In sections of the northern United States you can literally go months without seeing your neighbors during the winter. Once spring actually arrives, there’s a tangible buzz in the air.
The promise of a new season, the spark of energy, the chance to leave your snow gear in the closet for a few months. You run into old friends and see how much things have changed … or how much they’ve stayed the same.
For me, this is a lot like The Car Wash Show every year. I’m always excited to see the car wash community reconnect en masse. Reconnecting with long-time friends and making new connections provides a spark for the rest of the year. But more than anything, I’m excited to see what may have changed since the last time we gathered 8,000 of our closest car wash friends in the same place.
From an industry perspective, the times they are a changing. We’re seeing a tremendous amount of growth occurring through consolidation and new builds, as well as an increase of multi-site operations. There continues to be plenty of access to capital, whether through private equity, private money or commercial lending, which means those looking to sell in the near future have great opportunities to take advantage. Those not looking to sell have an opportunity to build an impressive business. And we’re seeing more and more of both.
But at the core, the industry doesn’t really feel that different. At least not from a community perspective. We still have people passionate about the industry coming together to find actionable ideas and information to take back to their business. I would posit that it’s more important than ever that we form strong relationships and community within our industry.
Time and time again, as I talk to professional car washers about what’s made them successful in this business, it comes back to people. Real relationships with real people providing real advice and ideas. The advent of social networks is great for helping sustain these connections, but there is nothing in the world more valuable than finding time to connect with peers in a face-to-face environment.
Whether you’re headed to Nashville for this year’s The Car Wash Show or coming to one of ICA’s other in-person events like Splash! in Las Vegas, Car Wash Show Europe in Amsterdam, Women’s Leadership Experience in Chicago, Car Wash Excellence Summit in Utah … I’m excited to hear about your experience. I know it will be full of great people, great opportunity and will provide plenty for you to take back to your business.
Meanwhile, here in CAR WASH Magazine, we’re always looking for interesting stories from the car wash industry. If there’s something you’d like to see covered, or you have a great story that needs to be told, please don’t hesitate to let me know at mdewolf@carwash.org.