In sports, you often hear about the concept of momentum. Generally, it’s triggered by a specific moment when someone makes a big play to change the dynamic of the game … to tip the scales in the favor of one team or another.

Similar things happen in business. Whether it’s the introduction of a new product, or a spike in sales, there are events that set the stage for what is to come.

For International Carwash Association, this year’s The Car Wash Show has all the markers of being a moment when the scales tipped in the professional car wash industry’s favor.

At this year’s show, nearly 6,900 people gathered in Las Vegas to create an environment that was full of positivity and buzz. People were excited, people were in the mood to purchase equipment, and most importantly, people have been washing cars.

This year’s show also had 1,200 attendees participate in an expanded menu of education and networking events, including exclusive receptions for Women in Car Washing, International Attendees, and Emerging Leaders.

It was a tremendously successful show. And with that success, we’re now taking that momentum into our inaugural Car Wash Show Europe this October 5–7 in Amsterdam. We hope we’ll see you there! Remember, ICA members get complimentary trade show passes to Car Wash Show Europe.

In this issue of CAR WASH Magazine, we explore the challenges around the Chip and PIN changes, valuation in the car wash industry, and new techniques to reduce health care costs.

We also share an amazing story from ERC Wiping Products about how they were able to recover quickly from a major disaster thanks to their disaster preparedness plan. You’ll also find our usual array of industry information, professional profiles and a marketing missive from our friend Champ Savage.

As always, if there is something you’d like to see covered that we haven’t already or if you have a suggestion for how we can make this publication more valuable, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Sincerely,

Matt DeWolf