On a recent trip to Georgia I had the opportunity to speak with several car wash operators who ranged in industry experience from four months to 20 years.

Standing outside Fire Station Express in Watkinsville, Georgia, I talked to Tyler McClure about his four-month-old wash and his choices to go with an all-black tunnel interior. Not to mention, I found out just how much it pays to be in the pine straw business in Georgia (stick to car washes).

In Norcross, Georgia, I got to chat with Stuart Williams of Mr. Clean Car Wash about their big plans as they move to the next phase of their development. I couldn’t get him to give me all of the secrets, but I may have gotten one or two.

Down the road, I got to check out the high-end California Hand Wash (in Georgia …) and hear how former employees of a Flex Serve ventured out to start their own business. The energy and excitement that came from Matthew Stoner and A.J. Bornhorst talk about that location was contagious. And the cars were fun to look at too.

And standing outside a newly renovated Swifty’s tunnel, I got to hear from Gary Dennis and Rob Buechner from Mammoth Holdings about their endeavor to create beneficial entrepreneurial partnerships as a different way of growing a business. Fascinating stuff.

The thing that was so inspiring for me during this trip was seeing that no matter the experience level of the people in this industry, there is one thing that connects everyone – passion.

Maybe it’s easy to be passionate when things are going well. When the economy isn’t reeling from recession. When access to capital comes with relative ease.

But I think it goes deeper than that. I’ve been hanging around this industry long enough to see what it was like when growing your business was really difficult. When cars weren’t getting washed. When capital was nonexistent.

The people in this industry have always been passionate. Passionate about the service they are providing to their customers, the opportunities they are able to provide to their employees, and about the impact they are able to have in their respective communities. That is what makes car washing great.

In this issue of CAR WASH Magazine, you’ll see more stories about passionate car wash entrepreneurs and take a photo tour of a fantastic location in Indiana. You’ll also get insightful stories on consumer trends, including some of the early data from ICA’s latest Consumer Study. Plus, learn about the power of utilizing predictive marketing. Bonus - you get a fun story on mascots … who doesn’t love mascots?

I hope that you find inspiration and ideas in this issue, and that it fuels your passion to keep moving your business forward.

As always, if there’s a topic you’d like to see us tackle, or someone (you!) who needs their story told, let me know at mdewolf@carwash.org.



This issue of CAR WASH Magazine was in the final production stages when COVID-19 began to have a major impact. So, be sure to stay tuned online at carwash.org/sharing for timely updates from ICA related to steps we are taking to keep this industry strong and connected during this unprecedented time. Also, be sure to check out CAR WASH Magazine Live on Facebook every Thursday at 11:30 a.m. (CST).