On a recent trip through a few car wash locations in Illinois and Indiana, I was reminded that you never know where a good idea might come from. In some instances, it comes from exposure to global businesses and perspectives … but in others it comes from an employee observing something within their own company.

At a Waterway Gas & Wash location in Northbrook, Ill., we had just finished a round of interviews when one of the leaders showed us a stack of five cards. Each card had one of the core company values on it. A manager at the location had gone out on his own to have cards printed to hand out whenever they saw employees exhibiting those behaviors. Whenever an employee received all five (a full house) they won a prize.

That small idea since made its way through the rest of the organization and is being utilized at other locations to help continue to keep the company’s core values front and center.

We then had the chance to visit two Drive & Shine locations in Indiana, where the European influence on the washes was immediately clear. One location featured an interior cleaning belt that could process 24 cars in an hour or 44 cars in an hour depending on staffing, while another featured a large interior vacuum area with tons of space that is also a popular feature of some of the larger European wash operations.

That innovation was largely possible due to relationships formed among owners at Drive & Shine and European car wash operators over the years. A unique story of one business opening its doors to another, creating better car wash experiences across the globe.

Both of these ideas are possible because of the spirit of the car wash industry. The idea that we are all better together. That we can only be more successful if we learn from each other, if we keep pushing ever forward, if we lift up others as others have lifted us up.

In this issue of CAR WASH Magazine, you’ll see great ideas for your wash as it relates to Talent Management. You’ll also see great individual and company profiles and our Take A Tour photo tour. Not to mention, highlights from new ICA education events like the Car Wash Executive Management Institute held at Notre Dame.

All of what we do in this publication is to help lift you and your business up through the power of storytelling. I hope you take at least one big idea or opportunity from this issue and bring it to your business!