FALL2020_SSCWN_web
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Smartphone<br />
Payment<br />
Apps . . .
Wash Whatever...<br />
Wherever<br />
By<br />
Get more information on this and other<br />
exciting products online at www.ginsan.com,<br />
or call us at 800.968.8227<br />
GinSan has thrived in the self-service<br />
wash industry for more than thirty<br />
years. Now we’re offering all that<br />
expertise in a self-contained turnkey<br />
unit. The Wash & Go provides an<br />
immediate revenue stream to a new<br />
or existing business, perfect for<br />
apartment complexes, RV parks, fleet<br />
facilities, detail centers or marinas<br />
Curb appeal and sleek industrial<br />
design create a WOW factor,<br />
drawing in customers. Just add water,<br />
electricity and simply Wash & Go.<br />
2 • FALL 2020
The One and Only Original<br />
FOAM MASTER ®<br />
The Most Complete Line of Foaming Brushes<br />
Still Number One!<br />
43.2% Longer Life Than Other Brushes<br />
Outstanding Construction & virtually unbreakable head insure longer life.<br />
Erie has more Hog’s Hair in every brush and Erie’s Hog’s Hair is longer.<br />
Non-Leaking, Non-Scratching Head<br />
All Heads have re-tooled, leak-proof threads and safely recessed screws.<br />
6 Feed Holes for Best Liquid Delivery<br />
The ONLY brush with 6 holes for the most consistent delivery of water & foam.<br />
Fullest & Highest Quality Hogs Hair<br />
The most dense, gentle Hogs Hair in 9 lengths; Nylon & Cloth also available.<br />
Widest Possible Range of Choices<br />
Standard & Round Shape; 3 Fill Materials; Black Plastic or Aluminum Head;<br />
and 4 Nylon or 6 Cloth colors with a Rainbow of options for Bumper-Gaskets.<br />
FALL 2020 • 3
CONTENTS<br />
Freeze ........................................... 6<br />
Make sure your security systems are<br />
weatherproofed for the upcoming<br />
winter season<br />
Fill in the Blank ...................... 10<br />
Comments & Polls ................ 12<br />
Small Business New ............. 14<br />
Association Calendar<br />
& News ....................................... 20<br />
Tricks of the Trade ............... 27<br />
Tips .............................................. 34<br />
Innovations ............................... 41<br />
Industry Dirt ............................ 44<br />
Extra! Extra! ............................. 48<br />
Fun & Games .......................... 52<br />
Cover Story ............................... 54<br />
Around the Wash<br />
Self Serve Panel ...................... 64<br />
Darwin ........................................ 67<br />
VOL. 48, NO. 3, FALL 2020<br />
Publisher Jackson Vahaly<br />
Editor Debra Gorgos<br />
Design Katy Barret-Alley<br />
Editor Emeritus Jarret J. Jakubowski<br />
Editor Posthumous Joseph J. Campbell<br />
Editor Posthumous Julia E. Campbell<br />
Self Serve Carwash News is published 4 times<br />
per year and is independently owned by Jackson<br />
Vahaly. Web address is www.sscwn.com.<br />
All inquiries should be directed to:<br />
Self Serve Car Wash News<br />
110 Childs Ln., Franklin, TN 37067<br />
jacksonv@sscwn.com<br />
Note to Self<br />
BY DEBRA GORGOS, EDITOR<br />
Something strange just happened, but before I get to that, I want to express my<br />
excitement over it being the most wonderful time of year! This holiday season brings<br />
such magic to the air, and I am just overjoyed with excitement. And, by holiday, I<br />
mean Halloween, of course! Things will be different this year in that there will be no<br />
school parade, no haunted houses and no parties here in Upstate New York, but we will<br />
survive. Heck, as a kid growing up in the late 70s/early 80s, we didn’t do much for any<br />
holiday—and it certainly wasn’t weeks celebrations and traditions. We watched It’s the<br />
Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and then on Halloween we went trick or treating and<br />
that was it. This year the festivities are a bit toned down, but I am impressed with how<br />
people are coming up with creative ways to celebrate or make money as a business.<br />
Now, let’s get to that aforementioned, “strange something that happened.” As I was<br />
getting ready to sit down and write this column on a crisp and cozy Sunday morning,<br />
as Autumn colors glowed outside and the house smelled of waffles and maple syrup,<br />
I started thinking about what to write about. There’s so much I could fill this column<br />
with, but I needed to narrow it down. And CBS Sunday Morning was playing on the<br />
television as I was contemplating content. Then, as a stroke of bewitchment or sorcery<br />
or just plain coincidence, Jane Pauley, host of CBS Sunday Morning said to stay tuned<br />
for a story about a car wash. Whatwuzdat?! I squinted at the TV? The news segment<br />
was covering a Halloween-themed car wash in Copiague, New York. It was sort of like<br />
when you’re humming a song in your head and then it comes on the radio. Or you’re<br />
talking to a friend about someone random and then bump into that very person. I had<br />
been reading up on these scary-tunnel car washes and had even tried to think of how<br />
a self serve could pull it off. It seemed pretty unlikely… I mean, how scary would it<br />
be to be a customer getting out of their car and getting attacked by zombies hiding in<br />
the corners of the bay? Many self serves have to deal with enough crime or customer<br />
complaints as it is. The CBS Sunday Morning segment did a great job of showing<br />
how car washes, as well as many other businesses, have adapted to this new-but-stilltemporary-normal<br />
to provide Halloween fun with little to no contact. For instance,<br />
an apple orchard here provided a scary drive through haunted field event, etc. And<br />
its not just for Halloween. Many businesses in general across the country have had to<br />
adjust in order to stay “open.” For instance, a mom-and-pop movie theater near our<br />
house has stayed afloat by selling buckets of popcorn out on its curb. I recently read<br />
about a car wash in Columbia, Ohio, which helped out local artists by allowing them to<br />
perform outside the car wash. Described as, “Part art installation, part performance, part<br />
Halloween fun,” for four nights this past October the Wash’n’Glow event charged $20<br />
for a car wash and a glow-in-the-dark performance at the Carriage House Car Wash.<br />
According to Fox 19, half of the fare went to ArtsWave, which supports hundreds of<br />
local arts projects and organizations through grants. Customers were also given free ice<br />
cream donated from UDF and a Halloween gift bag for kids.<br />
Carriage House employee Nicole Christopher told Fox 19 that it’s important<br />
to keep local artists afloat during these tough times. “Art just brings a community<br />
together in ways that nothing else can,” Christopher said.<br />
What a wonderful way to help others out and get some good press at the same time.<br />
In other news, our cover story is all about mobile car wash apps. I am a selfproclaimed<br />
app addict. I am constantly telling people: Did you download the app for<br />
such and such business? I become very animated when a friend has not, yet repeatedly<br />
frequents a business. How can they live with themselves?! All of those reward points<br />
she’s missing out on!??? It’s a no-brainer, I sigh... Some people are just not aware of<br />
the possibilities, or don’t understand how they make everything so much easier. It took<br />
me years to be iPhone savvy — I fought it for a long time. Back when I went to school,<br />
we didn’t have cellphones. Well, that’s not true. A few of the “rich” kids did and they<br />
were the size of a dust buster. My parents bought me a cellphone in 1998, but it was<br />
for emergencies only. It weighed about 15 pounds and looked like something out of a<br />
World War II bunker.<br />
Copyright 2020. 2 Dollar Enterprises/<strong>SSCWN</strong>. All Rights Reserved<br />
4 • FALL 2020
Note to Self<br />
BY DEBRA GORGOS, EDITOR<br />
Then I had no phone for<br />
a long time. And didn’t get a<br />
smartphone until I became<br />
a mother. One of the things<br />
I like about it is that I am<br />
one of those people who get<br />
tongued-tied or frazzled when<br />
it comes to ordering food whether at a counter or in a drive-thru. I also<br />
have a food allergy and feel as if I have to make sure, then make sure<br />
again that no dairy will be added. With the apps, I get to order ahead<br />
and sail on thru and there is no miscommunication. Plus, you just cannot<br />
beat the perks that come with frequent visits (every birthday, I go all<br />
day picking up freebies – if you want my master list of chain birthday<br />
freebies, email me at debrag@sscwn.com). Is this something you offer<br />
your customers? If not, is it something you’re considering?<br />
Along with the cover story, this is another jam-packed issue, and<br />
I hope you all enjoy it. And, now that we are soon heading into the<br />
holiday that is all about giving thanks, whether or not you’re able to<br />
celebrate with family, or having a nice small dinner for yourself, please<br />
know that I am grateful for all of you.<br />
Until next time,<br />
Debra<br />
P.S. My kids are getting pretty bored. I am getting<br />
bored. Heck, even my dog seems bored, but the state of<br />
New York is still being extra careful. So, I went out and<br />
did something completely spontaneous. That’s right,<br />
I adopted a kitten. So, here she is, our 2-month old<br />
kitten from the Humane Society. I know the world, and<br />
especially our country is filled with tension, sad news,<br />
sad people, and uncertain circumstances, so hopefully<br />
this will put a smile on your face.<br />
BRIGHT BAY. HAPPY CUSTOMER.<br />
Waterproof LED Lighting | Available at Kleen-Rite<br />
800-285-6780 | www.ggled.net | sales@ggled.net<br />
<strong>SSCWN</strong>2019.indd 1<br />
FALL 4/15/192020 9:05 • AM5
Freeze!<br />
Make sure your<br />
security systems<br />
are weatherproofed<br />
for the upcoming<br />
winter season<br />
The season of thanks and giving and joy and peace doesn’t<br />
necessarily halt criminals. Nor does the colder weather. In<br />
fact, some theorize that crime rates go up during the holidays<br />
due to depressed or cash-strapped robbers. Whatever the case<br />
may be, it’s important to know that the colder weather can impact<br />
security systems if you’re not on top of the maintenance needed and also<br />
equipped with systems that can withstand snow, sleet, wind… you get the idea.<br />
Thankfully, Jennifer Spears is here to help. Spears is not only a sales manager for<br />
CarWashCameras.com, but she is also a car wash owner. Read on to find out what you need to stay secure,<br />
and what you need to do to weatherproof your set-up and security system for the upcoming colder months.<br />
QUESTION 1:<br />
Are there elements<br />
of the Fall and Winter<br />
seasons that could<br />
impact self serve car<br />
wash security systems?<br />
JENNIFER SPEARS: Tons of elements could impact<br />
self-serve car wash security systems during the fall<br />
and winter seasons. Let’s start with maintenance.<br />
Everything at the wash, no matter what part of<br />
the country it’s located in, needs general maintenance<br />
all the time, especially during the colder<br />
months. No different with cameras and your security<br />
system is incredibly important to maintain.<br />
Rain, sleet, ice and snow can completely obliterate<br />
views from cameras. Check your cameras often to<br />
make sure nothing is impeding their views. Piles of<br />
snow sliding off a roof, icicles, sleet freezing a PTZ<br />
camera in place are just a few of the many things<br />
that can affect your cameras’ ability to do its job.<br />
Using a product like Rain-X can help more than<br />
you think. Having the moisture bead off the camera<br />
plexi as fast as possible can mean the difference<br />
between catching the two guys who just ripped<br />
out your pay station or you’re viewing nothing but<br />
the snow-pocalypse! You’ll also want to make sure<br />
your cables aren’t being weighed down by weather<br />
events either. Ice gets heavy quick! Installing cameras<br />
that can handle extreme cold temps is a must<br />
for almost every wash. Most of them don’t require<br />
full heaters anymore and the right camera housing<br />
for the right location can keep itself insulated from<br />
the cold without pulling tons more power.<br />
Fogging of cameras can also be an issue operators<br />
face when the weather starts changing. Weatherproof<br />
cameras with good gaskets and seals can save<br />
a ton of hassle each year.<br />
Choose cameras that are made for the car wash<br />
environment in any weather!<br />
6 • FALL 2020
HOT VENDING ITEMS<br />
FROM THE UNDISPUTED<br />
LEADER IN CAR CARE.<br />
1<br />
2<br />
4<br />
1<br />
CLEANING SPONGE<br />
SPONGE PACK 100 PER CASE<br />
AR30800<br />
2<br />
3<br />
ORIGINAL PROTECTANT<br />
SPONGE PACK 100 PER CASE<br />
PUMP SPRAY (24) 4 OZ. CANS<br />
VS10800<br />
AR13040<br />
3<br />
4<br />
TIRE FOAM<br />
4 OZ. CAN 12 PER CASE<br />
AR40040<br />
THE CLEANING PRODUCTS YOU NEED<br />
FROM THE UNDISPUTED LEADER IN CAR CARE.<br />
1 2<br />
3<br />
AIR FRESHENING CLEANING WIPES<br />
25 WIPES PER TUB 6 TUBS PER CASE<br />
1 NEW CAR<br />
AR17952 2 ORANGE<br />
AR10831<br />
4 5<br />
CLEANING WIPES<br />
3<br />
30 WIPES PER TUB 6 TUBS PER CASE AR10863<br />
AIR FRESHENING SPRAYS<br />
16 OZ SPRAY BOTTLE 6 BOTTLES PER CASE<br />
4 MULTI-PURPOSE CLEANER AR17951 5 PROTECTANT<br />
AR78529<br />
CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE!!!<br />
ALL NEW!!!<br />
• Streamlined check out<br />
• Improved site speed<br />
• Improved mobile shopping<br />
experience - easily<br />
place an order on the go!<br />
• Easily redeem your<br />
Rewards points<br />
Club<br />
SHOP. EARN. SAVE.<br />
Join the Kleen-Rite Rewards Club now!<br />
KLEENRITE.COM<br />
800.233.3873<br />
FALL 2020 • 7
WE WANT<br />
YOUR<br />
STORIES!<br />
Do you have a funny<br />
story from the bay?<br />
Maybe an inspiring<br />
tale from the wash?<br />
Try something<br />
new that worked well?<br />
“You won’t believe what this<br />
Darwin did at my wash…”<br />
“The best decision I ever made<br />
for my business was…”<br />
“On rainy days, I like to…”<br />
Reach out to Editor Debra Gorgos<br />
debgorgos@gmail.com to share<br />
your story with our readers.<br />
FREEZE!<br />
QUESTION 2:<br />
What do car wash owners<br />
need to do to prepare<br />
for the harsher weather?<br />
JENNIFER SPEARS: If you get the right surveillance<br />
system to start with the amount of things car<br />
wash owners need to do to prepare for the harsher<br />
weather goes down substantially. Get the right<br />
cameras that can…<br />
• Withstand extremes in temperature,;<br />
• Handle the moisture car washes<br />
throw at them, along with moisture<br />
from mother nature;<br />
• Keep working for years with no issues,;<br />
• Be accessed remotely from anywhere,<br />
from any device, with no monthly fees; and<br />
• More importantly, come with a lifetime<br />
of free tech support so that any<br />
questions you have can be answered<br />
by a friendly voice ready to walk<br />
you through anything you need.<br />
QUESTION 3:<br />
What kind of upkeep<br />
is involved for these<br />
types of security systems?<br />
JENNIFER SPEARS: The kind of upkeep involved in<br />
maintaining a camera system in the colder months<br />
is actually pretty simple as long as you’ve been following<br />
the needed steps on a regular basis throughout<br />
the entire year. Simply, use the system and familiarize<br />
yourself with it when it’s installed and use<br />
it often. Make sure all the camera feeds are working<br />
and your system is recording how you want it to.<br />
Make sure there isn’t a huge amount of noise pulling<br />
into the camera feeds because this can damage<br />
your recorder. Make sure your cameras are securely<br />
mounted and high enough and out of reach so<br />
that you don’t have to deal with grabby hands along<br />
with the blizzard that’s on the way. Make sure all<br />
of your cabling is secure and protected. Check your<br />
cameras to make sure they’re still pointing where<br />
they need to be. A super quick checklist of items<br />
to run through every week is so much faster than<br />
everything having to come to a screeching halt if a<br />
recorder stopped recording four months ago when<br />
a hard drive failed and you never knew because you<br />
never checked. The last thing you want to know is<br />
you have no footage of someone having a slip and<br />
fall on ice in front of the changers the night before.<br />
Recorders and cameras are electronic equipment,<br />
and just like all the rest they need to be looked after<br />
routinely for optimal performance.<br />
QUESTION 4:<br />
Unfortunately, reports have<br />
been coming in that criminal<br />
activity is up in areas due to<br />
political tensions, civil rights<br />
issues and, of course, Covid-19.<br />
What advice do you have for car<br />
wash owners in terms of being<br />
extra vigilant about protecting<br />
their properties?<br />
JENNIFER SPEARS: Here are a few quick tips to car<br />
wash owners in terms of protecting your properties<br />
as well as your piece of mind.<br />
• Be present. When you’re at the wash, talk<br />
to your customers. Be engaging with them.<br />
Criminals like anonymity just as much as the<br />
next thief. They tend to stick with nameless,<br />
faceless properties to burgle. Don’t be the<br />
property they’re looking for.<br />
• Go to the wash at different times. I know<br />
this might not work for everyone but if at all<br />
possible go on different days, at different<br />
times, for different reasons so you can be all<br />
over the property anytime or all the time. If<br />
criminals are watching your property they’re<br />
trying to figure out when the best day and<br />
time is to break in. Don’t make it easy for<br />
them. If you pull all the money out of your<br />
washes every Saturday morning at 10 a.m.,<br />
if someone else is watching, you’ll get hit<br />
Saturday morning at 2 a.m. Switch things up<br />
and then switch things up again.<br />
• Last but certainly not least, choose to install<br />
cameras that can stop an issue before it’s<br />
an actual issue. Yes, cameras are there to<br />
capture video of people doing nefarious<br />
things, but the true purpose of a surveillance<br />
system is to stop crimes before they happen.<br />
Thieves like easy, unmanned, lucrative<br />
businesses. You want to put cameras up that<br />
look like cameras. You want the equipment<br />
to be obvious so when a couple of guys roll<br />
up ready to string your changer, steal your<br />
pay station or break into your vacs, they<br />
stop when they see the cameras. Hidden<br />
cameras are great when you want to find<br />
out who’s been eating your peanut butter<br />
crackers out of the breakroom, but for the<br />
car wash you want your cameras to have a<br />
well-known presence. You want vandals to<br />
drive up, see the cameras, and drive away.<br />
Yes, camera systems are there to protect<br />
you, your customers, your property and your<br />
investment if things go badly. But they’re<br />
even more valuable if they can stop an<br />
incident before it even starts.<br />
8 • FALL 2020<br />
The article contributor is Jennifer Spears, carwash owner and sales manager with CarWashCameras.com. With more than 20 years<br />
of experience working with car washes and more than 10000 camera systems under her belt she’s seen it all. Her favorite phrases<br />
when it comes to cameras at any type of vehicle facility? “There are never enough cameras!” & “You need another hard drive with<br />
that?” She welcomes comments and questions and can be reached at 866-301-2288 and jennifer@carwashcameras.com.
Don’t get hosed.<br />
Solve the problem AND maximize your profit with tokens!<br />
WE MAKE IT EASY AND AFFORDABLE TO SWITCH! CALL US TODAY!<br />
WWW.VANBROOKTOKENS.COM<br />
INFO@VANBROOKTOKENS.COM<br />
1-800-553-3134<br />
FALL 2020 • 9
FILL IN THE<br />
BLANK<br />
If you would like to contribute your own answer,<br />
visit AutoCareForum.com and do a keyword search of “fill in the blank.”<br />
FILL IN THE BLANK: BEING A CAR WASH OWNER<br />
DURING THE YEAR OF 2020 HAS BEEN ___________<br />
...Excellent. - MEP001<br />
What he said. - KleanRide<br />
...a bit of a roller coaster. Depending upon the current<br />
state of Covid-19 in Victoria, Australia, the customers<br />
at the carwash have been up and down. Carwashes in<br />
our major city (Melbourne) are not allowed to open at all<br />
currently, and I REALLY feel for them. So overall, our year<br />
will be ok, but it’s certainly had its challenges. - Greg_T<br />
...a nightmare trying to repair, get parts, and help -<br />
Cooll903<br />
...This year has been absolutely phenomenal, revenue<br />
way up, no problem getting parts or supplies. Labor was<br />
a little touch and go but we found a new guy to do the<br />
daily cleanup. We didn’t lose a day of business because<br />
of the pandemic. So I’d have to say life is good. - Randy<br />
...Amazing. - water guy<br />
...Fantastic. Blessed. - Bert79<br />
...Extraordinary. - soapy<br />
... thankfully a year when the price of gas & diesel<br />
has remained relatively low & the weather has been<br />
reasonably self service car wash friendly!<br />
We have also noticed as inflation creeps upward .... $5<br />
bills & higher in our in bay bill validators are increasing<br />
from the previous proportions in relation to $1 bills. If we<br />
could just find a way ... to make it less likely paper bills<br />
get wet or damp ... making them not functional in bill<br />
acceptors... - mjwalsh<br />
...Exhausting and mentally draining! - washnvac<br />
...Very challenging to say the least, but hey, we still have<br />
a couple of months left, let’s step on the gas and see<br />
what happens! - DiamondWash<br />
...better than owning a restaurant.<br />
- Wash4Life<br />
...My rural self serve has seen no drop in revenue,<br />
supplies are delivered on time. Hunting season is<br />
here so lots of out-of-staters dealing with<br />
snow, ice and mud. Good year to<br />
be in business. - swampdonkey<br />
... better than owning a full service restaurant<br />
or barber shop! - Dan-Ark<br />
...Yes - I think this comment nailed it. Some of us may<br />
have great numbers this year - maybe even better than<br />
ever, some of us might be down from previous years.<br />
Maybe it had to do with the pandemic, maybe it didn’t.<br />
But if there is a restaurant forum out there and someone<br />
posted this question - probably very few owners would<br />
have seen their business holding steady let alone<br />
increasing or being a banner year. I’ve seen some<br />
national stats for the amount of restaurants that have<br />
closed/will close and not be able to reopen. Don’t know<br />
what the stats would be for car washes closing this<br />
year, but doubt that we have the numbers the restaurant<br />
owners are experiencing. - Washnshine<br />
... Judging by how well most car washes here are<br />
doing, I’m sure any car washes that have closed “due to<br />
COVID-19” were going to anyway. - MEP001<br />
THIS ONE CUSTOMER<br />
WAS SO CLUELESS, HE/SHE ...<br />
...The customer turns the rotary switch to “SOAP”,<br />
grabs the FOAM BRUSH and complains to me, “Hey<br />
Lady, this thing is broken - NO SOAP!” when they see<br />
NO foamy soap coming out of the brush. Meanwhile,<br />
white HP Soap is spraying out of the HP gun! :O I’m<br />
seeing this more often with the younger generation of<br />
new customers. - Kimerly Berg<br />
...I decided to do a deep cleaning of a Hamilton dual<br />
changer. Had the entire guts removed to clean the<br />
cabinet. My head was fully in the cabinet when a<br />
customer lifted the metal flap to insert a bill. I looked up<br />
and her face was inches from the bill insert window. She<br />
inserted a bill and I dropped the coins into the cup. The<br />
look on her face was priceless. She probably still thinks<br />
there’s a man in there giving change. - mac<br />
...I put a cone in front of one of my self service bays<br />
so I could replace a couple fittings in the equipment<br />
room. Just as I was going to remove a connection the<br />
bay pump turned on. I walked out to see a young man<br />
washing his pickup. I said, “Hey, you ran over my cone<br />
that I had blocking this bay so I could do some repairs.”<br />
He replied, “No, I moved it out of the way, this bay is a<br />
coin op - it’s always open.” Turned power off every time<br />
since then when working on a bay. - Kentadel<br />
10 • FALL 2020<br />
...The worst one was when I had just gotten to the<br />
wash to shut it down because of a water emergency.<br />
I had a cop on the phone threatening me to get it shut<br />
down and was doing my best. I had a cone in front of<br />
every bay and was about to shut off the breakers, and<br />
heard a pump start. Went and looked, and the entitled<br />
?!@#$%^& had just gone around the back and pulled<br />
in. I told him we were closed because of the water<br />
emergency, he just had a dark look and said, “I need to<br />
wash my car.” I told him he can’t, and that was why the<br />
bay was coned off. His genius reply: “Well you need to<br />
put a cone at both ends!” - MEP001<br />
...I now park in the bay with a vehicle. Last time I was<br />
cleaning pits with the tractor I had it blocked off with<br />
cones in the front and was exiting the back with the<br />
tractor bucket full of mud. A guy in a Subaru waited until<br />
I had backed out and headed over to dump the mud in<br />
a trailer. He drove around the cone and almost ended<br />
up in the pit since the grates were removed. Sorry to<br />
generalize but around here Subaru owners are pretty<br />
much like that. He had been watching me for a few<br />
minutes and decided if he could get around the cone<br />
then the bay should be his to use.<br />
...Last Friday night I got a call after 6 pm from a lady<br />
who had put .25 cents short of the startup price and did<br />
not have any more money. Left a message that I had<br />
better come down right away and give her the $2.75<br />
back since it was a lot of money to her ...... I never got<br />
the message until the next morning but would not have<br />
spent an hour of my night driving down to the wash<br />
and back for this immediate refund. I did call the next<br />
morning and said no problem giving her money back<br />
and I would meet her at 9:30 am at the wash. She never<br />
showed up. - Soapy<br />
...Yesterday I saw a guy washing his car with the carpet<br />
shampooer on my fragramatic combo vac. He had<br />
carpet shampoo from front to back. - Jim64<br />
...Talking about customers removing the cones: I put<br />
two cones in front of my automatic and went to town<br />
to get some spare parts. On the way back a customer<br />
called and said he put money into the machine and it<br />
didn’t work. I just arrived at the carwash and of course<br />
the cones were put aside. I went to him and apologized<br />
sincerely. “I am sooo sorry. I don’t know what to say...<br />
we’ve closed that automatic but some idiot must have<br />
removed the cones. I am so sorry. Please let me get you<br />
your refund and I’ll have a quick look on the cameras<br />
{to see] who that idiot was. I mean: who in their right<br />
mind would remove safety cones in front of a carwash<br />
machine???”<br />
Needless to say that when I came back with his<br />
money the customer had already left. -<br />
JustClean
Perfect for:<br />
• Convenience stores<br />
• Car washes<br />
• Municipalities<br />
• Taxi fleets<br />
• Rental fleets<br />
• School districts<br />
• Golf carts<br />
• Shopping carts<br />
• Police cars<br />
• Car pools<br />
• Shuttle buses<br />
• Car dealers<br />
The details:<br />
• Profitable, $5 suggested vend price<br />
• Fast, effective coverage. Dispenses 4 to 5 ft<br />
plume at one ounce per minute.<br />
• Treats largest SUV’s quickly. Recommended<br />
vend time, three minutes.<br />
• Kills viruses, including COVID-19, bacteria and<br />
fungus with an EPA/FDA approved product.<br />
• Stainless steel cabinet – 14” x 22” x 20” H, 85<br />
lbs., 15 ft wire braid dispensing hose, 2 gallon<br />
capacity,110V 15 amp<br />
Options:<br />
• Push button<br />
• Coin/token/credit card<br />
• Credit card only<br />
• 42”, 64” or 84” Pedestal<br />
FIND OUT MORE AND GET<br />
FACTORY DIRECT PRICING:<br />
Call Steve at 800-643-1574,<br />
Mobile - 501-554-6129<br />
sosborn@fragramatics.com<br />
3021 S. Midland Drive • Pine Bluff AR 71603 • 800-643-1574 • 870-535-5777<br />
Email: sales@fragramatics.com • www.fragramatics.com<br />
FALL 2020 • 11
COMMENTS<br />
“No, but it’s coming. My IBA income is almost 90% card”<br />
“No, but installed coinless at both locations to help”<br />
“I’m seriously considering going all all cashless. Picking up the<br />
coins from the vaults and vacuums, counting the coins and the<br />
cash and going to the bank is a [pain]! I think it might be a long<br />
process to get the public used to not having coins or cash. It’s<br />
just a matter of time before cash will be a thing of the past.”<br />
“We operate 2 small SS car washes, one of which also has an<br />
IBA. We sell tokens at both. The smaller one takes bills on all the<br />
equipment. the larger one requires our customers with bills to use<br />
the token machine. All machines also take quarters. Even though<br />
we don’t sell quarters at either wash. still about 50% of our<br />
incoming revenue is in quarters....people bring them from home<br />
or I guess buy them at our competitors. I don’t think self serve<br />
will ever be totally cashless.... Our IBAs are over 50% credit,<br />
most of the rest is bills but the coin hopper for change seems to<br />
be getting more quarters than it dispenses too.... hard to imagine<br />
someone stuffing 5 or 6 dollars in quarters in,.. but they do.”<br />
“Australians love credit cards, and generally cash use is on<br />
the decline. But our wash still only has 30-40% credit cards<br />
payments, growing slowly but steadily. I expect that over time the<br />
credit card % will get higher and higher.”<br />
POLL<br />
We are<br />
completely<br />
cashless at<br />
our self serve<br />
Do you have<br />
a standalone<br />
<strong>web</strong>site for<br />
your car wash<br />
(not one via Facebook, etc.)?<br />
NO:<br />
100%<br />
Yes: 0%<br />
NO<br />
35.7%<br />
*This unscientific poll was conducted via the carwashforum.com.<br />
YES<br />
64.3%<br />
12 • FALL 2020
S A L E S TM<br />
Shop online or call today for your free printed catalog!<br />
We have what you need,<br />
when you need it!<br />
Tube<br />
dultmeier.com<br />
1-800-228-9666 | Omaha, NE<br />
1-800-553-6975 | Davenport, IA<br />
FREE FREIGHT<br />
On Orders $1800 Or Over<br />
Exclusions Apply, See Details Below<br />
Tanks, pipe, sprayers and other large equipment are not included in this program.<br />
Applies to Continental U.S. ground shipments only.<br />
FALL 2020 • 13
Small<br />
Business<br />
News<br />
Covering everything<br />
from SBA loans to OSHA<br />
regulations to disaster relief.<br />
SBA and Treasury<br />
Announce Simpler PPP<br />
Forgiveness for Loans<br />
of $50,000 or Less<br />
On October 8, 2020, the following press release<br />
was made public:<br />
The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation<br />
with the Treasury Department, today<br />
released a simpler loan forgiveness application<br />
for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of<br />
$50,000 or less. This action streamlines the PPP forgiveness<br />
process to provide financial and administrative<br />
relief to America’s smallest businesses while<br />
also ensuring sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars.<br />
“The PPP has provided 5.2 million loans worth<br />
$525 billion to American small businesses, providing<br />
critical economic relief and supporting<br />
more than 51 million jobs,” said Secretary Steven<br />
T. Mnuchin. “Today’s action streamlines the forgiveness<br />
process for PPP borrowers with loans of<br />
$50,000 or less and thousands of PPP lenders who<br />
worked around the clock to process loans quickly,”<br />
he continued. “We are committed to making the<br />
PPP forgiveness process as simple as possible while<br />
also protecting against fraud and misuse of funds.<br />
We continue to favor additional legislation to further<br />
simplify the forgiveness process.”<br />
“Nothing will stop the Trump Administration<br />
from supporting great American businesses and our<br />
great American workers. The Paycheck Protection<br />
Program has been an overwhelming success and<br />
served as a historic lifeline to America’s hurting<br />
small businesses and tens of millions of workers.<br />
The new form introduced today demonstrates our<br />
relentless commitment to using every tool in our<br />
toolbelt to help small businesses and the banks that<br />
have participated in this program,” said Administrator<br />
Jovita Carranza. “We are continuing to ensure<br />
that small businesses are supported as they recover.”<br />
SBA and Treasury have also eased the burden on<br />
PPP lenders, allowing lenders to process forgiveness<br />
applications more swiftly.<br />
SBA began approving PPP forgiveness applications<br />
and remitting forgiveness payments to PPP<br />
lenders for PPP borrowers on October 2, 2020.<br />
SBA will continue to process all PPP forgiveness<br />
applications in an expeditious manner.<br />
According a Forbes article written by Neil Hare,<br />
who is an attorney with the law firm McCarthy<br />
Wilson LLP, and the president of Global Vision<br />
Communications, an agency specializing in strategic<br />
communications, marketing, and advertising<br />
for trade associations, nonprofits, coalitions, and<br />
corporations, this press release is in the wake of<br />
the failed effort to sign a new stimulus package<br />
into law, the Small Business Administration (SBA)<br />
along with the Treasury Department. “While this<br />
latest Interim Final Rule addressing the PPP loans<br />
created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic<br />
Security Act (or CARES Act) will still require<br />
borrowers to provide documentation, such as<br />
a payroll provider report, it offers a new, simplified<br />
form and a “check the box” process for forgiveness.<br />
Borrowers can use new SBA Form 3508S for their<br />
application or wait for their lender to update their<br />
online application portals,” according to Forbes.<br />
The new rules also remove the need to show<br />
that the borrower did not reduce head count or<br />
salaries and, therefore, suffer a reduction in loan<br />
forgiveness, the article stated. “Previous regulations<br />
outlined that if an employer reduced salaries<br />
by over 25%, the amount over 25% would not<br />
be forgivable. Borrowers would also have to document<br />
that if they did furlough employees, they<br />
tried in good faith to rehire them or couldn’t hire<br />
similarly qualified individuals, or also be subject to<br />
an unforgiven portion of their PPP funds.”<br />
■ Why a $50,000 limit?<br />
According to the same Forbes article, Hare<br />
writes that the SBA rationale to remove these<br />
requirements for loans of $50,000 or less is that<br />
almost all borrowers in this loan amount category<br />
are sole proprietors, independent contractors, or<br />
employers with one employee.<br />
The SBA stated as follows:<br />
Within this population of potentially affected<br />
loans, SBA believes that most borrowers<br />
would not be affected by the loan forgiveness<br />
reduction requirements because (1) the<br />
borrowers did not reduce FTE employees or<br />
reduce employee salaries or wages, or (2) the<br />
borrowers would qualify for one of the existing<br />
exemptions from loan forgiveness amount<br />
reductions. Excluding such borrowers, the<br />
aggregate dollar amount of PPP funds affected<br />
by these exemptions relative to the aggregate<br />
dollar amount of all PPP funds is de minimis.<br />
The SBA issued some data points to further<br />
justify its analysis that removing these borrowers<br />
from the requirements regarding the need to<br />
keep head count and salaries at close to pre-<br />
COVID levels in order to receive full forgiveness<br />
is de minimus, Forbes reported. According to<br />
the SBA, there are 3.57 million outstanding PPP<br />
loans of $50,000 or less out of the 5.2 million<br />
issued, totaling approximately $62 billion of the<br />
$525 billion in PPP loans. Approximately 1.7 million<br />
PPP loans of $50,000 or less were made to<br />
businesses reporting zero employees other than<br />
the owner, or one employee.<br />
Should businesses file now for forgiveness?<br />
Since the PPP covered period is now 24 weeks,<br />
most businesses should easily qualify for full forgiveness,<br />
according to the article. While the rules<br />
dictate that 60% of the PPP funds must be used<br />
on payroll, and 40% on expenses such as rent, utilities,<br />
mortgages, and loan interest, it is advisable<br />
and easier to document if all the funds are used<br />
on payroll if possible. If borrowers can do so, the<br />
conservative approach would be to not take the<br />
deductions and assume full forgiveness.<br />
However, Hare writes that if borrowers want to<br />
hold onto cash, or have concerns about forgiveness,<br />
they can still take the deductions now. This is<br />
a business decision borrowers should make in consultation<br />
with their accountant, lawyer, and lender.<br />
Either way, for most borrowers of smaller loans,<br />
14 • FALL 2020
FALL 2020 • 15
SMALL BUSINESS NEWS<br />
especially those with loans of $50,000 or less, applications<br />
for forgiveness should be filed sooner<br />
rather than later.<br />
■ U.S. Department of Labor Acts<br />
has found over $1.2M<br />
in coronavirus violations<br />
In an October press release, the U.S. Department<br />
of Labor’s OSHA announced $1,222,156<br />
in coronavirus violations have taken place since<br />
the start of the pandemic up until Oct. 8, 202.<br />
OSHA has cited 85 establishments for violations<br />
relating to coronavirus.<br />
The press release also stated that OSHA inspections<br />
have resulted in the agency citing employers<br />
for violations, including failures to:<br />
• Implement a written respiratory<br />
protection program;<br />
• Provide a medical evaluation, respirator<br />
fit test, training on the proper use of<br />
a respirator and personal protective<br />
equipment;<br />
• Report an injury, illness or fatality;<br />
• Record an injury or illness on<br />
OSHA recordkeeping forms; and<br />
• Comply with the General Duty Clause of the<br />
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970<br />
What About Natural<br />
Disasters?<br />
From Hurricane Sally to the horrible wildfires<br />
destroying areas throughout the country, there is<br />
financial aid available if you have been affected.<br />
■ Business Physical Disaster Loans<br />
If you are in a declared disaster area and have<br />
experienced damage to your business, you may<br />
be eligible for financial assistance from the SBA.<br />
Presidential & SBA Agency Declared Disasters<br />
States Affected Incident Incident Period<br />
Louisiana Hurricane Delta 10/6/2020 through 10/10/2020<br />
Florida Hurricane Sally 9/14/2020 through 9/28/2020<br />
Alabama Hurricane Sally 9/14/2020 through 9/16/2020<br />
Oregon Wildfires and Straight-line Winds 9/7/2020 and continuing<br />
California Wildfires 9/4/2020 and continuing<br />
Colorado Grizzly Creek Fire 8/10/2020 and continuing<br />
Businesses of any size and most private nonprofit<br />
organizations may apply to the SBA for a loan to<br />
recover after a disaster.<br />
■ Loan Amounts and Use<br />
SBA makes physical disaster loans of up to $2<br />
million to qualified businesses or most private<br />
nonprofit organizations. These loan proceeds may<br />
be used for the repair or replacement of the following:<br />
• Real property<br />
• Machinery<br />
• Equipment<br />
• Fixtures<br />
• Inventory<br />
• Leasehold improvements<br />
The SBA Business Physical Disaster Loan covers<br />
disaster losses not fully covered by insurance.<br />
If you are required to apply insurance proceeds to<br />
an outstanding mortgage on the damaged property,<br />
you can include that amount in your disaster<br />
loan application.<br />
If you make improvements that help reduce<br />
the risk of future property damage caused by a<br />
similar disaster, you may be eligible for up to a<br />
20 percent loan amount increase above the real<br />
estate damage, as verified by the SBA.<br />
You may not use the disaster loan to upgrade or<br />
expand a business, except as required by building<br />
codes.<br />
■ Eligibility and Terms<br />
A business of any size or most private nonprofit<br />
organizations that are located in a declared<br />
disaster area and have incurred damage<br />
during the disaster, may apply for a loan to help<br />
replace damaged property or restore its pre-disaster<br />
condition.<br />
The interest rate will not exceed 4 percent if<br />
you cannot obtain credit elsewhere. For businesses<br />
and nonprofit organizations with credit available<br />
elsewhere, the interest rate will not exceed 8<br />
percent. SBA determines whether the applicant<br />
has credit available elsewhere. Repayment terms<br />
can be up to 30 years, depending on your ability<br />
to repay the loan.<br />
■ How to Apply<br />
You can apply online for an SBA disaster assistance<br />
loan. SBA will send an inspector to estimate<br />
the cost of your damage once you have<br />
completed and returned your loan application.<br />
You must submit the completed loan application<br />
and a signed and dated IRS Form 4506-<br />
T giving permission for the IRS to provide SBA<br />
your tax return information.<br />
SBA Inspector General addresses investigations, oversight and regulations<br />
On October 1, 2020, Hannibal “Mike” Ware, Inspector<br />
General of the SBA spoke at the hearing<br />
titled, “Preventing Fraud and Abuse of PPP and<br />
EIDL: An Update with the SBA Office of Inspector<br />
General (OIG) and Government Accountability<br />
Office.<br />
Here is part of his statement:<br />
I am proud of the dedication and hard work of the<br />
men and women of OIG to not only prevent fraud in<br />
these programs, but also to detect, deter, and combat<br />
fraud. OIG provides auditing, investigative, and other<br />
services to support and assist SBA in achieving its mission.<br />
As a result of its oversight efforts, OIG provides<br />
dozens of recommendations each year to SBA leadership<br />
aimed at improving the integrity, accountability,<br />
and performance of SBA and its programs for the benefit<br />
of the American people. Similarly, OIG’s investigative<br />
efforts result in dozens of convictions and indictments<br />
as we aggressively pursue evidence of fraud in<br />
SBA’s programs. In doing so, OIG provides taxpayers<br />
with a significant return on investment as it roots out<br />
fraud, waste, and abuse in SBA programs. During fiscal<br />
year (FY) 2019, OIG achieved $111.0 million in<br />
monetary recoveries and savings—a fivefold return on<br />
investment to the taxpayers. The monetary recoveries<br />
and savings for all of FY 2020 are anticipated to be<br />
exponential to OIG’s base operating costs.<br />
SBA was given a tremendous role in the nation’s<br />
response to mitigate the economic impact of social distancing<br />
and other negative effects of the COVID-19<br />
outbreak…<br />
…SBA is exercising over a trillion dollars in lending<br />
authority and entrepreneurial assistance as part of the<br />
Government’s pandemic response. OIG currently is<br />
charged with providing oversight of this unprecedented<br />
amount of SBA lending authority. OIG also is providing<br />
oversight of billions in subsidy loan payments<br />
and hundreds of millions of dollars in entrepreneurial<br />
development efforts by SBA<br />
… OIG currently is charged with providing oversight<br />
of an unprecedented amount of SBA lending<br />
authority—over a trillion dollars. The oversight challenges<br />
of SBA’s pandemic response efforts are continuing<br />
to evolve with the hundreds of fraud cases, tens of<br />
thousands of allegations of wrongdoing being received<br />
by OIG’s Hotline, and concerns surrounding internal<br />
controls mounting based on our review findings. We<br />
will continue our efforts to keep the Administrator and<br />
this Congress currently and fully informed of our findings.<br />
Nothing short of the public trust is at stake, as<br />
well as the vitality of the nation’s economy.<br />
16 • FALL 2020
Everything you need to Succeed<br />
From the most trusted name in Self Serve Equipment<br />
BOOMS,<br />
WANDS,<br />
BRUSHES<br />
IQ SELF WASH<br />
PUMPING<br />
SYSTEM<br />
BAY<br />
SIGNAGE<br />
BAY<br />
ACCESSORIES<br />
VACUUM<br />
SYSTEMS<br />
HIGH<br />
SECURITY<br />
METERS<br />
VIDEO<br />
SECURITY<br />
SYSTEMS<br />
D&S Carwash Equipment<br />
www.dscarwash.com 800.844.3442<br />
FALL 2020 • 17
Carwash<br />
Boom Assembly<br />
MODEL 203<br />
Zierco’s Original Swivel and<br />
Boom Assembly, with<br />
New Rebuildable<br />
Cartridge<br />
• Feather light rotating action<br />
• Twin compression springs are<br />
tension-adjustable for a variety<br />
of hose and gun weights<br />
• Swivel rotates 360˚ - 12 ft.<br />
diameter<br />
MODEL 203 FEATURES<br />
• Temperatures to 280˚ max.,<br />
pressure to 2000 psi<br />
• Longer hose life as spring<br />
prevents kinks<br />
• Ruggedly built, satisfaction<br />
guaranteed<br />
• Proven performance with over 50 years<br />
service in the field (Since 1962)<br />
OPTIONAL<br />
107C CARTRIDGE<br />
FOR COMPLETE<br />
INFORMATION<br />
CALL<br />
414-764-6630<br />
FAX: (414) 764-9763<br />
www.ziercowaterboy.com<br />
107C Cartridge Features:<br />
• Field Repairable<br />
• 100% 304 Stainless Steel Internal<br />
Materials Eliminate Failure Due to<br />
Corrosion<br />
• Double O-Ring Design Uses Any<br />
Type of Grease<br />
7355 S. 1st. Street<br />
Oak Creek, WI 53154<br />
sales@zierden.com<br />
TM<br />
VISA and Master Card accepted<br />
DISTRIBUTOR INQUIRIES INVITED<br />
QUALITY PRODUCTS SINCE 1937<br />
18 • FALL 2020
Carwash<br />
Boom<br />
Assemblies<br />
Zierco’s Easy Service Swivel and<br />
Boom Systems with<br />
MODEL 204 and 206 FEATURES<br />
• Twin compression springs are tension-adjustable<br />
for a variety of hose and gun weights<br />
• Swivel rotates 360˚ - 12 ft. diameter<br />
• Temperatures to 280˚ max., pressure to 2000 psi<br />
• Longer hose life as spring prevents kinks<br />
• Ruggedly built, satisfaction guaranteed<br />
• Optional stainless steel components<br />
• Proven performance with over 50 years service in<br />
the field (Since 1962)<br />
Boom Systems with Full 360 Degree roTATIoN<br />
Booms are Available with 3 Different Mountings<br />
MODEL 204<br />
ENHANCE YOUR SELF SERVING<br />
CONVENIENCE<br />
STYLE B<br />
Flat Plate<br />
Mounts directly<br />
to the ceiling or<br />
beam.<br />
Easy to Use -"Feather Light" rotating action<br />
STYLE C<br />
Swivel Base<br />
Mounts directly to<br />
the ceiling.<br />
MODEL 206<br />
OFFSET Overhead Carwash Boom<br />
Allows for TWO Center Boom Installation<br />
STYLE D<br />
Wall Bracket<br />
Mounts to wall and<br />
is adjustable so<br />
boom swings<br />
to wall when<br />
not in use.<br />
Ideal for foaming brushes.<br />
FOR COMPLETE<br />
INFORMATION<br />
CALL<br />
(414)-764-6630<br />
www.ziercowaterboy.com<br />
CONVERSION KIT<br />
204B<br />
To Convert Model 203<br />
to a 204 Assembly<br />
Remove boom body<br />
from hinge plate<br />
EASY 3 STEP PROCEDURE<br />
TO CHANGE SEALS.<br />
NO TOOLS REQUIRED.<br />
Rotate hinge plate<br />
counter clockwise to<br />
remove seal elbow<br />
Replace O-Rings<br />
7355 S. 1st Street<br />
Oak Creek, WI 53154<br />
Fax: (414) 764-9763<br />
sales@zierden.com<br />
QUALITY PRODUCTS SINCE 1937<br />
TM<br />
DISTRIBUTOR<br />
INQUIRIES<br />
INVITED<br />
VISA and Master Card<br />
accepted<br />
FALL 2020 • 19
Association News<br />
International Carwash Association<br />
The ICA announced new dates for The Car Wash<br />
Show️ 2021.The event will remain in the North Hall<br />
of the Las Vegas Convention Center but will move to<br />
show dates of 15-17 November 2021. The Westgate<br />
and Renaissance will remain the host hotels.<br />
“The car wash business has proven to be incredibly<br />
resilient in 2020 and remains in growth mode despite<br />
the Covid-19 related challenges facing other industries,”<br />
stated ICA CEO Eric Wulf. “Our expectations for the<br />
business remain exceptionally positive as we look ahead<br />
to 2021. Yet, as it pertains to industry gatherings, the<br />
conditions unfortunately remain challenging.”<br />
“We believe that this later show date will increase<br />
our ability to again deliver a world-class event for our<br />
attendees and exhibitors,” said ICA Chief Experience<br />
Officer Kim Vinciguerra. “It is essential that we deliver<br />
an opportunity for buyers and sellers to connect in<br />
2021, particularly after the cancellation of this year’s<br />
event and other car wash industry gatherings. We expect<br />
tremendous energy for the return of The Car Wash<br />
Show, and look forward to working closely with our exhibitors<br />
and association partners to deliver an outstanding<br />
experience.”<br />
The Car Wash Show is the world’s largest gathering<br />
of car wash professionals and one of the largest<br />
exhibitions in North America. The event features approximately<br />
160,000 square feet of products and services<br />
and nearly 100 hours of educational programming<br />
and networking opportunities for more than 9,000 attendees<br />
from around the world. The Car Wash Show<br />
is produced by the International Carwash Association<br />
in collaboration with the Automotive Oil Change Association,<br />
Western Carwash Association and Midwest<br />
Carwash Association. International editions include Car<br />
Wash Show Australia️, Car Wash Show China️ and<br />
Car Wash Show Europe️.<br />
Southwest Car Wash Association<br />
The Southwest Car Wash Association announced<br />
that Steve Forbes, Chairman of the<br />
Forbes media empire will be the 2021 keynote<br />
speaker for EXPERIENCE SCWA 2021 Annual<br />
Convention & Car Wash EXPO which<br />
will take place February 17-19, 2021, in Texas<br />
at the Fort Worth Convention Center.<br />
Forbes’s newest project is the podcast<br />
“What’s Ahead,” where he engages the world’s<br />
top newsmakers, politicians and pioneers in<br />
business and economics in honest conversations meant<br />
to challenge traditional conventions as well as featuring<br />
Steve’s signature views on the intersection of society,<br />
economics and policy, a press release reported.<br />
Steve helped create the recently released and<br />
highly acclaimed public television documentary, In<br />
Money We Trust? The film was inspired by the book<br />
he co-authored, Money: How the Destruction of the Dollar<br />
Threatens the Global Economy – and What We Can<br />
Do About It.<br />
Steve’s latest book is Reviving America: How Repealing<br />
Obamacare, Replacing the Tax Code and Reforming<br />
The Fed will Restore Hope and Prosperity co-authored<br />
by Elizabeth Ames (McGraw-Hill Professional).<br />
Steve writes editorials for each issue of Forbes under<br />
the heading of “Fact and Comment.” A widely respected<br />
economic prognosticator, he is the only writer<br />
to have won the highly prestigious Crystal Owl Award<br />
four times. The prize was formerly given by U.S. Steel<br />
Corporation to the financial journalist<br />
whose economic forecasts for the coming<br />
year proved most accurate.<br />
In 1985 he was appointed by President<br />
Ronald Reagan to head the Board for<br />
International Broadcasting, which oversaw<br />
Radio Liberty and Radio Free Europe,<br />
and he was reappointed to the position by<br />
President George H.W. Bush. In 1993,<br />
with Jack Kemp, a former congressman<br />
and fellow proponent of free-market economics, he<br />
founded Empower America, a group advocating socalled<br />
supply-side policies, including low taxes and<br />
deregulation, as the best means of stimulating growth.<br />
In both 1996 and 2000, Steve campaigned vigorously<br />
for the Republican nomination for the Presidency.<br />
Key to his platform were a flat tax, medical savings accounts,<br />
a new Social Security system for working Americans,<br />
parental choice of schools for their children, term<br />
limits and a strong national defense. Steve continues to<br />
energetically promote this agenda.<br />
According to the SCWA, the focus of the 2021<br />
Convention & EXPO is simple: Providing you with<br />
proven, time tested strategies, techniques and products<br />
to improve your business. The SCWA also stated<br />
it takes the health and well-being of its attendees very<br />
seriously, therefore the capacity of food and education<br />
events may be limited to adhere to CDC or Convention<br />
Center guidelines.<br />
Australian Car Wash Association<br />
The ACWA has started a social media campaign<br />
in an effort to open car wash businesses in Melbourne<br />
that have been closed since the outbreak of Covid-19.<br />
The images below are part of the social media<br />
campaign. “There are a series of messages like the ones<br />
below, “ states the ACWA in a message to car wash operators.<br />
“...and if you would like to join the fight, let us<br />
know and we will send you the images.”<br />
20 • FALL 2020
LITTLE TREES <br />
• CLASSIC LITTLE TREES SHAPE IN 4 NEW FRAGRANCES<br />
• AVAILABLE CARDED (24 PACKS) & VEND PACK (72 PACKS)<br />
FRESH SHAVE<br />
VS57068 24 PACK<br />
VS17068 72 PACK<br />
VS17068O OVERLAY<br />
MOROCCAN MINT TEA<br />
VS50262 24 PACK<br />
VS10262 72 PACK<br />
VS10262O OVERLAY<br />
RAINSHINE<br />
VS50249 24 PACK<br />
VS10249 72 PACK<br />
VS10249O OVERLAY<br />
SUNSET BEACH<br />
VS57177 24 PACK<br />
VS17177 72 PACK<br />
VS17177O OVERLAY<br />
VENT WRAP ®<br />
• 4 WRAPS PeR PaCkAGe<br />
• 4 PACKAGES PER CASE<br />
• CONVENIENT PLACEMENT-<br />
Attaches to vehicle vents<br />
VS52225<br />
VS52232<br />
VS52234<br />
VS52231<br />
VS52233<br />
VS52235<br />
CARIBBEAN COLADA<br />
VANILLAROMA<br />
BAYSIDE BREEZE<br />
BLACK ICE<br />
NEW CAR SCENT<br />
SUMMER LINEN<br />
VENT LIQUID <br />
• 4 PAcKs pEr bOx<br />
• ADjUsTaBlE ScEnT CoNtRoL<br />
• MOuNtS On vEhIcLe vEnTs<br />
• INdIvIdUaLlY PaCkAgEd<br />
VS52625 CARIBBEAN COLADA<br />
VS52632 GOLDEN VANILLA<br />
VS52633 NEW CAR SCENT<br />
VS52635 SUMMER LINEN<br />
ALL OF THESE GREAT PRODUCTS AND MORE AVAILABLE FROM KLEEN-RITE!<br />
CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE!!!<br />
ALL NEW!!!<br />
• Streamlined check out<br />
• Improved site speed<br />
• Improved mobile shopping<br />
experience - easily<br />
place an order on the go!<br />
• Easily redeem your<br />
Rewards points<br />
Club<br />
SHOP. EARN. SAVE.<br />
Join the Kleen-Rite Rewards Club now!<br />
KLEENRITE.COM<br />
800.233.3873<br />
FALL 2020 • 21
Association News<br />
Southwest Car Wash Association<br />
The Southwest Car Wash Association announced<br />
that Steve Forbes, Chairman of the<br />
Forbes media empire will be the 2021 keynote<br />
speaker for EXPERIENCE SCWA 2021 Annual<br />
Convention & Car Wash EXPO which will take<br />
place February 17-19, 2021, in Texas at the Fort<br />
Worth Convention Center.<br />
Forbes’s newest project is the podcast “What’s<br />
Ahead,” where he engages the world’s top newsmakers,<br />
politicians and pioneers in business and<br />
economics in honest conversations meant to challenge<br />
traditional conventions as well as featuring<br />
Steve’s signature views on the intersection of society,<br />
economics and policy, a press release reported.<br />
Steve helped create the recently released and<br />
highly acclaimed public television documentary,<br />
In Money We Trust? The film was inspired by<br />
the book he co-authored, Money: How the Destruction<br />
of the Dollar Threatens the Global Economy –<br />
and What We Can Do About It.<br />
Steve’s latest book is Reviving America: How<br />
Repealing Obamacare, Replacing the Tax Code<br />
and Reforming The Fed will Restore Hope and<br />
Prosperity co-authored by Elizabeth Ames (Mc-<br />
Graw-Hill Professional).<br />
Steve writes editorials for each issue<br />
of Forbes under the heading of “Fact and Comment.”<br />
A widely respected economic prognosticator,<br />
he is the only writer to have won the highly<br />
prestigious Crystal Owl Award four times. The<br />
prize was formerly given by U.S. Steel Corporation<br />
to the financial journalist whose economic forecasts<br />
for the coming year proved most accurate.<br />
In 1985 he was appointed by President Ronald<br />
Reagan to head the Board for International Broadcasting,<br />
which oversaw Radio Liberty and Radio<br />
Free Europe, and he was reappointed to the position<br />
by President George H.W. Bush. In 1993,<br />
with Jack Kemp, a former congressman and fellow<br />
proponent of free-market economics, he founded<br />
Empower America, a group advocating so-called<br />
supply-side policies, including low taxes and deregulation,<br />
as the best means of stimulating growth.<br />
In both 1996 and 2000, Steve campaigned vigorously<br />
for the Republican nomination for the Presidency.<br />
Key to his platform were a flat tax, medical savings<br />
accounts, a new Social Security system for working<br />
Americans, parental choice of schools for their children,<br />
term limits and a strong national defense. Steve<br />
continues to energetically promote this agenda.<br />
According to the SCWA, the focus of the<br />
2021 Convention & EXPO is simple: Providing<br />
you with proven, time tested strategies, techniques<br />
and products to improve your business. The SCWA<br />
also stated it takes the health and well-being of its<br />
attendees very seriously, therefore the capacity of<br />
food and education events may be limited to adhere<br />
to CDC or Convention Center guidelines.<br />
Western Carwash Association<br />
The State of California has mandated employees<br />
and supervisors must be trained by December<br />
31, 2020 through a qualifying harassment compliance<br />
training program. The WCA is offering a<br />
training program through its virtual Harassment<br />
Training Program.<br />
Due to new laws, this instruction must be aimed<br />
at the prevention of sexual harassment, abusive<br />
conduct, and harassment based on gender in the<br />
workplace, and should educate staff on the remedies<br />
available to victims. Under state law, the<br />
training must be developed by qualified attorneys,<br />
professors, or harassment prevention consultants,<br />
with at least two years in FEHA or Title VII employment<br />
law. The course needs to meet a twohour<br />
and one-hour minimum for supervisors and<br />
non-supervisors, respectively. WCA has partnered<br />
with Impact Compliance Training to offer courses<br />
that are developed and supported by subject matter<br />
experts and attorneys with decades of experience<br />
in FEHA and Title VII law.<br />
ADDITIONAL VALUE POINTS:<br />
• Proactive Compliance Monitoring: Realtime<br />
legal updates<br />
• Engaging Content: Edutainment<br />
Instructional Design that drives knowledge<br />
transfer with real professional actors and<br />
scriptwriters co-developed with the worldrenowned<br />
Workplace Training Network.<br />
Edgy, impactful and designed to get the<br />
point across of how important preventing<br />
harassment and discrimination in the<br />
workplace.<br />
• Customized Completed Answer<br />
Report: Downloadable report for each<br />
attendee that completes their training<br />
showing how they answered all questions<br />
correctly.<br />
• Mobile Device Responsive: Courses<br />
are built in HTML-5 and can be used on any<br />
smartphone, tablet, laptop, mac, or PC.<br />
• Meets CA Interactive Training<br />
Requirements: Ability to ask subject matter<br />
experts (ours or yours) questions about the<br />
course and get a response back and provide<br />
feedback through our end of course survey to<br />
meet the interactive training mandates.<br />
In other WCA news, and in support of its<br />
mission to make local and regional connections<br />
and promote the car wash industry to the public,<br />
the WCA Board of Directors has announced<br />
the launch of the association’s charity arm, WCA<br />
Shines: Washing Our Way to a Better Tomorrow,<br />
a press release stated.<br />
“The car wash community is much more than<br />
just businesses washing vehicles. Car wash owners<br />
are actively involved in their local communities<br />
and many of them are supporters of a variety of<br />
nonprofits and charities,” said Marla Mayer, President<br />
of WCA.<br />
A key component of WCA Shines is a partnership<br />
with Wash Away Thirst, a community of<br />
professional car washes, vendors, and clean car enthusiasts<br />
joining together to raise money to bring<br />
access to clean drinking water to communities<br />
throughout the world.<br />
WCA’s partnership will include financial support<br />
of Wash Away Thirst’s mission through a variety<br />
of fundraising efforts and will include opportunities<br />
for WCA members to get involved.<br />
Southeastern<br />
Car Wash<br />
Association<br />
Details for the SECWA American<br />
Car Wash Expo have been released<br />
and the 2021 Expo will take place on<br />
September 27-29, 2021, in Atlanta,<br />
Georgia.<br />
The three-day event will take<br />
place at the Georgia World Convention<br />
Center and the host hotel is<br />
the Omni Atlanta Hotel at the CNN<br />
Convention Center. The Welcome<br />
Reception will take place<br />
at the College Football Hall of Fame.<br />
Wash Away Thirst was founded in 2009 and has<br />
since raised over $70,000. All administrative costs<br />
are absorbed, allowing 100% of donations to go<br />
directly to clean water projects. There are approximately<br />
663 million people in the world who don’t<br />
have access to clean water – that’s nearly one in 10<br />
people worldwide, or twice the population of the<br />
United States.<br />
“Wash Away Thirst is excited and thankful to<br />
partner with WCA. WCA has always been one of<br />
the strongest and most respected car wash organizations<br />
and we are very grateful they have decided<br />
to partner with us to help bring clean water<br />
to people who need it and help shape the future<br />
vision of Wash Away Thirst,” stated Jim Dudley,<br />
founder of both Wash Away Thirst and Georgia’s<br />
Wash Me Fast car washes.<br />
22 • FALL 2020
Reduce Your Maintenance Cost &<br />
Improve Performance with Equipment<br />
That Lasts!<br />
BIG THINGS<br />
Come in Small Packages<br />
The MINIMAX Carwash System’s compact size will fit<br />
easily into any equipment room. The MINIMAX may<br />
be mini in size but is loaded in features. Its maximum<br />
performance allows you to keep water, electric and<br />
chemical solution cost optimally low.<br />
Standard 1-Bay System includes<br />
• UL Listed Industrial Control Center<br />
• Pre-wired Motor Control Center<br />
• DIN Connectors On All Valves<br />
• Capable Of Foaming & Non-foaming Applications<br />
• High Pressure Functions Include Rinse, Soap, & Wax<br />
• Five Low Pressure Functions Standard<br />
• VFD Standard For Optimal Performance & Efficiency<br />
• All Stainless-Steel Tanks & Frame<br />
• 3HP, CAT 5CP2120 Pump Standard<br />
Additional System Options<br />
• Weep Freeze Protection System<br />
• Low Water Safety Shut-off<br />
• Rinse Tank Immersion Heater<br />
• Spot Free Rinse Delivery<br />
Super Flo - R.O.<br />
SPOT FREE RINSE SYSTEM<br />
Turn Your Wash Into A Reliable Revenue Producing Business. Call Us Today.<br />
OVER<br />
INDUSTRIAL GRADE<br />
Flexible • Profitable • Dependable<br />
(800) 421-5119<br />
225 Crown Blvd., Timberlake, NC 27583<br />
PO Box 488 | Roxboro, NC 27573<br />
www.cpcarwash.com | sales@cpcarwash.com<br />
FALL 2020 • 23
Association News<br />
New England Carwash Association<br />
According to a letter from NECA President<br />
Mathew Paisner and Vice President Patrick<br />
Mosesso the NECA Lobbying committee and<br />
The Public Policy Law Group had a meeting with<br />
the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, Karen<br />
Polito, on September 29, 2020. The discussion was<br />
directly related to whether car washes were going<br />
to be classified as “Essential” if Massachusetts were<br />
to return to business closures statewide due to resurgence<br />
of the COVID-19 virus.<br />
We are pleased to share that our lobbyists together<br />
with NECA demonstrated to Governor Baker’s administration<br />
our position on why the car wash industry<br />
should remain open during COVID-19. We<br />
were successful in lobbying for car washes to open<br />
under Phase 1 – Part 1 with only 3 other industries.<br />
This was made possible through the generosity of<br />
NECA members and many hours of phone calls,<br />
letters, presentations, and documentation compiled<br />
by our committee led by NECA President, Mathew<br />
Paisner.<br />
During our recent meeting, Lieutenant Governor<br />
Polito discussed the Administration’s evolving policies<br />
based on the scientific data as they continue to<br />
open Massachusetts for business. The Governor’s<br />
office has transitioned from an industry-focused<br />
approach (i.e. Essential vs Non-essential) to a community<br />
focused approach, using their color-coded<br />
map data which shows weekly reporting of COVID<br />
risk levels by city/town. The new approach requires<br />
any Massachusetts community classified in the<br />
“red” risk level for 3 consecutive weeks to take a<br />
step back in the reopening phases. Right now, every<br />
community is in either Phase 3 - Part 1 or Part<br />
2 depending on risk level. This means a community<br />
would need to show over 3 months of consecutive<br />
weekly “red” reporting to step back to Phase 1-Part<br />
1 where car washes first reopened. The Lieutenant<br />
Governor assured NECA that a return to Phase 1 is<br />
unlikely and there have been no discussions on that<br />
scenario. As we continue conversations at the State<br />
level, our lobbyists believe the new approach ensures<br />
Massachusetts car washes will remain open.<br />
NECA urges all operators to continue being vigilant<br />
with the required safety measures of PPE (i.e.<br />
masks) for all employees where applicable and<br />
regular disinfecting activities until this pandemic<br />
is over. The Lieutenant Governor is thankful for the<br />
information NECA provided and recognizes both<br />
the critical service our car washes provide to first<br />
responders and the important role our industry has<br />
played to reduce virus spread.<br />
New York State Car<br />
Wash Association<br />
The NYSCWA recently announced a new law stating that all private employers<br />
must provide at least 40 hours of sick leave each year to all their<br />
workers, including part-timers. The NYSCWA included a link to a story by Rick<br />
Moriarty of Syracuse.com that stated:<br />
The sick leave requirement, modeled after one in place in New York City since<br />
2014, guarantees for the first time that the vast majority of workers in the<br />
state have the right to paid sick time when they or a family member is ill. It<br />
also prohibits employers from firing workers for taking sick time.<br />
Many employers in New York provide sick time for full-time employees, but<br />
part-time workers are much less likely to receive the benefit.<br />
The Community Service Society, a New York City organization that advocates<br />
for low-income New Yorkers, estimates that the new law will benefit 1.3 million<br />
workers — many of them low-wage, part-time employees — who are not<br />
now provided sick time by their employers.<br />
…Anyone working for a private employer in New York will be entitled to begin<br />
accruing sick leave time starting Sept. 30, 2020, for use starting Jan. 1, 2021.<br />
Private employers are required to provide up to 40 hours or 56 hours of sick<br />
leave annually, depending on the employer’s size:<br />
• Employers with four or fewer employees and a net income<br />
of $1 million or less must provide 40 hours of unpaid sick time.<br />
• Employers with four or fewer employees and a net income<br />
greater than $1 million must provide 40 hours of paid sick time.<br />
• Employers with five to 99 employees must provide 40 hours<br />
of paid sick time, regardless of the company’s net income.<br />
• Employers with 100 or more workers must provide up<br />
to 56 hours of paid sick time.<br />
UNITI Expo postponed<br />
to May 2022<br />
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to dominate economic<br />
and social life, inevitably causing great difficulty to industry<br />
events, a UNITI press release stated. “The organizers<br />
of UNITI expo assume that the virus will continue to force<br />
severe restrictions until next year. If the situation deteriorates,<br />
it could even lead to a short-term ban on events.”<br />
As the leading trade fair for the retail petroleum and car<br />
wash industries in Europe with exhibitors and visitors from<br />
over 120 countries, UNITI expo thrives on encounters, personal<br />
discussions and meetings of industry representatives from<br />
all over the world, the press release stated. Social distancing,<br />
travel restrictions and the fear for the health and safety of the<br />
participants would damage the quality of the event.<br />
“As we give the health and safety of all participants and<br />
the known high quality of the fair in all its components the<br />
highest priority, we have decided with a heavy heart to postpone<br />
the UNITI expo to May 2022. According to all serious<br />
forecasts, the pandemic will be defeated by then and normal<br />
economic and social life will be possible again,” says Elmar<br />
Kühn, Managing Director of UNITI-Kraftstoff GmbH.<br />
With this early decision and the choice of a safe alternative<br />
date, the organizers want to offer all participants maximum<br />
planning security and protect them from further risks,<br />
stated the press release. A final event date is to be announced<br />
before the end of September.<br />
Northeast Regional Carwash Convention<br />
A zoom conference is being offered featuring<br />
NRCC representatives. The meeting is set for Tuesday,<br />
November 17 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. (est) and is<br />
open to all.<br />
A panel of NRCC representatives will talk<br />
openly about their experiences during COVID-19<br />
and how they are preparing for a possible second<br />
wave, and more, according to an official statement.<br />
The panel will be hosted by Walk Hartl of<br />
the New York State Car Wash Association and<br />
will include a representative from each of the five<br />
NRCC associations. The other five associations include<br />
the Connecticut Carwash Association, Car<br />
Wash Operators of New Jersey, the New England<br />
Carwash Association (NECA), and the Mid-Atlantic<br />
Carwash Association (MCA)<br />
The NRCC Board of Directors canceled the<br />
2020 show which was to take place October 5-7,<br />
at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic<br />
City, NJ. The 2021 show is scheduled for October<br />
4-6, and will include a reimagined education track<br />
and show floor, as well as an elite keynote speaker,<br />
the NRCC stated. It will also be in a new location,<br />
the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.<br />
24 • FALL 2020
2 billion vehicles are<br />
washed annually in<br />
North America, and that<br />
number continues to rise<br />
every year.<br />
That’s a lot of dirty cars lining<br />
up for a wash. It’s time to line<br />
them up for yours. We have<br />
over 40 years of experience<br />
helping car wash owners<br />
understand, enter, operate,<br />
and thrive in the industry. Our<br />
experts are ready to guide you<br />
every step of the way.<br />
From startup to success, we’ll<br />
be the partner that steers you<br />
in the right direction.<br />
Our knowledge, your success.<br />
www.hcws.com<br />
Harrell’s Northeast<br />
NY, VT, NH, ME, MA, CT, RI<br />
866-343-6680<br />
Harrell’s Mid Atlantic<br />
WV, VA, MD, DC, DE, PA, NJ<br />
800-448-4735<br />
Harrell’s Midwest<br />
IL, IN, OH, KY<br />
800-274-2777<br />
Harrell’s Heartland<br />
ND, SD, NE, MN, IA<br />
800-289-8098<br />
FALL 2020 • 25
Auto Sentry ® CPT<br />
Differentiate your self-serve site. Upgrade to an<br />
EMV-ready central payment terminal solution.<br />
Auto Sentry ® Central Payment Terminal (CPT)<br />
■ The Auto Sentry CPT provides convenient EMV credit card transactions at your self-service wash location.<br />
Customers pay at the CPT with EMV and tap credit cards, Apple Pay and other mobile wallets as well as bills<br />
and coin. Customers will receive a 5 digit code on their receipt that can be used in any bay or vacuum using<br />
our keypad and bar-code scanner. The CPT offers your customers a secure payment solution.<br />
Innovative Control Systems ®<br />
Defining the World of Car Wash Technology<br />
icscarwashsystems.com I 800.642.9396<br />
26 • FALL 2020
TRICKS OF THE<br />
Presenting some of the best discussions from the Self Serve, IBA and General Discussions sections of CarwashForum.com. To view more<br />
posts discussing some interesting and common problems, as well as some of the best and brightest solutions, visit CarwashForum.com<br />
Changes for Change<br />
(Note: Some posts feature minor edits for readability.)<br />
Add bonus<br />
time!<br />
Raise vac<br />
prices!<br />
The wash I bought was the proverbial basket case. Hardly anything<br />
worked right, and the prices had not changed since it was built<br />
18 years ago. Three of the bays had Cryptopay set up in countdown<br />
mode. First, I had to get every function working in all bays. That turned out to be more challenging than<br />
I thought. Then I put card readers in the other bays and Dixmor timers to go to count-up mode. Also raised the<br />
startup cost to $2. I didn’t track the coin usage, but the credit card use has increased a little over 60%. Turned<br />
up the pressure in all bays to 1400 psi … When you make mama happy, you know you’re doing something<br />
right. It is so nice to have customers come up and say this is the best wash around, as you can actually see the<br />
chemicals come out. And I am still cheaper than my competitors. - MAC<br />
I have noticed that a higher start price even with<br />
higher time...results in more income and less mess.<br />
I’m $3 start/4 min in bay with credit, bills, quarters<br />
and dollar coins. I have count up on credit<br />
with an average of about $8. My changer dispenses<br />
dollar coins. I do not accept or dispense tokens.<br />
Vacs are cash only for $2 for first 6 min. - CHAZ<br />
You might want to try Bonus time, a super bay or<br />
2, a handheld dryer or 2, depending on vandalism<br />
concerns, bill acceptors in bays. - EARL WEISS<br />
I’m going to assume (hope) you are $1/4min on<br />
vac. Simply raising this to $2 and increasing time<br />
to 6 min...you will see a huge income increase<br />
in $ with no cost to implement …the customers<br />
will have plenty of vac time so no rushing<br />
there. Do make sure and keep vac working well.<br />
I did this 3 years ago.... very little complaints....<br />
and most are thrilled with good working vacs and<br />
plenty of time.... bonus: It keeps some slobs away.<br />
You’d need to lose 1/2 your sales before it would<br />
be a downside....and that’s not likely. I did have<br />
my sign guy make some yellow starburst stickers<br />
proclaiming: “Now more time.” - CHAZ<br />
My bays are $2 for 4 min and vacs are $1.50 for<br />
5 min. What is nice is that the other wash owners<br />
in the area don’t have a clue and the EE just<br />
down the road keeps damaging cars. - MAC<br />
Mac, raise your prices, you’re too low. Go to $2.50<br />
for 4 minutes in the bays and $1.75 for 4 minutes<br />
on the vacs. I’m at $2.75 for 3.5 minutes in the bays<br />
and $1.75 for 3.5 minutes on the vacs. The place is<br />
clean, and everything works all the time so why not<br />
make them pay for a clean facility. - RANDY<br />
Why not round up your pricing to even dollars....<br />
even if u increase time a bit? I’m $2 for 6 min<br />
on vac and $3 for 4 min on s/s. Less time (in my<br />
experience) leads to rushing and not necessarily<br />
more $. - CHAZ<br />
I tend to be very much in line with Chaz except<br />
for one exception ... based on what tends to be my<br />
observation applying my specific geographic area:<br />
Once you add the CC along with even the “easier<br />
to use & administer” Chaz’s higher denomination<br />
coin approach ... as long as the CC is on equal<br />
footing with coin... cost wise for the customers ...<br />
they will almost 100% in my honest opinion tend<br />
to use the CC. Why ... almost all CCs except for<br />
possibly gift cards ... have the “rewards hook” for<br />
the customer. Of course almost 100% of them<br />
will not turn down the “easy cashback”!!!<br />
The other observation is that sooner or later<br />
the fact that a self service car wash can use the<br />
savings from “cash only” on more “helpful to the<br />
customer” needed hiring will come back to make<br />
IMHO the operator the eventual winner among<br />
local competition. - MJWALSH<br />
Problem Solved<br />
The wash I bought last year had many things simply wrong.<br />
One was the placement of the gun and brush handle. The<br />
[insert your word of choice here] put the wand holders in the<br />
center of the bays with some slanted towards the meter box.<br />
So, when a customer started the bay, he or she had to walk 10<br />
feet to the gun, which was squirting their feet. They then put<br />
the brush wands on the opposite wall at the rear of the bay. I<br />
was always coming in and hanging things back up. Then decided<br />
to move the gun holder within reach of the meter box with<br />
the wand slanted away from their feet. Then moved the brush<br />
holders up front on the opposite wall. Been a little over a week<br />
and I have not had to hang anything up. The customers do it.<br />
Simple change that the customers like. - MAC<br />
History of Vending Machines<br />
I’m a big fan of The History Guy<br />
on YouTube. He has a video on<br />
the history of vending machines<br />
that I thought some of you<br />
would enjoy. ERIC H<br />
<strong>SSCWN</strong> EDITOR CHIMES IN:<br />
Thank you for sharing this,<br />
Eric H! It is great and informative.<br />
Remind me to never buy life<br />
insurance from an airport vending<br />
machine. If anyone wants the<br />
direct link, you can find it at:<br />
https://youtu.be/T6lxjx4ZzBM<br />
FALL 2020 • 27
TRICKS OF THE<br />
Hardness made easy<br />
I tested the water at my wash several times. First test the hardness came back<br />
at about 3. next test about 5. All subsequent tests between 3 and 5. At what<br />
point would one consider adding spot free rinse? Am I in that range? And is the<br />
variation normal? Our water supply is from wells.... - SEQUOIA<br />
Hardness is unrelated to total dissolved solids, but our<br />
softener takes it to zero grains of hardness. Our TDS<br />
is still in the mid-300s so we still need SFR. Do you<br />
have a softener and what is your TDS? - OURTOWN<br />
In addition to OurTown’s comment:<br />
If your raw water is 3-5 grains per gallon, you<br />
should consider installing a softener. You‘ll improve<br />
the wash quality and reduce soap consumption.<br />
If you have a softener, you need to fix it. A properly<br />
operating softener should provide 0 grain hardness<br />
water regardless of the raw water’s hardness.<br />
You’ll also need to ensure 0 grain water supply to<br />
an RO system to prevent premature fouling of the<br />
membrane(s).<br />
Sample your raw water’s hardness and TDS. The<br />
results will aid in your decision process.<br />
BTW...TDS below 50 ppm should require no further<br />
processing. - CANTBREAK80<br />
I don’t have any softener. I use municipal water. How<br />
do you test for TDS? The kit I bought only does water<br />
hardness. - SEQUOIA<br />
This is not the one we have<br />
but get something like this:<br />
- OURTOWN<br />
You need a TDS tester. The<br />
next best test is to thoroughly<br />
wash a black vehicle<br />
and immediately park it in<br />
the sun. If it dries with no<br />
visible spots, you probably<br />
don’t need a softener or<br />
spot free rinse. - MEP001<br />
Test<br />
for TDS!<br />
Install a<br />
softener!<br />
<strong>SSCWN</strong> EDITOR<br />
CHIMES IN:<br />
TDS stands for Total<br />
Dissolved Solids. According<br />
to the Water Treatment<br />
Center, TDS comprise<br />
inorganic salts (principally<br />
calcium, magnesium,<br />
potassium, sodium,<br />
bicarbonates, chlorides,<br />
and sulfates) and some small<br />
amounts of organic matter<br />
that are dissolved in water.<br />
Elevated total dissolved solids<br />
in a car wash’s water supply<br />
can result in incrustations,<br />
films, or precipitates on<br />
fixtures, corrosion of fixtures,<br />
and reduced efficiency of<br />
water filter and equipment.<br />
But are they<br />
screaming, Clarice?<br />
We’re in South Texas and are currently experiencing swarms of yellow butterflies that<br />
plaster themselves to windshields and grills. Since Friday, our single IBA has been<br />
averaging in the 90’s daily. Since 2:00p.m. today, we’ve already had 50 go through. As<br />
soon as the cars get out of the wash and back on the road, they get hit with butterflies<br />
again! I can’t even get my own car washed because the line at our wash is too long<br />
and I don’t like to wait! Anybody in TX having this experience, or know anything<br />
about these horrible creatures and when this plague might end? Our Profile and<br />
ChemQuest D-Bug are doing a great job, and the Profile is working its butt off; and I<br />
hope it can keep up. - CHEETAHEXPRESS<br />
I was in San Antonio yesterday and once I was<br />
south of Hwy 90, I saw swarms of them everywhere.<br />
- MEP001<br />
Those and Luv Bugs seems like a winning lotto<br />
ticket, in S. Texas! - SOONERMAJIC<br />
Bugs and pollen are great for the car wash industry.<br />
- STXCW<br />
This is the car wash season here in Texas! It’s<br />
that time of year everyone wants to wash their<br />
cars almost daily and everyone will upgrade to<br />
your debug chemicals. See it as an opportunity to<br />
wash more cars!!!!<br />
Consider<br />
yourself<br />
lucky!<br />
Order a little extra chemicals so you don’t run<br />
out, but this won’t last forever, so don’t go crazy.<br />
Enjoy it while it lasts. - BENBRANAM<br />
Thanx. I have to admit, the numbers have been<br />
amazing and yes, we’re stocking up on chems.<br />
Except my car’s a mess and I can’t get it into my<br />
own wash because the lines are too long! The<br />
Profile had some glitches after a week of high<br />
numbers -- with belts loosening and skipping,<br />
which affected the Front Prox Counter and<br />
shutting us down; but it has now been remedied.<br />
From what I’ve read, the butterflies have a life<br />
span of 2 weeks, so at least we’ll have a great<br />
1/2-month. - CHEETAHEXPRESS<br />
<strong>SSCWN</strong> EDITOR CHIMES IN: The<br />
NPR station of Austin, Texas, (KUT<br />
90.5) noticed the yellow butterflies<br />
as well. In an October 2 report, the<br />
station reported that the wingedcreatures<br />
or more than likely “snout<br />
butterflies.” And this year has been a<br />
good one for them in Central Texas,<br />
the story said. “It all comes down to<br />
weather. August was hot and dry, and<br />
September was cool and wet.”<br />
According to Mike Quinn, an Austinbased<br />
invertebrate biologist, said<br />
drought in August was “shown to<br />
knock out all the predators and<br />
parasitoid insects that keep the<br />
snout butterfly population in check.”<br />
A wet September gives the snout<br />
caterpillars plenty of fresh hackberry<br />
leaves to munch on.<br />
“Because of the reduction in the<br />
predators, a high percentage of the<br />
snout butterfly caterpillars survive<br />
to adulthood,” Quinn told the NPR<br />
affiliate. “And so, you have what<br />
we’re experiencing right now.”<br />
What we’re seeing are “mass<br />
movements,” not migrations, he<br />
said in the story. Unlike monarch<br />
butterflies, the snouts are not<br />
traveling a fixed seasonal path<br />
between two set points. They are<br />
instead seeking out food and mates<br />
wherever they may be. “They’re<br />
moving out of an area of exhausted<br />
resources,” Quinn said, “so the<br />
movement can be multi-directional.”<br />
28 • FALL 2020
4.99% FINANCING AVAILABLE ON ALL COLEMAN HANNA EQUIPMENT<br />
*Terms and conditions apply, limited time only.<br />
Prep Units<br />
Simple, compact, easy to operate Prep Units. Available as a one<br />
or two pump package. Typical prep units include high-pressure<br />
wash only. Additional rinse can be added.<br />
Vending Islands<br />
We offer a wide variety of the most popular<br />
vending products including Armor All® Wipes and<br />
Sprays, Little Tree® Fragrance Trees, Cali Scents®<br />
Fragrance, and various cloth towels of all sizes.<br />
Order vending materials from us to simplify the<br />
process or select your own vending materials<br />
supplier.<br />
• Single electronic coin acceptor<br />
• Greater coin capacity<br />
• Single point of collection<br />
• Credit card capable<br />
• Large capacity keyed vault<br />
• Low voltage power<br />
• Bill acceptance available<br />
Coleman Hanna allows<br />
operators to customize<br />
their wash to meet<br />
market demands and<br />
produce the most profit<br />
for their location!<br />
Single Vacuum Arch<br />
Blast-N-Vac<br />
The Blast-N-Vac System allows you to<br />
vacuum your vehicle as well as blast<br />
water from mirrors, door crevices,<br />
wheels and engine compartments.<br />
You can also blast clean floor mats,<br />
carpets, air vents and those hard to<br />
reach areas that a vacuum just cannot<br />
get to.<br />
• Stainless Steel arches<br />
that are designed for the<br />
single SS vacuums<br />
•<br />
Fixed SS Boom to provide<br />
the hose near the drivers door<br />
of the vehicle<br />
• Vacuum boom can be ordered<br />
to allow the hose to swing<br />
over the vehicle<br />
•<br />
Post is 3” x 6” x 8’ tall for<br />
the<br />
fixed vac arch<br />
Central Vacuum System<br />
94000 Series Vacuum<br />
The 94000 Series Vacuums are constructed of high quality, stainless<br />
steel and provide high performance. Our aff ordable dual-function<br />
vacuums mean long life, dependability, and a higher return on your<br />
dollar than any other equipment. Round in shape, the 94000 Series<br />
Vacuums make an attractive vacuum at your car wash with your choice<br />
of dome color and matching decal graphics.<br />
Easily provide multiple vacuum stations with one central system with<br />
the Coleman Hanna Central Vacuum System. This central vacuum<br />
system provides ease of use with only one central location to service.<br />
The central vacuum system is ideal for locations with free vacuums<br />
such as full service and express tunnels.<br />
• NEW Hanna Central Vacuum has been<br />
improved to provide longer life and better<br />
performance.<br />
• Comes with an exhaust pipe to easily install<br />
a muffler if needed or desired<br />
• Heavy Duty Bearings and 1-1/4” shaft, larger<br />
than the old design<br />
• Optional vacuum gauge can be mounted<br />
inside the collector to measure the<br />
performance of the vacuum<br />
• Dimensions for the mounted producer and<br />
collector 28”x100” ( 0,72 m x 2,55 m )<br />
• Durable Stainless Steel Parts<br />
• 15 HP, 20 HP or 25 HP model available<br />
FALL 2020 • 29
TRICKS OF THE<br />
Who, what, when,<br />
where Wi-Fi?<br />
Is anyone using cellular internet to run their car wash (SS/IBA)?<br />
Our provider Comcast is terrible, but we have no options. Each time they<br />
push out a firmware update at 1-2AM it knocks out the internet service until<br />
someone physically power cycles the modem. It is hurting the business and<br />
they have been useless in trying to solve the problem for the past year since<br />
we installed their service. Now looking at cellular solutions like a MiFi;<br />
however, it is hard to find good info on the service. - ROZ<br />
Try an<br />
automatic<br />
timer!<br />
Restart<br />
the router!<br />
Is there an option in the router to auto restart every<br />
day? or you can have a computer hardwired<br />
to the network with some remote software like<br />
TeamViewer and you can login to the router and<br />
restart it but you would have to be up late or<br />
really early to do it. also make sure that you have<br />
a static ip and not an ip that is provided by dhcp<br />
from your isp. servers and the like hate it when<br />
the public ip changes. - COOLL903<br />
Unfortunately, a SW reboot is not possible. When<br />
I call Comcast, they try to do such a reboot but<br />
then tell me to power cycle the modem before<br />
they will have a tech support person talk to me.<br />
They are useless.<br />
I am considering using a mechanical timer to<br />
turn off the power to the modem at 6AM each<br />
morning for 15 min (smallest amount of time<br />
on the mechanism). Comcast is not consistent<br />
on the morning firmware update which adds to<br />
the puzzle. I cannot use a Wi-Fi controlled socket<br />
as I lose internet so I would not be able to turn<br />
back on the power - unless there is a Wi-Fi socket<br />
that is in the ON mode if it loses internet service<br />
(have not found such a socket).<br />
Will keep looking at cellular data solutions so I<br />
can dump Comcast. Crazy thing is that my comcast<br />
modem at my other wash has not been rebooted<br />
in 3 years. - ROZ<br />
Do you need to use the Comcast modem? Usually<br />
you can provide your own and reduce your<br />
bill by not renting from them. I had a lot of issues<br />
with their equipment but once I bought my own<br />
it’s been bulletproof. - OVERACHIEVER<br />
I have been through the same issues with our<br />
DSL provider over the last couple years. There<br />
are some devices that can help. One is an outlet<br />
that automatically power cycles if the connection<br />
to the internet is lost. The functionality is called<br />
auto-ping. If you have a landline, there is a device<br />
that you can call into through the landline and<br />
power cycle whatever is plugged into it.<br />
I know this only fixes a symptom but in areas<br />
where there is only one ISP, we are stuck dealing<br />
with these issues. - DAVIDM<br />
We use a Verizon jet pack to run our Cryptopay<br />
and our Unitec WSII. The cellular is much<br />
more reliable than the service we had through<br />
our phone/cable company. Seems like every time<br />
someone ran into a pole within a 3-state area our<br />
service would be down for 3 days. None of that<br />
with the cellular. Every once in a while, I do have<br />
to re-start it, don’t know why. The original jet<br />
pack we had had a tendency to overheat but Verizon<br />
replaced it free. We are happy with the set<br />
up and it saved us a bunch of money and headaches.<br />
- DAVE IN IL<br />
Put a little digital timer on the power supply to<br />
the modem. Have it power down for 1 minute at<br />
5 a.m.; there- it is reset. (instead of 15 minutes<br />
from mechanical timer) - WASHNVAC<br />
Comcast tech visited us for the 10th time in a year.<br />
Brought a new business class modem that his supervisor<br />
had to approve. New modem is built by<br />
a private label vendor specifically for Comcast’s<br />
largest corporate customers according to the tech.<br />
It has 8 POE ports which is better than the basic<br />
modem (4 regular ports). Tech gave me some story<br />
about how the switch router attached to my old<br />
modem to have enough ports could interfere with<br />
the modem (never heard such a story). New modem<br />
allows us to eliminate the switch router. Will<br />
see how things go now. - ROZ<br />
Plug the modem into a Wi-Fi outlet, there are<br />
dozens on the market, and you can reset it anytime<br />
you want to remotely. - SPARKLECLEAN<br />
Following advice from a previous thread, I’m currently<br />
using a ZTE hotspot with service provided<br />
by Consumer Cellular.<br />
After finding the right location (attic) it has<br />
worked well until it didn’t about 2 weeks ago.<br />
Seems that the T-Mobile/AT&T merger created a<br />
hiccup but tech support was excellent and after<br />
a new AT&T SIM card was installed, it’s back to<br />
its reliable self.<br />
It’s providing internet where there was none, allowing<br />
for the acceptance of plastic via the Coinless<br />
Mobile App, viewing of a Wyze camera, monitoring<br />
the entry door contact sensor and a newly<br />
installed water alarm.<br />
All of this easily gets done on less than 3Gigs<br />
data/month and costs about $30.00.<br />
Good luck! - MR. CLEAN<br />
30 • FALL 2020
FACEBOOK.COM/KLEENRITECORP<br />
@KLEENRITECORP<br />
TIME TO SWITCH YOUR CHEMICALS!<br />
SIMONIZ DESALT<br />
®<br />
• Counteracts the activity of salt brines and<br />
rock salt on vehicle surfaces.<br />
• Has anti-corrosive properties.<br />
• Salt neutralizer - helps prevent rust.<br />
PA5568<br />
DR30568<br />
DR55568<br />
KLEEN-RITE<br />
GUNS<br />
• 10.5 GPM Max. Flow<br />
• 4000 PSI Max.<br />
• 300º F Max. Temp<br />
• 3/8” FPT Inlet, 1/4” FPT Outlet<br />
5 gal.<br />
30 gal.<br />
55 gal.<br />
$20.50 GUK600W Weep<br />
$20.50 GUK600NW Non Weep<br />
DON’T FORGET FREEZE PREVENTION<br />
DIXMOR<br />
WEEP MIZER<br />
• Keep your lines from freezing<br />
this winter with this weepmizer<br />
• Cycles your weep system on and<br />
off for maximum dollar savings<br />
• Battery backup eliminates<br />
reprogramming in case of power<br />
failure<br />
• Easily programmable with two<br />
push buttons<br />
$369.99 TI0100<br />
GET THE MESSAGE TO YOUR CUSTOMERS<br />
PORTABLE SIGN<br />
HOLDERS AND SIGNS!<br />
SNAP-IN FRAME FOR 28” X 44” WINDMASTER SIGNS<br />
**SIGNS SOLD SEPARATELY, HUGE SELECTION AVAILABLE!**<br />
$177.50 WMS190 Double Sided Sign Holder<br />
$62.12 WMS015 Bug Master Sign<br />
KLEEN-RITE ANTI-FREEZE<br />
DETERGENTS<br />
$42.17 KR5AF-W White 5 Gal.<br />
$200.56 KR30AF-W White 30 Gal.<br />
$296.81 KR55AF-W White 55 Gal.<br />
$42.17 KR5AF Cherry<br />
$200.57 KR30AF Cherry<br />
$296.81 KR55AF Cherry<br />
$74.72 SW0260-5<br />
5 Gal.<br />
30 Gal.<br />
55 Gal.<br />
BUY IN BULK AND SAVE WITH<br />
KLEEN-RITE KITS<br />
5 PACK<br />
3/8” F X M BRASS SWIVEL<br />
2000 PSI<br />
5 PACK<br />
3/8” M X F BRASS SWIVEL<br />
1000 PSI<br />
$14.95 SW0250-5<br />
CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE!<br />
ALL NEW!<br />
• Streamlined check out<br />
• Improved site speed<br />
• Improved mobile shopping<br />
experience - easily<br />
place an order on the go!<br />
• Easily redeem your<br />
Rewards points<br />
Club<br />
SHOP. EARN. SAVE.<br />
Join the Kleen-Rite Rewards Club now!<br />
2020_TowelCatalog.in d 1 8/12/2020 3:21:09 PM<br />
Request your FREE copy<br />
of our NEW<br />
Towel Buying<br />
Guide today!<br />
KLEENRITE.COM | 800.233.3873<br />
FALL 2020 • 31
Know Your Pump!<br />
• Stainless Steel Valves & Valve Cages Protect<br />
Against High Temperatures<br />
• Will Not Melt<br />
• Will Not Wash Out<br />
• Standard on 5, 7 and 11 Series Pumps<br />
5 Series<br />
Since 1923<br />
3 Series<br />
Belt & Direct Drive Pumps<br />
Self Serve, Single Gun & Dual Gun Prep<br />
521<br />
4 GPM, up to 1800 PSI<br />
517<br />
5 GPM, up to 1500 PSI<br />
510<br />
8 GPM, up to 1000 PSI<br />
Pump Only<br />
Pump with<br />
5 HP Motor<br />
Upgrade Now!<br />
• Pump only or pump set (as pictured)<br />
• Available for same day shipping<br />
• SS insert models available<br />
Select Arimitsu Pumps to be installed on<br />
your new pump stands & equipment or<br />
when refurbishing your existing ones.<br />
313 L Set Up<br />
to 4 GPM 0 -<br />
1500 PSI<br />
516 L Set Up<br />
to 5 GPM 0 -<br />
2300 PSI<br />
508 L Set Up<br />
to 10 GPM 0 -<br />
1200 PSI<br />
QUIET<br />
SIMPLE<br />
QUALITY<br />
PROVEN<br />
View "Resources" at arimitsupumps.com for helpful video tutorials.<br />
arimitsupumps.com l 763.205.8341 l greg@arimitsupumps.com<br />
700 McKinley St NW, Anoka, MN 55303<br />
32 • FALL 2020
TRICKS OF THE<br />
What’s it worth?<br />
Is there a strong rule of thumb for car wash appraisal /<br />
valuation for sale? How to set a selling price? - WASHREGAL<br />
Easiest thing I’ve used was 3 or 4x gross. But,<br />
there’s obviously some flaws to that. But if u<br />
go much higher, then profits become SLIM. -<br />
SOONERMAJIC<br />
Calculate net operating income (EBIDA for a<br />
wash) and then divide by a cap rate for your area.<br />
You can search LoopNet for listings of things like<br />
dollar general, Walgreens and other commercial<br />
rentals to get an idea. If most of those are in the<br />
6-6.5 percent range, you might use 7-9 percent<br />
as an initial guide to see if you think the number<br />
is realistic. Spread might be higher depending on<br />
how good or bad your wash is performing.<br />
…EBIDA is your net income plus add back your<br />
interest expense, depreciation, and amortization.<br />
Divide that number by say 8% cap rate. For<br />
example, if you net $80,000 and divide by 8%<br />
you get $1,000,000 “value”. This will likely be<br />
one component of an appraisal a potential buyer<br />
would want/need. You can play around with that<br />
number based on what other properties sell for to<br />
substantiate a price. Obviously, other factors like<br />
location, land values, age of equipment, etc. all<br />
play a factor too, but this is an important component<br />
because most buyers want to see that return<br />
equate to value. - KRAMERWV<br />
Are commercial real estate cap rates a good thing<br />
to use for car wash valuation? They seem like<br />
very different animals to me. Do you have some<br />
real-life examples of how they are used well? I<br />
think they would be all over the place even in the<br />
same area. - OURTOWN<br />
Cap rate (net operating Income divided by asking<br />
price) is the best way to compare apples to apples<br />
when you’re looking at a cash flow stream for any<br />
investment: rent houses, car washes, apartments,<br />
office buildings...<br />
The gross income multiplier doesn’t take expenses<br />
into account, so there’s no way to accurately<br />
gauge the true profit potential of the car wash.<br />
If I’m looking at two different car washes and<br />
trying to find the one with the best profit potential,<br />
I’ll ask the owners for their actual income<br />
and expense numbers (if they don’t have it, I<br />
keep walking)<br />
WASH #1: Owner is asking $800,000 for his<br />
wash with $100,000 NOI - or a 12.5% cap rate<br />
WASH #2: Owner is asking $1,200,000 for his<br />
wash with $100,000 NOI - or a 8.3% cap rate<br />
Assuming the two locations are roughly equal<br />
in location quality, age of components, etc., then<br />
I’d take the higher 12.5% return on my money.<br />
If wash #1 needs a ton of work, and wash #2 has<br />
been newly renovated, then I’d base my decision on<br />
how much money I have to spend on the front end<br />
of the project, and how much work I’m willing to do.<br />
With respect to cap rates, “safer investments”<br />
like apartments and office buildings in my area<br />
are usually priced at a 4 to 6% cap rate. That assumes<br />
that the buyers of those properties aren’t<br />
interested in getting their hands dirty or working<br />
onsite, so they’ll accept a lower return on their<br />
investment. Car washes often get priced at 10-<br />
12% cap rates because the industry is known for<br />
hands-on owners who want to get paid a good<br />
return for all of the crap that they have to deal<br />
with in running a car wash.<br />
Disclaimer: this is just my .02 from many years<br />
buying/selling commercial real estate. I’m a newbie<br />
in the car wash realm, but using the cap rate<br />
model, I feel like I got exactly what I paid for when<br />
I bought the wash I currently own. - KLEANRIDE<br />
KleanRide’s example is spot on as an example<br />
of how to compare the value of different washes<br />
from an income investor standpoint. Some places<br />
this method may seem irrelevant if land values<br />
skyrocket every year but for a tried and true evaluation<br />
for an operator it’s essential. - KRAMERWV<br />
This is super helpful. Evaluating a potential car<br />
wash investment currently. Using the method<br />
above, it looks like 5.85-8.85 is the range for<br />
retail on LoopNet for my state. Using your formulae,<br />
6.5-9.5 might be a fair CAP range for an<br />
IBA+SS car wash. I’m curious from others is that<br />
range meshes with what you actually purchased<br />
an IBA car wash business (after negotiations) --<br />
what was the CAP rate? Thanks! - CW01<br />
Yeah, I would never pay less than a 12% cap<br />
rate for a car wash. Even then it is a stretch.<br />
Investment real estate selling at a 6% return on<br />
capital is one thing because you have NNN’s set<br />
up and all you do is collect rent.<br />
With car washes you need to hire/fire, fix things,<br />
keep customers happy, etc. it is not a passive real<br />
estate investment.<br />
With the SS/IBA model the expenses are<br />
roughly the same everywhere, so a rough use of<br />
3-4x gross REALLY speaks to a multiple of net<br />
too...because there is economies of scaling the<br />
expenses, a good performing wash should sell<br />
closer to 4 and because the reverse is true a poor<br />
performing wash is worth closer to 3.<br />
With any business you are buying future cash<br />
flows, you should never pay for POTENTIAL,<br />
and you should never pay for 6 quarters to a dollar-<br />
that’s on the seller. - BIGHEAD<br />
3-4 x<br />
gross!<br />
Look at<br />
cap rates!<br />
What’s<br />
the EBIDA?<br />
<strong>SSCWN</strong> EDITOR CHIMES IN:<br />
EBIDA = Earnings Before Interest,<br />
Depreciation, and Amortization.<br />
EBIDA, according to InvestingAnswers.<br />
com, is a post-tax measure of a<br />
company’s operating performance<br />
and can easily be derived using the<br />
company’s income statement.<br />
If you are seeing retail caps in your area over 8, I’d<br />
start at 10% as a minimum for a wash for the reason<br />
bighead mentions about the work involved.<br />
Also, cap rate is just a starting point or one factor<br />
to determine if the price is even reasonable. Age<br />
and condition of equipment, likelihood of keeping<br />
existing employees (if any), etc. will all factor<br />
into the decision. If EBIDA is $100k and seller<br />
wants $2mm you better run. If they want $1mm<br />
might be worth the due diligence and negotiation.<br />
This board has a lot of wisdom so keep searching<br />
and researching. Good luck! - KRAMERWV<br />
Every other business that I’ve built, or real estate<br />
I’ve bought, I’ve read several books as a part<br />
of researching the industry. No worries on understanding<br />
financials, etc. But in structuring a<br />
deal for a car wash feels like lots of moving parts<br />
(maybe just my perception). I assume it is an LOI<br />
agreement, then due diligence, then closing. Any<br />
tips on the best book/resources to read on deal<br />
structures for car washes? Thanks! - CW01<br />
Bighead is probably closer to what you should focus<br />
on, a multiple of Gross Revenue. Then determine<br />
the risk from competition, from needing to replace<br />
equipment, location. Two people can run the same<br />
place with significantly different results on NOI.<br />
CAP Rates relative to NOI are for rentals where<br />
you sit on your @ss and collect rent checks - which<br />
in non-COVID times can be a great job. - ROZ<br />
Exactly what Roz said. My background is real estate<br />
finance and yeah I would look at CAP rates but the<br />
deal has to pencil out with or without debt.<br />
And car washes are not NNN investments like<br />
a retail strip center, ground lease on a bldg. etc.<br />
there is A LOT of work involved in running a<br />
wash… - RFREEMAN<br />
FALL 2020 • 33
FREE<br />
Site Evaluation<br />
sonnysdirect.com/consulting<br />
Successful Conversions to E<br />
We Will Help<br />
AQUA BLUE CAR WASH<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
ORIGINAL SITE<br />
SELF-SERVE SITE<br />
5 Self-Serve Bays & 2 Inbay Automatics<br />
CONVERTED TO<br />
UP TO<br />
125<br />
110-EDT<br />
Exterior Detail Hybrid Tunnel System<br />
Cars<br />
Per Hour!<br />
Location<br />
ATLANTA, GA<br />
Get in the trenches with Scott Oster as he describes the renovation of this existing selfserve<br />
site that converted successfully to a 110-foot express exterior tunnel. Scott guides<br />
you through the project’s design and permitting, as well as the technology upgrades<br />
and marketing decisions that made this Grand Re-Opening a huge success.<br />
Watch Scott Oster, owner of Aqua Blue Car Wash<br />
as he explains his successful conversion<br />
www.sonnysdirect.com/aqua-blue<br />
Make CarWashing Easy<br />
www.SonnysDirect.com or Call 1-800-327-8723<br />
34 • FALL 2020
xpress Car Wash Tunnels.<br />
You Convert<br />
MARC-1 CAR WASH<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
ORIGINAL SITE<br />
SELF-SERVE SITE<br />
3 Self-Serve Bays & 3 Inbay Automatics<br />
CONVERTED TO<br />
UP TO<br />
90<br />
80-EDT<br />
Exterior Detail Hybrid Tunnel System<br />
Cars<br />
Per Hour!<br />
Location<br />
BIRMINGHAM, AL<br />
Go behind-the-scenes with Marcus Kittrell as he shows us how he converted a<br />
limited, pre-existing self-serve car wash into a 80-foot express exterior tunnel now<br />
known as MARC-1 Car Wash Palisades. Marcus is the owner of seven Marc-1 car<br />
wash locations in the state of Alabama.<br />
Watch Marcus Kittrell, owner of marc-1 Car Wash<br />
as he explains his successful conversion<br />
www.sonnysdirect.com/marc-one<br />
Consulting College Equipment Services Vacuums Controls Marketing Signage Chemistry Parts<br />
FALL 2020 • 35
TIPs<br />
ARE YOU<br />
AWARE OF<br />
BAD WEATHER<br />
DEDUCTIBLES?<br />
IS YOUR POWER<br />
PROTECTED?<br />
According to Agility & Recover, a firm which<br />
helps businesses prepare for the unexpected,<br />
and overcome interruptions, and which is also<br />
recommended by the Small Business Administration<br />
as a viable resource, nearly 70% of businesses will<br />
lose power sometime in the next 12 months.<br />
It is important to know and understand your<br />
risk as well as your building’s power requirements.<br />
Therefore, refer the following checklist to see if<br />
you’re prepared:<br />
If you own a car wash owner in a storm<br />
susceptible area, which seems to be<br />
encompassing more and more of the<br />
country lately, it is imperative that you<br />
take the time to review your property<br />
policy closely. If your policy contains an<br />
endorsement for Wind/Hail deductibles<br />
or a Roof – Cosmetic Damage Exclusion<br />
take these three steps to properly manage<br />
your coverage:<br />
3 STEP 1: Read your policy<br />
make certain that you fully<br />
understand the deductible<br />
placed on your policy.<br />
3 STEP 2: Talk to your agent<br />
make sure your agent fully<br />
explains all the requirements<br />
and nuances of your policy.<br />
Ask if there are alternatives<br />
available through your current<br />
insurer or other carriers.<br />
3 STEP 3: Be prepared<br />
catastrophes happen. No matter<br />
where you live in the United<br />
States, you’re just a couple of<br />
years away from some major<br />
catastrophic event. If your policy<br />
has implemented a Wind/Hail<br />
deductible, make sure you have<br />
the money saved up, so you’ll be<br />
able to pay it when that inevitable<br />
storm strikes.<br />
This tip was writing by Dan Tharp who<br />
is licensed in all states (except Alaska &<br />
Hawaii) and has been assisting business<br />
owners protect their operations, assets, customers<br />
and employees for over 25 years.<br />
■ Before a Power Outage<br />
Ensure your emergency preparedness kit includes<br />
the following items:<br />
• Flashlights with Battery<br />
• Battery or hand-crank powered Emergency<br />
Weather Radio<br />
• (Avoid Candles due to the inherent fire hazard)<br />
3 If possible, have a landline non-cordless<br />
telephone in your office that does not<br />
operate on a VOIP network. Often a fax<br />
line can serve this purpose.<br />
3 Create a personnel policy that dictates<br />
which staff members should report and<br />
those that should remain home.<br />
3 Make sure all employees are aware of the<br />
policy.<br />
3 If security at your location is a concern,<br />
ensure that your alarm/security systems<br />
have proper battery backup systems,<br />
and that telephone connectivity to your<br />
monitoring service isn’t reliant on power.<br />
3 Ensure all sensitive electronic equipment<br />
is protected by a power strip surge<br />
protector.<br />
3 Ensure all Uninterruptible Power Supply<br />
(UPS) devices are functional and tested<br />
regularly.<br />
3 Inspect all critical equipment such as<br />
sewer ejector pumps, HVAC condensate<br />
drain pumps, and any pumps that provide<br />
protection from flooding in low-lying areas.<br />
3 Ensure those pumps are part of the<br />
emergency power plan.<br />
3 Fuel up any critical equipment including<br />
company vehicles, backup generators, etc.<br />
■ Questions for Your Electrician:<br />
In order to better facilitate emergency power requirements,<br />
be sure to ask your electrician the following<br />
questions and note the information for future<br />
use:<br />
3 What phase is your electrical service?<br />
Single or Three Phase?<br />
3 What voltage is your service? 208v, 240v<br />
or 480v?<br />
3 Is your power requirement for a Wye or<br />
Delta generator?<br />
3 How many amps do you need to power?<br />
3 What size generator is required?<br />
3 How many feet of cabling are required to<br />
power the generator?<br />
3 Does your building have a power transfer<br />
switch?<br />
3 If no transfer switch has been installed,<br />
you will need to consider options –<br />
hardwire or spider box?<br />
■ Steps to Take During<br />
a Power Outage<br />
1. Turn off and unplug all electrical<br />
equipment to avoid damage from<br />
power spikes when electrical service is<br />
resumed.<br />
2. Leave one light turned on so you’ll<br />
know when the power comes back on.<br />
3. NEVER run a generator inside or<br />
connect a generator to the electrical<br />
system unless prior steps have been<br />
taken to ensure it is safe to do so.<br />
4. Ensure you know your generator’s fuel<br />
consumption rate and set up regular<br />
fuel deliveries ahead of time to ensure<br />
you never run out.<br />
5. Do not touch any downed electrical<br />
power lines and keep your employees<br />
away from them.<br />
6. Report downed lines to the<br />
appropriate officials in your area.<br />
7. Leave doors closed on office<br />
refrigerators and freezers as much<br />
as possible during outages. Food will<br />
keep much longer if the doors are left<br />
closed.<br />
8. Make sure the generator you receive<br />
includes the following:<br />
3 Transportation to your building site<br />
3 The appropriate amount of Cam Lock<br />
Cabling (standard is 250’ unless more is<br />
requested)<br />
3 Pigtails to connect the generator<br />
3 Starter fuel for the first few days of<br />
recovery<br />
3 A set of operating instructions<br />
3 A walk through of the basic operating<br />
instructions with your vendor<br />
This is an edited version of the document supplied<br />
36 • FALL 2020
Your carwash insurance experience can be hassle free. You don't have to spend hours<br />
comparing coverage options. You don't have to stumble through confusing paperwork.<br />
You can get a specialized insurance policy custom fit for your carwash business with<br />
Western Carwash Insurance Program (WCIP).<br />
Coverage Options:<br />
• Carwash Building & Equipment<br />
• Commercial Liability<br />
• Commercial Auto<br />
• Umbrella<br />
• Garagekeepers Legal Liability<br />
• Persona I Property<br />
• Employee Dishonesty<br />
• Employment Practices Liability<br />
• Business Income<br />
• Equipment Breakdown<br />
• Money & Securities<br />
• Workers' Compensation<br />
• Cyber Liability & Network Security<br />
• Surety Bonds and much more!<br />
Brandi Evans<br />
Account Manager-Lead<br />
email: Brandi.Evans@alliant.com<br />
http://wwwwesterncarwash.com<br />
CA DOI Lie. #OC36861<br />
FALL 2020 • 37
TIPs<br />
GOOGLE MY BUSINESS IS<br />
KEY TO NEW CUSTOMERS<br />
Of course, people are texting more and more, but<br />
that doesn’t mean they aren’t still calling businesses<br />
directly for information, or to talk to the owner,<br />
etc. A real, working phone number and answering<br />
message can make the difference between thinking<br />
a new customer thinks you’re legit or a dead-end.<br />
According to a CallRail’s study, businesses saw a<br />
61% increase in calls coming directly from Google<br />
My Business during the pandemic. According to<br />
Google, “Google My Business is a free tool that lets<br />
you manage how your local business appears across<br />
Google products, like Maps and Search. If you run<br />
a business that serves customers at a particular<br />
location, or you serve customers within a designated<br />
service area, Google My Business can<br />
help people find you. Verified businesses on<br />
Google are twice as likely to be considered<br />
reputable by users.”<br />
Google offers the following ways your business can<br />
benefit from being listed:<br />
1. Maintain accurate information<br />
about your business online<br />
3 Tell Google your hours, <strong>web</strong>site, phone<br />
number, and location (a street address,<br />
service area, or place marker, depending<br />
on your business)<br />
3 Use the mobile app to stay up-to-date with<br />
your online presence wherever you are<br />
2. Interact with customers<br />
3 Post photos of your business and its<br />
products and services<br />
3 Collect and respond to reviews from<br />
customers<br />
3. Attract new customers<br />
3 Improve how your business appears online<br />
so new customers can find you<br />
3 Point customers to your <strong>web</strong>site<br />
3 When you’re ready, consider using<br />
location-based ads with Smart campaigns<br />
in Google Ads to reach an even larger<br />
audience<br />
■ How to Get on the List<br />
The following are the steps to take according to<br />
Google:<br />
Important: When you register a new business, there<br />
might be a Business Profile for an old business at the<br />
same location. Do not try to claim it. Instead, suggest an<br />
edit to have it marked as closed. Then, you can create<br />
a new profile on Google My Business for your business.<br />
1. On your computer, sign in to<br />
Google My Business.<br />
2. Sign in to your Google Account,<br />
or create one. Then, click Next.<br />
3 Sign up with your business email domain<br />
since this account will be for your chain.<br />
Enter the name of your business or chain. If<br />
you have a chain, you can also select it from<br />
the suggestions that display as you type.<br />
3. Enter your business’ or chain’s address.<br />
Then, click Next.<br />
3 You may also be asked to position a marker<br />
on the location of your business or chain’s<br />
branch on a map. If your business doesn’t<br />
have a physical location but operates<br />
within a service area, you can list the area<br />
instead. Then, click Next.<br />
4. Choose how your business will display on<br />
Google Maps.<br />
3 If you serve customers at your business<br />
address:<br />
1. Enter your business address.<br />
2. Click Next. If you also serve customers<br />
outside your business address, you’ll<br />
have the option to list your service areas<br />
as well.<br />
3 If you don’t serve customers at your<br />
business address:<br />
3. Enter your business address.<br />
4. At the bottom, click I deliver goods and<br />
services to my customers Next.<br />
5. List your service areas, then click Next.<br />
5. Search for and select a business<br />
category. Then, click Next.<br />
6. Enter a phone number or <strong>web</strong>site URL,<br />
then click Finish.<br />
3 You’ll also have the option to create<br />
a free <strong>web</strong>site based on your<br />
information. It’s recommended that you<br />
provide the individual phone number or<br />
store page for each location, rather than<br />
a single centralized call center.<br />
7. Select a verification option. It’s<br />
recommended that you review your<br />
information before you request verification.<br />
3 To verify now, at the top, find the red<br />
banner and click Verify now.<br />
3 To verify later, click Verify later Later.<br />
3 If you’re not authorized to manage<br />
the Business Profile for the chain, find<br />
the person in your organization who’s<br />
authorized and continue the process.<br />
If you sign up for Google My Business<br />
and continue directly to verification:<br />
1. If your business information is correct, at<br />
the top of the page, click Mail.<br />
3 Do not click Verify later.<br />
2. Enter the name of the person the<br />
verification postcard should be mailed<br />
to, or you can leave it blank. We’ll send<br />
it to the address you provided for your<br />
business.<br />
3. Click Send postcard.<br />
If you signed up for Google My Business but<br />
didn’t start the verification process:<br />
1. Sign in to google.com/business.<br />
2. In your Google My Business dashboard,<br />
at the top right, click Verify now.<br />
3. If your business information is correct, at<br />
the top of the page, click Mail.<br />
3 Do not click Verify later.<br />
4. Enter the name of the person the<br />
verification postcard should be mailed<br />
to, or you can leave it blank. We’ll send<br />
it to the address you provided for your<br />
business.<br />
5. Click Send postcard.<br />
■ Wait for your postcard<br />
Important: Due to COVID-19, you may experience<br />
delays in getting your postcard.<br />
Most postcards arrive within 14 days. The postcard<br />
includes a unique verification code that you<br />
must enter in Google My Business to confirm that<br />
your business is located at the listed address.<br />
While you wait, you can prepare for online success:<br />
3 Visit your business <strong>web</strong>site as if you’re<br />
a customer who found it through Google<br />
Search or Maps. Take time to enhance<br />
your site and update any incorrect<br />
information.<br />
3 Take pictures of your business and the<br />
products and services it provides. These<br />
photos make great additions to your<br />
Google My Business profile. You can<br />
even take customers inside your space<br />
with Street View.<br />
■ Complete verification<br />
After you get your verification postcard:<br />
1. Sign in to google.com/business.<br />
2. Verify your business in one of the<br />
following ways:<br />
3 Under “Verification needed,”<br />
click Verify now.<br />
3 Or, in the left menu, click Verify location.<br />
3. Follow the instructions to enter the<br />
verification code from your postcard.<br />
38 • FALL 2020
FALL 2020 • 39
Increase Revenue<br />
When a customer purchases<br />
tokens, you have made a sale<br />
Added Security<br />
Put your mind at ease with<br />
tokens. Minimize staff<br />
supervision and deter theft<br />
Unique Alloys<br />
Hoffman Mint offers different<br />
alloys & sizes to best suit your<br />
car wash needs<br />
Reduce Cost<br />
Tokens help reduce operating<br />
cost and are a lower-cost<br />
payment option<br />
Marketing Options<br />
Set your business apart and<br />
help build your brand with<br />
custom tokens<br />
Flexibility<br />
Whether for a promotion or<br />
price fluctuation, simply adjust<br />
the value of your tokens<br />
VISIT US AT THE CAR WASH SHOW BOOTH 2917<br />
WHY TOKENS?<br />
Whether using our stock tokens<br />
or custom tokens,<br />
the benefits are endless.<br />
Learn more at<br />
www.hoffmanmint.com<br />
Hoffman Mint<br />
Fort Lauderdale, Florida<br />
sales@hoffmanmint.com<br />
40 • FALL 2020
INNOVATIONS<br />
INTRODUCING NEW AND IMPROVED PRODUCTS<br />
AND SERVICES FOR SELF SERVE CAR WASHES<br />
Full tunnel<br />
optimization<br />
system from DRB<br />
New line of Air Fresheners<br />
from Buffalo Scents<br />
Buffalo Scents is a Buffalo born and raised brand committed to creating safer,<br />
healthier and better-smelling air fresheners for automobiles. We’re a small, tightknit<br />
team based out of Buffalo, New York – a city known for brotherly love, the<br />
epic debate of bleu cheese vs. ranch, wings (yep, we just call them wings here),<br />
underdog sports teams, and snow. Lots of it.<br />
We’ve always spent a lot of time in our cars, whether it’s stuck in traffic, navigating<br />
a snowstorm, or waiting in line to tailgate. We know all too well that a clean,<br />
fresh-smelling car can make all the difference in how you feel when you drive,<br />
according to owner Stephen Szortyka. Our vehicles are our second homes – and<br />
because we can’t burn incense or plug an essential oil diffuser into our cars, we<br />
wanted a more natural, fresher, and cleaner way to create a moving oasis.<br />
Buffalo Scents was created with the core belief that air fresheners shouldn’t have<br />
to come with all the nasty chemicals. Even better, they can come in an affordable,<br />
stylish, and natural-looking design that doesn’t feel tacky or flimsy.<br />
The company’s mission is simple: keep cars across the country smelling as fresh and<br />
clean as possible, without adding unnecessary chemicals. “We’re a new age air freshener<br />
with simple, game-changing values: good scents made from good ingredients.”<br />
DRB® Tunnel Solutions has announced that its full tunnel<br />
optimization system NoPileups is now operational at 500 car<br />
wash sites across the United States.<br />
NoPileups uses computer vision and machine learning technology<br />
backed by an industry-leading service team to monitor<br />
car wash tunnels, automatically stopping the conveyor when<br />
collision threats are detected. By reducing the risk of collision,<br />
car wash attendants can load vehicles closer together in the tunnel,<br />
resulting in higher tunnel throughput.<br />
This has proved to be a game-changer, allowing car wash sites<br />
employing NoPileups to wash up to 20 more cars per hour<br />
during peak hours.<br />
The first NoPileups installation was in 2016. Since then, No-<br />
Pileups has monitored more than 150 million vehicles.<br />
DRB acquired the assets and intellectual property of NoPileups<br />
in 2018 to complement its line of point of-sale and tunnel<br />
technology solutions for the conveyorized car wash market.<br />
In addition to DRB’s technology, NPU can run with other<br />
point-of-sale systems and tunnel controllers.<br />
Outdoor lighting from LSI Industries<br />
LSI Industries announced it has launched a new<br />
commercial LED fixture for parking garage and<br />
various canopy applications. Ideal for both new<br />
and retrofit construction projects, the company’s<br />
new CGC luminaires are edge-lit and feature sleek,<br />
low-profile (less than 3.5 inches in height), circular<br />
housing with no visible hardware or heat fins.<br />
“Our new CGC commercial parking garage fixture<br />
is among the most attractive and affordable<br />
lighting products for its intended applications,” said<br />
Mike Prachar, Chief Marketing Officer of LSI Industries.<br />
“Its edge-lit optic design produces low glare,<br />
non-pixelated illumination that will be appreciated<br />
by parking garage employees and drivers alike.”<br />
LSI’s new commercial parking garage fixture<br />
delivers Type 5 uniform illumination<br />
with output levels of 4,000,<br />
6,000 and 8,000 lumens – each at a<br />
4,000K color temperature. In addition,<br />
the new luminaires can be configured with<br />
a hidden microwave sensor for motion detection.<br />
The sensor defaults to 100 percent light levels, but<br />
drops to 30 percent when motion is not detected<br />
for 15 minutes – helping to conserve energy without<br />
sacrificing the safety and security that lighting<br />
provides. In addition, the new product is compliant<br />
with Design Lights Consortium (DLC) premium<br />
standards, allowing customers to qualify for energy<br />
rebates. It is also compliant with California’s Title<br />
24 energy conservation requirements.<br />
Edge-lit fixtures,<br />
such as<br />
LSI’s CGC and Excursion<br />
parking garage<br />
luminaires, differ from<br />
other light sources in that they<br />
produce illumination from the sides, not the back.<br />
This makes them extremely thin and lightweight,<br />
which allows them to be mounted in a variety of<br />
applications. A single electrician can easily install<br />
LSI’s new CGC fixtures directly to a junction box<br />
or a stem accessory. The new luminaires are available<br />
in bronze, gray and white finishes, and most<br />
configurations can be shipped within 10 business<br />
days after an order is placed.<br />
FALL 2020 • 41
888 920 2646<br />
ETOWAH VALLEY EQUIPMENT<br />
23<br />
PRICES START AT $2695<br />
OLD FAITHFUL<br />
· Guaranteed Vend —<br />
Drop Sensors Never Cheats The Customer<br />
· Interior Lighting For Product Viewing<br />
4 4<br />
1/ 2 ”<br />
· Stainless Steel<br />
· Front Loading<br />
We Offer<br />
MEI<br />
· 14 Vend Items<br />
· Optional CoinCo Or MEI Bill Acceptor Available<br />
· Dual Locking System<br />
· Only 23 5/8” W X 44 1/2” T X 13” D<br />
WE ARE THE BILL ACCEPTOR EXPERTS !<br />
Etowah Valley is the largest stocking retailer of<br />
acceptors in the Car Wash Industry !<br />
2 Year Warranty, Expert Technical Support<br />
and Repair Service should the need arise.<br />
MEI<br />
Bill Acceptors<br />
Coin Mechs<br />
We stock all models<br />
for quick<br />
immediate delivery<br />
PARTS<br />
Bill Boxes<br />
Bezels<br />
Harnesses<br />
CoinCo<br />
Bill Acceptors<br />
Coin Mechs<br />
Always in STOCK<br />
NEW! MDB to Pulse Device<br />
If you are not buying from us you are paying too much !<br />
42 • FALL 2020
888 920 2646<br />
CUSTOM BUILT EQUIPMENT<br />
Pump Stands<br />
Meter Boxes<br />
Custom Made<br />
NATIONWIDE INSTALLER NETWORK<br />
How Does<br />
Etowah Valley<br />
Sell Quality Equipment<br />
at such low prices?<br />
We have invested heavily in state of the art<br />
manufacturing equipment to insure the highest quality<br />
equipment available anywhere. We manufacture<br />
everything in house in order to maintain our quality<br />
standards. Our sales volume allows us to purchase<br />
raw materials at tremendous savings. We then<br />
pass these savings along to our customers.<br />
Join our Team!<br />
Looking for<br />
qualified installers<br />
in select areas of<br />
the US, Canada<br />
and Mexico. Also<br />
have openings at<br />
the factory.<br />
www.etowahmfg.com<br />
Etowah Valley Equipment<br />
47 Etowah Center Dr<br />
Etowah, NC 28729<br />
sales@etowahmfg.com<br />
888 920 2646<br />
FALL 2020 • 43
INDUSTRY DIRT<br />
HAPPENINGS IN & AROUND<br />
SELF SERVE CARWASHING<br />
ModWash announces appointment of new CEO<br />
ModWash, a new express car wash operator<br />
based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, today announced<br />
the appointment of John (JT) Thomson<br />
as Chief Executive Officer. Thomson comes from<br />
GO Car Wash and replaces the company’s interim<br />
CEO Hans Weger.<br />
According to a ModWash press release, Thomson<br />
brings a wealth of car wash experience to<br />
ModWash as the company sets out to have 16 car<br />
washes operating by the end of 2020, 30 by the<br />
end of 2021, and 100 by the end of 2023. Mod-<br />
Wash’s current growth plan focuses primarily on<br />
ground-up developments paired with redevelopments<br />
and an occasional strategic acquisition. All<br />
ModWash locations will feature state-of-the-art<br />
car wash equipment and technology, resulting in<br />
an environmentally conscious wash and an exceptional<br />
guest experience.<br />
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to help<br />
launch the ModWash brand and lead the Mod-<br />
Wash team. It has been an incredible privilege to<br />
work at GO with such a great team and group of<br />
investors. Now I’m thankfully and enthusiastically<br />
looking forward to big, bright opportunities<br />
at ModWash with our strong team of motivated,<br />
strategically minded people. I look forward to<br />
helping make the ModWash vision a reality, creating<br />
positive and lasting ripple effects in the local<br />
communities we serve,” Thomson stated in the<br />
press release.<br />
Most recently, Thomson co-founded GO Car<br />
Wash in January 2019, where he started as the Chief<br />
Operating Officer and became the Chief Development<br />
Officer and President. GO Car Wash currently<br />
operates 31 stores with four additional stores in<br />
development that are anticipated to open by the<br />
end of 2020. During the first 12 months, Thomson<br />
helped shape the management team, build the GO<br />
Car Wash brand, oversee marketing strategy, and<br />
work with the team to create strategic systems and<br />
processes for operations. JT played a critical role in<br />
the growth of GO Car Wash.<br />
ModWash is backed by HUTTON, a well-capitalized<br />
commercial real estate, development, and<br />
investment company that has completed more<br />
than 1,300 projects for hundreds of retailers across<br />
32 states over the past 22 years, the press release<br />
stated. Under President and CEO Karen Hutton’s<br />
leadership, HUTTON is primarily focused on<br />
developing, acquiring, managing and constructing<br />
single-tenant, shopping center, multi-family,<br />
self-storage and now CarWash properties. Hutton<br />
has received numerous accolades for her business<br />
acumen including 2019 Chattanooga Chamber of<br />
Commerce Small Business of the Year and 2020<br />
Globe St. Net Lease Individual Influencer.<br />
“HUTTON and the ModWash team are thrilled<br />
to have JT on board. We’re confident that he’ll<br />
bring the expertise, strategy, creativity, and leadership<br />
that we value at ModWash,” Hutton stated in<br />
the press release.<br />
ModWash has four locations open in Lexington,<br />
North Carolina, Thomasville, North Carolina,<br />
Gaffney, South Carolina., and Roanoke Rapids,<br />
North Carolina. The next ModWash locations will<br />
open in Florida and New Jersey, as well as additional<br />
locations in North Carolina.<br />
Quick Quack Car Wash partners<br />
with Service Management Group<br />
Service Management Group (SMG), a global customer, patient and employee experience<br />
management partner to more than 500 brands, has announced a new customer<br />
experience management partnership with Quick Quack Car Wash. The rapidly<br />
growing car wash chain chose SMG for its scalable technology platform and ability to<br />
uncover actionable insights, a press release stated.<br />
Founded in 2004, Quick Quack owns and operates more than 100 locations across<br />
Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas and Utah. Alongside a quick and entertaining carwash<br />
experience, Quick Quack is best known for its unlimited car wash memberships,<br />
free vacuums and exceptional customer service.<br />
“As a service-based brand, one of the greatest barometers of our success is customer<br />
satisfaction,” said Quick Quack Partner and Chief Marketing Officer Travis Kimball.<br />
“Our partnership with SMG is allowing us to collect and analyze customer feedback<br />
across multiple channels, uncover key loyalty drivers and continually improve the experience<br />
as we grow.”<br />
With SMG’s customer experience management program, Quick Quack is capturing<br />
feedback at multiple touchpoints in the customer journey. Location-level feedback<br />
is captured and delivered to the smg360® reporting platform in real-time, providing<br />
Quick Quack with key customer experience metrics while features like role-based<br />
reporting and real-time alerts help the field focus on driving satisfaction. Quick Quack<br />
is also working with SMG to measure the contact center experience, giving the brand<br />
insights that help turn those important interactions into opportunities to drive satisfaction<br />
and loyalty.<br />
In conjunction with solicited feedback, Quick Quack is measuring unsolicited feedback<br />
with SMG’s online reputation management solution. Aggregating location-specific<br />
ratings and reviews from the top review sites, this data is presented alongside Quick<br />
Quack’s customer experience and contact center data to give the brand a more holistic<br />
view of the customer experience.<br />
D&S names new Vice<br />
President of Large<br />
Vehicle Wash<br />
Division<br />
On July 6, 2020 D&S of High<br />
Ridge, Missouri, announced the<br />
addition of car and truck wash<br />
industry veteran Brad Quay to<br />
their senior management team<br />
as Vice President of D&S’ new<br />
Large Vehicle/Fleet Wash Division.<br />
Quay will be tasked with<br />
every aspect of launching and operating<br />
this division, a press release<br />
reported. His responsibilities include<br />
Operations, Sales Channel and Distribution<br />
Network, Branding and Marketing as well as Key<br />
Vendor Management. Quay comes to D&S with over 25 years of<br />
experience within the car wash industry serving in management<br />
roles for established manufacturers of point of sale systems and<br />
specialty chemicals. Quay is a past president of the Heartland Car<br />
Wash Association and has served on several other industry boards<br />
and associations. D&S President, Jon Jansky stated in the press<br />
release, “I have known Brad professionally for many years, and am<br />
very pleased to have him helm this exciting new venture for our<br />
firm. We believe he will be instrumental in our capitalizing on<br />
this large market segment.” Quay will divide his time between<br />
his home office in Toledo, Ohio, and D&S’ headquarters in High<br />
Ridge which is located outside of St. Louis, Missouri.<br />
44 • FALL 2020
INDUSTRY DIRT<br />
DRB Systems ® , Unitec ® , Suds Creative , NoPileups <br />
and Sage Microsystems Launch DRB Masterbrand<br />
DRB Systems, Unitec, Suds Creative, NoPileups<br />
and Sage Microsystems are now united under a<br />
masterbrand: DRB, a press released stated. Together,<br />
the organization helps car wash operators and<br />
quick lube shops chart new paths to growth with<br />
data-driven technology solutions.<br />
In 2016, DRB Systems, a provider of point-of-sale<br />
and tunnel technology to the conveyorized car wash<br />
market, joined forces with Unitec, which serves the<br />
unattended and C-Store car wash market with reliable<br />
point-of-sale software and hardware. This move<br />
brought together two of the most powerful companies<br />
in the automated car wash realm. Soon after,<br />
the organization added:<br />
3 NoPileups – A full-tunnel management system<br />
that helps conveyorized car washes increase<br />
tunnel capacity and prevent in-tunnel collisions.<br />
3 Suds Creative – A data-driven, consumer<br />
behavior company dedicated to optimizing<br />
revenue for car washes.<br />
3 Sage Microsystems – A leading<br />
provider of point-of-sale and<br />
business management solutions to<br />
the quick lube industry.<br />
Until now, all of the companies<br />
maintained their separate brand<br />
identities, but it became evident that<br />
it was time to unite under a common<br />
masterbrand with a common goal.<br />
“Since we joined forces, we’ve found<br />
that together, we are truly more than the sum<br />
of our parts,” DRB CEO Dan Pittman stated in a<br />
press release. “Now it’s time for our brand to reflect<br />
that. Under the DRB masterbrand, we will<br />
forge ahead with a singular goal: To help car wash<br />
operators squeeze every ounce of profitability out<br />
of their investments.”<br />
The combined DRB is poised to do that with:<br />
“We believe the car wash industry is poised for a<br />
technological leap - a leap that will focus intensely<br />
on the end car wash consumer and their experience,”<br />
Pittman stated in the press release.<br />
“Therefore, we are developing<br />
more advanced technologies and<br />
mining the deep data insights operators<br />
need to attract more consumers<br />
and lock in loyalty regardless of<br />
your car wash model.”<br />
To differentiate between the two<br />
major markets DRB serves, DRB Systems<br />
will be referred to as DRB Tunnel<br />
Solutions with NoPileups remaining as a product<br />
under the Tunnel Solutions business unit. Unitec<br />
will be identified as DRB In-Bay Solutions. The<br />
Unitec name will still be associated with the in-bay<br />
point-of-sale hardware and Sierra® and Director®<br />
software. Suds Creative and Sage Microsystems will<br />
not change their brand names but will fall under the<br />
DRB Masterbrand.<br />
TRACK<br />
THAT CLICK!<br />
CLICK IT<br />
GOOD!<br />
100<br />
95<br />
75<br />
“We’ve been advertising to car wash operators for<br />
7 years now, and have tried and tracked many of the<br />
different industry advertising options. As far as online<br />
opportunities focused on the car wash industry go,<br />
nothing has provided the consistent click-throughs<br />
at the rate of the CarWashForum.com.”<br />
JIM LANMAN, TOUCH4WASH<br />
25<br />
5<br />
0<br />
FALL 2020 • 45<br />
Astromatic Softgloss 3-375x4-875 ad PRINT 011818
INDUSTRY DIRT<br />
Sonny’s<br />
Announces Live<br />
Online Virtual<br />
CarWash Expo,<br />
Fall Edition<br />
This past September 22nd and 23rd, the<br />
car wash industry came together for The Virtual<br />
CarWash Expo, Fall Edition. The event<br />
took place online at VirtualCarWashExpo.<br />
com for three hours and the registration was<br />
free of cost.<br />
“With months of disruption and fall regional<br />
shows cancelled, there’s even more reason<br />
for our industry to connect and get together,”<br />
stated Paul Fazio, CEO at Sonny’s, in a press<br />
release. “We set out to answer three questions.<br />
How do we help the industry right now? How<br />
do we help current operators right now? And<br />
how do we help new investors learn more,<br />
right now?”<br />
The Virtual CarWash Expo experience<br />
was similar to a physical tradeshow with one<br />
difference, no travel days required, the press<br />
release stated.<br />
Similar to the well-attended April show,<br />
there was a live Q & A with real-time inbound<br />
messaging to panel members and options to<br />
schedule one-on-one meetings for site proformas,<br />
equipment, chemistry, signage, controls<br />
and marketing.<br />
“Nothing will ever replace face-to-face interaction<br />
– especially in our industry. People<br />
like to come together,” said Kati Pierce, SVP<br />
at Sonny’s, in a press release. “That said, the<br />
online Expo is the next best thing. Once we<br />
heard all the fall shows were cancelled, we<br />
wanted to create that experience in an online<br />
format. All the education and information<br />
without the travel!”<br />
The September Virtual CarWash Expo<br />
featured an agenda packed with present-day<br />
topics and panel discussions.<br />
The event included:<br />
3 Panel discussions on how operators<br />
managed the business impact from<br />
COVID-19<br />
3 Sessions on key trends, business<br />
management and membership revenue<br />
models<br />
3 Presentations on how to get started<br />
in car washing, how to boost sales and<br />
potential pitfalls<br />
3 Keynotes from Paul Fazio, CEO of Sonny’s<br />
and Anthony Analetto, President of Sonny’s<br />
3 Operator insights on converting a<br />
full-serve to express<br />
3 Free one-on-one meetings<br />
with car wash experts<br />
46 • FALL 2020<br />
Sonny’s Enterprises<br />
partners with<br />
Genstar Capital<br />
NCS partners<br />
with Lustra<br />
National Carwash Solutions (NCS), of Grimes,<br />
Iowa, and a provider of car wash systems, cleaning<br />
solutions and maintenance services, is partnering<br />
with Cleaning Systems Inc. (CSI), which manufactures<br />
Lustra Professional Car Care Products.<br />
“We are constantly searching for strong strategic<br />
partners willing to join the NCS family,” Michael<br />
Gillen, CEO of NCS, stated in a press release. “CSI<br />
and its family of brands, led by Lustra, is an absolutely<br />
perfect fit with our brand portfolio. We’re<br />
thrilled to partner with such an innovative company<br />
that serves many vehicle care channels, including<br />
car wash operators.”<br />
CSI, based in De Pere, Wisconsin, works with a<br />
variety of customers in commercial and industrial<br />
operations that require detergents and cleaning<br />
fluids, including car wash operators.<br />
“National Carwash Solutions was the clear<br />
choice as our strategic partner in terms of continuing<br />
our vision of being the industry leader in satisfying<br />
customer needs for clean and shiny vehicles.<br />
Only NCS has the brands, the proactive strategy,<br />
and the market leadership that will drive our business<br />
to even higher levels. I am thrilled to watch<br />
the company I began so many years ago join the<br />
In other Sonny’s news the manufacturer announced<br />
in August it has named Genstar Capital as<br />
its new investing partner. Genstar Capital based in<br />
San Francisco, California, is a leading private equity<br />
firm focused on investments in targeted segments<br />
of the financial services, healthcare, industrial, and<br />
software industries, according to a press release. This<br />
new round of funding will allow Sonny’s to accelerate<br />
product development, manufacturing, marketing<br />
and to invest more resources into its existing<br />
suite of solutions, a press release stated.<br />
“Our partnership with Genstar will help attract<br />
and retain the best talent in the industry, and help<br />
us to continue to develop innovative new products<br />
that simplify the operations of our customers’ car<br />
wash business,” Paul Fazio stated in the press release.<br />
“When I look back over the years, Sonny’s has<br />
worked with so many entrepreneurs to help them<br />
get their start in the car wash business and then<br />
grow from one site to multiple locations. My team<br />
and I remain committed to being the single source<br />
solution for car wash equipment, vacuums, chemicals,<br />
software, education and local support.”<br />
Rob Rutledge, Managing Director of Genstar<br />
Capital, stated in the press release, “Sonny’s draws<br />
on over 40 years of industry leadership to drive deep<br />
relationships with over 6,000 active customers nationwide.<br />
They operate as true partners with their<br />
customers and invest in their growth, from expert<br />
guidance during site planning through construction<br />
and operations, forging a long-term relationship as<br />
they grow together. We are very excited to work<br />
with Paul Fazio and his team to grow the business<br />
both organically and through strategic acquisitions.”<br />
“Our work is to make carwashing easy – and now<br />
we’ll be able to do that better, faster and with more<br />
resources,” Fazio also stated in the press release.<br />
NCS family,” Dave Krause, CEO of Cleaning Systems,<br />
stated in a press release.<br />
National Car Wash Solutions brands include<br />
MacNeil, Ryko, TSS, Vacutech, and CleanTouch.<br />
NCS has also partnered with other car wash distributors<br />
in North America, including Hi-Performance<br />
Wash Systems, Auto-Clean, Arizona Car<br />
Wash Systems, Complete Car Wash, NuLook,<br />
Badger Land and Carwash Solutions.<br />
CSI will continue to provide the same sales, service<br />
and support to all customers, the company<br />
stated in the press release. “We are excited to partner<br />
with the entire team of NCS companies and<br />
be able to drive even greater overall value to our<br />
loyal customers,” said Doug Marquis, vice president<br />
of CSI. “The future is extremely bright, and<br />
our organization is well positioned to meet all the<br />
needs of a rapidly developing car wash market.“
THE PUMP<br />
WITH 9 LIVES<br />
10 TH<br />
JUST GOT ITS<br />
CAT PUMP<br />
OWNERS,<br />
Have you experienced<br />
pitting, Grooving,<br />
or wash out in your<br />
pump head?<br />
Vilco Supply company, has<br />
solved the wash out problem<br />
for 30 years with a unique<br />
boring and stainless steel<br />
sleeve process.<br />
NOW AVAILABLE!<br />
Wash Out Repair/Vilbore System<br />
on these Cat Pump manifolds.<br />
3535, 3545, 3560, 3841, 6767, 3507, 2521, 2510, 1010, 1050, 7CP<br />
SAVE BIG!<br />
On these select models<br />
With Our Combo Bore,<br />
All 9 Ports Sleeved For<br />
ONLY $159.95<br />
An Excellent & Economical Alternative<br />
with the Durability of Stainless Steel<br />
VILBORE SYSTEM AVAILABLE ON ALL:<br />
310, 340, 350, 5CP2120, 5CP2150, 530 Manifolds<br />
Vilco Supply offers maintenance and<br />
pump repair on most Cat pump models<br />
“GIVING YOUR<br />
CAT PUMP<br />
IT’S 10 TH LIFE<br />
& MORE!”<br />
• Bore all 3 Hi-Pressure Ports –<br />
Sleeve with Stainless Steel $74.95<br />
• Bore all 6 Valve Seats –<br />
Sleeve with Stainless Steel $99.95<br />
FOR MORE INFORMATION 888 -255-4181<br />
VILCOSUPPLY@FRONTIERNET.NET | VILCOSUPPLY.COM<br />
FALL 2020 • 47
EXTRA!<br />
EXTRA!<br />
Presenting the news stories<br />
featuring self serve car washes<br />
Facebook launches<br />
small business support initiative<br />
Skogie’s continues its<br />
expansion in Canada<br />
An October 15 Small Business Trends story<br />
reported that in a bid to help small businesses<br />
capitalize on the upcoming holiday shopping<br />
season, Facebook has launched its Season<br />
of Support initiative. With the new offering<br />
businesses conducting holiday promotions on<br />
Facebook or Instagram will receive free training,<br />
marketing support and insights.<br />
“The Season of Support is a three-monthlong<br />
initiative for small and medium-sized<br />
businesses (SMBs) to help them make the<br />
most of the upcoming holiday shopping season.<br />
The support package provides businesses<br />
with resources to strengthen connections<br />
with customers as well as boost sales.<br />
Facebook’s offering, according to the story,<br />
includes 11 weeks of education, resources,<br />
and training for small businesses. It is free of<br />
charge for businesses with a Facebook Page<br />
or Instagram business account. The Season of<br />
Support also includes:<br />
3 A free personalized marketing<br />
plan for your business<br />
3 Tips on boosting posts<br />
3 Free video training<br />
3 Promotional assistance<br />
3 Toolkits to help drive up holiday sales<br />
“The goal is to get your online presence<br />
ready, keep your audience engaged, increase<br />
sales, and manage your online presence,” the<br />
Small Business Trends story said. And you will<br />
be able to make this possible by learning with<br />
a full collection of videos so you can gain new<br />
skills. Additionally, you can come together in<br />
virtual events with your community to share<br />
insights and connect with entrepreneurs and<br />
small business owners.<br />
A fourth Skogie’s Car Wash<br />
is slated for Kelowna, British<br />
Columbia, according to an October<br />
5 Casanet story.<br />
No stranger to the industry, owner Dave Skolund built<br />
his first car wash 49 years ago and will be celebrating its<br />
50 anniversary next May.<br />
Dave’s sons, Chris and Jason Skoglund, are now operating<br />
the business, with its other three locations throughout<br />
British Columbia.<br />
The new location will offer a 160-foot tunnel car<br />
wash, 10 self-service bays, 15 vacuums, and a free vacuum<br />
token with every car wash purchase. It will also be<br />
home to a Canco gas station and convenience store.<br />
According to the story, Skogie’s is also offering memberships,<br />
which start at $35.99 per month, that will work<br />
at all Skogie’s tunnel car washes. Members will be able<br />
to get their car washed every day that their membership<br />
is active. Skogie’s is also planning a big celebration for its<br />
50th anniversary in the spring that will feature plenty of<br />
giveaways and specials for its clientele, the story said.<br />
Protect your<br />
team & comPly<br />
with oSha!<br />
removable Plug locks<br />
removable Plug lock & Puck lock Kits<br />
Puck locks & Disk locks<br />
lockout/tagout locks & clamps<br />
t-handles & t-handle locks<br />
retro Fit Security Kits<br />
All the Security You’ll Ever Need!<br />
Ask About our full rAnge of locks And lAtches for<br />
Amusement & vending equipment, gAs dispensers & self storAge.<br />
800-422-2866<br />
9168 Stellar Court<br />
Corona, Ca 92883<br />
www.laigrouP.Com<br />
S aleS @laigrouP. C om<br />
Ph: 951-277-5180<br />
Fax: 951-277-5170<br />
48 • FALL 2020
A LEADING MANUFACTURER OF CONTROLS,<br />
INCLUDING DIGITAL TIMERS FOR THE CAR WASH INDUSTRY.<br />
CONTACT YOUR<br />
DISTRIBUTOR<br />
TODAY!<br />
WWW.DIXMOR.COM<br />
1-888-234-9667 FOR A DISTRIBUTOR IN YOUR AREA.<br />
FALL 2020 • 49
EXTRA!<br />
EXTRA!<br />
New car wash opens in Delaware<br />
A fourth Greenhill Car Wash has opened in the<br />
state of v and this time it is in Millsboro.<br />
According to an October 19 Delaware Business<br />
Now report, the new car wash features an in-bay<br />
automatic made by Ryko, four self-serve bays, vacuums<br />
and vending.<br />
Greenhill Car Wash worked with several local<br />
vendors on the renovation of the existing car wash,<br />
the story said. The original Wilmington location is a<br />
former “brownfields” site that was remediated and<br />
earned the company a Wilmington Award. This year<br />
the Middletown location installed SemaConnect<br />
electric vehicle (“EV”) charging stations, becoming<br />
the first car wash in Delaware to do so.<br />
Barfly Podcast host uses self serve car<br />
wash experience to denounce rude people<br />
Jeff Burkhart, the author of “Twenty Years Behind<br />
Bars: The Spirited Adventures of a Real Bartender,<br />
Vol. I and II,” and the host of the Barfly Podcast on<br />
iTunes, who is also a columnist for the Independent<br />
Journal, recently wrote about a trip to a self serve<br />
car wash. In his September 5 column, Being a jerk<br />
to a jerk does not make you a good person, Burkhart<br />
writes about his dismay over the rudeness of another<br />
self serve car wash customer.<br />
The stalls were all full and I was fourth in line.<br />
A 20-something was in one of the stalls washing a<br />
winged, tinted, hotted-up something or another. He<br />
had actually finished washing it and was now going<br />
through what looked like chamois cloths in his<br />
trunk, one at a time, even stopping to pick little bits<br />
of lint from each one. This went on for about five<br />
minutes before the guy in the car at the front of the<br />
line honked his horn and pointed at the sign that<br />
read, “No bucket washing if other cars are waiting.”<br />
The 20-something gave that guy the middle finger.<br />
The car behind the first car then honked his<br />
horn, too.<br />
“You know, you could do that over there,” said the<br />
guy in car No. 2, pointing at eight empty spots reserved<br />
for doing exactly that sort of thing.<br />
The 20-something gave him the finger, too.<br />
Eventually, the cars in line were able to pull into<br />
other bays, all while the 20-something-year-old slowly<br />
detailed his car. Burkhart was then next in line.<br />
I was the last car waiting and as I finally pulled<br />
into another opening stall, the towel-drying and<br />
finger-giving guy decided that now he was done. He<br />
got into his car and pulled around, passing all three<br />
guys he had given the finger to. For good measure,<br />
Greenhill Car Wash opened<br />
its first location in Wilmington<br />
in 2009, the story said.<br />
Plans call for further expansion<br />
in the Mid-Atlantic region with two additional locations<br />
planned for 2021. All Greenhill locations are<br />
locally owned.<br />
Being a jerk to a jerk<br />
does not make you a<br />
good person<br />
he did it again.<br />
The last guy took one look<br />
at his meticulously dried car and then<br />
sprayed it with his hose. Twice. That kid got<br />
out of his car and walked toward him in a threatening<br />
manner.<br />
The kid stopped and then looked at all of us<br />
watching and said, “Did you see what this asshole<br />
just did?”<br />
“We did,” I said. “And we all saw what you did,<br />
too.” ... That kid gave me the middle finger, too. And<br />
I returned it.<br />
Burkhart offers a few final thoughts, including<br />
this one: Stores, restaurants and, yes, even car washes,<br />
have started having line monitors because apparently<br />
adult Americans can’t seem to handle it<br />
for ourselves.<br />
GO Car Wash continues expansion in Las Vegas<br />
GO Car Wash continues its Las Vegas market<br />
expansion with the announcement of<br />
its first new development site at 1650 E.<br />
Tropicana Ave, according to an August<br />
4 press release. GO Car Wash currently<br />
operates four sites in the Las Vegas market,<br />
with several more new development<br />
sites to be announced in the near future.<br />
In the next 24 months, GO Car Wash, which is<br />
based out of Phoenix, Arizona, plans to build out an<br />
additional 10-plus sites in the market.<br />
“We are excited to announce our big growth plans<br />
for the Las Vegas market and our first official new<br />
development site in the market, which we expect<br />
to break ground on in the fall,” Darren<br />
Skarecky, CEO of GO Car Wash, stated<br />
in a press release. “We look forward to<br />
expanding our footprint throughout the<br />
market. We continue to focus on providing<br />
the highest level of service to our<br />
current and future customers with the best<br />
car wash offerings, including monthly memberships<br />
utilizing license plate recognition technology<br />
throughout all of our locations.”<br />
GO Car Wash currently operates 19 sites in the<br />
Kansas City, Kansas, market with an additional two<br />
new development sites expected to open in the<br />
next 60 days and plans to operate roughly that same<br />
amount in the Las Vegas market. “When we enter<br />
a market, we do so with the plan to go deep and<br />
have a significant presence in that market. Typically,<br />
we look for quality acquisitions to quickly create<br />
regional density, but when necessary, we will build<br />
locations in order to meet that goal,” JT Thomson,<br />
Chief Development Officer and President of GO<br />
Car Wash, stated in the press release. “We are actively<br />
looking throughout the Las Vegas market for quality<br />
sites in busy retail areas to fuel our planned growth.”<br />
Neon Marketplace grows in Massachusetts<br />
A second Neon Marketplace has opened in Portsmouth,<br />
Massachusetts, and more are on the way, according<br />
to a What’s Up NEWP story.<br />
The September 30 story said the first store opened<br />
earlier this year. According to a press release, Neon<br />
Marketplace caters “to today’s modern traveler by<br />
delivering a uniquely refreshing and stylish experience<br />
designed to drive consumer loyalty. Neon Marketplace<br />
locations are targeted for areas where the<br />
convenience store customer is currently underserved<br />
and in areas where growing populations and/or<br />
business growth has resulted in increased vehicular<br />
traffic and consumer demand. In addition to offering<br />
a wide variety of high-quality food options, Neon<br />
Marketplace also offers premium-quality fuels and,<br />
in many locations, will have a self-service car wash<br />
and vacuum stations.”<br />
There are three other locations in development,<br />
with locations slated for Providence, Rhode Island,<br />
Seekonk, Massachusetts, and Freetown, Massachusetts.<br />
These three locations have opening dates for<br />
the first half of 2021.<br />
“Our family has been in the convenience store<br />
business for decades and it’s truly exciting to see our<br />
vision become reality in terms of offering our guests<br />
an experience that is unmatched in the marketplace<br />
today,” said Joseph Giacobbi, Director of Operations<br />
for Neon Marketplace in a statement. “After the successful<br />
launch of our first store on 533 E. Main Road<br />
in Middletown, we are excited to spread this brand<br />
to another town on Aquidneck Island and continue<br />
to innovate the convenience store experience for our<br />
customers.”<br />
50 • FALL 2020
FALL 2020 • 51
FUN&<br />
GAMES<br />
WHAT’S<br />
DIFFERENT?<br />
Think these two pictures taken at a self serve car wash<br />
are the same? Think again! There are six differences.<br />
Can you spot them all?<br />
1. Every Tuesday dropped from sign<br />
2. Vacuum is flipped<br />
3. Bay door is missing middle divider<br />
4. Bay sign is repeated<br />
5. 3rd light added<br />
6. Shadow is larger<br />
ONLY AT A<br />
SELF SERVE<br />
The following are some funny comments<br />
seen on carwashforum.com<br />
Complaint from a woman at the wash; “I’m not coming<br />
back here! I paid $9, ran out of time, and got soap and<br />
water all over my feet. Why<br />
is there soap all over the<br />
floor?!?!” She was in flip<br />
flops. We sold her $5 more in<br />
tokens, said thank you and<br />
walked away. - Waxman<br />
Get a message yesterday “fragrance did not<br />
come out”. Several messages of me asking<br />
actual details like what location and which<br />
vacuum, finally they say vacuum #8. I check and<br />
see they vacuumed at #8, but turned the fragrance<br />
on at #7. Asked if they were at the same vac the whole<br />
time, “yes”. Well, you turned on the fragrance on #7. “Well,<br />
#8 only had the shampoo function, so I had to turn on #7.<br />
Did I have to move my car over that one”? First time for<br />
everything I guess. - slash007<br />
The story of one car wash worker who was scared sudless!<br />
Mike Hallowell, a columnist writing for the Jarrow and Hebburn<br />
Gazette in England said he was asking for ghost stories submission.<br />
One particular story stood out to Hallowell. It was from Jimmy<br />
Swift, a former car wash worker who believed the room where the<br />
containers of wax were stored was haunted.<br />
“I walked into the room as normal, and went to get the first of<br />
the containers,” Swift said. “Just as I was about to pick it up I<br />
suddenly felt very strange, as if I was being watched. …I looked<br />
around but there was definitely no one else in there, so I just left.<br />
The next morning I went into the room again, and straight away I<br />
got the same feeling, as if someone was staring at me. This time I<br />
mentioned it to another lad who worked there, and he said, ‘Why do<br />
you think the new person always gets that job? No one else will go<br />
in there – it’s haunted.’<br />
Swift said soon after that he told his boss he was quitting. Upon<br />
quitting, his boss said he once found a dead dog in that same<br />
storage room.<br />
Hallowell said he tried to contact the carwash, but it has since been<br />
closed down.<br />
This story appeared in The Occult Section… Exploring<br />
all things paranormal, supernatural and unexplained.<br />
52 • FALL 2020
FALL 2020 • 53
Tap into the<br />
Future<br />
How apps are used at<br />
self serves and no longer<br />
considered a far-out millennial marvel.<br />
Apps are nothing new to today’s consumer.<br />
And customers wanting more convenience, discounts<br />
and efficiency is definitely nothing new. It<br />
is probably no surprise that the amount of time<br />
people spend on their smartphones is substantial.<br />
And, with a few weeks left in 2020 the figures are<br />
not yet in for how much time Americans spent on<br />
their mobile devices, but the Covid-19 pandemic<br />
certainly (and more than likely) greatly upped all<br />
of the figures.<br />
Last year, according to<br />
Zenith, a global marketing<br />
firm, “American adults spent<br />
about 3 hours and 30 minutes<br />
a day using the mobile internet<br />
in 2019, an increase of about<br />
20 minutes from a year earlier.”<br />
However, since the world was<br />
upended in March 2020, those<br />
numbers have majorly increased.<br />
Back in August, Forbes magazine, released the<br />
following article: We’ve Spent 1.6 Trillion Hours<br />
On Mobile So Far In 2020. It quoted Lexi Sydow,<br />
App Annie’s Senior Market Insights Manager, who<br />
stated, “Covid-19 propelled mobile usage forward<br />
— achieving growth that would have otherwise taken<br />
two to three years. As we head into the holiday<br />
season and 2021, businesses who prioritize mobile<br />
will outpace competitors, as mobile represents a<br />
significant driver of revenue growth for businesses.”<br />
The article also included the following App Annie<br />
findings:<br />
• In April, the average user spent<br />
a quarter of their waking time<br />
on their mobile device: 4.3 hours<br />
• Consumers spent 25% more on<br />
mobile apps than ever before:<br />
$50 billion in the first half of the year<br />
“App downloads from the iOS App Store and<br />
Android’s Google Play topped 64 billion in the<br />
first half of the year,” the report also stated. “That’s<br />
up 10% from 2019 numbers. The 27% of waking<br />
hours consumers spent on mobile in early 2020<br />
was up 20% from 2019 levels.”<br />
Those findings might not be surprising. Go to<br />
any park, restaurant or sofa throughout American<br />
and more than likely, someone is on their phone.<br />
But what was an interesting figure is that people<br />
are spending billions of dollars via an app. Apps allow<br />
one-stop payment options, pre-loaded credit<br />
card information and “swipe-right-to-pay” straightforwardness.<br />
But let’s re-focus on the world of self<br />
serve car washes — a market that has mostly survived<br />
the pandemic, and also been able to weather<br />
past economic storms, but are self serves able to<br />
handle modern times, and generations of youngsters<br />
who rarely carry cash? Is technology and bells<br />
and whistles a marketing maneuver for the self<br />
serve owner or its customer? Are customers, who<br />
would rather wash their own cars, content with the<br />
way it has always been? It’s hard to speak for the<br />
average car wash customer, but studies have shown<br />
that Millennials and Generation Z-ers are more into<br />
modern mediums. But, what about Baby Boomers?<br />
According to a Mobile Marketer report, in 2019,<br />
Baby Boomers have the highest purchasing power,<br />
but were the latest of all generations to adapt<br />
to mobile technologies. However, their mobile<br />
usage and acceptance is growing. “Mobile penetration<br />
is growing for this age group, with 65.6%<br />
of Baby Boomers in the United States owning a<br />
smartphone in 2018 and 55% of them having a<br />
tablet. They’re downloading apps that mainly help<br />
them with healthy living, travel and shopping to<br />
make life easier, the report stated. “In the United<br />
States, 52% of Baby Boomers said they use retail<br />
apps to collect more information about a product<br />
or service, whereas 40% have used a retail app to<br />
buy a product or a service.”<br />
Perhaps a key factor in determining whether or<br />
not a self serve car wash would benefit from having<br />
an app would be to consider your demographics.<br />
Are you in a college town? Are your customers<br />
on their phones while at your wash? What about<br />
your competitors’ offerings?<br />
According to Jim Sturm, president of Yes Marketing,<br />
he stated in a 2019 press release, “To survive<br />
the retail apocalypse, retailers need to prioritize<br />
the mobile experience. Consumers will not<br />
hesitate to turn to another brand if it offers a more<br />
user-friendly experience.”<br />
If there is any confusion on how a mobile app<br />
would work with your car wash, we interviewed<br />
various companies to answer some of the most frequently<br />
asked questions, including Amy Olson of<br />
WashCard Systems, Jim Lanmen of Touch4Wash,<br />
and Shane Larsen of Coinless.<br />
54 • FALL 2020
Amy Olsen of<br />
WASHCARD<br />
SYSTEMS<br />
Q<br />
What kind of app or<br />
apps do you offer<br />
self serve car washes?<br />
Amy: WashCard offers an app for self serves, automatics,<br />
pet washes, vacuums, vending, and more.<br />
The app allows for operators to create the experience<br />
of their brand plus customize the rewards<br />
programs they want to offer. We offer a variety of<br />
rewards programs so operators are able to have<br />
what fits their customer base best. The first is our<br />
star rewards program where a user can buy 10<br />
washes and get one free. Operators can also offer<br />
a free wash upon registration within the app. This<br />
gives operators the contact information of the user<br />
to be able to use text messages and email marketing<br />
to promote the app. Operators can also<br />
activate the wash from anywhere to resolve<br />
customer issues or test new services…<br />
Q<br />
Self serves are a bit different<br />
in that they don’t have set<br />
wash packages, so how<br />
would an app work for a self serve?<br />
Amy: The UWashApp offers two ways to set up<br />
your pricing packages for your self serve bays, or<br />
your vacuums. Operators can choose to do count<br />
up on their services, allowing customers to wash as<br />
long as they need to with a max purchase amount<br />
set by the operator. They can also choose to do wash<br />
packages in increments they want. Such as a $4<br />
package, $6 package, $8 package, or $10 package.<br />
Q<br />
Some self serve owners are<br />
worried that offering an app<br />
will require a lot of work<br />
(installing the technology, etc.)<br />
what advice do you have for them?<br />
Amy: With any app you will be installing some<br />
level of hardware in order to be able to talk to<br />
the car wash equipment. Depending on the equipment<br />
you have and how many bays you have, installation<br />
times may vary…<br />
Q<br />
Do you have to offer wi-fi at<br />
your car wash for it to work?<br />
Amy: NO to Wi-Fi but there does need to<br />
be a high-speed internet connection. UWashApp<br />
by itself does not need Wi-Fi or a Static IP because<br />
purchases are made in the cloud.<br />
Q<br />
What trends are you seeing<br />
with car washing clients in<br />
terms of perks offered for<br />
using the app, such as points<br />
rewarded for frequent visits, etc?<br />
Amy: One trend that has been in the industry for<br />
quite a while when it comes to apps has been unlimited<br />
programs. These programs are great for<br />
large tunnel operations, and some IBAs. However,<br />
we have seen some of the smaller operations really<br />
struggle in getting the best return on their investment.<br />
That’s where an app like UWashApp can be<br />
beneficial to car wash owners who either want to<br />
add an app or introduce touch-free payments and<br />
loyalty programs without the cost of adding card<br />
readers. Other rewards programs are becoming increasingly<br />
popular, whether they are a points-based<br />
system or star-based system. The history of having<br />
physical punch cards is quickly being replaced by<br />
apps and the loyalty programs built within them.<br />
Jim Lanman of<br />
TOUCH4WASH<br />
Q<br />
How did Touch4Wash<br />
come about?<br />
Jim: It started because Jared Tomlin had<br />
owned a self serve car wash and he noticed there<br />
weren’t tools at his disposal to help boost his business.<br />
He was also frustrated that if a customer was<br />
having an issue inside one of his bays, he would<br />
have to stop what he was doing and drive out to<br />
the car wash to help them or mail them a check to<br />
pay for any money they lost. I partnered with him<br />
in 2012 to develop Touch4Wash with self serves<br />
in mind, so that customers would have access to<br />
loyalty programs, fleet programs, membership<br />
programs and discounts and the car wash owner<br />
would have access to marketing tools and ways to<br />
automate the way the wash is run. The app is also<br />
designed to work with in-bay automatics.<br />
Q<br />
Do you have a lot of self<br />
serve car wash owners<br />
using your program?<br />
Jim: Yes, we have always kept the self serve owner<br />
in mind, as Jared was a self serve owner, but this<br />
works great with an in-bay as well. We know they<br />
are often economical, and we wanted to offer tools<br />
that can help them. We offer a program that will<br />
give them various ways to help their business and<br />
also be affordable at the same time. Not only can<br />
the app offer wash packages that you would see<br />
with a conveyor wash, it also offers a service-based<br />
package for the customer where they pay a certain<br />
amount and they are then offered credits at a discounted<br />
rate. Also, the owner doesn’t have to mail a<br />
check to a car wash customer if they somehow lose<br />
money in the bay, the owner can just credit their account<br />
and instantly resolve problems. All that power<br />
is now in the palm of the car wash owner’s hand.<br />
Q<br />
How can a self serve car<br />
wash customer use the app?<br />
Jim: We offer several ways a car wash owner<br />
can have customers pay with the app:<br />
• Pay as you Go (push a button and it<br />
goes on the customer’s credit card)<br />
• Prepaid credit (put $100 into the<br />
account, and that will go toward<br />
purchases made in the bay at a discount).<br />
• Loyalty Points (a customer earns<br />
points as they spend which can<br />
then be used in the bay).<br />
• Fleet programs<br />
• Membership programs<br />
You can also market with the app. Such as offering<br />
a discount on a Tuesday night that is automatically<br />
managed.<br />
Q<br />
I would think with Covid-19,<br />
there are pluses to offering<br />
an app to customers?<br />
Jim: Absolutely. People aren’t wanting to handle<br />
cash as much. They also want to get in and out of<br />
places efficiently. Another benefit is that car wash<br />
owners do not have to handle as much cash or<br />
empty meter boxes and haul money to the bank.<br />
Q<br />
Do you find there are self serve<br />
owners who are apprehensive<br />
about offering an app?<br />
Jim: Yes, some are. And I don’t think an owner<br />
should go completely cashless either. I think they<br />
should view it as a whole new way for a customer<br />
to pay. I think mobile technology will be like credit<br />
cards and just as commonly used.<br />
FALL 2020 • 55
Shane Larsen of<br />
COINLESS MOBILE<br />
Q<br />
How did Coinless come<br />
about?<br />
Shane: Jared, the founder of Coinless,<br />
bought his first self serve wash back in 2017.<br />
Although business was better than ever, he was<br />
frustrated by the need to constantly drive across<br />
town to help a customer or to issue a refund. Additionally,<br />
he saw happy customers drive up, pay<br />
for his services, and leave, without knowing anything<br />
about them and their experience or their<br />
loyalty to his wash. So, he started to work on an<br />
app that would provide a seamless payment and<br />
loyalty experience for the customer and benefit<br />
the car wash owner with real-time customer analytics<br />
and remote management features. We debuted<br />
at the International Carwash Association’s<br />
Car Wash Show in Nashville in 2019 and we are<br />
now at 125 car washes.<br />
Q<br />
Why should a self serve car<br />
wash owner consider offering<br />
an app to his or her<br />
customers?<br />
Shane: There is a ton of value and benefits for<br />
offering an app at their washes that were never<br />
possible before… With more and more people<br />
carrying less cash it’s something that we should<br />
look at and ask where the future of payments<br />
is headed. The data says the future is all about<br />
mobile payments. Some of the following features<br />
and benefits are great reasons for the self serve car<br />
wash owner to consider offering an app:<br />
• Gives customers a reason to keep<br />
coming back to your car wash<br />
through loyalty programs<br />
• Drives more revenue through wash<br />
club memberships and marketing<br />
• Contactless payments<br />
• Knowing your customers name,<br />
email and phone number<br />
• Ability to send promotions<br />
straight to customers’ phones<br />
• Ability to remotely start equipment<br />
and take care of customer issues<br />
• Brings in a new younger<br />
demographic of smartphone users<br />
Q<br />
Does the app somehow<br />
encourage loyalty to a<br />
specific car wash?<br />
Shane: Yes, we’ve taken a unique approach to<br />
help car wash owners drive loyalty at their wash<br />
and customize their customers’ rewards and experience.<br />
By utilizing innovative location services<br />
and “geofencing” technologies, the customer only<br />
sees the car wash location they are at, or the nearest<br />
wash to them when they launch the app. With<br />
a combination of onsite marketing, free/discounted<br />
first-washes, customizable monthly memberships,<br />
and a customizable point-based loyalty program,<br />
owners can easily cater to the needs of their<br />
customers and provide value that the wash down<br />
the street cannot.<br />
Q<br />
Have you noticed an uptick in<br />
demand since Covid-19?<br />
Shane: Yes, more than ever. Customers appreciate<br />
the convenience, benefits, and cleanliness<br />
of going mobile. Money is dirty. Being as “contactless”<br />
as possible is becoming more popular. Businesses<br />
want to be virus-proof and not handling<br />
cash or touching a bunch of buttons is helping<br />
MORE CUSTOMERS.<br />
MORE REVENUE.<br />
LESS EFFORT.<br />
ANY WASH<br />
No matter your equipment,<br />
we work with just about any<br />
equipment on the market.<br />
ANY PAYMENT<br />
Payments are made easily<br />
through credit or loyalty<br />
cards, and mobile.<br />
ANY LOCATION<br />
With one location or<br />
hundreds, tie all your data<br />
together to make managing<br />
your wash a breeze.<br />
651-439-5740 | washcard.com<br />
56 • FALL 2020
with that. Plus, an owner doesn’t want to<br />
have to drive to their wash if a customer<br />
needs a refund or didn’t do something<br />
correctly, This way, they can do all of that<br />
from their home, or even on vacation.<br />
Q<br />
You mentioned that<br />
through the app you<br />
can more easily interact<br />
with each customer, what<br />
about somehow giving them<br />
a platform to offer feedback?<br />
Shane: Yes, we offer a review component<br />
(instead of stars, it’s drops of water)<br />
where they can rate their experience and<br />
it goes directly to the car wash owner.<br />
The owner can then respond to both<br />
positive and negative reviews instantly.<br />
APP<br />
STATS<br />
WHAT’S<br />
THE MOST<br />
POPULAR APP?<br />
According to App Annie,<br />
Facebook Messenger is the<br />
top mobile app worldwide<br />
by download. As for active<br />
users, the WhatsApp app is<br />
the most popular.<br />
TIME SPENT ON APPS<br />
According to a MindSea.com statement,<br />
“In 2020, eMarketer predicts that adult<br />
smartphone users will spend about 4 hours<br />
per day using mobile internet, and 88%<br />
of that time will be spent in mobile apps,<br />
rather than a browser. This speaks to<br />
the importance of companies not<br />
only optimizing their <strong>web</strong>sites for<br />
mobile, but creating custom,<br />
responsive apps too.”<br />
HOW MANY???<br />
• 2.96 million apps are available in the<br />
Google Play Store.*<br />
• 4.37 million apps are available in the<br />
Apple App Store.*<br />
• More than 100,000 new apps being released<br />
each month in the Google Play Store.<br />
• More than 30,000 new apps being released<br />
each month in the Apple App Store.**<br />
• In 2019, consumers downloaded<br />
204 billion apps.***<br />
*Information according to Statista **Information according to 42Matters<br />
***Information according to App Annie<br />
• Membership Plans<br />
• Loyalty Programs<br />
• Fleet Programs<br />
• Automated Marketing<br />
• Text Marketing<br />
More than an App,<br />
It’s a tool to help<br />
grow your business<br />
Touch4Wash.com<br />
Or give us a call<br />
612-787-7278<br />
FALL 2020 • 57
MORE<br />
WAYS<br />
TO PAY<br />
A new study from Paysafe carried<br />
out between September 9 and 18, 2020,<br />
with 350 businesses in the U.S. and Canada<br />
participating, showed that their customers<br />
want more payment options during the pandemic.<br />
The study also offered up the following<br />
key takeaways:<br />
• 88% of the businesses surveyed made<br />
at least one change to their checkouts<br />
during the pandemic and 39% reported<br />
the volume of business increased.<br />
• 64% of the businesses attribute this<br />
increase to online sales through either a<br />
new or existing offering.<br />
• 23% of the businesses surveyed<br />
launched an online card-not-present<br />
(CNP) checkout for the first time during<br />
the pandemic.<br />
• 17% of businesses without an online<br />
presence plan on adding an online<br />
checkout soon.<br />
• 44% of the businesses surveyed are<br />
adding the acceptance of contactless<br />
payment on delivery and 44% are adding<br />
card payment on delivery.<br />
What was the first ever app?<br />
It might come as no shock that Apple founder<br />
and mega computer pioneer Steve Jobs predicted<br />
the “app” in 1983. At a conference in Aspen,<br />
Colorado, he described a record-store like medium<br />
where you could pick and choose your own<br />
computer applications according to your likes<br />
and dislikes. In Marcel’s Brown’s column for<br />
Life, Liberty and Technology, he analyzed Jobs’<br />
speech and wrote, “[Jobs] believed that software<br />
distribution through traditional brick-and-mortar<br />
was archaic since software is digital and can<br />
be transferred electronically through phone lines.<br />
He foresees paying for software in an automated<br />
fashion over the phone lines with credit cards. I<br />
don’t know about you, but I think this sounds incredibly<br />
similar to the concept of the Apple App<br />
Store. Plus, his comparison to the music industry<br />
just might be foreshadowing the iTunes store…”<br />
As for the what was the actual first app, it is<br />
hard to pin-down the exact one as the definition<br />
of an what an app is can vary. In the mid-<br />
1980s, London-based computer company Psion<br />
released the Psion Organiser, largely considered<br />
to be the first successful personal digital assistant<br />
(PDA), Investopedia reported.<br />
“The Organiser line couldn’t do much, but it<br />
did have a handful of built-in software, such as a<br />
text editor, calculator, diary, agenda, contact database<br />
and a few other simple functions.” Even<br />
though the Organisers weren’t able to handle<br />
phone calls, they started the momentum for the<br />
invention of the mobile app format.<br />
Years later, and what is widely regarded as<br />
the actual first-ever game app, the Nokia 6110<br />
launched the game Snake in 1997.<br />
Then, as mobile phones became more and<br />
more common and sophisticated at the turn of<br />
the century, various mobile operating systems<br />
began to emerge. “The most notable of these<br />
were Symbian OS (Nokia (NOK) Sony Ericsson<br />
(SNE), Motorola (MSI), Samsung), iOS (iPhone/<br />
iPad), and Android (Sony, LG, HTC). Note that<br />
some manufacturers developed phones for both<br />
Symbian and Android operating systems,” states<br />
Investopedia. “Some of the first apps featured on<br />
the Apple’s App Store included PhoneSaber, an<br />
app that utilized the iPhone’s accelerometer to<br />
produce that characteristic ‘wooommmm’ sound<br />
whenever the user shook the phone, and Evernote,<br />
a popular personal data/media organizer<br />
still used widely today.”<br />
Offer<br />
Convenience<br />
Give your customers an option<br />
that’s already in their wallet<br />
Call today and provide your customers with<br />
more payment options. CryptoPay is a<br />
Cost Effective, Secure, and Simple Solution.<br />
www.GetCryptopay.com<br />
719-277-7400<br />
• Concrete Form System<br />
• Water and corrosion-proof_ ....,<br />
• Panels will not rust, rot or flake<br />
• Custom cut panel kits to 20 feet<br />
• Cleans easily - low maintenance<br />
• Brightens the interior of any building<br />
• Fewer seams - 2 foot wide panels<br />
• Resists mold, mildew, bacteria growth<br />
• 6" and 8" thick stay-in-place concrete form<br />
• Available in a bright white, high gloss, hard surface<br />
• Low maintenance, easy-to-clean, with water/mild cleaner<br />
• Protective film on both sides keeps panels clean during construction<br />
• ICC-ES Evaluation Report ERS-4250<br />
(!I Manufacturing American-Made PVC Panels for 28 Years!<br />
A- ..<br />
Poly Board" Panels<br />
Pl300- 12" wide<br />
Pl600 - 16" wide<br />
Suspended Ceiling<br />
and Doors<br />
also Available<br />
· !'.!'1. • Visit our <strong>web</strong> site or give us a call to learn more about this great new<br />
l!I. product and our Pl300 - 12", Pl600 - 16" and *P2400 - 24" wide liner panels.<br />
Ask for Extrutech - Get The Best Surface, Shine, and Strength in the Industry!<br />
m EXTRUTECH Phone: 888-818-0118 PLASTICS, INC. LTJ<br />
r.i, I<br />
www.e p i p laSlics.com <br />
"1SO90012015QMS C,rt,fied<br />
58 • FALL 2020<br />
CryptoPayLaundromatAd_InPocket_<strong>SSCWN</strong>_FINAL.indd 1<br />
1/9/18 6:02 PM
POWER<br />
TO THE<br />
SELF-SERVE<br />
OPERATOR<br />
Coinless is is a mobile payment and marketing<br />
solution specifically designed for the self serve<br />
car wash industry.<br />
Contact Us To Learn<br />
How Coinless Can<br />
Help Grow Your<br />
Business<br />
Contact<br />
Phone: +1 +1 801-899-0183<br />
Email: sales@coinlessmobile.com<br />
FALL 2020 • 59
Around the Wash:<br />
Self Serve Panel<br />
MEET<br />
THE<br />
PANEL<br />
MARLA MAYER<br />
of Weiss Guys Express<br />
Wash in Phoenix, Arizona. It<br />
has been a family business<br />
since the 1950s and started<br />
in Cleveland, Ohio, with<br />
her grandfather. Marla’s<br />
family eventually moved<br />
out West and Marla has<br />
been working fulltime in the<br />
industry for 35 years.<br />
TERRY MCDONALD,<br />
also of Weiss Guys, who has<br />
worked with Marla’s father<br />
for 40 years and now works<br />
with Marla.<br />
SYDNEY KING<br />
of The Good Spray Car<br />
Wash in Davis County, Utah.<br />
At one point she had three<br />
self serve washes and she<br />
is now down to one. She<br />
is also building an express<br />
tunnel at another location.<br />
King has been in the car<br />
washing business for 12.5<br />
years.<br />
STEVE TOLOPILO<br />
of Balboa Car Wash in Los<br />
Angeles, California. The<br />
Tolopilo family has been in<br />
the car wash business since<br />
1972 and in the past couple<br />
of years he partnered with<br />
his brother-in-law. Together,<br />
the family runs six self serve<br />
car washes as well as an<br />
express tunnel.<br />
60 • FALL 2020<br />
SECURITY<br />
BABB: What are you doing currently<br />
to secure your washes? Are you utilizing<br />
cameras? What other tips do you have?<br />
What works best to keep your washes secure?<br />
TOLOPILO: For quite some time, the locks have been<br />
key, and we have had security cameras and DVR systems<br />
in place for a while. Incidentally enough, this year has been<br />
a weird year for everyone, but when the subject of defunding<br />
the police came through in the last couple of months,<br />
and right when that became mainstream media, we got<br />
hit with break-ins four times within that month… so right<br />
away we invested in security alarm systems. Now all of our<br />
locations are on a platform with alarms and we get notified<br />
if anything suspicious happens. We were good enough with<br />
cameras for all of these years, but this exposed a weakness<br />
and now, since adding these security alarms systems,<br />
we stopped two additional break-ins because the alarms<br />
scared the burglars off.<br />
MCDONALD: What kind of cameras do you use?<br />
TOLOPILO: …We are not at the 4K level yet, that’s the<br />
area I am looking at next because of the high definition.<br />
[Ours are] high resolution enough that we were able to<br />
use them in the past with getting license plates and facial<br />
recognition for cops, but when we were hit a few months<br />
back, they just stole the DVR so it didn’t help. So now we<br />
have extra layers [of security].<br />
KING: I just bought Weiss Outdoor cameras but I have<br />
not tried to install them yet. I am just now researching<br />
where the best placement is for [the cameras when it<br />
comes to self serves]. Do I put them high or low? I do<br />
have camera systems, but they are on the exterior. This<br />
The Western Carwash Association held a Virtual Summit<br />
and Roadshow on October 16. Along with the WCA’s annual<br />
membership meeting and awards, a live keynote address<br />
from author Mary Kelly, and virtual vendor booths,<br />
there were also educational offerings including a self serve<br />
summit featuring four self serve operators, and experts.<br />
The one-hour session was a chance to hear from operators<br />
throughout the country and provide an opportunity<br />
for idea sharing and best practices for successful self-serve<br />
business operations. The panel was moderated by Kristy<br />
Babb, the Executive Director of the Western Carwash<br />
Association. The following is only a portion of the panel<br />
discussion and some answers were edited for space limitations.<br />
To listen to the entire discussion, visit wcwa.org.<br />
will be the first time I have put them inside a bay. Do<br />
you need to see faces? Or license plates? I feel like license<br />
plates is the best place, but I don’t want them where people<br />
are going to steal them.<br />
TOLOPILO: We have them on the ceiling mounted with<br />
a dome. The one thing you run into there is moisture and<br />
the maintenance (having to de-fog) and clean them because<br />
once spray and chemical and condensation gets in<br />
there it will start to block the visual. We have benefited<br />
from having them on the ceiling…The only time they get<br />
messed with is if a large moving truck runs into one and<br />
knocks it down.<br />
MAYER: The cameras we are experiencing with, the snap<br />
cameras, are a light that you put in the light fixture and<br />
there is a motion sensor, like a floodlight, so you stick it into<br />
the outlet where your floodlight is and it turns on and you<br />
can also hear people and speak to people if you need to and<br />
you can hold the videos as long as you want. It’s free if its 24<br />
hours…We just started experimenting with these at two of<br />
our sites and I think we are going to move forward putting<br />
them in the others. It is really just to watch what is going on<br />
there and we are happy with them.<br />
TOLOPILO: We have found that when you have a broader<br />
view of your property, it’s come in handy when things<br />
have happened right outside your property, whether it<br />
is a car accident or any other incident. When the police,<br />
who have come to us multiple times, ask for footage of a<br />
non-carwash-related incident we have been able to assist<br />
them with their investigations.<br />
KING: It is always helpful to have the cops on your side. I<br />
get them parking in my lot at night, so it is always helpful<br />
to have a good relationship that way.
4.99% FINANCING AVAILABLE ON ALL COLEMAN HANNA EQUIPMENT<br />
*Terms and conditions apply, limited time only.<br />
IN BAY AUTOMATICS<br />
UNDER $10,000.00<br />
*STARTING AT UNDER $10,000.00<br />
CARWASH IN A BOX<br />
• Marinas<br />
• RV Parks<br />
• Beaches<br />
• C-Stores<br />
• Apartments<br />
• Car Rental<br />
• Auto Dealerships<br />
• Car washes<br />
• Laundromats<br />
and More!<br />
International models available.<br />
The Power Pack<br />
92000 Standard Vacuum<br />
The Power Pack<br />
self-service car wash<br />
system is designed for the<br />
space conscious. The modular<br />
stainless steel framework is<br />
about 25% shorter but still<br />
includes most of the same<br />
features as the Super Saver 2500.<br />
Our Standard 92000 Vacuum is our most<br />
economical vacuum that still provides the high<br />
performance quality you expect from Coleman<br />
Hanna. Our most popular vacuum, provides<br />
dependable service with low maintenance<br />
required. This unit does not come standard with<br />
graphic decals but custom decals are optional.<br />
This unit also does not come standard with digital<br />
timers.<br />
The New Coleman Hanna<br />
WATCH<br />
NOW:<br />
UNDER $3,000.00<br />
*STARTING AT UNDER $3,000.00<br />
• Stainless Steel Sanitize Station<br />
• Light aroma with a fine mist<br />
• Lightweight spray with a pigtail hose<br />
• Reaches all areas<br />
• Eliminates germs<br />
• Great for any location<br />
Quality Car Wash Equipment<br />
For Over 60 Years.<br />
5842 W 34th St • Houston, TX 77092 | Ph: 1.800.999.9878 • 713.683.9878<br />
info@colemanhanna.com www.colemanhanna.com<br />
FALL 2020 • 61
Around the Wash Self Serve Panel<br />
CHANGE<br />
SHORTAGE<br />
BABB: What about the change<br />
shortage that we have seen nationally?<br />
Has that affected anyone’s business?<br />
MCDONALD: It hasn’t affected us at all because<br />
we use tokens. We’re fortunate. We dispense tokens<br />
out of our change machines. We give a free<br />
vacuum token if you use our express washes.<br />
TOLOPILO: There has been a noticeable impact;<br />
we dispense dollar coins and quarters and people<br />
are learning that they cannot just come and get<br />
quarters at our location. It has increased quite a bit<br />
on our exchange with our bank because we order<br />
coins on a weekly basis and [the demand] spiked<br />
up for the last month and a half as people have<br />
been adjusting because [to the shortage]. Everywhere<br />
in our area, [such as restaurants] are not<br />
offering change back, and exact change is required<br />
so people are coming to our location for all sorts<br />
of reasons to get change, and then driving off, so it<br />
impacts the amount of currency exchange we do<br />
on a weekly basis.<br />
KING: I’m totally quarter run. I have the dollar<br />
changer. I don’t use tokens in the bays. All it’s done<br />
for me is that I have less bags of quarters to drag<br />
to the bank, which isn’t a bad thing in my opinion,<br />
I’m just doing more business by credit card, then<br />
by cash, which hopefully means they’re running<br />
a little more than the $3 minimum on the credit<br />
card. But I have not noticed it has slowed down<br />
the business…<br />
VACUUMS<br />
BABB: What is everyone doing<br />
in regard to vacuums? Are<br />
you charging customers? Are<br />
you offering the free vacuums?<br />
How are you competing with the free vacuums<br />
that are being offered at a lot of the tunnels?<br />
MCDONALD: We only give a free vacuum token<br />
if you use our express drive-thru wash and we give<br />
a little bronze token. If you are strictly a self serve<br />
customer, you have to pay $1 for 4 minutes. We<br />
get a few complaints, but it’s very few, and we do a<br />
very nice vacuum business. We collect quite a few<br />
quarters and tokens.<br />
TOLOPILO: We do not offer free vacuums, but a<br />
lot of that is driven by the fact that space is limited<br />
at our locations. We have an express tunnel at<br />
one location, but we do not have the real estate to<br />
facilitate free vacuum customers. We charge $1.25<br />
for 4 minutes and in the same sentiment, we have<br />
a heathy revenue stream.<br />
KING: I am the same. I have been thinking that<br />
to separate from the free vacuum people, I could<br />
maybe put in the shampooers or a mat wash that<br />
[competitors] don’t have and still be able to charge<br />
$1 for the 4 minutes. I don’t have anyone complaining<br />
either. My vacuums are consistently busy.<br />
But as more and more express tunnels show up it<br />
might become more of an issue down the road.<br />
MAYER: Something we’ve also attached to our<br />
vacuums to make them a little more friendly for<br />
the customer is a little air blower that they can use<br />
to blow out any excess water in their mirrors or<br />
along the front, so that is a bonus for them.<br />
CHEMICALS<br />
BABB: What is everyone using?<br />
I know there’s new stuff<br />
coming out what seems like<br />
every week, ceramic gloss for<br />
example.<br />
KING: What I’ve used for the last 12 years has<br />
worked so well, but I would like to try and expand<br />
our product line. So, I have a question: If I put in<br />
something like a ceramic gloss, does the average<br />
customer coming into the wash know what it is<br />
and what is going to do for their vehicle and be<br />
willing to spend a few extra dollars? And, if I put<br />
in a tire shine or a tire scrub, that means they are<br />
spending more time in the bay, and that means<br />
there are people waiting in line behind them. To<br />
me, it’s a conundrum: Do I want them spending<br />
more time in the bay, or do I want more throughput<br />
to get them in and out?<br />
MCDONALD: As long as the equipment is running<br />
while they are in the bay it doesn’t matter.<br />
Whether you wash one car for 24 hours non-stop<br />
or 24 people came in and washed for an hour, it’s<br />
the same. …we’re all selling time in the bays. So, as<br />
long as we can keep them in there, keep the equipment<br />
turned on and they’re not in there bucket<br />
washing, God bless them.<br />
REWARD<br />
PROGRAMS<br />
BABB: What are self serves<br />
doing, if anything, to reward<br />
their customers? Do you have a<br />
frequent customer program?<br />
MAYER: We do not, but it is something that hopefully<br />
we will be looking at down the road.<br />
TOLOPILO: We do not either, and we do have the<br />
infrastructure to handle that.<br />
MCDONALD: Our rewards program is basically<br />
me or a general manager walking by a bay and<br />
handing out a free vacuum token or quarter and<br />
giving them more time in the bay on us.<br />
KING: We did use a “Thanks” program a few years<br />
ago. But we discontinued the service. I did talk to<br />
our chemical rep and asked if he had any experience<br />
with any of his other clients and he said one<br />
of his clients installed an RFID program in their inbay<br />
automatic and they were able to give monthly<br />
or unlimited passes through that and that was very<br />
effective. I sell discount coupons and tokens for<br />
the automatic and that keeps [customers] coming<br />
back, but I am wondering if the RFID would be a<br />
worthy investment.<br />
CRAZY<br />
STORIES<br />
BABB: What is the craziest<br />
thing that has happened, or you<br />
have seen happen in one of your bays?<br />
MAYER: We have dog washes, and I am not sure<br />
if it’s the craziest thing that has happened, but<br />
this was fun for me. Someone brought over their<br />
miniature pony into one of the dog washes. It was<br />
exciting. I took video and pictures. It was a fun and<br />
happy experience.<br />
MCDONALD: I have a few. We had a guy with a<br />
crane truck — it wasn’t very long ago — who tried<br />
to drive into one of our bays. Now mind you this is<br />
a truck with a 30-foot crane attached and the bay<br />
is labeled 9’10” tall and the truck is roughly 13’<br />
tall, so he didn’t fit very well... I did watch a man<br />
wash a full-size horse in a bay. The horse loved it.<br />
I did watch a man wash a dog in a bay, before we<br />
had pet washes. I turned the bay off as the dog was<br />
not happy with what was happening.<br />
TOLOPILO: We have had a lot of random stuff…<br />
people taking our metal plates from the ground to<br />
people putting chains on their bumpers and trying<br />
to rip of our door (this was recent). This is more<br />
lighthearted: So, a YouTuber, this is a “dad hack”<br />
type of YouTuber, used our car wash to show how<br />
you can wash a baby highchair in a bay. We found<br />
the YouTube video online and I’ve been meaning<br />
to contact him and offer him some free coupons.<br />
KING: We have a Clydesdale as a frequent visitor<br />
at our wash. He is absolutely gorgeous. Loves getting<br />
washes. I see baseball uniforms being washed<br />
— lined up in the mat holders and washed. Not<br />
a funny thing, but you know those Ford vehicles<br />
with the keylock pads on the doors? A mom pulled<br />
in with a toddler and a brand-new baby. She got<br />
out and washed her car and then locked her babies<br />
in the car. She was completely panicked, and it<br />
was in the middle of winter. So, I gave her my coat<br />
and gloves. We called the Ford dealership and the<br />
dealer had happened to write down the security<br />
code to every car that [leaves the lot]. So, she was<br />
able to get back in.<br />
62 • FALL 2020
Darwin<br />
DARWIN at<br />
the<br />
CARWASH<br />
The investment in security cameras pays off for carwash operators (and the readers of <strong>SSCWN</strong>)<br />
with these mostly frustrating, sometimes funny -- and always cautionary -- stories of Darwins Caught on<br />
Camera. Images of these criminals and/or their vehicles were given to police and the press. Many have been<br />
caught thanks to the prowess of security cameras.<br />
Crikey! What have we here in the land of Oz!?<br />
Why, it’s a naked bloke inside a bay.<br />
A naked man was caught getting hosed-down at<br />
the Parkland’s Car and Dog Wash in Queensland,<br />
Australia, back in August, the New York Post reported.<br />
The story said security footage shows the naked<br />
man covering certain unmentionables and grabbing<br />
the car wash wand. The man then hands the<br />
hose to another man who sprays him down while<br />
filming the incident on his phone.<br />
The naked man is then seen jumping up and<br />
down as he gets splashed. He is then seen getting<br />
chased down by another man, who was brandishing<br />
a knife and a hat lined with animal teeth and a vest<br />
made from crocodile skin. I made that last part up.<br />
Things are getting downright nutty<br />
in Romania.<br />
The metal pole I get, but a wooden stump? According<br />
to the Swindon Adviser, two brothers are<br />
now in custody after showing up a car wash and<br />
threatening one of its employees. The brothers had<br />
allegedly gone to the Texaco garage around 8:15<br />
a.m. on August 4, 2020, to try and threaten the<br />
employee.<br />
CCTV showed the brothers pull up in a van, get<br />
out while brandishing weaponry towards the car<br />
wash worker. The man’s colleague tried to intervene,<br />
the story said.<br />
Other car wash workers joined in and were able<br />
to scare the brothers away, or so they thought! Instead<br />
one of the brothers got into their van and<br />
drove it towards the victim.<br />
Police were called and the brothers were arrested<br />
at the scene and the weapons, which they had<br />
managed to retrieve, were found in the van.<br />
As for the weapons, it appears they were a<br />
stump of wood and a metal pole. In the CCTV<br />
footage it shows both brothers wearing masks, so<br />
at least they were showing their concern for the<br />
international pandemic.<br />
When they appeared in court, Judge Crabtree<br />
said: “If you’re tooled up and you drive a van at<br />
someone and you’ve got a stump of wood and a<br />
metal pole your intention is to cause serious harm.”<br />
The judge bailed the men who agreed to cooperate.<br />
No mention of the Olympic<br />
medal? Clear clue in my<br />
book (read further for the<br />
“red pants” story).<br />
Police in Bradford, Ontario, released<br />
a description of a man who tried to<br />
break into an ATM machine at the Palm<br />
Springs Car Wash last June. Now,<br />
when you look at his picture, what is<br />
the first thing you see?<br />
Why, it’s what looks like an Olympic<br />
medal. Yet, the crime stoppers report<br />
does not mention it.<br />
An investigation indicated he<br />
attempted to gain access to the ATM<br />
machine however, an alarm sounded<br />
and he hastily departed empty-handed.<br />
The ATM was damaged in an attempt<br />
to gain access.<br />
The suspect is described as:<br />
• Male<br />
• White, tanned<br />
• Shaved head and<br />
long hair at the back<br />
• Goatee<br />
• Medium build<br />
• Wearing a blue jean jacket,<br />
black pants, white shoes,<br />
yellow gloves and a red backpack<br />
FALL 2020 • 63
We got a couple of dumb<br />
ones here, folks!<br />
Two men were caught after robbing a car wash<br />
in McDowell, North Carolina, according to The<br />
McDowell News.<br />
The story said that around 3 p.m. on Sunday,<br />
August 9, someone broke into coin machines at<br />
the Zip Car Wash and took money and tools and<br />
caused damage to locks.<br />
The crimes were caught on car wash surveillance<br />
cameras and police were able to get a good<br />
image of the vehicle used. That very night, a police<br />
officer spotted a truck matching that description<br />
on the same roadway as the car wash.<br />
The officer pulled the truck over and found<br />
two men inside along with items in the truck that<br />
were involved with the car wash break-in.<br />
Kyle Jordan Jenkins, 25, was charged with possession<br />
of a stolen vehicle, larceny, injury to personal<br />
property and breaking into a coin-operated<br />
machine.<br />
And John Paul McCall, 37, was charged with<br />
larceny, injury to personal property, breaking into<br />
a coin-operated machine and possession of methamphetamine.<br />
Here is a new feature in<br />
Self Serve Car Wash News:<br />
Where did this “sharp-witted”<br />
car wash criminal try to hide?<br />
According to a story out of Nevada County,<br />
California, a suspect tried to thwart police by<br />
hiding:<br />
• Inside a trash can<br />
• Up a flagpole<br />
• In a blackberry bush<br />
• Behind a police car<br />
And, while all four answers could be the right<br />
answer considering the name of this section of<br />
the magazine, the correct answer in this scenario<br />
is: C -- in a blackberry bush!<br />
Back in August, police were on the hunt for a<br />
vandalism suspect who covered more than a mile<br />
and a half on foot during an extensive tagging<br />
spree over a weekend, damaging between 20 to<br />
25 businesses, according to The Union. Surveillance<br />
video revealed a younger white man spray<br />
painting the walls of one business, the story said.<br />
During a foot chase, in which they were pretty<br />
sure they spotted the vandal, a police officer<br />
happened upon a man who was crouched near a<br />
dumpster located near one of the vandalized businesses.<br />
The man then fled into some blackberry bushes<br />
and headed toward the highway, but was later<br />
apprehended. “As it turned out,” the story said,<br />
“although he was not the vandal, he admitted to<br />
having been trying to break into coin machines<br />
at the car wash.”<br />
When you’re trying to make a swift<br />
getaway on a bicycle, your best bet is<br />
to put down the cases of beer, I always say.<br />
Back in August In Richmond, Virginia, a man is<br />
accused of stealing and crashing cars, according to<br />
6 News.<br />
The man was seen on surveillance video grabbing<br />
a few cases of beer from an Exxon in Richmond<br />
without paying. An employee then confronted<br />
him near the Exxon’s car wash, but backed away<br />
when the thief said he had a gun on him.<br />
The man then tries to get away on a bicycle, but<br />
It was a distinctive pair of red pants that did him<br />
in proving once and for all that fashion can in fact, be a crime.<br />
According to St. Louis Call Newspaper, a man<br />
has been charged with stealing a credit card at<br />
gunpoint at the Classic Car Wash in South County,<br />
Missouri, and police say he was caught for two<br />
reasons: A car wash surveillance video and a particular<br />
pair of red pants.<br />
Back in August, prosecutors charged Ahmon<br />
Smith, 19, for one count of first-degree robbery<br />
and one count of armed criminal action.<br />
Smith was apparently at a car wash and approached<br />
a young man who was trying to use his credit card in<br />
one of the car wash machines. The victim said he<br />
assumed Smith worked at the car wash.<br />
Smith then pointed a gun and demanded the<br />
credit card. He allegedly then took the victim’s<br />
card and drove away from the car wash.<br />
Police detectives used surveillance video to find<br />
still images of the suspect’s car and took notice of<br />
the criminal’s distinctive red pants. Unfortunately<br />
for us, there is no image of the red pants available.<br />
A man who backed into a<br />
gas pump at a ScrubaDub<br />
car wash in Portland, Maine,<br />
has been caught thanks to<br />
the public. According to WJBQ<br />
news, a driver crashed into a gas<br />
pump, Saturday September 19th,<br />
setting it on fire.<br />
The car wash posted footage of the<br />
driver on its Facebook page, people<br />
were able to identify the culprit.<br />
One funny person wrote on the car<br />
wash’s Facebook pages, ‘Looks like he<br />
stole that Ford from Jurassic Park after<br />
they shut it down.’<br />
had a hard time trying to balance the four cases<br />
of beer.<br />
The same man then apparently appeared a week<br />
later at the same business where he stole a vehicle<br />
when the car’s owner left the pump running and<br />
had gone inside.<br />
Police said he later crashed that car in nearby<br />
Henrico, Virginia. Police were able to eventually<br />
apprehend the suspect.<br />
Detectives were able to track down Smith at his<br />
residence where they also found the red pants.<br />
This isn’t the first time Classic Car Wash surveillance<br />
footage has helped police. The owner was<br />
also able to catch suspects in 2016 who trashed his<br />
business, causing thousands of dollars in damage.<br />
As for the red pants, I took the liberty of doing<br />
a Google search of what they might have looked<br />
like. Here are some of my findings:<br />
64 • FALL 2020
2020_TowelCatalog.indd 1<br />
8/12/2020 3:21:09 PM<br />
FORGET<br />
THE<br />
WET!<br />
BODY DRYING TOWEL<br />
ULTRA-85 MICROFIBER TOWEL<br />
• Sold 12 per case<br />
• Each towel measures 16” x 27”<br />
• Heavyweight and plush, bleach-resistant<br />
• Attractive red stitched edge<br />
$23.75<br />
DJMF8500-BK<br />
DJMF8500-CHAR<br />
Black<br />
Charcoal<br />
BODY DRYING TOWEL<br />
$26.75<br />
AMBASSADOR HAND TOWELS<br />
• Sold 12 per case - weighs 4 lb/dozen<br />
• Each towel measures 16” x 28”<br />
• 100% cotton - heavy-weight and absorbent<br />
• Do not use with bleach<br />
DJT1610-BK Black DJT1610-BUR<br />
Burgundy<br />
DJT1610-DG Green DJT1610-BRN Brown<br />
$23.75<br />
Club<br />
BODY DRYING TOWEL<br />
ULTRA-80 HEAVY WEIGHT<br />
BODY DRYING<br />
MICROFIBER TOWELS<br />
• Sold 12 per case<br />
• Each towel measures 16" x 27""<br />
• Has the soft feel of cotton<br />
DJMF8000-R<br />
DJMF8000-BK<br />
DJMF8000-BL<br />
Red<br />
Black<br />
Blue<br />
BODY DRYING TOWEL<br />
ULTRA-61 TERRY<br />
MICROFIBER TOWELS<br />
• Sold 12 per case - 270 GSM<br />
• Each towel measures 16" x 24"<br />
• Perfect for color coding<br />
$14.70<br />
GLASS TOWELS<br />
DJMF6100-BL<br />
DJMF6100-G<br />
DJMF6100-R<br />
Blue<br />
Green<br />
Pink<br />
ULTRA-32 WAFFLE WEAVE<br />
MICROFIBER TOWELS<br />
• Sold 12 per case<br />
• Each towel measures 16" x 24"<br />
• Absorbs up to 7x its weight in water<br />
$14.70<br />
DJMF3200-R<br />
DJMF3200-DG<br />
DJMF3200-BL<br />
GLASS TOWELS<br />
DJMF5100-BL<br />
DJMF5100-R<br />
Blue<br />
Red<br />
Red<br />
Green<br />
Blue<br />
ULTRA-86 MICROFIBER TOWELS<br />
• Sold 12 per case<br />
• Each towel measures 16" x 16"<br />
• Approximately 65 gram weight per towel<br />
• Versatile cleaning, polishing and drying<br />
DJMF8600-CHAR<br />
DJMF8600-BK<br />
DJMF8000-DG<br />
DJMF8000-Y<br />
DJMF5100-G<br />
DJMF5100-Y<br />
Charcoal<br />
Jet Black<br />
Green<br />
Yellow<br />
ULTRA-51 MICROFIBER TOWELS<br />
• Sold 12 per case - 270 GSM<br />
• Each towel measures 16" x 16"<br />
• Fine fiber construction with stitched edge<br />
• Great for lint-free cleaning of glass<br />
$14.70<br />
DETAIL TOWELS<br />
$14.50<br />
Green<br />
Yellow<br />
$42.50<br />
SHOP. EARN. SAVE.<br />
Join the Kleen-Rite Rewards Club now!<br />
BODY DRYING TOWEL<br />
ULTRA-70 THICK TERRY<br />
MICROFIBER TOWELS<br />
• Sold 10 per case<br />
• Each towel measures 20" x 40"<br />
• Individually wrapped<br />
• Great for car washes, auto detailers, spas, & hotels<br />
DJMF7000-BL<br />
DJMF7000-DG<br />
DJMF7000-W<br />
Blue<br />
Dark Green<br />
White<br />
GLASS TOWELS - DO STREAKS GIVE YOU THE CREEPS?!<br />
ULTRA-55 & ULTRA 56 DIAMOND<br />
MICROFIBER GLASS TOWELS<br />
• Sold 12 per case<br />
• Each towel measures 16" x 24"<br />
• Nano lint-suppression technology<br />
$23.40 DJMF5600-BK Blue 16” X 16”<br />
$35.40 DJMF5500-BK Black 16” X 24”<br />
$35.40 DJMF5500-BL Blue 16” X 24”<br />
PRE-WASHED SURGICAL TOWELS<br />
• Sold 12 per case<br />
• Each towel measures 16" x 24"<br />
• 1.6 lb<br />
• Autoclavable cotton material<br />
$10.05<br />
GLASS TOWELS<br />
BLUE FOLDED<br />
SURGICAL TOWEL<br />
• Sold 100 per carton - 50 pieces per poly bag<br />
• Each towel measures 16" x 24"<br />
• 1.7 lb/dozen<br />
$50.00<br />
GLASS TOWELS<br />
DJS1600-BL<br />
DJS1600-LG<br />
DJS1600-O<br />
DJS1700-BL<br />
SPECTRUM HAND TOWELS<br />
• Sold 12 per case<br />
• Each towel measures 16" x 27"<br />
• Approximately 3 lb. weight per dozen<br />
• Fast-drying - great for detailing, salons and spas<br />
DJT1650-DG<br />
DJT1650-BK<br />
DJT1650-ECRU<br />
Blue<br />
Light Green<br />
Orange<br />
Dark Green<br />
Black<br />
Ecru/Light Tan<br />
KLEENRITE.COM | 800.233.3873<br />
Blue<br />
DJS1600-P<br />
DJS1600-W<br />
DJS1600-Y<br />
DETAIL TOWELS - BRINGING BLING TO THE CAR<br />
$19.50<br />
Pink<br />
White<br />
Yellow<br />
Request your FREE copy<br />
of our NEW<br />
Towel Buying<br />
Guide today!<br />
FALL 2020 • 65
This Ben Affleck wannabe was<br />
caught thanks to good ol DNA,<br />
in Barry, Illinois.<br />
Back on October 16, 2019, at 1:54 a.m., security<br />
footage captured a masked gunman walking into the<br />
Jiffi Stop convenience store and taking off with money,<br />
cigarettes and lottery tickets, according to The Telegraph.<br />
According to the story, a year later, the suspect<br />
was caught a few states over in Colorado after a chance<br />
DNA scan put law enforcement authorities on an 800-<br />
mile path of the man they believe was responsible for<br />
the 2019 armed robbery.<br />
KHQA reported that the Pike County Sheriff’s Department<br />
received notification this past October from<br />
the Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Science,<br />
which identified the suspect as Stephen Edward Mullins<br />
due to a DNA hit.<br />
Law enforcement was able to track Mullins to the<br />
Elbert County Jail in Colorado.<br />
In a news release, Sheriff Greenwood stated that<br />
during an investigation, Sergeant Frazier located a very<br />
small item that contained the suspect’s DNA, which<br />
ultimately was used to identify the suspect. “Sheriff<br />
Greenwood said his department was able to track<br />
Mullins throughout the State of Illinois as he attempted<br />
to scan stolen lottery tickets,” according to the story.<br />
From Facebook:<br />
Update: Sometimes, it takes a while<br />
to catch the bad guy and, in this<br />
case, it took a year, but now a 35-year-old car<br />
wash criminal is behind bars. Last year, John Edward<br />
Dyson Jr. was arrested in January 2019 after a theft<br />
was reported at the Super Wash in Ocala, Florida.<br />
According to a Village-News report, he had recently<br />
been released from the Marion County Jail after<br />
serving time following a string of similar thefts. His<br />
criminal resume included the theft of $500 in quarters<br />
from Quality Car Wash in Summerfield, Florida,<br />
$3,000 in damages at the Splash and Dash car<br />
wash in Ocala and inflicting damage to equipment at<br />
Baseline Car Wash in Ocala. He was caught on video<br />
surveillance in each of the incidents.<br />
This past September, a sheriff’s deputy spotted<br />
Dyson at a Circle K minimart and arrested him on<br />
five outstanding warrants.<br />
He has been charged with violating his probation<br />
on previous charges of burglary of a structure,<br />
possession of burglary tools and three counts of<br />
breaking into coin-operated vending machines, according<br />
to the report.<br />
Carlos Jones of Memphis man has<br />
pled guilty to an armed carjacking<br />
that took place in July 2018 at a car wash, according<br />
to WMC5 news.<br />
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District<br />
of Tennessee, said the victim was washing his<br />
car around 9 p.m. when two armed suspects approached<br />
him and demanded he move away from<br />
the car and leave.<br />
Surveillance video showed the suspects entering<br />
the car wash in a white vehicle and leaving the<br />
scene with the victim’s vehicle, the story stated.<br />
Investigators tracked down the victim’s vehicle<br />
using GPS. Fingerprints found on the vehicle were<br />
connected to the second suspect, 22-year-old Angelo<br />
Bunting. The victim was also able to identify both<br />
men. Jones recently pled guilty to the charges of carjacking<br />
and brandishing a firearm during a crime of<br />
violence. Jones will be sentenced on January 7, 2021,<br />
and faces up to 15 years for the carjacking and a minimum<br />
of seven years for the weapons charge.<br />
66 • FALL 2020<br />
And, finally, sometimes a little<br />
jab and guilt trip doesn’t hurt.<br />
A car wash in Randolph, Vermont, is closed until<br />
further notice after a criminal stole quarters from<br />
one of its change machines back in October. The<br />
South End Auto car wash decided to use honesty as<br />
its best policy with some poignant signage:
NEW<br />
PRODUCTS<br />
FROM IVS!<br />
Sanitizing Stations<br />
Increase your profits while helping<br />
your customers stay safe with a<br />
disinfecting mist. Available in pay,<br />
free, stand and wall mount options.<br />
Power Vac Combos<br />
Give your customers vacuum<br />
fragrance and vacuum shampoo<br />
features with these easy to<br />
maintain, low cost combo units<br />
Get more information on these<br />
new and exciting products online<br />
at www.ivs-vacuum.com, or call<br />
us at 800.968.8227<br />
Arch Vacs<br />
Durable, long lasting stainless<br />
steel construction with fully<br />
customizable signage to match<br />
your location.<br />
FALL 2020 • 67
ARE COST EFFECTIVE<br />
AND LOW MAINTENANCE<br />
SHOWN WITH<br />
CANISTER VACS<br />
CALL TODAY and Let Us Show<br />
You How Self Serves Can<br />
Compete with Express !<br />
OVER<br />
INDUSTRIAL GRADE<br />
Flexible • Profitable • Dependable<br />
(800) 421-5119<br />
225 Crown Blvd., Timberlake, NC 27583<br />
PO Box 488 | Roxboro, NC 27573<br />
www.cpcarwash.com | sales@cpcarwash.com<br />
68 • FALL 2020