX TIP<br />
Make sure you<br />
check yo’ self<br />
Generally, you are self-employed if any of<br />
the following apply to you.<br />
• You carry on a trade or business as a sole<br />
proprietor or an independent contractor.<br />
• You are a member of a partnership<br />
that carries on a trade or business.<br />
• You are otherwise in business for<br />
yourself (including a part-time<br />
business or a gig worker).<br />
What are My Self-Employed<br />
Tax Obligations?<br />
As a self-employed individual, generally you<br />
are required to file an annual return and pay<br />
estimated tax quarterly.<br />
Self-employed individuals generally must<br />
pay self-employment (SE) tax as well as<br />
income tax. SE tax is a Social Security and<br />
Medicare tax primarily for individuals who<br />
work for themselves. It is similar to the Social<br />
Security and Medicare taxes withheld from<br />
the pay of most wage earners. In general, the<br />
wording “self-employment tax” only refers to<br />
Social Security and Medicare taxes and not any<br />
other tax (like income tax).<br />
Before you can determine if you are subject<br />
to self-employment tax and income tax, you<br />
must figure your net profit or net loss from<br />
your business. You do this by subtracting your<br />
business expenses from your business income.<br />
If your expenses are less than your income,<br />
the difference is net profit and becomes part<br />
of your income on page 1 of Form 1040 or<br />
1040-SR. If your expenses are more than your<br />
income, the difference is a net loss. You usually<br />
can deduct your loss from gross income on<br />
page 1 of Form 1040 or 1040-SR. But in some<br />
situations your loss is limited. See Publication<br />
334, Tax Guide for Small Business (For<br />
Individuals Who Use Schedule C) for more<br />
information by visiting https://www.irs.gov/<br />
forms-pubs/about-publication-334.<br />
You have to file an income tax return if your<br />
net earnings from self-employment were $400<br />
or more. If your net earnings from self-employment<br />
were less than $400, you still have to file<br />
an income tax return if you meet any other<br />
filing requirement listed in the Form 1040 and<br />
1040-SR instructions.<br />
This tip was provided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).<br />
FINANCIAL TIP<br />
Visa launches<br />
program to help<br />
small businesses<br />
Visa Inc. has launched an array of Instant<br />
Savings offers aimed at helping North American<br />
small and medium businesses navigate the<br />
complexities of the current economic landscape,<br />
smallbiztrends.com reported. “This initiative,<br />
part of the Visa SavingsEdge program, promises<br />
substantial discounts on essential business<br />
services and products from renowned companies<br />
like Dropbox, Microsoft, and Verizon.”<br />
Visa’s latest Small Business Pulse Report<br />
reveals a surge in optimism among U.S. and Canadian<br />
SMBs, with 77% and 67%, respectively,<br />
now anticipating revenue growth in 2023, smallbiztrends.com<br />
reported. Despite this, the report<br />
stated, the cost of doing business remains a significant hurdle, compounded by inflation, economic<br />
uncertainty, and rising interest rates.<br />
“We’re seeing that small business growth is on the rise, despite current macroeconomic challenges,”<br />
said Veronica Fernandez, SVP and North America Head of Visa Commercial Solutions , in the smallbiztrends.com<br />
article “We also understand that there is a continued need for new, innovative ways<br />
to enable cost savings across the small business landscape. With Visa’s innovative offers and seamless<br />
access to run-of-business applications, the value associated with a business card becomes exponentially<br />
stronger, enabling small businesses to experience significant cost savings and efficiency.”<br />
More than 50 merchants are offering savings through the program. Those interested in learning<br />
more can explore these offers on the Visa SavingsEdge <strong>web</strong>site and find additional resources at the<br />
Visa Small Business Hub.<br />
EQUIPMENT TIP<br />
Cold weather is<br />
coming here,<br />
are you ready?<br />
Pumps can be affected by cold weather especially<br />
if the equipment room is not properly heated. Be sure<br />
to check your heat source prior to a cold snap. Be sure the<br />
thermostat for your heat source is working correctly. If you are<br />
using gas heat with a pilot light make sure the pilot is lit.<br />
Also check your thermocoupling for proper operation.This can usually be tested simply<br />
by adjusting your heat setting at or above the exterior temperature and see if your furnace<br />
ignites and burns evenly. If your furnace will not light, check the gas source and be sure it is<br />
turned on and allowing enough gas to flow to your furnace. If the gas was shut off during the<br />
summer it will take a moment to push the air out of the line while you have the pilot switch<br />
engaged. If your pilot light ignites but your furnace will not stay lit your thermocoupling<br />
may need replacing.<br />
If your equipment room uses Electric heat follow the same thermostat procedures and be<br />
sure your electric heat comes on. It is always a good idea if you’re using electric heat to have<br />
a back-up source like gas in case of a power outage.<br />
Tip courtesy of Joe Anish of Vilco Supply<br />
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22 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 23
HAPPENINGS IN & AROUND THE<br />
SELF SERVE CARWASHING INDUSTRY<br />
All of the news including new hires, acquisitions, merges and anything else concerning the self serve car wash industry.<br />
Crooked car wash causes confusion<br />
Does this self serve car wash look<br />
normal to you?<br />
If it does not, then know that that’s<br />
the owner’s intent– to get the public’s<br />
attention. In Swindon, a small town<br />
in Wiltshire, England, Wayne Munnelly,<br />
opened the Carbana car wash<br />
on Friday, October 13, and wanted<br />
to make sure it stood out from the<br />
crowd. “Our intention was to design<br />
a car wash that shifts the boundaries<br />
of what is logical, and provides something<br />
eccentric. One truly cannot miss it,” the former<br />
managing director of IMO Car Wash Group,<br />
told the Swindon Advertiser.<br />
“I drove past it and honestly thought they were<br />
taking it down,” local resident Keeley Gray said in<br />
the story Carbana Carwash includes a four selfserve<br />
bays, a dog wash, and a self-use laundromat<br />
which includes two washing machines<br />
and a large dryer.<br />
But despite all of its impressive<br />
features, the new business has been<br />
branded as the ‘wonky car wash’<br />
across social media.<br />
“Be quick before it fully sinks to<br />
the ground,” wrote Paul Kinnett on<br />
Facebook.<br />
And, it looks as if more ‘wonky’ car<br />
washes are yet to come.<br />
“We will also be starting the build<br />
on our second site in Northamptonshire, and eventually<br />
we plan to roll this across the UK and have<br />
100 locations,” the owner said in the story.<br />
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Owner’s son switches from full-serve to self serve<br />
Nationwide groundwater crisis looms<br />
A nationwide groundwater crisis is draining<br />
underground layers of porous rock or sediment<br />
known as aquifers, according to a November 7<br />
New York Times report. “This comes at a time<br />
when groundwater is more important than ever<br />
because of climate change, which is making rivers<br />
and streams less reliable as sources of water.”<br />
According to the in-depth report, groundwater<br />
depletion involves more than tap water. “Aquifers<br />
don’t adhere to state boundaries, so groundwater<br />
issues in one state definitely can affect another<br />
— but there are no specific examples that come<br />
to mind. That could change in the future as erratic<br />
weather caused by climate change, including<br />
droughts, starts to draw down aquifers that don’t<br />
get recharged with rainfall and snowmelt like they<br />
used to.”<br />
According to an April 19 ABC News report,<br />
“The American West is certainly in a water crisis,”<br />
stated Reed Maxwell, a professor and researcher<br />
at Princeton University. Maxwell has been studying<br />
the distribution of freshwater resources for the<br />
past 20 years.<br />
“Even with the record high precipitation in the<br />
2022-2023 winter season for parts of the West,<br />
24 • FALL 2023<br />
The Genie Car Wash and lube and tune business<br />
in Poway, California, is being converted into<br />
a self serve car wash, according to September 28<br />
Poway News Chieftain story.<br />
The former business model, which covered 4,789<br />
square feet, included a tunnel car wash, auto detailer,<br />
lube/tune service station and smog check station.<br />
“Part of the proposed project involves demolishing<br />
an existing 2,005-square-foot lube and tune facility<br />
and installing 16 new vacuum cleaner stalls and two<br />
pay stations,” according to a city staff report.<br />
The project is supposed to take about three<br />
months and should be completed for the beginning<br />
of 2024. Co-owner David Younan.<br />
The Poway City Council unanimously agreed<br />
to amend a conditional use permit to allow the<br />
modification, although one councilmember was<br />
concerned about the noise from the vacuums.<br />
However, the owners said the vacuums would be<br />
housed inside an existing building.<br />
Formerly named Touch of Class, the business<br />
was started 40 years ago by Max Younan, and has<br />
9 other locations in San Diego, Arizona and Orange<br />
County, California. Max’s son, David, is the owner<br />
owner of the Poway location.<br />
“The Poway car washing complex is being updated<br />
with roughly $2 million worth of improvements<br />
because Genie Car Wash customers are showing a<br />
preference for do-it-yourself car washes,” Younan<br />
said, according to the story.<br />
“We started in the full-service car wash business,<br />
but because of the popularity of the low-cost model,<br />
being able to pass on cost savings has been successful<br />
for customers,” Younan stated in the story. “This is<br />
keeping up with the times.”<br />
The car wash will be gated and customers will<br />
buy a $20/month membership to enter the property.<br />
the decadal pattern is for continual aridification<br />
in the West,” said Maxwell. This means the West<br />
keeps getting drier and hotter. “It’s being amplified<br />
by human-induced climate change,” he said in the<br />
story.<br />
ABC News also reported that the Colorado<br />
River, one of the most important river systems in<br />
the country, is drying up at an alarming rate. “The<br />
river system supports $1.4 trillion of the annual<br />
U.S. economy and 16 million jobs in California,<br />
Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico<br />
and Wyoming-- equivalent to about 1/12 of the<br />
total U.S. domestic product, economists at the<br />
University of Arizona found in 2015.”<br />
“Even more alarming” is that water could get<br />
so low that it can not be pumped and delivered to<br />
the states, communities and agricultural industries<br />
that rely on it, Richard Frank, professor of environmental<br />
practice at the University of California<br />
Davis School of Law, told ABC News.<br />
According to an October 24 ABC News report,<br />
forecasts about the negative effects of human-caused<br />
climate change are not uncommon,<br />
but new research published in October makes<br />
even more dire claims, declaring that “life on planet<br />
Earth is under siege” and that “we are pushing<br />
our planetary systems into dangerous instability.”<br />
The study, titled “The 2023 State of the Climate<br />
Report: Entering Uncharted Territory” and<br />
published in the journal Bioscience, points to specific<br />
climate events in 2023 to support its findings,<br />
including exceptional heat waves across the globe,<br />
historic and record-breaking warm ocean temperatures,<br />
and unprecedented low levels of sea ice<br />
surrounding Antarctica, according to ABC News.<br />
The 12 international scientists who created the<br />
report stated that in 2023, there have been 38 days<br />
with global average temperatures more than 1.5 degrees<br />
Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the report<br />
stated. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric<br />
Administration and Europe’s Copernicus Climate<br />
Change Service earlier this month indicated that<br />
2023 will likely go on record as the hottest year<br />
ever recorded.<br />
What’s more, reported ABC News, is that the<br />
highest average Earth surface temperature ever recorded<br />
was in July, according to the report, which<br />
also notes that may be the highest surface temperater<br />
the Earth has experienced in the last 100,000<br />
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FALL 2023 • 25
INDUSTRY DIRT<br />
INDUSTRY DIRT<br />
New car wash coming to Vermont<br />
The Bennington Lanes/Billy T’s Northside<br />
Drive Dairy Bar property has closed, and a Hoffman<br />
Car Wash will soon go up in its place, according<br />
to September 22 Bennington Banner story.<br />
Owner Lucinda Thomson sold the Bennington<br />
Lanes parcel for $660,000 and the adjacent Billy<br />
T’s Northside Dairy Bar parcel for $440,000.<br />
The buyer, Hoffman Car Wash group, based in<br />
the Albany, N.Y., area plans to construct a full-service<br />
car wash, three self-serve car wash bays and<br />
She washes what at the car wash?!<br />
Grace Martin is gaining notoriety on TikTok<br />
due to the way she washes her sneakers. That’s<br />
right, she washes them at a self serve car wash.<br />
Her TikTok story has gotten the attention of<br />
millions of people, according to a September 4<br />
26 • FALL 2023<br />
Kidspot.com story.<br />
The viral social media post shows Grace lining<br />
up all of her shoes against the wall and then spraying<br />
them down with the car wash hose. “Work<br />
smarter, not harder,” she captioned the clip.<br />
12 auto vacuums.<br />
The entire site is listed as 3.18 acres, and the<br />
project area will cover about 2.3 acres, according<br />
to the story.<br />
Cassandra Barbeau, a part-time realtor who<br />
helped with the sale, stated, “It’s a little bit sad for<br />
the community, definitelyThose two place. s have<br />
been fixtures in town – with the bowling alley it’s<br />
been decades. …The Thomson family has been<br />
part of our family – they provided our entertainment,<br />
and our ice cream. With that said, they deserve<br />
a next chapter. And ultimately it happened<br />
to be a buyer who decided not to continue the<br />
bowling alley and the dairy bar.”<br />
The Hoffman company stated that it normally<br />
takes about nine months from the groundbreaking<br />
to opening of the facility.<br />
Hoffman Car Wash, which formed in 1965, operates<br />
more over 24 locations in New York. This will be<br />
the first Hoffman Car Wash in the state of Vermont.<br />
Self serve chain is<br />
expanding to Ocala,<br />
Florida<br />
ModWash is working on its first location<br />
in Ocala, Florida, joining a bunch of<br />
other self serves in the area, Ocala-News.<br />
com reported.<br />
Founded and owned by Karen Hutton,<br />
ModWash, which is based out of Chattanooga,<br />
Tennessee, has 13 other locations in<br />
Florida and 15 other sites are planned.<br />
ModWash offers bug prep stations, vacuums,<br />
air tools, micro fiber towels, window<br />
and mat cleaners, and air fresheners with<br />
every wash, the story said.<br />
According to the story, ModWash will<br />
join at least two dozen other self service<br />
car washes in Ocala. Currently, there are<br />
five RaceWash locations, with a sixth location<br />
currently planned nearby; Tidal Wave<br />
Auto Spa opened its first location in Ocala<br />
in 2021 and the company is currently<br />
working on its second location in south<br />
Ocala; Caliber Car Wash has three locations;<br />
and Mr. Clean Car Wash opened one<br />
location in Ocala in 2022.<br />
QB Enterprises teams up with car wash owners for breast cancer awareness<br />
QB Enterprises, dba Quick Dry, or Orange, Virginia,<br />
partnered with over 300 car wash locations<br />
and major distributors across the United States<br />
who distributed Quick Dry’s “Go Pink!” Microfiber<br />
Towels during the month of October in an effort<br />
to promote breast cancer awareness and raise<br />
money for various research foundations and other<br />
nationwide and local cancer-related charitable organizations.<br />
Q.B. Enterprises donated a portion of<br />
proceeds from the sale of the towel to Breastcancer.org<br />
and Hospice of the Piedmont.<br />
“Roger and I have experienced the loss of many<br />
family members and friends to cancer in the last<br />
few years. We believe that cancer awareness will<br />
help to bring a cure to Breast Cancer in our lifetime”,<br />
said Becky Kube, owner of QB Enterprises,<br />
in a press release. “It is important for us and our<br />
organization to support cancer research and organizations<br />
like Breastcancer.org that offer resources<br />
and support to those currently facing breast cancer.<br />
We have also experienced the magnificent care<br />
that Hospice provides to Breast Cancer patients<br />
and feel it’s important to offer support to their organization.”<br />
“The support from car washes across the U.S.<br />
helps Breastcancer.org empower people with the<br />
confidence, clarity, and knowledge they urgently<br />
need when facing a diagnosis. Going through<br />
breast cancer can be one of the most challenging<br />
experiences in someone’s life, which is why we<br />
are dedicated to helping people by providing expert<br />
guidance, community, and critical resources,”<br />
said Lauren Hughes, Director of Development for<br />
Breastcancer.org.<br />
“We are appreciative of the car wash market<br />
for making this possible,” said Jenn Downs, Chief<br />
Marketing and Development Office at Hospice of<br />
the Piedmont. “We are so grateful to the many car<br />
washes across the country for their partnership in<br />
this important awareness initiative. The collaboration<br />
is powerful and hopefully will help touch<br />
many lives along the way. At Hospice of the Piedmont,<br />
we are dedicated to positively transforming<br />
the way people view and experience serious illness,<br />
dying and grief. Educational and outreach<br />
efforts such as this breast cancer campaign are<br />
important in helping people to start conversations<br />
surrounding the care they would want should they<br />
find themselves facing a breast cancer diagnosis.”<br />
SBA makes improvements<br />
to help small businesses<br />
According to an August 18, 2023, press release,<br />
Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman<br />
announced the U.S. Small Business Administration<br />
(SBA) Small Business Investment Company’s<br />
(SBIC) Diversification and Growth Final Rule is<br />
effective today. Under the new rule, which supports<br />
the Biden-Harris Administration’s economic<br />
and equity priorities, the SBA will implement<br />
regulatory and policy reforms to increase access to<br />
private equity and debt capital for:<br />
• Underserved small businesses and startups,<br />
• Undercapitalized critical technologies,<br />
• Diverse and emerging fund managers, and<br />
• Innovation investment.<br />
Starting August 17, private market fund managers<br />
can apply for SBIC licenses designed for investing<br />
in American small businesses and startups<br />
with equity-oriented or long-duration strategies.<br />
The two new SBIC licenses – the “Accrual SBIC”<br />
and the “Reinvestor (Fund-of-Funds) SBIC” – expand<br />
the SBIC program network of private market<br />
financing partners and the SBA’s reach to historically<br />
underserved small businesses and startups.<br />
Critically, the regulatory and policy reforms are<br />
designed to reduce the financial burden for new<br />
program applicants and provide a more streamlined<br />
application experience.<br />
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed<br />
to ensuring small businesses can access capital for<br />
growth – especially aligned with our focus on equity,<br />
manufacturing, and innovation that will power our<br />
economy into the future. SBA’s partnerships with private<br />
funds in the SBIC program deliver so America’s<br />
small businesses can take advantage of opportunities<br />
as the President Invests in America, and these transformational<br />
reforms break down the structural limitations<br />
in the SBIC Program to increase the flow of<br />
equity and debt financing to underserved communities,<br />
capital-intensive industries, and technology areas<br />
critical to U.S. national security and economic development,”<br />
said Administrator Guzman.<br />
In other news, lending program improvements<br />
have expanded access to capital and increased<br />
protection against fraud. According to an August<br />
1, 2023, press release, on August 1, the SBA began<br />
implementing additional policies aimed at<br />
expanding small business access to capital by<br />
modernizing SBA’s signature 7(a) and 504 Loan<br />
Programs. Today’s loan program updates build on<br />
Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman’s previous<br />
announcements that address long-standing persistent<br />
capital access gaps for rural, veteran, women,<br />
and minority-owned businesses.<br />
The loan program improvements will increase<br />
small businesses’ ability to access funding to start up<br />
and grow through a broader network of lenders with<br />
streamlined lender procedures. The new, simplified<br />
guidelines for lenders are part of three updated Standard<br />
Operating Procedures (SOP), including updated<br />
origination policies and procedures, lender participation<br />
requirements, and 7(a) loan servicing and<br />
liquidation requirements. For example, SBA is providing<br />
additional flexibility in credit criteria for loans<br />
under $500,000 to support SBA loans in reaching<br />
more credit-worthy small businesses.<br />
SBA made it easier to understand who qualifies for<br />
an SBA loan by clarifying affiliation standards, which<br />
can determine which businesses count as “small,” and<br />
is now bringing eligibility determination in-house<br />
through technology upgrades. Together, these changes<br />
will help small businesses and lenders know who<br />
qualifies up-front. SBA will use advanced data analytics<br />
and third-party data checks for fraud review on all<br />
loan programs before approval.<br />
SBA also streamlined information requirements<br />
for lenders, making it easier to work with SBA. For<br />
example, SBA no longer requires duplicative data<br />
entry in the Loan Authorization Wizard and instead<br />
will use information already entered into the<br />
system to produce a Terms and Conditions Sheet<br />
electronically.<br />
SBA recognizes that small businesses, particularly<br />
those owned by individuals in underserved<br />
communities who are highly entrepreneurial, still<br />
face long-standing barriers in accessing capital<br />
needed to start or grow their businesses. These<br />
changes include permanency in SBA lending for<br />
mission-driven organizations like Community Development<br />
Financial Institutions (CDFIs), which<br />
have a track record of filling capital gaps in underserved<br />
communities but were previously participating<br />
in SBA lending through a temporary pilot<br />
program called Community Advantage. These<br />
lenders are securing permanency in the 7(a) Loan<br />
Program by becoming Community Advantage<br />
Small Business Lending Companies (CASBLCs).<br />
The following three SBA SOPs took effect on<br />
August.1, bringing many of the new policies into<br />
practice:<br />
• SOP 50 10 7: Lender and Development<br />
Company Loan Programs<br />
• Contains SBA’s policies and procedures<br />
governing the 7(a) and 504 loan programs.<br />
• SOP 50 56: Lender participation<br />
requirement<br />
• Contains the criteria for becoming an SBA<br />
Lender.<br />
• SOP 50 57: 7(a) Loan Servicing and<br />
Liquidation<br />
Contains the policies and procedures for 7(a)<br />
loan servicing and liquidation.<br />
A new feature SBA will begin accepting is the<br />
Universal Purchase Package (UPP), which will<br />
streamline the process for lenders to request SBA<br />
honor its loan guaranty, and SBA will introduce<br />
new features in E-TRAN, SBA’s online platform<br />
used by lenders to upload loan applications.<br />
The SBA has a robust outreach and education<br />
program to assist its stakeholders in accessing<br />
such resources. In advance of these program<br />
updates, more than 13,500 people attended SBA<br />
live training events, and on-demand training for<br />
lenders has been viewed over 15,300 times.<br />
WE WANT<br />
YOUR<br />
STORIES!<br />
Do you have a funny<br />
story from the bay?<br />
Maybe an inspiring<br />
tale from the wash?<br />
Try something<br />
new that worked well?<br />
“You won’t believe what this<br />
Darwin did at my wash…”<br />
“The best decision I ever made<br />
for my business was…”<br />
“On rainy days, I like to…”<br />
Reach out to Editor Debra Gorgos<br />
debgorgos@gmail.com to share<br />
your story with our readers.<br />
FALL 2023 • 27
CALENDAR<br />
OF EVENTS<br />
*All events are subject to changes<br />
due to current circumstances.<br />
Association News<br />
• 33nd NRCC breaks record<br />
A LEADING MANUFACTURER OF CONTROLS,<br />
INCLUDING DIGITAL TIMERS FOR THE CAR WASH INDUSTRY.<br />
CONTACT YOUR<br />
DISTRIBUTOR<br />
2024<br />
FEBRUARY 28 -<br />
MARCH 1, 2024<br />
Southwest Car<br />
Wash Association<br />
TODAY!<br />
Fort Worth Convention Center<br />
Fort Worth, Texas<br />
MAY 13-15,<br />
2024<br />
Car Wash Show<br />
Nashville, Tennessee<br />
AUGUST 13-15,<br />
2024<br />
Car Wash<br />
Show Australia<br />
International Convention<br />
Centre, Sydney, Australia<br />
OCTOBER 7-9,<br />
2024<br />
Northeast Regional<br />
Carwash Convention<br />
(NRCC)<br />
Atlantic City Convention<br />
Center, New Jersey<br />
The 33rd Northeast Regional Carwash Convention<br />
(NRCC), held October 2-4, at the Atlantic<br />
City Convention Center, surpassed its 2022 booth<br />
count with 386 exhibits and beat its highest attendee<br />
number set in 2019 with 1921 combined<br />
attendees and exhibitors, according to Heather<br />
Courtney, NRCC Show Coordinator. “To say I’m<br />
thrilled would be an understatement,” said Courtney,<br />
who is in her seventh year managing the event.<br />
“We spent more money promoting the show and<br />
have elevated our educational track significantly<br />
over the last several years. The NRCC offers outstanding<br />
educational sessions, a huge show floor and<br />
is cost-effective for operators as well as vendors and<br />
all of that combined is a great value to all.”<br />
According to Bob Rossini, Show Chairman representing<br />
the Connecticut Carwash Association<br />
(CCA), the event’s host, “This show had extremely<br />
high energy,” he said. “Attendees have seen the<br />
changes we’ve made to the show and it’s paying<br />
off. Everyone I spoke with was impressed and energized<br />
to learn and bring fresh, new ideas back to<br />
their washes.”<br />
A wide range of educational options elevated<br />
the 33rd NRCC, with something for everyone, according<br />
to Education Chair Suzanne Stansbury. “It’s<br />
always a challenge to select a topic that will appeal<br />
to all types of operators with varying backgrounds,<br />
but I think we were able to find presenters with lots<br />
of charisma and diversity who were also relatable.<br />
I was really happy with our educational offerings.”<br />
Virtual Carwash Tour<br />
The lineup included the annual “Virtual Carwash<br />
Tour” facilitated by Tom Hoffman, Jr. of Hoffman<br />
Car Washes and InnovateIT. The sites shown virtually<br />
included RoJo Car Wash in Norwood and<br />
Walpole, MA, operated by John Shalbey, Jr., Gleam<br />
and Gleam 2 Car Washes out of Denver, Colorado,<br />
operated by Emilie Baratta, Chesapeake Car Wash<br />
in Chesapeake, Maryland, operated by Tom Morris<br />
and Quick Clean Car Wash out of Lee’s Summit,<br />
Missouri, operated by Bob Brown. “I try to compile<br />
a diverse grouping of washes and this year I think<br />
I was able to hit all wash models, including sites<br />
with detailing,” said Stansbury. “I have also added in<br />
some out-of-market sites to give attendees a more<br />
broad look at what operators in different parts of<br />
the country are doing.” This event was sponsored by<br />
Sergeant Sudz.<br />
Simoniz Celebration<br />
After the Virtual Tour Simoniz USA, a long-time<br />
supporter of the NRCC, held its annual event, the<br />
Simoniz Celebration, at the Hard Rock’s Hollywood<br />
Ballroom. This gathering helps to get everyone fired<br />
up for the show’s first day of exhibits and additional<br />
education. This year, the company opened the evening<br />
event up to every single attendee, no matter<br />
their level of registration. “Simoniz calls the Northeast<br />
our back yard with our headquarters located<br />
in Bolton, Connecticut,” said Joey Plude, Marketing<br />
Manager. “Therefore, a partnership and association<br />
with the NRCC and the Northeast community as<br />
a whole is very important to us.” The annual event<br />
drew a massive crowd, according to Plude. “We are<br />
so proud to have strengthened this relationship<br />
with the NRCC and the Northeast carwash family<br />
by opening up our Simoniz Celebration to the entire<br />
show,” he said. “We feel it was a massive success<br />
having almost 600 attendees and we are committed<br />
to making it even bigger next year!” Chairman Rossini<br />
couldn’t agree more. “Our thanks go out to the<br />
entire Simoniz team, and Joey, for coordinating this<br />
incredible offering,” said Rossini. “Next year’s event<br />
on Monday, October 7th , should be amazing!”<br />
Educational Sessions<br />
On day two of the show attendees were able to<br />
partake of an extensive buffet breakfast before soaking<br />
up content from the popular Early Bird panel<br />
discussion. This panel is meant to be unscripted and<br />
cover topics relating to all carwash models. Panelists<br />
included Amanda Kubarek of K & S Car Wash, Auburn,<br />
New York; Steve Sause of Cloud 10, Darien,<br />
Connecticut; Mike Ashley of Virginia Car Wash In-<br />
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28 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 29
Association News<br />
dustries, Inc., Toms Brook, Virginia; and Dan Saidel<br />
of Premier Car Wash, Metuchen, New Jersey. The<br />
panel was moderated by the New England Carwash<br />
Association’s John Shalbey, Jr., with RoJo Car Washes<br />
in Norwood and Walpole, Massachusetts. Next up<br />
was an insightful program titled, “Your Unlimited<br />
Program — Is it Return or Rechurn?” facilitated by<br />
Myrrh Consulting’s Chris Brown. Brown provided<br />
tips on how to master the unlimited sales process<br />
while minimizing financial fallout. He was able to<br />
demonstrate how to drive your unlimited capture<br />
rate, keep churn in check and ensure that your customers<br />
are happy customers for life.<br />
“Ask The Marketing Experts,” facilitated by Nick<br />
Lopez of Bubble Bath Car Wash, was the next<br />
spirited seminar on tap. Lopez’ panelists included<br />
Wade Keith of Breeze Thru Car Washes in Wyoming<br />
and Colorado, Kacy Erdelyi of Spark Car<br />
Wash with three sites in New Jersey (more on the<br />
drawing board) and additional washes to come in<br />
Pennsylvania and New York, and Victoria Perez of<br />
Bubble Bath Car Wash in San Antonio, Texas. The<br />
group took questions from the audience and shared<br />
their expertise on all aspects of carwash marketing.<br />
The feedback to this seminar was extremely positive<br />
and left attendees wanting more.<br />
Keynote Address<br />
International award-winning leadership expert<br />
and celebrated speaker, Mark Denton, served as the<br />
Keynote Speaker and shared his expertise on navigating<br />
turbulent waters in life and business with<br />
more than 300 in attendance. Denton has competed<br />
in countless races and sailed more than 80,000<br />
miles across the worlds’ most hostile oceans. In<br />
doing so, he has learned a bit about motivating his<br />
team and being able to adjust his leadership skills<br />
to meet all challenges; skills that can be taken back<br />
to your wash when motivating your staff to work<br />
smarter and better as a team.<br />
“His sheer courage and will to overcome incredible<br />
odds, while working in a team environment, is<br />
nothing short of inspiring,” said Chairman Rossini.<br />
The Keynote was sponsored by Micrologic Associates<br />
and InnovateIT.<br />
Awards Luncheon<br />
This year’s Awards Luncheon was led by Chairman<br />
Bob Rossini. Recipients included four Emerging<br />
Leaders:<br />
• Sebastien Weekes of Spritz Car Wash<br />
in Clifton Park, New York<br />
• Dave Jones of Splash Car Wash,<br />
Milford, Connecticut<br />
• Francesca Roman of Hoffman<br />
Car Wash, Albany, New York, and<br />
Max Pulcini, Director of Communications<br />
with EverWash, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<br />
The Emerging Leader Award celebrates and encourages<br />
early-career managers who have demonstrated<br />
strong leadership and industry service.<br />
The Most Distinguished Person Award honoree<br />
was Larry Fiano of Fiano’s E-Z Coin-Op Carwash<br />
in Bolton, Connecticut. Fiano, 98, is a long-time<br />
CCA member. He has been washing cars since 1967<br />
when he built a carwash into a parcel of land he<br />
had acquired the previous year. His wash is still in<br />
operation and the parcel of land now also includes<br />
a miniature golf and driving range called Mar-Lea<br />
Golf named after his oldest son Mark and youngest<br />
daughter Leah. Larry would like to acknowledge<br />
the help he has received from Jeff and Allison<br />
Shackett of Car Wash Systems, as well as the Gorra<br />
family of Simoniz USA who have supplied the<br />
wash for the last 50+ years. Larry was not able to<br />
attend the show so Chairman Rossini accepted the<br />
award on his behalf.<br />
The NRCC’s highest honor, its Hall of Fame<br />
Award, was bestowed upon two individuals this year<br />
who have supported the NRCC and its mission and<br />
helped it grow year over year, tirelessly. The recipients<br />
are selected by past honorees. Bill Gorra and Al<br />
West of Simoniz USA were honored with the 2023<br />
Hall of Fame Award.<br />
Bill’s journey began in 1980 working in sales<br />
at Syndet Products where his hands-on approach<br />
helped him gain industry knowledge. Using this experience,<br />
just three years later, he oversaw and managed<br />
five Gentle Touch Car Washes in Hartford,<br />
Connecticut. Bill then negotiated a licensing agreement<br />
with First Brands to use the Simoniz name in<br />
conjunction with professional carwash products. In<br />
1988, he purchased controlling interests of Syndet<br />
from his father and expanded operations. And in<br />
1997, Syndet purchased the 100-year-old Simoniz<br />
brand and renamed it Simoniz USA. The company<br />
now employs 350 and owns more than 100 brands<br />
and has been exhibiting at the NRCC for 33 years.<br />
Al West began with the company 27 years ago<br />
after breaking into the industry as a manager with<br />
Boston-based ScrubaDub. He was then recruited by<br />
Simoniz when they were looking for a Team Member.<br />
He quickly rose up through the ranks to his current<br />
position as Northeast Carwash Sales Manager.<br />
And, according to his boss, Bill Gorra, “Al is selfless,<br />
passionate, dedicated and one of the most loyal people<br />
you can find, and the company would not be the<br />
same without him.”<br />
Both Gorra and West have supported the NRCC<br />
as valued exhibitors, sponsors and sounding boards<br />
over the last 33 years. They never hesitate to help the<br />
show grow and prosper while providing East Coast<br />
operators with a first-rate event. Gorra was not available<br />
to accept the award due to the recent passing of<br />
his wife Christine. His son, Will, accepted the honor<br />
on his behalf. West, who did not know he was receiving<br />
the award, accepted it with surprise. The Award’s<br />
Luncheon was sponsored by Carwash Superstore.<br />
Welcome Reception<br />
Another highlight of the show was the annual<br />
Welcome Reception sponsored by long-time sponsor<br />
and show supporter ICS. This casual meet and<br />
greet includes complimentary beverages and light<br />
New Jersey fare before everyone sets out for dinner<br />
with friends and vendors. “The last three years we<br />
have held the event at the ACCC just at the close of<br />
the show on Tuesday,” recounts Heather Courtney.<br />
“It’s a great opportunity to take a break after walking<br />
the floor and catch up with friends old and new.<br />
It’s been a highlight of our show for years and we<br />
couldn’t do it without the generosity of ICS.”<br />
This year’s Welcome Reception also included a<br />
$500 cash giveaway and a Yeti cooler giveaway. The<br />
cash winner was Larry Lawrence of Roll-N-Vac by<br />
TRUEBITE, INC, out of Binghamton, New York,<br />
and the Yeti cooler went to Mike Goupil of Maintenance<br />
Tech out of Portland, Maine.<br />
The show’s final seminar and breakfast featured<br />
Chick-fil-A’s Arthur Greeno whose Keynote “Remarkable<br />
Customer Service” resonated and entertained<br />
the audience. Greeno, who is also the bestselling<br />
author of “Breaking Conformity,” is a current<br />
multi-store owner/operator. He shared some of the<br />
company’s “secret sauce” on its consistent quality<br />
and remarkable customer service. It was obvious<br />
that he goes above and beyond with his employees.<br />
“I thought Arthur and our entire educational<br />
lineup provided some exceptional content and examples<br />
of how to improve communication, better<br />
lead and better market wash operations,” said Stansbury.<br />
“We have a limited number of educational<br />
slots to fill each show, which makes the selection<br />
process challenging, but we do encourage attendees<br />
to share their thoughts and ideas with us,” she<br />
said. “Please email them to info@nrccshow.com or<br />
give us a call at 800.868.8590. You can also share<br />
feedback on each session by logging into the APP,<br />
NRCC 2023, and filling out a brief survey.<br />
2024 NRCC<br />
The 34rd NRCC is slated for October 7-9 at the<br />
Atlantic City Convention Center. The Hard Rock<br />
Hotel & Casino is the host hotel. Make sure to visit<br />
nrccshow.com in the coming months for registration<br />
and seminar information. The Car Wash Operators<br />
of New Jersey (CWONJ) is the host Association<br />
with CWONJ Past President Doug Rieck<br />
serving as Chairman.<br />
• Car Wash Show Europe<br />
hosts 2,600 from 75<br />
countries<br />
Over 2,600 visitors from 75 countries came to<br />
Amsterdam for Europe’s largest car wash show,<br />
Sept. 21-22, to learn, network and see exhibits<br />
featuring innovative ideas from all over the world,<br />
according to an International Carwash Association<br />
(ICA) press release.<br />
Explore Interesting Trends Worldwide<br />
The learning sessions are one of the big draws<br />
at Car Wash Show Europe, with one of the highlights<br />
this year being a one with Eric Wulf (ICA),<br />
Brian Madderson (Car Wash Association), Erik<br />
Stern (BOVAG) and Thomas Drott (BTG Germa-<br />
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30 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 31
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• Car Wash Show Europe hosts 2,600 from 75 countries<br />
ny). The presenters shared their knowledge about<br />
the trends, challenges and opportunities for the car<br />
wash industry. They pointed out the differences and<br />
all that has changed since Car Wash Show Europe<br />
2019. For example, in The Netherlands, 52% of car<br />
branche organization BOVAG members use license<br />
plate recognition in the car wash. Furthermore, indoor<br />
vacuuming is clearly on the rise. And almost<br />
every car wash company has a loyalty program and<br />
over 93% (in The Netherlands) offer wash passes.<br />
Make Everyone Feel Indispensable<br />
Another session addressed a struggle that car<br />
washes throughout Europe, the United States and<br />
worldwide are facing: finding and keeping employees.<br />
It is important to find out exactly what<br />
motivates employees within your company, said<br />
operations manager Suzanne Huisman of Blinkie<br />
Carwash in Maaseik, Belgium, a family business<br />
with a 50-meter chain lane.<br />
“It is easy to give people you want to retain more<br />
money or have a bonus system, for example. My experience<br />
is: involve your crew, let them have their<br />
say and listen to their ideas. Ask them what tasks<br />
they like best to do within the company. Make sure<br />
you become a family. That’s the main reason we<br />
start every day together with a good cup of coffee.<br />
That way everyone stays involved and feels an indispensable<br />
part of the company,” Huisman said in<br />
the press release.<br />
Become Distinctive and Create a Community<br />
Car washes that work fast, well, safely, customer-friendly<br />
and deliver top-quality wash results are<br />
plentiful. So what do you need to do for your car<br />
wash to be distinctive and successful? How do you<br />
become a formula that consumers prefer and they<br />
enjoy going to every week?<br />
“Create a community!” said Anne Mauler, vice<br />
president of marketing at Soapy Joe’s Inc. in San<br />
Diego, California, which started in 2011 with one<br />
location, is up to 30 and shooting for 50 in the near<br />
future. Not only do they prioritize their communities,<br />
they invite their communities to become even<br />
more involved with what Soapy Joe’s has to offer, as<br />
well. “We built Soapytopia,” Mauler said, allowing<br />
the membership community to be tied to the car<br />
wash in every possible way.<br />
“We want to be on your radio, we want to be in<br />
your phone, we want to be where you are,” Mauler<br />
said. “But it has to happen in a playful way. When<br />
we noticed our customers have more dogs than kids,<br />
we decided to start a campaign around a Magic Pet<br />
Parade. It resulted in 400 % more interaction and<br />
Association News<br />
leads, compared to other campaigns. It’s important<br />
to create an emotional connection with your customers,<br />
to build a lasting relationship.”<br />
Embrace Innovation<br />
In the Innovation Alley, companies presented their<br />
innovations, such as the e-Scrubber+. It is a handy<br />
little wireless device with a powerful motor that was<br />
originally developed to rid swimming pools of algae<br />
but also turns out to be great for waxing and detailing.<br />
Plus, it has a low rotation speed. “In this way, you<br />
can apply multiple layers of wax much better,” said<br />
Holger Dziadek, a German entrepreneur.<br />
A fast-growing Lithuanian IT company presented<br />
a smart traffic light that indicates whether a<br />
wash bay is occupied. The Parksol Self-Service<br />
Car Wash Guidance System is especially useful for<br />
businesses with multiple wash bays and a busy oncall,<br />
said Kristina Šašilait’, one of the company’s<br />
developers. A sensor sees if there is a vehicle in the<br />
box, then a red cross flashes on and the routing is<br />
adjusted if desired.<br />
Look for more details and coverage of Car Wash<br />
Show Europe in CAR WASH Magazine Q4 and<br />
CAR WASH Magazine Live, which is available in<br />
the app and online at carwashmagazine.com.<br />
• CWONJ Awards Two<br />
Scholarships<br />
The Car Wash Operators of New Jersey<br />
(CWONJ) has awarded a 2023 Scholarship to Riley<br />
Stoops and Ashley Coiscou Perez, according to a<br />
press release. Both candidates displayed exemplary<br />
scholastic and extracurricular efforts, according to<br />
Dan Saidel, CWONJ Scholarship Chairman.<br />
Riley Stoops is an employee at Magic Wash in<br />
Manahawkin and plans to study mechanical engineering<br />
at Stevens Institute of Technology in<br />
Hoboken, NJ. Riley spends much of his time as a<br />
trombonist/baritone player in a number of ensembles<br />
including the Southern Regional Golden Rams<br />
Marching Band where he is also on the leadership<br />
committee and has served as a section leader for the<br />
past two years. He is also a member of the Southern<br />
Regional Jazz Ensemble Honor Band. But true<br />
to his desired major, Riley has joined the Southern<br />
Regional Mathematics League where he will participate<br />
in the 10th Annual Stockton University<br />
“Math Mayhem” Competition. He is also part of<br />
the Southern Jersey NFL Flag Football League. According<br />
to his boss at the wash, Doug Rieck, “His<br />
performance, attendance and responsibility are excellent.<br />
He started in the full-service department<br />
vacuuming and cleaning and has proven capable of<br />
customer relations and moved up to handling the<br />
entrance end and guide on.”<br />
Ashley Coiscou Perez plans to pursue an arts and<br />
sciences major at Rutgers Newark College in the<br />
fall. She is an employee at Premier Car Wash in<br />
Millburn. Inspired by her aunt, who is a psychologist,<br />
Ashley would like to study how the mind<br />
works and its intellectual capacity and how we<br />
adapt to change in hopes of becoming an Industrial-Organizational<br />
Psychologist as well. She noted<br />
in her essay that while in college she plans to help<br />
other students cope with stress and self confidence<br />
by forming meetings where they can talk freely and<br />
openly about their struggles. She also plans to form<br />
an English as a Second Language (ESL) group as<br />
Ashley immigrated to the US as a child from the<br />
Dominican Republic.<br />
While in high school she was a member of the<br />
American Honor Society, the National Society<br />
of Leadership and Success (NSLS) and has spent<br />
countless hours helping teachers and making donations<br />
to local churches and those in the Dominican<br />
Republic. She has also provided food and snacks to<br />
the homeless with help from her mother.<br />
Information on the CWONJ’s 2024 Scholarship<br />
will be available in early 2024 on the association’s<br />
<strong>web</strong>site, cwonj.com.<br />
32 • FALL 2023<br />
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• WCA Hands Out<br />
Multiple Awards<br />
The Western Carwash Association (WCA) was<br />
proud to announce the recipients of its prestigious<br />
annual awards, recognizing outstanding individuals<br />
who have made remarkable contributions to the<br />
car wash industry, according to an October 16 press<br />
release. These awards celebrate excellence, innovation,<br />
and a lifetime of dedication to our industry.<br />
Car Wash Manager of the Year Award:<br />
Collin Campbell, Classy Chassis Car Wash,<br />
Tacoma, Washington<br />
The Car Wash Manager of the Year Award is presented<br />
to individuals who demonstrate exceptional<br />
skills in managing car wash operations. Collin’s<br />
dedication to implementing best business practices,<br />
handling personnel with professionalism and<br />
loyalty, and aligning with the industry’s goals and<br />
mission exemplify the qualities we value in our<br />
managers, the press release stated.<br />
Innovative Operator of the Year Award:<br />
Brett Meinberg, GO Car Wash, Denver, Colorado<br />
The Innovative Operator of the Year Award is a<br />
testament to those who have explored new ideas,<br />
investing their own time and resources to enhance<br />
the car wash industry. Brett has opened doors for all<br />
of us with his innovative methods and techniques.<br />
His commitment to improving service delivery and<br />
increasing profitability is an inspiration to us all, the<br />
press release stated.<br />
Lifetime Achievement Award:<br />
Jack Anthony, Jack Anthony Industries, Inc.,<br />
Vallejo, California<br />
The Lifetime Achievement Award is a prestigious<br />
recognition presented to individuals whose<br />
long-standing dedication has significantly impacted<br />
the car wash industry. Jack, founder of Jack Anthony<br />
Industries, Inc., has tirelessly served our industry<br />
for many years, stated the press release. His contributions<br />
in the areas of self-serve, exterior conveyor,<br />
flex-serve and full-service platforms, as well as his<br />
civic and philanthropic endeavors have continually<br />
elevated car wash industry operations management<br />
as well as its profile.<br />
The WCA congratulates Collin Campbell, Brett<br />
Meinberg, and Jack Anthony for their remarkable<br />
achievements and unwavering commitment to the<br />
car wash industry. These awards are a testament to<br />
their dedication, innovation, and a lifetime of service<br />
that have enhanced the industry as a whole, according<br />
to the press release. “These awards remind<br />
us of how much leadership talent exists within<br />
the ranks of our membership,” said Scott Horner,<br />
WCA’s President. The award presentations took<br />
place during the WCA’s annual meeting on October<br />
12, 2023, in Coronado, California.<br />
FALL 2023 • 33
WE ASK.<br />
YOU ANSWER.<br />
The following poll was posted<br />
to carwashforum.com. If you<br />
would like to add your vote,<br />
or a comment, visit:<br />
carwashforum.com or follow the<br />
QR code:<br />
POLL: No one said it would be easy!<br />
Owning a self serve is ...<br />
Easier than I imagined: 50%<br />
Harder than I imagined: 50%<br />
POLL:<br />
Money out of thin air<br />
Do you sell air<br />
at your self<br />
serve?<br />
As compared to what? Another business? Marriage?<br />
Lol - MUDMONEY<br />
I used to rent moving trucks a while back. One<br />
night my wife and I went out to dinner and one<br />
of the trucks rented earlier in the day pulled up<br />
alongside us. I chuckled and said, “Look at that,<br />
we’re on our way to dinner and we’re making<br />
money!” Trucks were $19.95 and .79 cents per<br />
mile at the time so every mile they drove was<br />
an additional sale (not unlike “count-up” mode<br />
at our washes). I thought that was such a fun<br />
business model that when a car wash became<br />
available nearby, it made for a perfect fit. Now<br />
we can check the cameras at the wash no matter<br />
where we are and have a similar experience.<br />
By no means is operating a car wash “easy,”<br />
but if you have a positive attitude and the confidence<br />
that you are serving your customer the<br />
best product you can deliver, it makes the good<br />
moments enjoyable, and you just might get a<br />
chuckle with your spouse at dinner.I used to<br />
rent moving trucks a while back. One night my<br />
wife and I went out to dinner and one of the<br />
trucks rented earlier in the day pulled up alongside<br />
us. I chuckled and said, “Look at that, we’re<br />
on our way to dinner and we’re making money!”<br />
Trucks were $19.95 and .79 cents per mile<br />
at the time so every mile they drove was an additional<br />
sale (not unlike “count-up” mode at our<br />
washes). I thought that was such a fun business<br />
model that when a car wash became available<br />
nearby, it made for a perfect fit. Now we can<br />
check the cameras at the wash no matter where<br />
we are and have a similar experience.<br />
By no means is operating a car wash “easy,” but<br />
if you have a positive attitude and the confidence<br />
that you are serving your customer the<br />
best product you can deliver, it makes the good<br />
moments enjoyable, and you just might get a<br />
chuckle with your spouse at dinner. - EDREDTOP<br />
I voted “easier than I imagined,” but only just.<br />
And it’s only after about 5 years when we finally<br />
have everything operating how we would<br />
like, and two good staff that help with clean<br />
up. Up until recently, I probably would have<br />
voted “harder than I imagined.” - GREG_T<br />
As a woman who inherited my carwash from my<br />
husband I’ve noticed it was much easier when<br />
he was here. It is a whole new learning experience<br />
but I’m slowly getting it, especially since<br />
finding this forum. One thing he did was make<br />
me do whatever needed to be done and he just<br />
watched which I think was a huge help. But<br />
still there are some things I need help with<br />
but the sad part is that some men still try to<br />
take advantage of a single woman they think is<br />
dumb and over charge me when they help me.<br />
Hell, I have to shovel the pits out and realized<br />
the clog was at the sewer part so I had to<br />
play in the black mud but that’s all part of it.<br />
I do have another facility that I need to put my<br />
equipment I have back in it and get it running.<br />
So that’ll be fun lol. - BROOKSWASH21<br />
I will have to admit the first 6 months of owning<br />
my first wash in 2017 were the worst. I was a<br />
long-time aircraft technician which helped but<br />
knew nothing about self-serve washes. It just<br />
takes time to learn the systems and nothing is<br />
too hard once you know the theory of operation.<br />
This forum and its members have been a blessing.<br />
Thank you! - DAVID ROLF<br />
As operator of multiple locations we keep a<br />
high level of service with updated equipment.<br />
If things are going smoothly we get scared. We<br />
have been brought down to earth on a routine<br />
basis by problems all the time. Business<br />
requires a lot of different talents. Over the<br />
years we have acquired car washes that are run<br />
down and old owners want out because it was<br />
supposed to be easy - CMAWASH<br />
No, I have never<br />
thought of doing<br />
that: 0<br />
No, but now I am<br />
considering it!<br />
18%<br />
No: 47%<br />
We do. It’s a good little cash cow. - WASH4LIFE<br />
Yes: 35%<br />
Yep! Did a 50/50 split with a company, then ended<br />
up buying my own. I charge $1.50/cycle. - SLASH007<br />
Ours is on a combo vac. - OURTOWN<br />
We are $1 for 75/80 seconds, basically enough time<br />
for one tire. It cleans up Fall/Spring. Gas Station next<br />
door charges $2 and we have a big sign advertising<br />
our air. - VGUARD296<br />
Nope. Here in Australia, I can’t remember ever<br />
seeing compressed air at a carwash. Just about every<br />
petrol station has it for free. - GREG_T<br />
I sell air. I put the machine on the corner of the<br />
building closest to the egress, so it gets alot of use. -<br />
WAXMAN<br />
I know Baltimore City forbids selling air. I’m glad the<br />
car wash we have it at is not located there, although<br />
as bad as Baltimore is, free air is the least of my worries<br />
with regard to the city. - WASH4LIFE<br />
Crazy! Though Baltimore doesn’t charge for water….<br />
just the filtration delivery etc, I don’t charge for air….<br />
just the compression and delivery to the air chuck…..<br />
so that customers can fill tiresI ran an airline with a<br />
solenoid valve to one of vacs. A toggle switch allows<br />
customers to switch back and forth vac or air. It uses<br />
the same timer as vac…only one function at a time.<br />
$2/6min. Pretty cheap to set up and very profitable.<br />
.…..push comes to shove…I‘d drop my toggle switch<br />
and offer “free” air with vac use. - CHAZ<br />
34 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 35
Carwash<br />
Zierco’s Original Swivel and<br />
Boom Assembly, with<br />
New Rebuildable<br />
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MODEL 203<br />
• Feather light rotating action<br />
• Twin compression springs are<br />
tension-adjustable for a variety<br />
of hose and gun weights<br />
• Swivel rotates 360˚ - 12 ft.<br />
diameter<br />
MODEL 203 FEATURES<br />
• Proven performance with over 50 years<br />
service in the field (Since 1962)<br />
• Temperatures to 280˚ max.,<br />
pressure to 2000 psi<br />
• Longer hose life as spring<br />
prevents kinks<br />
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Carwash<br />
Boom<br />
Assemblies<br />
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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 />
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STYLE B<br />
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Mounts directly<br />
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Easy to Use -"Feather Light" rotating action<br />
STYLE C<br />
Swivel Base<br />
Mounts directly to<br />
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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 />
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to wall when<br />
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FOR COMPLETE<br />
INFORMATION<br />
CALL<br />
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FAX: (414) 764-9763<br />
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7355 S. 1st. Street<br />
Oak Creek, WI 53154<br />
sales@zierden.com<br />
VISA and Master Card accepted<br />
DISTRIBUTOR INQUIRIES INVITED<br />
107C Cartridge Features:<br />
• Field Repairable<br />
• 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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OPTIONAL<br />
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FOR COMPLETE<br />
INFORMATION<br />
CALL<br />
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www.ziercowaterboy.com<br />
7355 S. 1st Street<br />
Oak Creek, WI 53154<br />
Fax: (414) 764-9763<br />
sales@zierden.com<br />
CONVERSION KIT<br />
204B<br />
To Convert Model 203<br />
to a 204 Assembly<br />
Remove boom body<br />
from hinge plate<br />
QUALITY PRODUCTS SINCE 1937<br />
EASY 3 STEP PROCEDURE<br />
TO CHANGE SEALS.<br />
NO TOOLS REQUIRED.<br />
Rotate hinge plate<br />
counter clockwise to<br />
remove seal elbow<br />
TM<br />
Replace O-Rings<br />
DISTRIBUTOR<br />
INQUIRIES<br />
INVITED<br />
VISA and Master Card<br />
accepted<br />
36 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 37
Around the Wash:<br />
self serve<br />
& support equipment<br />
SINGLE VACUUM<br />
• Stainless Steel arches that are<br />
designed for the single SS vacuums<br />
• Fixed SS Boom to provide the hose<br />
near the drivers door of the vehicle<br />
• Vacuum boom can be ordered<br />
to allow the hose to swing<br />
over the vehicle<br />
• Post is 3” x 6” x 8’ tall for the<br />
fixed vac arch<br />
FAQs<br />
UNDER $11,000.00<br />
*STARTING AT UNDER $11,000.00<br />
about Chemistry<br />
The following are some important questions answered by<br />
Stephen Denissoff, Operations Manager at Synergy Solutions.<br />
Q? Why is a high PH<br />
necessary with a presoak?<br />
ANSWER: A traditional high pH (alkaline) solution<br />
is often used in a presoak for various reasons. A<br />
high pH solution is effective at breaking down and<br />
emulsifying grease and oil-based vehicle contaminants.<br />
High pH solutions can improve the overall<br />
cleaning power of the presoak by reducing the surface<br />
tension of water, which enables it to penetrate<br />
and dislodge dirt and contaminants more effectively.<br />
In some regions, a high pH presoak is also used to<br />
help remove mineral deposits and scale.<br />
The drawbacks associated with using a high pH<br />
presoak are twofold. While they effectively cleanse<br />
contaminants by emulsifying the car’s surface, they<br />
also induce a positive charge to the car’s surface.<br />
Without proper neutralization using a low pH product,<br />
this positive charge can lead to diminishing effects<br />
in the cleaning process. This includes contaminate<br />
redeposition, where the car may appear clean<br />
but still has a faint layer of dust due to the positive<br />
attraction between the dirt and the car’s surface. Additional<br />
adverse effects include the car’s dryness and<br />
diminished shine. This often requires a delicate balancing<br />
act between high pH and low pH products,<br />
“the high pH/low pH game,” to ensure the correct<br />
molecular charge on the vehicle.<br />
Q? What is an antifreeze<br />
solution and how does an<br />
antifreeze solution work with a<br />
self serve car wash?<br />
ANSWER: Antifreeze solutions are typically used<br />
in regions with colder climates, often seasonal. As<br />
the name implies, these solutions serve to safeguard<br />
soap from freezing when exposed to environmental<br />
freezing conditions. Typically, these solutions incorporate<br />
methanol additives that effectively prevent<br />
the product from freezing at the application.<br />
In self-service car washes, the foam brush application<br />
is usually stored in a reservoir containing<br />
the product. This setup presents a vulnerability<br />
to freezing when temperatures plummet. This is<br />
precisely where the need for a winter (anti-freeze)<br />
foam brush product arises, as it ensures that the<br />
product remains unfrozen, averting the potential<br />
pitfalls of frozen lines and a solid block of ice at<br />
the brush head.<br />
Most self-service car washes operating in<br />
freezing conditions implement a weep system that<br />
is interconnected with other applications within<br />
the wash bay. The weep system helps eliminate the<br />
risk of complications arising during frigid weather,<br />
ensuring that the car wash functions smoothly and<br />
effectively even in the harshest of conditions.<br />
Q? How exactly do ceramic<br />
sealants work?<br />
ANSWER: Ceramic sealants are formulated with<br />
nano-sized ceramic particles. When applied to a vehicle’s<br />
paint or other surfaces, these particles bond<br />
chemically and physically with the surface. This<br />
creates a durable and protective layer that adheres<br />
tightly. Ceramic sealants create a hard, transparent<br />
barrier on the vehicle’s surface. This barrier acts as a<br />
shield against various environmental contaminants<br />
and damage, including UV rays, acid rain, bird droppings,<br />
road salts, tree sap, and more. One of the key<br />
features of ceramic sealants is their hydrophobic<br />
nature. This means they repel water and other liquids<br />
well. Water droplets bead up and roll off the<br />
surface, carrying away dirt and contaminants with<br />
them. Because of their hydrophobic properties and<br />
the way they repel contaminants, ceramic-sealed<br />
surfaces are easier to clean during regular car washes.<br />
This makes the car easier to clean and maintain.<br />
Ceramic sealants often provide a high level of gloss<br />
and depth to the vehicle’s finish, enhancing its<br />
appearance. Ceramic sealants are known for their<br />
long-lasting protection. Depending on the quality<br />
of product, vehicle environment, and the amount<br />
of product applied, they can last up to weeks.<br />
It’s important to recognize that the ceramic<br />
Used for 2-6<br />
self serve Bays<br />
• High and low pressure gauge<br />
• Pre-wired and pre-plumbed<br />
• Low voltage electric panels<br />
• Single V-belt & pulley<br />
• Stainless steel belt guards<br />
• Easy access to chemicals<br />
• System lettering and<br />
graphic decaling<br />
• ETL/UL/CE APPROVED<br />
SUPER SAVER<br />
Available for 7-12 bays<br />
Features<br />
• Low pressure tire cleaner, medium<br />
pressure pre-soak, high pressure soap,<br />
foaming brush, rinse, foaming<br />
conditioner, clear coat protectant,<br />
high pressure wax<br />
• All stainless steel construction<br />
• Totally self-contained<br />
• Removable pump assembly<br />
• Model CAT 5CP2120<br />
Pump, 4.0 GPM/1000 PSI<br />
• 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 />
CARWASH IN A BOX<br />
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International models available.<br />
94000 Series Vacuum<br />
The 94000 Series Vacuums are constructed of high<br />
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38 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 39
23<br />
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40 • FALL 2023<br />
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FALL 2023 • 41
Around the Wash: FAQs about Chemistry<br />
sealant applied during a car wash isn’t directly<br />
comparable to the coatings professionally applied,<br />
such as those offered by detailing shops. The ceramic<br />
coatings administered by detailing shops exhibit<br />
superior durability and strength compared to<br />
those used in a car wash environment. This distinction<br />
arises from the more rigorous and labor-intensive<br />
process employed by detailing experts.<br />
The Best for Your Success !<br />
The Best for Your Success !<br />
Q? What are some of the<br />
things that can dirty up the<br />
inside of a self serve bay? What<br />
is needed to clean the walls<br />
properly?<br />
ANSWER: The primary contributors to dirty<br />
self-serve bays are the customers themselves.<br />
Whether they are rejuvenating their cherished<br />
vintage summer vehicles, cleaning off dirt bikes,<br />
or (sadly) spraying out their bed from a mulch job,<br />
these activities all introduce dirt, oils, and grime<br />
into the wash bay environment.<br />
When the accumulation of grime surpasses<br />
what can be managed by simply using a high-pressure<br />
gun to spray down the bay, the industry<br />
standard typically resorts to hydrofluoric acid for<br />
a thorough cleaning. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge<br />
the inherent dangers of working with<br />
hydrofluoric acid, necessitating the strict use of<br />
proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to<br />
prevent any potential accidents that can easily occur<br />
when handling this hazardous material. Always<br />
consult the application and safety procedures with<br />
the manufacturer before using.<br />
There are a few available alternatives to HF<br />
on the market today, offering safer, non-corrosive<br />
cleaning options.<br />
for scooping pit debris, which can be then dumped<br />
into an attached holding bed. While these methods<br />
are quick and convenient, they also come at a<br />
substantial cost. In numerous areas, service providers<br />
offer these solutions for a fee.<br />
For a more budget-friendly approach, manual<br />
labor is the answer. Using a shovel and wheelbarrow<br />
can be effective, and there are clam shell<br />
scoops designed to efficiently clear the corners of<br />
the pits, operating manually, like a post hole digger.<br />
It’s imperative to be well-versed in the local<br />
regulations concerning the disposal of pit material<br />
to steer clear of fines and penalties, as laws governing<br />
this matter can vary significantly from one area<br />
to another.<br />
Q? Is there anything a selfserve<br />
can do to rival a tunnel<br />
in terms of its abilities with<br />
cleaning?<br />
42 • FALL 2023<br />
Q? Self serve owners have to<br />
clean out and maintain their<br />
pits-- what is it that causes them<br />
to become so dirty and what can<br />
be used to clean them out?<br />
ANSWER: Much like the cleanliness of wash<br />
bays, it all hinges on customer usage and behavior.<br />
Many self-serve facilities prominently display signage<br />
outlining what is deemed unacceptable for<br />
cleaning on-site. When such rules are monitored<br />
and enforced, they often prove to be effective in<br />
shaping consumer behavior.<br />
For the task of sewage removal from pits,<br />
there are a few options available. Pit pump trailers<br />
utilize a vacuum-like apparatus to efficiently<br />
extract the sewage, depositing it into a reservoir.<br />
Clam shell pit cleaner trailers resemble miniature<br />
excavators equipped with clamshell attachments<br />
ANSWER: Answering this one is a bit tricky because<br />
the folks who typically use a self-serve car<br />
wash are usually a different clientele compared to<br />
a tunnel car wash. We run a self-serve and in-bay<br />
automatic (IBA) car wash, and our marketing is all<br />
about showcasing what makes us different from<br />
the local tunnel washes instead of trying to prove<br />
we’re better. We’re all about being the friendly, local,<br />
family-owned business that’s all about giving<br />
the best quality car wash.<br />
The best advice I can give on this question is<br />
to be the absolute best car wash you can be. Get to<br />
know your customers, be around when they need<br />
a hand, and make sure they have the best possible<br />
experience every time they visit. Make sure everything<br />
is in proper working order and maintain a<br />
“clean” facility. If you treat people right, chances<br />
are they’ll do right by you and keep coming back.<br />
It’s all about that positive, personal touch that can<br />
separate you from any other wash in the area.<br />
D&S Car Wash Supply<br />
FALL 2023 • 43
PART 4:<br />
Where things<br />
stand today<br />
The Right to Wash PART 4<br />
By Debra Gorgos, editor<br />
In part 1 of this story, which appeared in the 2023<br />
Winter issue of Self Serve Car Wash, we learned<br />
about the owner of a closed self serve car wash in<br />
Dallas, Texas. Dale Davenport was fighting to reopen<br />
his car wash after it had been shut down by<br />
local authorities. Part 1 talked about how Davenport<br />
got into the car washing industry and worked tirelessly<br />
to make his business a respectable operation.<br />
The car wash was located in a prime sought after<br />
area known as a Federal Opportunity Zone, meaning<br />
it allowed people to invest in “distressed areas” to<br />
help boost the economy and create jobs. Davenport<br />
took this designation very seriously. He was proud to<br />
help boost up the area and contribute to the neighborhood.<br />
Part 2, told the story of how Davenport<br />
tried to work with police to combat any crime or<br />
suspicious activity happening on or around his car<br />
wash. He called 9-1-1 multiple times, but, despite his<br />
efforts, no one seemed to want to help him or accept<br />
his help. Then, things took a turn when Davenport<br />
witnessed a police officer macing a man in his<br />
parking lot. Davenport testified against the officer in<br />
2002. Shortly thereafter, a bullet was shot through a<br />
window at his home and his car wash was surrounded<br />
by 17 DPD vehicles and 26 officers blocking the<br />
car wash’s driveway, preventing customers from<br />
entering. Part 3 talked about the aftermath of the<br />
shooting, his involvement with the Public Nuisance<br />
Law, and how someone by the name of Terry Keel<br />
stepped in to help. This brings us to Part 4, the final<br />
portion of this on-going story.<br />
.<br />
The story of self<br />
serve car wash<br />
owner Dale<br />
Davenport<br />
and his battle with<br />
the city of Dallas<br />
Part 4: Where<br />
Things Stand Today<br />
You might have heard of the familiar phrase, “Don’t<br />
Mess with Texas.” However there’s a lesser known<br />
saying from Billy Clayton, a former Speaker of the<br />
Texas House of Representatives, “A born Texan has<br />
instilled in his system a mindset of no retreat or no<br />
surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the<br />
dominating spirit that motivates Texans.”<br />
Perhaps that is what drives Dale Davenport to<br />
keep fighting the fight. For 20 years, he has been trying<br />
to be a law-abiding car wash owner. He has been<br />
harassed, spent more money than anyone could<br />
imagine, sat in courtrooms, had a bullet hole shot<br />
through his home, lost his father, took on city hall<br />
and continues to do so, and yet, he still hasn’t waved<br />
the white flag. That’s just not something Texas men<br />
do. They’re tough. They are full of pride. They love<br />
their hometowns. And, they don’t quit. “I love this<br />
state,” he said. “I cannot imagine being in a better<br />
place, or country. I love America. I think that’s why<br />
I keep going because I know this is a good country<br />
and I know people like me, who work hard, have<br />
rights. What has happened to me is not right.”<br />
Jim’s Car Wash still remains closed. Dale still<br />
checks on it to make sure it looks neat, tidy and<br />
safe. He keeps updating the wash’s Facebook page.<br />
The city cut off his utilities… but, anyone who has<br />
been following this story would know that Dale is<br />
the type of person who still takes pride in his business,<br />
even if it isn’t operational. It’s a shame that for<br />
four years, it hasn’t been allowed to wash a single<br />
car. Residents have to drive outside of town, and it’s<br />
such a perfect place for a car wash, too. The busy<br />
MLK Boulevard that leads right into the State Fair<br />
of Texas’s Fair Park. There was a shooting at the recent<br />
State Fair back in October. A man fired a gun<br />
into a crowded food court, injuring three people.<br />
However, the city didn’t tell those in charge of the<br />
Fair that they needed armed guards, and should be<br />
shut down because it’s a hot-bed for crime, as they<br />
did to Dale. Why is that? That’s what Dale would<br />
like to know.<br />
(Editorial Note: I tried calling Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson,<br />
and a staff member told me he was too busy to talk).<br />
Austin GOP State Representative Terry Keel,<br />
was one of the few politicians who noticed something<br />
wasn’t right with how Dale’s car wash was shut<br />
down, how it seemed to be politically-motivated,<br />
and how Dale was given unusual and unfair rules.<br />
Dallas-area State Representative, Fred Hill,<br />
approached Keel a few years back and asked him<br />
to look into the matter. “Fred was appalled and<br />
thought my background in law enforcement might<br />
be of assistance to the House of Representatives<br />
as Dallas-area members were trying to figure out<br />
what could be done as a practical matter to help<br />
Mr. Davenport.”<br />
Keel asked for there to be a thorough interim<br />
study and his request was approved by House<br />
Speaker Tom Craddick.<br />
“As I learned more about the situation and<br />
confirmed the facts, it became apparent that the<br />
local government was dysfunctional and there was<br />
potential corruption. I spoke with my colleague,<br />
Kevin Bailey, chair of the House General Investigating<br />
Committee (on which I also served) and I<br />
proposed that we conduct a joint hearing of that<br />
committee and the committee I chaired (Criminal<br />
Jurisprudence) in Dallas. Kevin agreed.”<br />
(Highlights from that study on opposite page.)<br />
“I had not previously seen this sort of corrupt<br />
local government patronage. This was akin to<br />
something like a protection racket run by the city.<br />
I couldn’t believe what I was finding out. It’s hard<br />
to understand how it has continued to linger on<br />
for decades,” Keel stated.<br />
When asked this question: Do you think Dale<br />
will ever get to run his car wash again on MLK<br />
Blvd.? Keel responded with this:<br />
“I don’t know the answer to that question, but<br />
I would sum it up by quoting our joint committee’s<br />
2006 report, the committees saw evidence<br />
that showed a pattern of abuse by the city of<br />
Dallas to target a legitimate business in a crimeplagued<br />
area, penalizing them for reporting crime<br />
and targeting them with regulatory harassment<br />
while largely ignoring crime occurring all around<br />
the legitimate businesses. Money had been solicited<br />
by politicians from businesses with the clear<br />
implication that such contributions would mitigate<br />
that business’s problems with the city, etc. It<br />
was appalling.”<br />
The report and its findings were revealed almost<br />
16 years ago.<br />
What has happened since then? More of the<br />
same, unfortunately. Money, time, efforts, pleas,<br />
meetings, lawyers, laws, police and politicians – all<br />
buzzwords that have been echoing throughout<br />
Dale’s long and hard-fought journey to simply<br />
run a car wash. A car wash, that just about anyone<br />
would say is: Immaculate, safe, welcoming and a<br />
bright spot for a popular avenue that once served<br />
as a thoroughfare dotted with lots of businesses,<br />
restaurants and consumers.<br />
Jim’s Car Wash washed its last car on July 19,<br />
2019. Dale says it is ready to go if the city ever<br />
allows it. Until then, Dale will keep maintaining<br />
the property and will keep up the fight.<br />
“Oh, I’m definitely angry… I’m still angry, but<br />
I cannot show that. I have to stay calm and state<br />
the facts. The facts are there… and I am optimistic…<br />
I have to be. It just isn’t right what has been<br />
done to me, and I am not going to stop trying.”<br />
“Don’t Mess with Texas,” or better yet, Don’t<br />
Mess with Dale Davenport.<br />
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44 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 45
When Loyalty<br />
is Royalty<br />
By Jim Lanman<br />
jlanman@touch4wash.com<br />
Listen up! If this sounds like you, then this<br />
article is sure to offer you value and will be<br />
worth the 10 minutes it takes you to read.<br />
Carl is a hard-working car wash owner who<br />
dreams of becoming a profitable entrepreneur.<br />
Currently, he’s focused on increasing repeat<br />
customers and increasing revenue per customer.<br />
New competition has entered his market which<br />
is forcing him to rethink his business model.<br />
Unfortunately, there are some roadblocks for him<br />
here, including figuring out how to differentiate<br />
his business and how to gain customers and keep<br />
them loyal while staying profitable.<br />
Sound familiar?<br />
There are 3 non-negotiable concepts that<br />
every business must solve. They are:<br />
1. How to gain customers<br />
2. How to retain customers<br />
3. How to earn more per customer<br />
That’s it!<br />
Figure these 3 things out and you are on the<br />
road to success. Now while these are simple to<br />
read, the answers are sometimes elusive.<br />
These are all certainly possible. You just need<br />
some solid ways to spread the word about your<br />
great self serve wash, get more prospects in the<br />
driveway to buy, and convince more of your<br />
past and current customers to buy again.<br />
Getting New Customers<br />
Grabbing fresh customers is important. Over<br />
time, some of your old customers are going to move<br />
away, pass on or find some other way to wash their<br />
car. So, you’ve got to add more prospects who are<br />
actively looking for a car wash in their area.<br />
The goal is to find a LOT more qualified new customers<br />
who can keep your service humming from<br />
open to close. That is certainly possible in today’s<br />
online world where it is relatively easy and cheap to<br />
reach prospects and all of their connected friends,<br />
co-workers, and family.<br />
Using a loyalty or membership program specifically<br />
made for car washes gives you easy ways to affordably<br />
market and advertise your car wash. These<br />
allow you to have an offering (a hook) to help lure<br />
in new prospects who are interested in special offers,<br />
and updates on your great equipment, convenient<br />
location and superior services.<br />
Active marketing will get local people interested.<br />
Consumers and business customers often appreciate<br />
a car wash that is aggressively working to attract<br />
their business. You need a marketing plan that<br />
is targeting your ideal customer at the very point<br />
they are interested in the services that you provide.<br />
Keeping your business front-of-mind will be an important<br />
ingredient to your marketing approach.<br />
SELF SERVE CAR<br />
WASH OWNERS<br />
“We have had a loyalty program in place<br />
for many years but really started pushing<br />
it through new technologies (touch4wash)<br />
about 8 years ago. There are many ways we<br />
have benefitted from our loyalty program but<br />
two stick out to me the most. First, we love to<br />
see cars and faces that we recognize coming<br />
to our wash. Having better relationships with<br />
our customers makes us a better wash. Also,<br />
keeping loyal customers is always better and<br />
cheaper than trying to get new ones and our<br />
program helps us not only retain customers<br />
Weigh In<br />
but grow our customer base.<br />
Second, our loyalty program gives us great<br />
insight into what our customers are doing.<br />
Seeing in real time how discounts and specials<br />
we run affect our customers’ purchases<br />
and looking into our customers’ habits are<br />
great tools to have.<br />
I think most of our customers obviously see<br />
their win as a monetary savings as they wash<br />
and the ease of being able to load washes at<br />
our site and keep track of their own “loyalty<br />
points” and use them as they please.”<br />
Alex Wolfe of Sure Shine Auto Wash Win Waterloo, and Alton, Illinois<br />
“Our loyalty program was started in 2019. We feel like the offering tool is beneficial<br />
to keep our customer base coming back to our facility. We offer both carwash club<br />
packages as well as a points program for the pay-as-you-go customers.”<br />
Brian Templeton of Hurricane Bay Carwashes in Marshfield, Missouri<br />
46 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 47
Bringing Back Your<br />
Former Customers<br />
The key to consistent sales is to keep your many<br />
current customers engaged while bringing back<br />
customers you haven’t seen in a while. In a recent<br />
report, it was said that the average consumer will<br />
wash their car one to two times per month* . If that<br />
is true, then how do you ensure that they use your<br />
wash for these washes, OR even better, how do you<br />
encourage them to exceed this average?<br />
That’s where a loyalty program comes into play.<br />
A recent study by Visa reported that over 60% of<br />
loyalty programs participants purchased more frequently<br />
and spent more to boost their points earnings(2)<br />
. Even more compelling is the reporting of<br />
over 80% of loyalty customers will refer the business<br />
to their family and friends**.<br />
Having a professional, easy-to-understand loyalty<br />
program is critical. It will keep your customers motivated<br />
to visit your wash often with special deals,<br />
points programs, and other promotions. Speed is also<br />
very important. Offering quick returns on their loyalty<br />
will energize the desire to continue the process.<br />
For example, offering a free wash after they purchase<br />
3 washes will yield a much more engaged customer<br />
than making them wait to purchase 10 washes to get<br />
a free wash. The key is to think of these programs as<br />
part of your integrated marketing approach. Using<br />
these methods will help you consistently increase<br />
sales and improve profits while keeping marketing<br />
and advertising costs as low as possible.<br />
How Do You Get<br />
Loyal Customers?<br />
Getting customers to visit more often and spend<br />
more while in the bay can send your profits rocketing<br />
skyward. Membership programs are a classic<br />
way to keep car wash customers engaged and buying.<br />
Many car wash businesses offer a certain number<br />
of washes for a saving. The customer can come back<br />
several times per month without worrying about the<br />
cost. The advantage of the membership approach is<br />
the recurring payments. This puts your revenue on<br />
autopilot. It does not require the customer to do<br />
anything once they are signed up. Consumers love<br />
car wash membership programs that let them pay a<br />
monthly fee, then wash as often as they like.<br />
While many of them believe they will wash every<br />
week or even twice a week, most won’t have the<br />
time or dedication to wash that often. The car wash<br />
membership program gets people excited about a<br />
perceived bargain, and it often gives you a nice chunk<br />
of change for a relatively average number of washes.<br />
Perhaps just as important, customers start to feel<br />
loyalty to your car wash. They will think of it as a<br />
self care errand, and a familiar part of their routine.<br />
You are the business that provides a good service and<br />
gives them a great deal for maintaining their vehicle.<br />
Service Your Customers<br />
Finally, a huge part of any customer loyalty program<br />
is providing exceptional customer service. No<br />
matter what you spend in marketing, equipment,<br />
signage or loyalty systems; if you do not service your<br />
customers at the highest level, they will leave and<br />
do business elsewhere. So what does that mean? It<br />
means your goal is to make every visit to your car<br />
wash the best experience it can be. It means that if<br />
there are issues (and there are always issues), that<br />
there is an easy way for your customer to report this<br />
to you. In today’s “everyone is connected” world, you<br />
don’t want to be the last one to know about an issue<br />
at your business. By offering convenient ways for<br />
your customers to contact you, you can service them<br />
before they feel the need to rant on other channels.<br />
The more you can connect with your customers<br />
the more loyal they can be to your business. A<br />
great way to stay front-of-mind is to invite your<br />
customers into your tribe. These can come in many<br />
forms, but the most common are the social channels.<br />
These channels offer endless ways to keep your<br />
customers engaged with your business. By growing<br />
a following of happy customers, you can grow a<br />
prosperous business and finally enjoy the life of a<br />
successful entrepreneur.<br />
Jim Lanman is co-Owner of Touch4Wash, a company<br />
which offers car wash customers the convenience of using<br />
their mobile phone to purchase and activate a wash, plus<br />
much more. Jim can be reached at jlanman@touch4wash.<br />
com or by calling 612-787-7287.<br />
48 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 49
MAKING SUCCESSFUL MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMS…<br />
according to Mike Stern, EverWash Vice President of Sales<br />
Contrary to some sentiments, a well-designed membership<br />
program can absolutely thrive at self-serve car wash locations.<br />
By offering different packages, like options for regular cars,<br />
work vans/trucks, and large vehicle/boat options, you can cater<br />
to a diverse customer base and make sure everyone finds value<br />
in your membership offerings.<br />
Here are 5 tips for success:<br />
Running a successful membership program at a Self Serve<br />
Car Wash location hinges on simplicity, user-friendliness,<br />
and speedy activation. Operators have to aim to make it<br />
as convenient as possible for customers to join and enjoy<br />
the benefits.<br />
In today’s world, coins are becoming less common, so it’s<br />
essential that a modern membership program offers tap or<br />
scan-to-pay options.<br />
Determining the right pricing for a Self Serve Car Wash<br />
Q&A<br />
When did self serve start<br />
adopting loyalty programs?<br />
Actually, the first loyalty program was<br />
initiated by the owner of WashCard<br />
Systems, Dan Yarusso, in 1990. Dan had<br />
just finished building a new wash when<br />
road construction began right in front of<br />
his location. In an effort to keep business<br />
going at his wash, he developed a loyalty<br />
program for business accounts. In turn, it<br />
became a loyalty program for consumers<br />
that offered different benefits such as<br />
purchase bonuses, discounts, package<br />
pricing, etc. In 1992, Dan began offering<br />
his loyalty program to other self-serve<br />
independent car wash operators - many<br />
with in-bay automatics. Thus began true<br />
loyalty programs in self-serve car washes<br />
across the country.<br />
WITH AMY OLSEN OF<br />
WASHCARDPROGRAMS…<br />
Why do you think there’s<br />
been such an uptick in<br />
loyalty program customers<br />
-- do you think it has to do<br />
with the pandemic, the<br />
economic crisis, etc.?<br />
The facts are, in times of higher inflation,<br />
consumers are looking for ways to save<br />
money, including in their car washes. In<br />
addition, after the pandemic, car wash<br />
operators who needed to get back in<br />
the game and create more sales, used<br />
loyalty and membership programs to build<br />
business quickly. As you know, the single<br />
most cost-effective way to build business is<br />
to sell more washes to existing customers.<br />
Loyalty programs leverage convenience,<br />
and perhaps some cost savings, to inspire<br />
consumers to wash more often.<br />
membership program is crucial. We recommend setting<br />
your membership pricing at around two times your average<br />
ticket — if your self-serve bays generate an average of $6-7<br />
per wash, a monthly membership should fall in the $12-<br />
14 range. This pricing strategy helps ensure a sustainable<br />
and profitable program for both operators and customers.<br />
It’s not uncommon for usage to be low among Self Serve Car<br />
Wash members, with most visiting only between 1.5 to<br />
2.5 times per month. To address this, we’ve designed our<br />
pricing structure to offer excellent value, making it an easy<br />
choice for customers to join and enjoy the convenience and<br />
savings of a membership, even if they don’t come in daily.<br />
When crafting your membership program, allocating sufficient<br />
daily wash time for your valued members is vital. We’ve<br />
found that offering 8-12 minutes of bay time for $12-14<br />
per month delivers the optimal experience, ensuring our<br />
members can wash their vehicles comfortably every day.<br />
How would a loyalty<br />
program work for a self<br />
serve car wash when there<br />
aren’t set times or menu<br />
choices for each customer?<br />
Number one: Washing more often. Number<br />
two: It’s about time in the bay, so count up<br />
allows consumers to wash their car as long<br />
as they want, and get it as clean as they<br />
want it to be.<br />
We have an app that offers easy ways for<br />
consumers to earn rewards in the self-serve<br />
bays. Consumers can earn rewards based<br />
on how much and how often they wash, as<br />
well as referral programs. It’s also important<br />
to use a program that offers the ability to<br />
create wash packages where operators are<br />
able to set up different purchasing options<br />
for customers.<br />
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50 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 51
And, now it’s time for:<br />
Who does this<br />
criminal look like?<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 />
A young Sean Penn?<br />
An old Sean Penn?<br />
Or somewhere right in the middle and a middle-aged<br />
Sean Penn?v<br />
Or maybe Kevin Richardson from the Backstreet<br />
Boys?<br />
So, what did this criminal do? He is accused<br />
of breaking into ATM machines at banks and car<br />
washes throughout the Memphis, Tennessee area,<br />
according to a FOX 13 story from October 4.<br />
Jacob McCrary, 33, was spotted allegedly<br />
trying to pry open an ATM at the Bank of America<br />
around 5 a.m. on October 2 when officers<br />
arrived. He resisted arrest and an officer chased<br />
him around a parked red and black truck that he<br />
was unable to get into as the doors were locked,<br />
police said, according to the story. McCrary was<br />
eventually caught and arrested, but during the<br />
struggle, a truck was seen driving away. Police<br />
pursued him and the driver eventually crashed<br />
the truck into a pole.<br />
“Police later reported a connection of the two<br />
alleged thieves to a burglary at a Cordova car wash<br />
prior to the first ATM burglary,” the story said.<br />
“Surveillance video at the car wash captured a man<br />
driving a red truck with a black hood and roof,<br />
the same description of the truck - registered to a<br />
2015 Kia Optima - seen at the Cordova bank.”<br />
And, now for even more news out of Memphis,<br />
and this time it involves a car wash owner<br />
taking matters into his own hands…. Literally…<br />
as in he held a gun in his hands after catching a<br />
would-be robber.<br />
According to a September 13 story, the car<br />
wash owner got an alert on his phone that his<br />
security camera was being tampered with.<br />
“As the business owner pulled up, he told<br />
officers that he fired a shot at the suspect car. The<br />
suspect he caught, Lawrence Holden, was held<br />
at gunpoint until police made the scene.” One<br />
suspect got away.<br />
The owner told police that his DVR was taken,<br />
an unknown amount of cash, and an alarm system.<br />
Use what you’ve got, I always said.<br />
Or was that MacGyver? Thankfully, the<br />
woman in this next story was doing just that as<br />
she used a car wash hose to fight off a carjacker.<br />
In Brisbane, Australia, footage shows a woman’s<br />
car stolen by a knife-wielding man at a car wash.<br />
The footage was uploaded on Facebook back on<br />
October 26, according to 7 news.<br />
The video shows a man with a knife walking up<br />
behind a woman cleaning her car around 11 p.m.<br />
Coach of what!?! …is what I’d like to know…<br />
In Orangeburg County, South Carolina,<br />
we have this lovely gentleman (pictured below) who is accused of<br />
vandalizing a car wash this past summer.<br />
According to a September 7 NBC 10 report, investigators said<br />
they are looking for a male who vandalized the storage room of<br />
the Tidal Wave car wash on June 6. “Employees told investigators<br />
that several boxes had been rummaged through and light fixtures<br />
had been damaged in the storage room.”<br />
Authorities have described the suspect as a male wearing black<br />
shorts, brown boots, a black hat turned backwards, and wearing a<br />
t-shirt with the words “#ALL-IN” on the front and “COACH” on<br />
the back, the story said.<br />
“The man allegedly threatened the woman, before<br />
taking the car and was last seen driving along<br />
George St towards Beenleigh central,” a spokesperson<br />
said according to the story.<br />
The woman then sprays the knife-wielding<br />
man in the face with the car wash wand. The<br />
carjacker lunges again at the woman and then a<br />
person nearby comes to the woman’s aid.<br />
And, here’s a good MacGyver quotation that<br />
would fit well with this story: “With a little bit of<br />
imagination, anything is possible.”<br />
There’s a lot of dirty politicians out there and this next<br />
one is no different. The mayor of Camden, Delaware, had to resign last<br />
August, after he was caught on car wash cameras tussling with two 19 year<br />
olds. But, it wasn’t because of the fight, it was because he tried to get his hands<br />
on the car wash’s footage. According to an August 15 NBC 10 Philadelphia<br />
story, the Camden mayor agreed to resign from his role after he plead guilty to<br />
charges related to the car wash incident. Back in February, Justin King started<br />
a fight with two 19-year-olds after accusing them of causing mischief at a car<br />
wash, the story said.<br />
“King shoved the two men and then grabbed one of them by their hoodie<br />
while they were on the ground. Both victims sustained minor injuries.”<br />
Along with fight, he also apparently tried to suppress the car wash’s footage<br />
and overwrite the recording of the incident.<br />
King pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and hindering<br />
prosecution. He pleaded no contest to offensive touching.<br />
“Mr. King’s actions and lack of self-control are not the behavior<br />
of a grownup, and certainly not the mayor of a town,”<br />
Delaware’s Attorney General Kathy Jennings said, NBC reported.<br />
So, remember, no one is above the law… unless you’re<br />
Steven Seagal, or course.<br />
I feel as if I should call the police<br />
involved in this next story, because<br />
I spotted a clue! As a mom of two kids who<br />
love a good refreshing drink, I can spot a Sunny-D<br />
bottle when I see one.<br />
In Saucon Valley, Pennsylvania, police are searching<br />
for a pair of criminals, who apparently like to<br />
drive around with Sunny-D in their trunk, who<br />
vandalized a car wash. The Saucon Source reported<br />
that the incident took place on September 20.<br />
According to a Crimewatch report, the incident<br />
occurred around 4:59 a.m. The suspects used green<br />
spray paint at several locations at the car wash.<br />
This next criminal isn’t only<br />
guilty of damaging an American<br />
flag, but for also doing disservice<br />
to a Poison classic. In Ocean<br />
City, Maryland, the owners of Zoom Car<br />
Wash, captured security camera footage<br />
of a man taking down their 24-by-32-foot<br />
American flag, and then writing on it in<br />
black marker, according to an Ocean City<br />
Today story.<br />
The incident, which happened between<br />
10 p.m. and midnight on August 4, involved<br />
a man using his white Chevy Equinox to<br />
pull down the flag, bending the 80-foot pole<br />
as a result.<br />
Car wash owners Bruce Rogers and<br />
Charles Holland estimated the cost to remove<br />
and replace the flagpole to be around<br />
$30,000. “When you see the video, it’s<br />
unbelievable the amount of effort, but we<br />
know he was on the lot for two hours just<br />
being disruptive,” Rogers said in the story.<br />
The owners were able to get in touch<br />
with the suspect who expressed remorse for<br />
what he had done. He also said that after he<br />
wrote on the flag, he intended to put it back<br />
on the flagpole.<br />
“It’s one thing to go out here and damage<br />
our coin machine or our equipment, we expect<br />
a certain amount of vandalism because<br />
the world is what it is today, but this to me<br />
is unacceptable,” Holland said in the story.<br />
“I’m a veteran. I don’t agree with it … I<br />
don’t like anything about it.”<br />
“Throughout Zoom’s surveillance videos,<br />
the man is seen seemingly showing the<br />
rings on his knuckles to the security camera<br />
and praying - at one point bending up and<br />
down at the waist repeating the phrase, ‘Oh<br />
my Lord, oh my God,’” the story said. The<br />
man was also filming himself with his own<br />
camera.<br />
Most of the writing on the flag was unintelligible,<br />
the story said, except for a few<br />
words and phrases including “Every road<br />
has it’s thorns.” That’s right, he wrote “road”<br />
instead of rose. Also “it’s” is supposed to be<br />
“its,” but that’s neither her nor their…just<br />
kidding, that’s neither here nor “there.”<br />
Holland said his staff found a credit card<br />
on site after the incident. The man said he<br />
left it on purpose to pay for the damages.<br />
As for a replacement flag, one man who<br />
heard about the story, offered to donate an<br />
American flag that was flown in combat in<br />
Afghanistan as a replacement. The owners<br />
accepted the offer. As for the damaged flag,<br />
the Berlin American Legion picked it up so<br />
that they could ceremonially burn and retire<br />
it.<br />
52 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 53
Smile! You’re on….. Facebook!<br />
A car wash owner in Chatham, Ontario, Canada,<br />
said he’s sick and tired of vandals and plain ol rude<br />
people, and said their actions will now be broadcast<br />
over social media. Robert Walker, owner of<br />
the Car, Dog and Boat Wash, said there’s been<br />
more than a dozen instances of littering and petty<br />
vandalism captured on their CCTV cameras late<br />
at night since he took over the wash last summer,<br />
CTV News reported on October 25.<br />
“They’re using this basically as a dumping station,”<br />
Walker said in the story. “It’s actually pretty<br />
humorous to watch some of the video footage in<br />
the morning when you, overnight, see what’s happened<br />
and some of it’s kind of entertaining. It does<br />
upset you a little bit.”<br />
Over the last several weeks their cameras have<br />
caught suspects leaving piles of garbage on the<br />
ground, trying to cut locks from coin machines and<br />
even one person relieving himself in a dog washing<br />
station (I’ll spare you that screenshot).<br />
“It just kind of rubbed us the wrong way,” he<br />
said. “I wanted to make sure people saw that so<br />
they don’t do that as well.”<br />
“We even had a fellow show up with a rotten<br />
freezer full of meat and try to rinse all that out and<br />
dump it all and just leave it in a bay. Well, I don’t<br />
want to pull into a wash bay that stinks like rotten<br />
meat and has a mess all over the floors.”<br />
Walker said he and his wife posting the security<br />
videos to Facebook may have the best impact. “It’s<br />
definitely reduced the amount of garbage left here<br />
and just people doing weird things. It really only<br />
happens late at night and we just want people to<br />
feel safe here. And we want them to have a nice<br />
clean wash.”<br />
London-based technology analyst Carmi Levy<br />
told CTV News, “I think it’s a great idea to post on<br />
social media because it moves the process along.<br />
It recognizes that the police don’t always have the<br />
resources to do this themselves and it ensures that<br />
more members of the public have an opportunity<br />
to help you keep your business safe.”<br />
OUR<br />
SUPPORTOUR<br />
ADVERTISERS<br />
THE MOST RANDOM THINGS STOLEN FROM A CAR WASH: FLOWERS AND UMBRELLAS<br />
Yes, you heard that right. First, we have a pair of<br />
women are caught on camera stealing flowers from<br />
The Great Western Car Wash in western Australia.<br />
A Facebook post reads:<br />
G’day everyone, Can the 2 ladies that were washing<br />
their dog at the Great Western Car wash, just before<br />
Midday today, please make contact with the car<br />
wash? The extra bit of gardening you partook in has<br />
been recorded and your license plate taken. If I dont<br />
hear from you in the next 24 hrs I’ve been advised to<br />
send the footage to the police. Eagerly awaiting your<br />
correspondence…<br />
BUSTED!<br />
And next, In Neath, Wales, two umbrellas were<br />
stolen from the Neath Cafe and Car Wash. The<br />
business posted footage of the robbery to its Facebook<br />
page, along with the following statement:<br />
It has come to our attention this morning as we open<br />
up the cafe that 2 of our umbrellas have been taken<br />
from outside, these are for the customers to enjoy<br />
sitting outside in the nice weather. Here is the CCTV<br />
footage of the individuals from early this morning, if<br />
anyone can help identify these as we would really like<br />
our property back off them.<br />
But wait! There’s good news….<br />
54 • FALL 2023<br />
FALL 2023 • 55
The Top 5<br />
From<br />
Coming on strong!<br />
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NEW CAR SCENT • VS10189<br />
STRAWBERRY • VS10312<br />
BAYSIDE BREEZE • VS17121<br />
BLACK ICE • VS10155<br />
SUNSET BEACH • VS17177<br />
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SUPERNOVA • VS17303<br />
VANILLAROMA • VS10105<br />
24 COUNT<br />
CARDED<br />
NEW CAR SCENT • VS50189<br />
STRAWBERRY • VS50312<br />
BAYSIDE BREEZE • VS57121<br />
BLACK ICE • VS50155<br />
SUNSET BEACH • VS57177<br />
ROSE THORN • VS57308<br />
CARIBBEAN COLADA • VS50324<br />
TRUE NORTH • VS57146<br />
SUPERNOVA • VS57303<br />
VANILLAROMA • VS50205<br />
ORDER TOLL FREE 800.233.3873 OR ONLINE KLEENRITE.COM<br />
56 • FALL 2023