As you know, we’re recognizing the industry’s history this year, which included our 100 Years of Car Wash celebration last night and our Facebook page where we’ve gathered dozens of stories and photographs from car washing over the decades. Well, given that theme, we thought it was appropriate to look into the industry’s past and recognize someone who helped get all of us to where we are today.

This year’s winner is no longer with us, having already entered the pearly gates (which I’m sure he’s automated by now with at least two auto cashiers). But, his granddaughter was able to accept the award on his behalf.

Leo Rousseau was the father of the first real production line car wash, as described in our industry’s history book – The Great American Car Wash Story. Leo was a foundry owner in Detroit who was familiar with the production format of many of the automobile laundromats en vogue at the time: men washing a car by hand as it was moved from station to station. During World War II, while busy supporting the war effort, Leo developed the Minit Man system – a five-step production process that soon took the industry by storm. It was a complete system: for $16,000 you’d get a chain conveyor, side brushes, top brush, vacuums and blowers. At the time that Minit Man appeared, it is estimated that there were only 50 car washes in operation in the U.S. One of the first to buy a Minit Man system was Paul Maranian, who built the iconic Paul’s Auto Wash in Detroit – generally recognized as the first automatic car wash in the world. Paul’s was incredibly successful, washing more than 400,000 cars a year at its peak. The success of Paul’s inspired a famous LIFE Magazine expose in 1947 – as well as hundreds of entrepreneurs to enter the car wash business.

We recognize Leo Russeau as one of the true founders of our industry and a giant in our 100 year history. His invention literally inspired an industry.