In my 14-plus years working on magazines, I’ve never seen the kind of growth we’ve experienced with CAR WASH Magazine. Since late 2011 when we started the publication, we’ve continually seen growth in our advertising dollars, page counts and distribution.

But why?

This is perhaps a question better answered by you, but I have a theory. With any product launch, you’re most successful if you are able to identify, and then successfully fill, a gap. We’re filling a gap for the car wash industry.

We’re telling stories that enlighten, engage and inspire you in your business. But more importantly, we’re focusing on bringing the car wash community together through the power of storytelling.

In this issue of CAR WASH Magazine, in addition to great stories about new trends in retailtainment and incorporating food and beverage into your business, we are focusing on bringing our community together through the stories of our people.

There are remarkable stories in the car wash industry. Stories like Leon Buchanan’s work to bring the Express Exterior wash model to Australia. Stories like Dave Edwards and his wife’s dream to own their own business coming true because they were diligent about an opportunity in an underserved area.

Or, stories like Meaghan Rae and her journey with one of the largest car wash operators in the United States.

In this issue, we also publish the Association’s Annual Report to highlight the progress we’ve made in the first year of our new strategic plan. We’re proud of our work, and hope you’re excited about the direction.

As always, if there are areas of interest that you’d like to see covered in the Magazine, don’t hesitate to let us know by shooting me an email at mdewolf@carwash.org.

Likewise, if you haven’t had your wash featured in an issue of CAR WASH Magazine, we want to hear your stories, so we can share them with the entire car wash community. We’re saving pages in future issues just for you.