Christian Rueda has the type of outlook on life and work that most companies would kill to have. He looks for the value in every situation and determines how to apply that to be more successful in the future.
“So far, my career has been a learning experience,” he said. “Every day is just completely different and exciting. The best part is that I love what I’m doing and the company I’m doing it for.”
The feeling is mutual.
“Christian is the epitome of an emerging leader in our company,” said Mark Curtis, Splash Car Wash CEO. “Throughout his time with us, Christian has demonstrated his initiative in taking on additional responsibility. And his work ethic is unparalleled.”
Although he didn’t originally set out to join the car wash industry, Rueda’s happy to be here. “I didn’t plan on doing this,” he said. “I had a few options, but decided to find my own path, which led me here, and I’ve loved it ever since.”
And he hopes to stick around. “Five years from now, I’d love to see myself in the next step, like a district manager,” he said.
Moving to the next step is what Rueda does best. Since joining Splash Car Wash, he has proven successful from one role to the next. “Christian started his career with Splash as a vacuumer in 2004 at our Cos Cob store,” said Curtis. “It was evident early on that he had talents far beyond that, and he rose to second assistant status. His performance, both in Cos Cob and Darien where he was transferred, justified his promotion to site manager of our Mahopac store in 2006, where he worked until taking over a larger new site we had just purchased.”
With each move, Rueda contributes to that location’s success, time and time again. “Every site he has been involved with has been more productive during his tenure,” Curtis said.
Being in the industry and in the multiple roles he’s had, Rueda has taken away many lessons. “The top thing I’ve learned is how to truly run a business in all aspects,” he said.
Learning how to treat people — both customers and employees — has been the most valuable.
“There are many important skills a leader should have, but one of the key ones is how to treat both customers and employees with respect,” Rueda said. “You should always have an understanding of everyone’s different personalities to satisfy both your customers and employees.”
Rueda believes that the two are connected — if you properly train your staff, you’ll get the best out of your employees, which will then result in better customer service and satisfaction. One of Rueda’s favorite memories is when he first started as a site manager and saw one of the employees he trained move up to become a site manager at another location.
Rueda’s work ethic is one thing his leaders continuously point out.
“Ask Christian to handle any project, day or night, and he’s the first one to report for duty. Dan Petrelle, Splash’s COO, and I stopped by the Cos Cob site when Christian was a line worker and found that the chain on the conveyor was broken,” Curtis said. “The manager and assistant were not at the site at the time, so we both jumped in to help direct its repair. After about five minutes, Christian politely came to us and said, ‘Guys, I’ve got this. Let me do it.’ This to the CEO and COO! Dan and I immediately hopped in our car and left him to repair it. They were re-opened minutes later. It was a week later that we promoted him and transferred him to Darien. And neither he, nor we, have looked back since.”
When he’s not at work solving problems, training staff and pleasing customers, Rueda enjoys being with his wife and kids. “I love to spend all my free time with my wife and kids because there’s no more fun than that,” he said.