30.11.2022 Views

FALL2022_SSCWN_web

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

The Industry’s Highest<br />

Quality Arch Vac System!<br />

Single or Dual Arch<br />

LED Lighting Standard<br />

Free Use and Pay options<br />

GET A QUOTE TODAY!<br />

See all these exciting products<br />

and more at our all new <strong>web</strong>site,<br />

www.ivs-vacuum.com<br />

or call Pat at 800.968.8227<br />

2 • FALL 2022


DATA ACCESS NETWORK<br />

REAL-TIME DATA & REPORTS | INTEGRATED WITH<br />

D.A.N. is a central hub that networks your Hamilton<br />

equipment to Hosted Solutions, giving you access to<br />

real-time data and reports for your self-serve bays.<br />

SCAN QR CODE TO<br />

LEARN MORE<br />

CELEBRATING<br />

hamiltonmfg.com | 888-723-4858<br />

FALL 2022 • 3


CONTENTS<br />

Fun & Games ..................6<br />

Tips ......................................8<br />

Around the Wash:<br />

Water polarization ............ 10<br />

Fill in the<br />

Blank/Poll ...................... 20<br />

Tricks<br />

of the Trade .................... 22<br />

Association News<br />

& Calendar .................... 28<br />

Industry<br />

Dirt .................................... 32<br />

Note to Self<br />

BY DEBRA GORGOS, EDITOR<br />

Before this very issue landed<br />

in your mailbox,<br />

it was Halloween-time and spooky regalia seeped throughout stoops, storefronts and crevices<br />

from Main Streets to the suburbs. Spider<strong>web</strong>s, scary looking critters and howling animatronic<br />

adornments were everywhere. And, while people will pay good money and get a<br />

kick out of haunted houses and hayfields, I can guarantee you that people will not pay good<br />

money to visit a creepy car wash after the sun sets. The other night I drove around looking<br />

to take pictures of self serves in the moonlight (please do this if you haven’t already as the<br />

moon serves as a wonderful source of light for photographs). And, eek! So many businesses,<br />

not just car washes, look downright haunted. I’m not exactly Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, but<br />

I can hold my own physically and there were some parking lots I drove by and just kept on<br />

driving. Where are the lights? Why is there garbage blowing around? Why are there dead<br />

shrubs? Weeds through the cracks in the pavement? Cob<strong>web</strong>s? Are these places abandoned?<br />

They are not. But, it seems as if the owners do not care about night time patronage. What<br />

about people driving home from work who need a car wash? None of the moms I know<br />

would step foot, let alone drive onto your property, with the way it looks (and feels) at night.<br />

How about some bright lighting? Cleared out properties? Working surveillance cameras?<br />

Maybe even an attendant, or the owner on site to check on things throughout the evening?<br />

Don’t be another business that doesn’t care about its appearance or the safety of others. I<br />

honestly would drive out of my way to a car wash that appears to be more safe than a closer<br />

one with a set-it-and-forget-it owner.<br />

And, until next time,<br />

Extra Extra ..................... 36<br />

Cover Story .................... 44<br />

Darwin ............................. 50<br />

LETTER TO THE EDITOR<br />

Dear <strong>SSCWN</strong>,<br />

VOL. 50, NO. 4, FALL 2022<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 />

I don’t think the writer of the article on the causes of inflation was identified<br />

but he/she was either uninformed about the subject or knew better but chose<br />

to spout the false narrative that places the complete blame for inflation on the<br />

Russian invasion of Ukraine and the escalation of world oil prices. I could not<br />

believe the writer did not mention as a major cause of inflation Mr. Biden’s halt<br />

of the Keystone Pipeline and his own war on the domestic production of oil and<br />

natural gas (while facilitating Russia’s production of oil). Tell your writer to do<br />

some research and learn that the price of oil, gasoline and diesel was increasing<br />

at a steady pace before the Russian invasion (and when the cost of energy increases<br />

so does the price of everything transported by trucks: food, pharmaceuticals,<br />

appliances, and clothing-to name a few.) The Biden administration tried<br />

to blame the increased cost of energy and the resulting increase of everything<br />

else on the “Russian War.” Of course that event exacerbated inflation, especially<br />

since our government printed so much money to send to Ukraine. Another<br />

cause of inflation not cited by the writer was the Biden Administration’s flooding<br />

the economy with billions of dollars. The Russian invasion made inflation<br />

worse but was certainly not the cause of inflation.<br />

Sincerely,<br />

Richard Keen<br />

Keen Carwash Denham Springs, LA<br />

Copyright 2022. 2 Dollar Enterprises/<strong>SSCWN</strong>. All Rights Reserved<br />

4 • FALL 2022


Hello, Richard and thank you<br />

so much for your email.<br />

While I do love a good tet a tet, I have to start off by<br />

saying that in the Summer 2022 issue of Self Serve Car<br />

Wash News, the mentioning of the Ukraine War (Vol.<br />

50, No. 3, Summer 2022, page 31) it hardly places the<br />

complete blame for inflation on the Russian invasion. In<br />

fact, it is one of 6 reasons mentioned. Here is a screen<br />

shot for your reference:<br />

Now, in the second bullet point, it does state that<br />

another factor for inflation is due to soaring energy<br />

prices, which leads us back to good ol’ Russia and our<br />

dependence on its oil supply. And that is just pure fact.<br />

Russia is one of the largest suppliers of crude oil in the<br />

world. Other factors listed include the rise in consumer<br />

goods, labor shortages and salary increases that darn<br />

Federal Reserve.Oh, and lets not forget the pandemic<br />

(who could?) and the trillions of dollars spent on stimulus<br />

money.<br />

I wish none of these aforementioned reasons existed,<br />

but the key word is “reason-s,” as in plural, as in, no<br />

where did the war in/on Ukraine solely take the blame.<br />

And, as for the jab against the Biden administration,<br />

unlike my predecessor no mention of politics, or where<br />

I stand, will make its way into this publication. JJ was<br />

good at doing that – seamlessly imbibing political<br />

views like warm caramel oozing over vanilla ice cream.<br />

I, on the other hand, am so politically tangled up, I<br />

cannot form a cool-headed thought, other than<br />

to say one of the best things about this country<br />

is the First Amendment.<br />

I truly appreciate your letter and hope you’ll<br />

continue to call out anything you think is wrong or<br />

EDITOR’S RESPONSE:<br />

misguided, and I welcome others to do the same.<br />

Sincerely,<br />

Debra Gorgos,<br />

Editor<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 />

FALL 2022 • 5


FUN & GAMES<br />

WHAT’S DIFFERENT?<br />

Think<br />

these two pictures taken at a self serve car<br />

wash are the same? Think again!<br />

There are five differences. Can you spot them?<br />

1. Drain is missing 2. Dropbox is missing 3. Clearance sign is gone 4. Bigfoot is passing by 5. There is a second light<br />

6 • FALL 2022


BE PREPARED FOR<br />

WINTER<br />

Get you car wash ready<br />

for the cold season with<br />

anti-freeze detergents<br />

and shampoos<br />

Once salt hits the roads<br />

customers will be lining up to<br />

remove it from their vehicles!<br />

• Salt removal is a great profit<br />

center during the winter months!<br />

• Replace bug remover with Desalt<br />

in the winter months!<br />

Giant Pumps<br />

PU21495<br />

Kleen-Rite<br />

KR5AF<br />

Kleen-Rite<br />

VSK5825<br />

Simoniz<br />

PA5568<br />

Suttner<br />

ST1500<br />

Weep Guns<br />

Weep guns allow water to<br />

drip from the gun at all times<br />

when you don’t want water<br />

to freeze in gun and hose -<br />

perfect for winter use!<br />

J.E. Adams<br />

GU0114<br />

Weep Mizer<br />

Keep your lines from freezing this<br />

winter without allowing free rinsing.<br />

Keeps track of external temperatures<br />

so you won’t need to run water through<br />

the weep when it is above freezing<br />

Dixmor<br />

TI0100<br />

BLACK MICROFIBER<br />

TOWELS<br />

Available now from<br />

KLEENRITE.COM | 800.233.3873<br />

FALL 2022 • 7


TIPs<br />

SAFETY TIP<br />

New OSHA Training<br />

Centers now<br />

available<br />

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational<br />

Safety and Health Administration announced<br />

the addition of a new organization to its OSHA<br />

Training Institute Education Center network and<br />

the renewal of 25 existing education centers. OTI<br />

Education Centers are non-profit organizations<br />

that offer training courses on OSHA standards<br />

and occupational safety and health topics to<br />

workers and employers across the country.<br />

Since 1992, the OTI Education Center program<br />

has provided training nationwide to private<br />

sector and federal personnel from agencies outside<br />

OSHA and trained more than 42,000 people<br />

in fiscal year 2022.<br />

The centers also help administer OSHA’s Outreach<br />

Training Program and fulfill the program’s<br />

monitoring requirements. They are the sole distribution<br />

channel for Outreach Training Program<br />

trainer courses, including OSHA standards and<br />

update courses. The program trained more than<br />

three million people from fiscal 2020 through fiscal<br />

2022. This voluntary program is not a training<br />

requirement of any OSHA standard.<br />

Following a national competition, the new and<br />

renewed OTI Education Centers were announced<br />

on April 18, 2022. The competition evaluated<br />

applicants on organizational commitment, experience<br />

and qualifications; staff experience and<br />

qualifications; location and training facilities; marketing<br />

and administrative capabilities; Diversity<br />

Equity Inclusion and Accessibility; and language<br />

accessibility.<br />

OSHA does not fund OTI Education Centers.<br />

The centers are supported through established<br />

tuition and fee structures and provide instructors<br />

and facilities. For more information on the<br />

OTI Education Centers Program, the Outreach<br />

Training Program, and the Office of Training and<br />

Education, please visit the OSHA Training <strong>web</strong>page<br />

at OSHA.gov<br />

The new and renewed OTI Education Centers<br />

are listed below. An asterisk indicates the new<br />

center for 2022:<br />

REGION I<br />

• Keene State College – Manchester, NH<br />

REGION II<br />

• Atlantic OSHA Training Center, a consortium<br />

that includes Rutgers School of Public Health –<br />

Somerset, NJ (lead organization); Universidad<br />

Ana G. Mendez – Bayamon, PR; and University<br />

at Buffalo – Buffalo, NY<br />

• Rochester Institute of Technology – Rochester, NY<br />

REGION III<br />

• National Resource Center, a consortium that<br />

includes West Virginia University – Morgantown,<br />

WV (lead organization); and CPWR – Center for<br />

Construction Research & Training – Silver Spring,<br />

MD<br />

• Mid Atlantic, a consortium comprised that<br />

includes Chesapeake Region Safety Council<br />

– Baltimore, MD (lead organization); and<br />

Northampton Community College – Bethlehem,<br />

PA<br />

REGION IV<br />

• Eastern Kentucky University – Richmond, KY<br />

• University of South Florida – Wesley Chapel, FL<br />

• Georgia Institute of Technology – Atlanta, GA<br />

• Southeastern OTI Education Center, a<br />

consortium that includes North Carolina State<br />

University – Raleigh, NC (lead organization); and<br />

University of Tennessee – Nashville, TN<br />

• The University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa, AL<br />

• Volunteer State Community College - Gallatin,<br />

TN<br />

REGION V<br />

• Mid-America OTI Education Center, a consortium<br />

that includes Ohio Valley Construction Education<br />

Foundation – Springboro, OH<br />

• Great Lakes OSHA Education Center, a<br />

consortium that includes University of Cincinnati,<br />

College of Medicine – Cincinnati, OH (lead<br />

organization); Eastern Michigan University<br />

– Ypsilanti, MI; and UAW Health & Safety<br />

Department – Detroit, MI<br />

• National Safety Education Center, a consortium<br />

that includes Northern Illinois University –<br />

DeKalb, IL (lead organization); and Construction<br />

Safety Council – Hillside, IL<br />

REGION VI<br />

• Texas A&M University Engineering Extension<br />

(TEEX) – College Station, TX<br />

• University of Texas at Arlington – Arlington, TX<br />

• Mid-South OTI Education Center, a consortium<br />

that includes Alliance Safety Council – Baton<br />

Rouge, LA (lead organization); and Louisiana<br />

State University – Baton Rouge, LA<br />

• Oklahoma State University – Stillwater, OK<br />

REGION VII<br />

• Great Plains OSHA Education Center, a<br />

consortium that includes Metropolitan<br />

Community College – Independence, MO<br />

(lead organization); Barton County Community<br />

College – Grandview Plaza, KS; and Saint Louis<br />

University College for Public Health & Social<br />

Justice – St. Louis, MO<br />

REGION VIII<br />

• Mountain West OSHA Education Center – Salt<br />

Lake City, UT<br />

• *Construction Education Foundation – Denver,<br />

CO<br />

REGION IX<br />

• University of California, San Diego – La Jolla, CA<br />

• Arizona State University – Tempe, AZ<br />

• California State University, Dominguez Hills –<br />

Carson, CA<br />

• Chabot-Las Positas – Pleasanton, CA<br />

REGION X<br />

• University of Washington – Seattle, WA<br />

For information on the geographic areas served<br />

by OSHA’s Regional Offices, visit https://www.<br />

osha.gov/contactus/bystate.<br />

8 • FALL 2022


FINANCIAL TIP<br />

What is the 504 loan program?<br />

The CDC/504 Loan Program provides longterm,<br />

fixed rate financing for major fixed assets<br />

that promote business growth and job creation.<br />

504 loans are available through Certified<br />

Development Companies (CDCs), the Small<br />

Business Administration’s (SBA) community-based<br />

partners who regulate nonprofits and<br />

promote economic development within their<br />

communities. CDCs are certified and regulated<br />

by the SBA.<br />

The maximum loan amount for a 504 loan<br />

is $5 million. For certain energy projects, the<br />

borrower can receive a 504 loan for up to $5.5<br />

million per project, for up to three projects not to<br />

exceed $16.5 million total.<br />

Are you eligible?<br />

To be eligible for a 504 loan, your business must:<br />

• Operate as a for-profit company in the United<br />

States or its possessions<br />

• Have a tangible net worth of less than $15 million<br />

• Have an average net income of less than $5<br />

million after federal income taxes for the two<br />

years preceding your application<br />

Other general eligibility standards include falling<br />

within SBA size guidelines, having qualified<br />

management expertise, a feasible business plan,<br />

good character and the ability to repay the loan.<br />

Loans cannot be made to businesses engaged<br />

in nonprofit, passive, or speculative activities. For<br />

additional information on eligibility criteria and<br />

loan application requirements, small businesses<br />

and lenders are encouraged to contact a Certified<br />

Development Company in their area.<br />

How to use a 504 loan<br />

A 504 loan can be used for a range of assets<br />

that promote business growth and job creation.<br />

These include the purchase or construction of:<br />

• Existing buildings or land<br />

• New facilities<br />

• Long-term machinery and equipment<br />

Or the improvement or modernization of:<br />

• Land, streets, utilities, parking lots and<br />

landscaping<br />

• Existing facilities<br />

A 504 loan cannot be used for:<br />

• Working capital or inventory<br />

• Consolidating, repaying or refinancing debt<br />

• Speculation or investment in rental real estate<br />

How to apply<br />

504 loans are available exclusively through<br />

Certified Development Companies (CDCs).<br />

First, find a CDC in your area to ensure you are<br />

dealing with a qualified lender.<br />

Then begin to prepare and assemble your 504<br />

loan authorization package, using the 504 Authorization<br />

File Library at sba.gov to identify the<br />

documentation you will need to apply for your<br />

504 CDC loan.<br />

How do you pay back a 504 loan?<br />

Loan repayment terms vary according to several<br />

factors:<br />

• Repayment terms<br />

• Both 10- and 20-year maturity terms available<br />

• Interest rates<br />

• Pegged to an increment above the current<br />

market rate for 5-year and 10-year U.S. Treasury<br />

issues<br />

• Totals approximately 3 % of the debt, rate may<br />

be financed with the loan<br />

Existing borrowers can create an account in the<br />

SBA Capital Access Financial System (or CAFS)<br />

to monitor their loan status.<br />

DO YOU BELIEVE<br />

IN LOYALTY?<br />

Accept any form of payment in your<br />

self-serve bays. From coins to<br />

mobile, we cover it all!<br />

BUILD YOUR SALES AND GET LARGER PURCHASES<br />

WITH THE LOYALTY AND MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMS!<br />

WASHLOYALTY.COM<br />

FALL 2022 • 9


Around the Wash<br />

The Miracle of<br />

Polarized Water<br />

By Tom Scott<br />

As a matter of introduction my name is Tom Scott<br />

and I reside in Dallas, Texas. I was one of the original<br />

2 founders of the original North Texas Car Wash<br />

Association which grew to become the Southwest<br />

Car Wash Association we all know and love today.<br />

I am a young 80 years old. Over the last 53 years I<br />

have owned and operated a 4 bay, an 11 bay and a 12<br />

bay car wash and at times had attached convenience<br />

stores. Having been cursed at birth with too many<br />

aptitudes I have been in numerous other enterprises<br />

including the design and production of aircraft, operating<br />

a fixed base airport operation and flight school,<br />

owning and operating a fast food restaurant, and other<br />

lesser endeavors and now I have a farm and continue<br />

to operate my 11 bay self serve I built in 1970.<br />

I’m getting tired of repeating all this info on magnetic<br />

water treatment for every new person that<br />

wants to know about it so I am writing this article.<br />

Then I won’t have to bore you with it if it’s not interesting<br />

to you and I can do something more productive<br />

with my time.<br />

Except for air, water is the most important element<br />

in our lives. We cannot live long at all without it. It<br />

is essential in almost everything we do. It can be as<br />

timid as a tear or it can be as powerful as the mighty<br />

oceans. This report reveals how it can be altered in a<br />

very simple and inexpensive way to serve you better.<br />

First I’d like to make it emphatically clear that I am<br />

not sharing this information to profit. You are being<br />

given this info without cost or obligation and I stand<br />

to gain nothing monetarily from any other source. If<br />

you decide to try polarized water for yourself, sources<br />

for the magnets and instructions for their installation<br />

will be included here. In this age of multilevel<br />

marketing and rampant scams you can be assured I<br />

have nothing to gain from any purchase you make.<br />

This thing I call “POLARIZED WATER” is truly<br />

amazing and can be a huge boon to your car wash<br />

WARNING<br />

Be aware that shiny glazed tiles on shower floors newly cleaned by<br />

polarized water may become much more slippery than you may be<br />

accustomed to. For “safety first” you may want to use a shower mat<br />

or install anti slip strips.<br />

and your personal enjoyment of life. It is one of those<br />

deceptively simple things that is also somewhat complex<br />

because of the many and varied things it can do<br />

for you. But it’s really painless. And it’s inexpensive<br />

and simple to do.<br />

A LITTLE<br />

BACKGROUND<br />

I still own a car wash and well over 50 years ago<br />

I installed an old set of relatively weak iron magnets<br />

on the water line because I was told it would prolong<br />

the life of my very expensive water heater. That<br />

was my only objective or expectation relative to the<br />

magnets. I was oblivious to any other benefits they<br />

might provide because I had no experience to compare<br />

to. The magnets were installed in 1970 and they<br />

became obscured by stuff stacked around them as<br />

time passed and I forgot about them.<br />

Don’t start thinking I’m just promoting something<br />

to prolong the life of your water heater because that<br />

is a very small part of what this is about. But this<br />

example is bold and undeniable proof that magnets<br />

have a profound effect on water that provides many<br />

amazing benefits. Please stay with me and read on.<br />

35 years later I noticed the magnets for the first<br />

time in decades and I thought, “Why did I put those<br />

10 • FALL 2022


www.SonnysDirect.com 800-327-8723<br />

FALL 2022 • 11


AROUND THE WASH: THE MIRACLE OF POLARIZED WATER<br />

things on there?” Later I remembered and realized<br />

that the water heater was in fact now very old. I<br />

asked a professional plumber how long it should<br />

have lasted and he said “In Dallas water, about 7 or 8<br />

years.” He couldn’t believe 35 years! Well, as of this<br />

writing it is now 52 years old and still going strong.<br />

We put a new $10 thermocouple in it occasionally<br />

when they go out, but that’s it.<br />

By all rights the coiled heating tubes in the heater<br />

should have grown completely shut with mineral<br />

buildup at least 4 decades ago yet they are still completely<br />

free of ANY mineral scale thanks to a couple<br />

of magnets.<br />

Things that work and don’t cause problems or<br />

need maintenance tend to be forgotten and taken<br />

for granted. We just don’t tend to concern ourselves<br />

with things that don’t cause us trouble. So for all<br />

those years I had no idea what a huge benefit that<br />

simple little pair of inexpensive magnets had been<br />

to me or how much money they had saved me. They<br />

prevented me from having to replace that huge<br />

expensive water heater as many as 7 times over all<br />

those years! That’s HUGE! Each one would have<br />

been at least $8,000. Total - at least $56,000 plus a<br />

lot of aggravation.<br />

This is where this all just “begins” to be a little hard<br />

to believe because a person naturally begins to say,<br />

“Well if this is That good, why isn’t everyone doing<br />

it?” That explanation is probably best left to a psychiatrist,<br />

but later on I will make a stab at it. For now I<br />

will try to explain the science of WHY the magnets<br />

do their magic.<br />

WHAT IS<br />

POLARIZATION?<br />

Understanding a few scientific principles and basic<br />

magnetic physics.<br />

1. Water and any particles, such as minerals, that are<br />

in or carried by water are made up of molecules.<br />

Without getting too complex we’ll simply say<br />

that those molecules are either positively (+) or<br />

negatively (-) charged. For our purposes here we<br />

don’t need to be any more precise than that. We<br />

are talking for our purposes here about common<br />

tap water or well water. Processed water such as<br />

distilled water or RO water don’t contain minerals.<br />

2. The scientific principle of “Opposites Attract<br />

and Likes Repel,” is the basis upon which the<br />

magnets are able to work their magic. This simply<br />

means that if you have two “oppositely” charged<br />

molecules ( + & - ) they will “attract” each other<br />

and if you have two “like” charged molecules (<br />

+ to + ) or ( - to - ) they will “repel” each other.<br />

An example would be that the (+) north pole of a<br />

magnet will stick ‘to’ the (-) south pole of another<br />

magnet, but will push ‘away’ from the + north<br />

pole of another magnet. Hence “opposites attract<br />

and likes repel”. The needle of a compass that is<br />

painted red and points toward the ‘north’ pole of<br />

the earth is actually the ‘south’ pole of the needle.<br />

Think about it.<br />

“Well if this<br />

is that good,<br />

why isn’t<br />

everyone<br />

doing it?”<br />

In all of nature and science and everything around<br />

us this principle applies and holds true. From very<br />

simple things like dust sticking to a wall, and why<br />

electric motors work, to planets and even galaxies<br />

staying in orbit, the “Opposites and Likes” principle<br />

is applicable and responsible and it all boils down to<br />

fundamental electrical activity. I am going to control<br />

myself at this point and not get into any of the other<br />

fascinating aspects of this science and just stick to the<br />

polarization of water.<br />

We will start with what happens when water travels<br />

thru a pipe:<br />

First fact is that the pipe is grounded to the earth. Therefore<br />

its electrical potential is always negative or ( - ).<br />

The next thing that must be realized is that all of<br />

the molecules in and of the water are made up of<br />

both positive and negative electrons or ‘charges’. So<br />

as the positively charged particles go merrily along<br />

inside the negatively charged pipe, they are continually<br />

pulled toward the walls of the pipe. Some get<br />

too close and actually stick because of the “opposites”<br />

attraction. In scientific terms this behavior is actually<br />

very basic “electroplating”. Every time the water<br />

stops moving the + molecules have an opportunity<br />

to freely move to the pipe wall and stick. The negative<br />

molecules continue on unaffected. Heat exacerbates<br />

this behavior so hot pipes gather mineral scale<br />

much faster. Hence the rapid deterioration of water<br />

heaters not protected by polarized water.<br />

Note: When I refer to “pipe” here, I am referring to “non<br />

magnetic” or “non ferrous” pipe or pipe a magnet will<br />

not stick to such plastic, brass, copper, etc..<br />

A magnetic field passes through non ferrous material<br />

as if it were not there at all. Magnets can not be<br />

utilized on a ferrous pipe such as one made of steel.<br />

Magnets reverse the polarity of the molecules in<br />

the water to the “opposite” of whatever magnetic environment<br />

they are exposed to, thereby “polarizing”<br />

the water. Normally water pipes are not located in<br />

the presence of any abnormally strong magnetic influences.<br />

But if strong magnets are placed on both<br />

sides of a pipe with the north (+) poles of both magnets<br />

facing each other across the pipe, then the water<br />

inside the pipe will be altered or “polarized” to be<br />

(-) ‘negatively’ charged. Seems contrary to logic but<br />

that’s the way it works.<br />

Positioned in this manner the + magnets will<br />

physically push away from each other, or “repel”<br />

each other. If the magnets are powerful enough<br />

they can be difficult to bring close enough together<br />

to touch the pipe. The more powerful the magnets,<br />

the more thorough the polarization of the<br />

molecules in the water traveling through the pipe.<br />

The magnets do NOT have to touch the pipe to<br />

be effective.<br />

Remember: The magnets MUST be pushing away<br />

from each other. And the NORTH poles MUST be<br />

the poles facing each other. This arrangement has<br />

proven most effective. I do know from experience<br />

that ‘some’ benefit will be experienced if the magnets<br />

are placed attracting each other ( + to - ), but<br />

they will be a great deal less effective.<br />

Originally (52 years ago!) I used some plain iron<br />

bar magnets. They weren’t really very strong and I<br />

put them on wrong. But still, they did protect my water<br />

heater. More recently (05/2022), I have switched<br />

to 1/2” X 1” X 1” N52 Neodymium magnets for typical<br />

3/4” home service water lines. The difference is<br />

truly astounding. On the 1 1/4” water line at my car<br />

wash I installed new 1/2” X 1-1/2” X 3” magnets!!<br />

Talk about powerful?? Those things are truly dangerous.<br />

But the effects they are having on the car wash<br />

would be unimaginable if I weren’t seeing it myself.<br />

I keep discovering new positive effects of these<br />

wonderful magnets. I will list as many as I am aware<br />

of at this time.<br />

SOFTER WATER<br />

The polarized water has the effect of “softening”<br />

the water. Hard water is caused by excess minerals in<br />

the water. Normal salt based water softeners add salt<br />

ions to the water in an exchange process to replace<br />

the mineral ions that it removes to soften the water.<br />

The resulting heavy salt load is not healthy and the<br />

process is costly.<br />

This softening effect results in softer fabrics from<br />

the laundry. Sheets and towels become much softer<br />

for instance, but all fabrics washed in polarized water<br />

are softer and more luxurious feeling.<br />

12 • FALL 2022


FGM 227-air-vac-machines-NE-carwasher-final-outline<br />

final outline<br />

-<br />

FALL 2022 • 13


AROUND THE WASH: THE MIRACLE OF POLARIZED WATER<br />

NO MORE RESIDUE<br />

Anything that comes in contact with the polarized<br />

water will be affected by it or in some regards<br />

NOT affected by it. Getting polarized water is like<br />

some magician came onto your property and waved<br />

a magic wand. Without you doing anything at all you<br />

will find that fixtures and appliances where water is<br />

any part of the situation will strangely clean themselves.<br />

Stuff that used to grow mineral deposits will<br />

no longer do that. Things that used to grow mold or<br />

mildew will no longer do that!! It’s like putting some<br />

kind of miracle fungicide on tile grout mold and mildew.<br />

Even in those tiny crevices it slowly disappears.<br />

Even our bird baths in the yard have “cleaned themselves”<br />

since getting polarized water. And the outside<br />

of windows that the sprinkler system oversprays<br />

onto no longer have that aggravating haze on them.<br />

Even what was on them previously has cleared up!<br />

Most city waters and well waters deposit a coating<br />

or “scale” of minerals on the surfaces of everything the<br />

water contacts. That scale is not just a kind of coating<br />

on the surface like soap scum for instance. It is literally<br />

grown to the surface and is very hard to remove. It is<br />

very common in showers, on the wall tiles and grout,<br />

and on the glass surfaces like shower doors. Nothing<br />

but harsh acids will remove it. That results in damage<br />

to grout and other unintended things. Dealing with<br />

it is very frustrating and hard work. Most folks that<br />

think they clean well enough that they don’t have it<br />

don’t realize that they really do until it has actually<br />

been ‘truly’ eliminated. In such cases their surfaces are<br />

clean, but they are not “clear”.<br />

Polarized water literally makes all that stuff<br />

WANT to get off the surface it has stuck to. When<br />

the molecules become reversed, they LITERALLY<br />

push by natural repulsion off the surface they have<br />

been stuck to. Is that cool or WHAT!?<br />

A short while after polarizing our household water,<br />

I complimented our cleaning lady on what a<br />

good job she had done on our master bath shower.<br />

She replied saying, “Oh No Mr Scott. I thought YOU<br />

had done that!” Fact was, NO ONE had done it. The<br />

shower had cleaned itself.<br />

And because this action works all the way down to<br />

the molecular level, the result is so complete and so<br />

thorough it boggles the mind. After 2 months, there<br />

is not even the slightest hint of mold or mildew in<br />

the grout lines of our shower. And the shower doors<br />

are crystal clear and sparkling which shows off the<br />

like new tiles in the shower. Looks like we had the<br />

bathroom remodeled yesterday.<br />

APPLIANCES<br />

AND FIXTURES<br />

Any appliance like an ice maker that utilizes water<br />

in its operation will benefit. Water heaters will last at<br />

least twice as long depending on the type and how<br />

long they have been in service prior to the polarized<br />

water. A new water heater might last as long as the<br />

house. The electric elements in electric water heaters<br />

“All plumbing<br />

fixtures and<br />

parts will work<br />

better and longer<br />

with vastly less<br />

maintenance.”<br />

will also last longer. Polarized water will descale the<br />

freeze plates on surfaces in ice makers and prevent<br />

additional scale from forming. The ice will be thicker<br />

and clearer. There will be NO more need to buy<br />

expensive ice machine cleaner or go through that<br />

cleaning process. Humidifiers and steam irons will<br />

also release the scale that forms on them and never<br />

scale up again. The scale that forms on shower heads<br />

will slowly disappear and there will be no more need<br />

to soak them in vinegar or some commercial cleaner.<br />

They will run free and clear as long as they are running<br />

polarized water.<br />

Anywhere mineral deposits build up on the outside<br />

of a house or in the landscape - that hazy appearance<br />

will slowly disappear as the new water<br />

rinses away the old deposits. Bird baths will take on<br />

a clean and newer look and mold and fungus will<br />

cease to pollute them. Your feathered friends will<br />

enjoy cleaner, clearer water. Swimming pools will<br />

stay cleaner with far less chemicals and if you have<br />

a fountain or waterfall in the pool you will notice<br />

bubbles in the agitated water that never were there<br />

before polarized water.<br />

Now this is strange but the drain lines for your<br />

home or car wash will actually clean themselves as<br />

well!! The same water that comes out of the faucets<br />

and works its magic is the same water that continues<br />

on to run down the drains where the same principles<br />

apply. So all the old nasty gunk that lines the sewer<br />

lines slowly releases from the walls and is flushed<br />

away. There are a few places where you can actually<br />

see the inside of drain lines. you can peer inside the<br />

drains of the kitchen sink and through the small holes<br />

in the shower drain for instance. Before the polarized<br />

water they will look dark inside. A few months after<br />

the water you will be able to see the white plastic<br />

inside of the drain pipe below the drain. Scrubbing<br />

toilets to remove the mineral ‘rings’ or stains will be<br />

a thing of the past.<br />

All plumbing fixtures and parts will work better<br />

and longer with vastly less maintenance.<br />

If you have a water well and it has bad smelling<br />

water, or which contains a lot of minerals which<br />

cause scale buildup in the toilet, shower, tub and<br />

elsewhere, the polarized water will eliminate all<br />

that. Just put the magnets on the main waterline<br />

from the well. Very soon you will have clear odorless<br />

water and the toilet and shower and other fixtures<br />

that use the water will simply clean themselves.<br />

HEALTH<br />

Soap will simply work better. Polarized water reduces<br />

the surface tension of the water and soap will<br />

sud much better. You can tell by just washing your<br />

hands. I get a kick out of the big bubbles I get frequently<br />

while washing my hands. Your body will literally<br />

be squeaky clean after a shower and your hair<br />

will be softer. Your skin will feel softer and take on a<br />

subtle glow. Eliminating almost all mold and mildew<br />

from your living space will result in too many benefits<br />

to list here. You can run your finger lightly up<br />

the inside wet glass of the shower door and hear that<br />

squeaky clean squeak that tells you the glass is truly<br />

and actually clean. Same for the tiles on the walls.<br />

My mouth feels cleaner when I brush my teeth.<br />

I inhale the heavy mist from my humidifier filled<br />

with polarized water to cure and prevent nasal and<br />

respiratory problems. I had chronic sinus infections<br />

for decades. Now I no longer have to deal with those<br />

very unpleasant problems and it has helped with allergies<br />

as well. I place my face and nose about 3 or<br />

4 inches above the outlet of the humidifier directly<br />

in the heavy discharge of the mist and slowly inhale<br />

the mist directly down my nasal passages and throat<br />

and into my lungs while breathing in and exhaling<br />

as deeply as possible. The moisture does wonders<br />

and the extra oxygen contained in the moisture is<br />

great for all kinds of things. After a little practice<br />

this 10 minute ritual has become a favorite part of<br />

my day. When beginning this protocol the respiratory<br />

passages will not be accustomed to the moisture.<br />

This may cause a reflex cough for the first few<br />

breaths. But that will quickly pass. Just persevere<br />

and it will soon be forgotten as the benefits take<br />

over. The salt water at the beach has always been<br />

good for my sinuses so I’ve started adding sea salt<br />

to the water in the humidifier. Seems better to me.<br />

I am a man so there is one benefit of polarized<br />

water that has been especially impressive to me:<br />

Shaving. I’ve shaved for over 65 years and always<br />

dreaded it. I ALWAYS nicked my face while shaving<br />

and still seldom got what I considered a ‘close’ shave.<br />

Immediately after switching to polarized water I got<br />

14 • FALL 2022


EARANCE<br />

FAST, RELIABLE, SIMPLE<br />

The XRS Door Features:<br />

• Intermediate full vision panels standard, .:\·<br />

option for bottom<br />

• Complete weather seal included<br />

• Speeds adjustable up to 34" per sec.<br />

• Corrosion resistant components<br />

• Low maintenance design<br />

• Individually replaceable components<br />

• Rated for up to 80 cycles per hour<br />

-f<br />

"•["",f<br />

• -.<br />

FALL 2022 • 15


''SPARE CHANGE?''<br />

Are you tired of break-ins and being the "neighborhood bank" for everyone<br />

who needs quarters? Switching to tokens can stop these problems.<br />

Tokens offer:<br />

• Pricing flexibility<br />

• Walkaway profit when tokens are purchased and not<br />

redeemed<br />

• The switch from quarters to tokens is easy and inexpensive<br />

• Marketing opportunities when customized<br />

Van Brook makes it simple to switch to tokens with our Token Conversion Kit.<br />

Call us today at 1-800-488-2646<br />

2851 Massachusetts Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45225<br />

VAN BROOK<br />

OF LEXINGTON<br />

phone: (513) 681-5424 fax: (513) 681-5604<br />

A division of<br />

email: james@osbornecoin.com<br />

0 S 8 0 RN E COINAGE ® www.vanbrooktokens.com<br />

16 • FALL 2022


AROUND THE WASH: THE MIRACLE OF POLARIZED WATER<br />

a shave I could not believe. I was shocked!<br />

{NOTE: I shave with a safety razor and all my life I<br />

have shaved after washing my face thoroughly in the<br />

shower to soften my beard.}<br />

First there were NO NICKS! But the best part was<br />

that the shave was unbelievably close. The blade I<br />

was using was probably a month past the due date.<br />

NOT new. I made no special effort and wasn’t even<br />

thinking about the new water. Yet my face was “Baby<br />

Butt Smooth”. I had never had such a shave in my<br />

life! It’s now 6 weeks later and I’m still using the<br />

same old blade and still getting the same close shaves.<br />

Every man knows that the harder you try to get<br />

a close shave, the more the after shave is going to<br />

sting when you apply it. Well, I’m here to tell you<br />

that the improvement in the quality of these close<br />

shaves did not come with that price. The ‘sting’ is<br />

less than it would have been with a previous mediocre<br />

shave and I NEVER get a nick! I can easily go 2<br />

days on one of these shaves and the 2nd day I’ll still<br />

look better than the 1st day before. Even the third<br />

day when the whiskers are well grown out there is<br />

a strange softness to the beard. It’s like the whiskers<br />

have dull rounded points to them. They aren’t nearly<br />

as scratchy to the feel. I have no idea why that would<br />

be but it’s real.<br />

“These magnets ARE NOT TOYS.<br />

Children should never be allowed to play<br />

with them. They are very powerful and can<br />

be dangerous if not handled carefully.”<br />

BUILDING, PLANTS<br />

AND LANDSCAPING<br />

Another unexpected benefit of the polarized water<br />

is that all of our landscape and potted plants seem<br />

to be really thriving on this water.<br />

And, how about a self cleaning car wash! One of<br />

the biggest jobs at my car wash for over 50 years has<br />

been trying to keep the walls of the wash bays clean.<br />

Originally I thought the problem was just soap scum<br />

and dirt from the cars sticking to the walls. I couldn’t<br />

understand why it was so hard to get off. Years later I<br />

realized that the worst part of the problem was actually<br />

the minerals in the water literally growing to the<br />

walls. The new and more powerful magnets are now<br />

causing those minerals to release from the walls and<br />

they are “Cleaning Themselves”!!!! A little bit more<br />

and more, day by day, they just get better and better.<br />

An amazing thing to experience.<br />

The walls in my wash bays are now spotlessly sparkling<br />

clean! The PVC panels are like 15 years old<br />

and look like they were put up yesterday. They are so<br />

clean they are literally reflective! And high pressure<br />

rinse keeps them that way.)<br />

Being a car wash owner and being around water almost<br />

all the time we used to have areas where water<br />

stood that would develop mold and mildew. Those<br />

areas are clearing up as well. On their own. With no<br />

help from anyone. It’s like the water itself acts as an<br />

antifungal agent.<br />

Sure wish I had known about all these benefits 50<br />

+ years ago. At least now you do. You’re welcome.<br />

THE MAGNETS<br />

Neodymium magnets can be purchased online<br />

from numerous sources. Two sources that I deal with<br />

are K & J Magnetics and Amazing Magnets.<br />

The part number for the magnets I use for residential<br />

service from K & J is BXOXO8. They measure<br />

1/2” X 1” X 1” and they are made of Neodymium<br />

with a nickel-plated covering. They ship UPS in a<br />

cardboard box. There are spacers between the magnets<br />

because if they get stuck together they are very<br />

difficult to separate. I would call to place my order<br />

and ask them to put extra spacers so you don’t have<br />

a hard time separating them, and ask them to mark<br />

the magnets as to the north and south poles.<br />

For larger services like say a car wash I use larger<br />

magnets. They should be at least as wide as the pipe<br />

being treated.<br />

These magnets ARE NOT TOYS. Children should<br />

never be allowed to play with them. They are very<br />

powerful and can be dangerous if not handled carefully.<br />

Keep them as far away from each other as possible<br />

and away from metal objects and surfaces until<br />

they are installed. For instance do not nonchalantly<br />

lay them down on a table within 2 feet of each other<br />

or some tool or knife. They can seem as safe as a normal<br />

block of plain metal but if allowed to get close<br />

enough to something magnetic they can suddenly<br />

and unexpectedly accelerate together with destructive<br />

effects. The closer they are to contact, the stronger<br />

the magnetic force. The force is exponential. Not<br />

lineal. So if allowed to fly together unrestricted the<br />

collision force can be so powerful that the magnets<br />

will literally shatter apart rendering them useless. If<br />

human flesh is caught in the collision there will be<br />

severe pain and probably blood so be careful. Always<br />

hold onto them firmly as if someone is trying to take<br />

them away from you.<br />

You should not have to handle them much in order<br />

to get them installed and anchored down. After<br />

that, the risk will be over. Just don’t fool with them<br />

unnecessarily and be aware at all times that they can<br />

hurt you.<br />

The magnets should be installed on the main service<br />

line to the property being served. Most home<br />

water services have 3/4” main service lines coming<br />

in from the street side of the house and there will be<br />

a water meter box located somewhere along in that<br />

area, usually close to the street and flat to the ground.<br />

Some require a “water meter box key” to open, but<br />

not all require one. In any case the main service to<br />

the property must be located. In the case of wells,<br />

the magnets can be installed in the ‘well house’.<br />

In the water meter box (surprisingly!) there will be<br />

a water meter. Usually on the house side of the meter<br />

there will be room on the outlet from the meter to<br />

place the magnets but they can go on either side of<br />

the meter.<br />

The magnets are 1 square inch so all that is required<br />

is 1 inch of bare copper or brass or plastic<br />

pipe which the magnets can be attached to. Sometimes<br />

water meter boxes get dirt in them over the<br />

years and you may have to dig some out to expose<br />

the pipe. I’ve never found this to be much of a<br />

problem.<br />

The first magnets I put on a waterline at a house<br />

were old iron magnets that were much larger than<br />

the new neodymium magnets and there wasn’t<br />

enough room in the meter box for them. So I had to<br />

actually dig up the waterline outside the meter box<br />

and put the magnets on the waterline there.<br />

As I explained earlier, the magnets must be placed<br />

FALL 2022 • 17


AROUND THE WASH: THE MIRACLE OF POLARIZED WATER<br />

on the waterline with the north pole of each magnet<br />

facing the pipe. This is very important.<br />

When ordering the magnets you can ask that the<br />

poles of the magnets be marked. But if your magnets<br />

aren’t marked or if you want to verify the correctness<br />

of the poles there are several simple ways.<br />

1. First, if you have a compass, simply hold the<br />

compass in the vicinity of the magnet and see<br />

which side of the magnet the compass indicates<br />

is the north pole side. It will point to the north side<br />

of the magnet just as it points to the north pole of<br />

the earth.<br />

2. Second, if you don’t have a compass then you can<br />

sort of create one with your magnet. Simply fill a<br />

large bowl with water. Then float a smaller bowl in<br />

that bowl. Then place the magnet ‘on edge’ in the<br />

center of the floating bowl. Make sure the bowl<br />

is floating ‘freely’ in the center and not touching<br />

the bottom bowl anywhere. Also make sure there<br />

aren’t any ferrous metal objects nearby like iron<br />

stove tops or whatever. The magnet in the floating<br />

bowl will rotate the floating bowl around to where<br />

the “SOUTH POLE” of the magnet will be facing<br />

NORTH (for the directionally challenged - that’s<br />

toward Canada). You can mark that side with an<br />

“S” and the other with an “N” for north. Just so<br />

you know which side is NORTH.<br />

Once you have one magnet marked correctly you<br />

can use it to determine the poles of another magnet.<br />

Just always remember that “opposites attract” and<br />

“north will always push away from north”.<br />

It is fairly easy to install the first magnet on the<br />

pipe starting with duct tape. Cut a piece of tape<br />

about say 10” long. Place the magnet about 4 inches<br />

from one end of the tape and centered on the tape<br />

on the sticky side with the “south” side of the magnet<br />

sticking to the tape. The north side is going to go<br />

onto the pipe.<br />

You will want to make sure enough dirt is cleared<br />

away so you can get the tape around and under<br />

the pipe. Now place the tape and magnet onto the<br />

pipe with the north side of the magnet against the<br />

pipe and the tape positioned so that you can wrap<br />

it around the pipe and over itself. Since the pipe is<br />

not magnetic the tape and the magnet will go right<br />

on with no problem. Locate the magnet on one side<br />

of the pipe.<br />

Putting the other magnet on the pipe is a bigger<br />

challenge because the magnets are going to be<br />

pushing away from each other during the process<br />

and they are strong. You may want to hold the second<br />

magnet in your hand very firmly and put it<br />

down in the box and try to slowly move it toward<br />

the place you want it to go on the pipe across from<br />

the first one just to get a feel for what you are going<br />

to be dealing with. Be sure you are approaching the<br />

pipe with the NORTH side of the magnet. It should<br />

be pushing away from the pipe with strong force.<br />

If it starts to pull toward the other magnet pull it<br />

back and recheck because one or the other of the<br />

magnets is backwards.<br />

You do not have to get the second magnet all the<br />

way onto the pipe at this point. Just get a feel for<br />

the force. Be careful not to let the magnet leave<br />

your hand and get attached to the first magnet.<br />

Hold on FIRMLY.<br />

Fix up the second magnet on a strip of tape just<br />

like you did the first one only but this time make<br />

the strip of tape about 4 inches longer. South side<br />

of the magnet should be toward the sticky side of<br />

the tape. Now put the magnet and the tape down<br />

into the box and into place straight across from the<br />

other magnet. This will be difficult due to the push<br />

of the magnets. Wrap the tape around the pipe and<br />

the first magnet to hold them in place. They will<br />

probably not be very tight against the pipe but that<br />

is ok. Now take 2 plastic tie wraps and put them<br />

around the whole affair one at a time and pull them<br />

down tight. Do not trust the tape to constrain the<br />

magnets. The force of the magnets would eventually<br />

overcome the strength of the tape. The tie wraps<br />

will make everything permanent.<br />

That’s it. Good for life. NO filters to change. No<br />

chemicals to add. No oil to change. Just great water<br />

from now on. Enjoy!<br />

I look forward to sharing more with you in future<br />

issues.<br />

And, here’s to healthier water and a better cleaner<br />

car wash!<br />

Keep<br />

coming!<br />

Subscribe online at www.sscwn.com or mail a<br />

check with this order form:<br />

Domestic/USA Canada Foreign<br />

O 1 Year (4 issues) $29.95 O 1 Year (4 issues) $39.95 O 1 Year (4 issues) $49.85<br />

O 2 Years (8 issues) $49.95 O 2 Years (8 issues) $69.95 O 2 Years (8 issues) $89.95<br />

O 3 Years (12 issues) $69.95 O 3 Years (12 issues) $99.95 O 3 Years (12 issues) $119.95<br />

Subscription information (Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required):<br />

First name:*_________________ Last name:* ___________________________________________________________________<br />

Business name: ____________________________________________________________________________________________<br />

Address:*__________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />

City:*__________________________________ State:* _________________ Zip* _________________ Country _____________<br />

Email*:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />

Payment<br />

information:<br />

Send order form and check to:<br />

110 Childs Ln,<br />

Franklin, TN 37067<br />

Email us at<br />

jacksonv@sscwn.com.<br />

18 • FALL 2022


NOW SERVING<br />

Are you tired of industry consolidation<br />

that makes you feel like just a number?<br />

Welcome to McClean Solutions -- Your friend in the soap and<br />

protectant business. All the quality, innovation, and technology<br />

of the big guys in a friendly, flexible, creative company.<br />

McClean Solutions- make buying and selling<br />

car wash solutions fun again<br />

Give us a call!<br />

We guarantee priority service<br />

at every step of your experience.<br />

www.mccleansolutionsllc.com<br />

<br />

<br />

FALL 2022 • 19


POLL<br />

How much<br />

crime?<br />

I have had this type of<br />

criminal activity at my<br />

car wash:<br />

We ask. You answer!<br />

The following polls were posted on carwashforum.com<br />

• Break-ins (attempted included): 94.1%<br />

• Vandalism: 58.8%<br />

• Drug dealing: 64.7%<br />

• Armed robbery of a person: 5.9%<br />

• Gang-related fights: 11.8%<br />

• Gun-related injury, death: 5.9%<br />

• Other (comment below): 11.8%<br />

Other: the original owner of my wash had moved<br />

away and his mother was checking up on it. Three<br />

men approached her and asked for money, but<br />

she said no. One of them punched her in the face,<br />

knocked her out and left her for dead. They didn’t<br />

rob her. There may have been other things, but<br />

that’s the worst one I know of. - MEP001<br />

The worst case we had was when our husband<br />

and wife cleanup was attacked … for no reason, he<br />

didn’t try to rob them. In less than a minute Gene’s<br />

life changed forever, today he is in a wheelchair with<br />

a brain injury, his wife has since recovered from<br />

her injuries. Alice tried to pepper spray him but she<br />

was severely beaten for her efforts. This is a prime<br />

example as to why you need to pay your employees<br />

on the books so they are covered by workman’s<br />

comp, L & I. We have the police on speed dial, so<br />

far this year we have called the police 27 times for<br />

one thing or the other. - RANDY<br />

Unfortunately, I’ve experienced multiple break-ins,<br />

vandalism, graffiti and drug dealing. When we first<br />

bought our car wash 19 years ago, we had 6 breakins,<br />

consecutively over 5 months. They started<br />

using a pry-bar to break into the vacuum coin box<br />

(stealing quarters), graduated to stealing the entire<br />

vacuum, cutting off the equipment room door and<br />

tearing out the cash machine. We have since added<br />

a rolldown security door (with 2 LAI locks), added<br />

a high-quality alarm system and high-resolution<br />

cameras. As strong as I try to remain, the reality is<br />

that each incident hurts. As a woman, I feel more<br />

vulnerable. I try to focus on the 99% good in my<br />

community, not the 1% scumbags in our society.<br />

I’ve learned that I can’t outrun the bear, I just need<br />

to be faster than the guy behind me. I am no longer<br />

an easy target. - KIMBERLY BERG<br />

Yep! We have experienced all those fun issues of<br />

owning a SS wash in the last 25 years…<br />

We made the upgrades to accept CCs and now<br />

only dispense our tokens. We do accept customers<br />

quarters and dollar coins…<br />

This conversion has reduced a lot of the daily<br />

%$#@$%, and the cameras seem to help, in theory<br />

at least! - SJB<br />

Friendly<br />

Competition<br />

I check out my<br />

competition by...<br />

• Doing a drive-by: 33.3%<br />

• Using and testing out the car wash: 53.3%<br />

• Checking the competition’s online reviews: 6.7%<br />

• Doing nothing - there is no competition: 0.0%<br />

• My competition isn’t worth checking out: 6.7%<br />

On a regular basis we do the first three. - OURTOWN<br />

Some fall in the category of numbers 1, 2 and 3.<br />

Some fall into the category of #5. - WASHNSHINE<br />

It is more fun working to be the competition. - TOM<br />

THUMB<br />

My real competition are friends. I do test out other<br />

washes, sometimes read the online reviews of the<br />

worst ones. - MEP001<br />

Not worth my time. I’d rather invest it in my washes<br />

to make them top tier therefore the competition is<br />

worried about me, not vice versa. At one location I<br />

put my competitor out of business. He even came to<br />

my site and said I can’t and don’t have the energy to<br />

compete with you....his last ditch effort was $5 for<br />

30 minutes in his self serve bays! - RFREEMAN<br />

I casually check if I am driving by but do not go out<br />

of my way to do so. I am more worried about my<br />

business and how it is running. - SOAPY<br />

I drive by and test. On occasion I have checked<br />

reviews when I wanted to see if they had some of<br />

the same idiotic reviews I had. They did and usually<br />

worse. - EARL WEISS<br />

When I use other carwashes in our area, my main<br />

aim is to find things that I could improve at our<br />

wash. Trying to pinch any good ideas they might<br />

have! - GREG_T<br />

I am friendly with one of my competitors and the<br />

other one is a gas station and I don’t know the<br />

owners. I drive by both locations in the course of a<br />

normal business day and I do look around and see<br />

what’s going on. - WAXMAN<br />

I don’t even consider the 2 dirty, run-down car<br />

washes around me competition. I drive by both of<br />

them on the way to my car wash. It has become<br />

my guilty pleasure reading their 1 star reviews and<br />

reading what customers are complaining about. It<br />

validates my hard work and keeps me motivated to<br />

stay on top of cleaning, maintenance and customer<br />

service! - KIMBERLY BERG<br />

20 • FALL 2022


Everything you need to Succeed<br />

D&S Car Wash Supply<br />

FALL 2022 • 21


TRICKS OF THE<br />

(Note: Some posts feature minor<br />

edits for readability.)<br />

Presenting some of the best discussions from the Self Serve, IBA and General Discussions sections of CarwashForum.com. To view more posts discussing some interesting<br />

and common problems, as well as some of the best and brightest solutions, visit CarwashForum.com<br />

The long<br />

and<br />

widening road<br />

So we have found out that the NCDOT is widening the road our<br />

car wash is on. We have seen the plans and they are taking us<br />

for sure. We have a 4 bay self service wash with 4 vacuums and<br />

vending. It is an all brick structure with a metal roof. I know for<br />

sure we are gonna get %$#@! on this deal because the appraisal<br />

they are doing doesn’t take into account it being a building with<br />

bays as opposed to a regular steel building. We would have to<br />

find land which is crazy expensive in this area and then build<br />

a new building. The purchasing of land and building will begin<br />

in about a year. I have hired an Eminent Domain Lawyer Firm<br />

from another town. Has anybody gone through this process and<br />

what was the outcome if so? - 99ROADKING<br />

A quick fix<br />

I went to buy a soda yesterday and<br />

the quarters go in and do not credit<br />

25 cents. They come out if you press<br />

‘refund’. What is the problem? -<br />

WAXMAN<br />

Open the coin acceptor and clean the coin path with a<br />

damp microfiber towel.<br />

If your machine is new or newer, that shouldn’t really<br />

be the problem, but someone may have inserted a<br />

gummy coin.<br />

One of my locations had dirty power, giving all sorts of<br />

faults. I just put an UPS in line with the power cord and<br />

no more problems. Up until then, I would have to reboot<br />

the machine to make it work correctly. If cleaning doesn’t<br />

help, try rebooting. - HAPPYCARZ<br />

Also the coin mech may be slightly moved out. Try a<br />

visual inspection, and drop coins in while watching. -<br />

WHALE OF A WASH<br />

What is a UPS? - KING”DOCTOR”WASH<br />

UPS = Uninterrupted Power Supply. - ERIC_H<br />

Since you hired a lawyer who specializes in eminent<br />

domain actions he will argue the value<br />

is based on many things including the income<br />

a property generates not simply the type of<br />

structure. There can also be a “Uniqueness” factor<br />

argued. - EARL WEISS<br />

I went through this last year at a wash I owned.<br />

My strategy going into buying the wash was that<br />

TX DOT would eventually buy me out sooner<br />

than later.<br />

Mine didn’t get to an eminent domain hearing<br />

and we were able to negotiate a great deal<br />

and I sold. Out of the gate I told them if this is<br />

going to be eminent domain I’ll lawyer up because<br />

we’re not going to agree on value.<br />

They hired an appraiser, who like most, didn’t<br />

know jack about valuing a wash. Said the cash<br />

flow was business value and he can’t consider it<br />

in determining the value of the property.<br />

Long story short, I negotiated a price 150%<br />

higher than their initial offer. - RFREEMAN<br />

Just an anecdote and not advice:<br />

A wash in town was purchased and rehabbed<br />

for the sole purpose of running a large amount<br />

of funds through. The new equipment was installed<br />

for easy removal. Eminent domain paid<br />

many times what the guy paid for it three years<br />

prior since it was “making $300k a year.” Equipment<br />

was removed and sold, the building was<br />

bulldozed and it still sits there an empty lot ten<br />

years later. - MEP001<br />

I see what you are saying he did, but didn’t he<br />

take quite a loss on the equipment, or did he<br />

have a buyer who understood what was going<br />

on? Or, did the selling price make it all a non<br />

issue? - WASHNSHINE<br />

The guy who installed the equipment got it<br />

back, cleaned it up and resold it. He knew what<br />

was going on. - MEP001<br />

The only car wash operator that we know who<br />

lost his car wash to DOT pretty much got<br />

screwed. After attorney fees he pretty much<br />

got land value and was lucky to get that. He<br />

got to take everything from the car wash and<br />

left an empty shell. It was probably 5 or 6 years<br />

before the state did its project.<br />

Another guy I know was bought out by the<br />

city. His car wash was next to city hall and they<br />

wanted his car wash so they could build a new<br />

city hall. The city offered him more than he<br />

wanted so he sold it. After he sold it the city<br />

couldn’t get the funds to build the new city hall<br />

so the city is running the car wash now. - RANDY<br />

I cleaned the chute and all is well again in the vendor-world.<br />

- WAXMAN<br />

<strong>SSCWN</strong> EDITOR CHIMES IN:<br />

Sharks ain’t got nothing on a vending<br />

machine! I was at a local aquarium this<br />

past summer with my kids when I noticed<br />

a poster in the shark section titled: Things<br />

more deadly than sharks. Obvious things<br />

included, volcanoes, beestings, etc. But,<br />

to my surprise, vending machines made<br />

the list. Apparently a few people have<br />

died after being crushed by a vending<br />

machine. There isn’t a lot of data to back<br />

this up, but according to a recent Slate.com<br />

story, “Based on a 1995 U.S. report from<br />

Consumer Product Safety Commission,<br />

vending machine injuries arise from users<br />

rocking or tilting the machine. There are<br />

some gruesome stories from the ’90s about<br />

vending machines killing people in this<br />

way.” The same report stated that the CPSC<br />

is aware of at least 37 deaths and 113<br />

injuries since 1978 that have resulted from<br />

consumers rocking or tilting the machines in<br />

an attempt to obtain free soda or money.<br />

22 • FALL 2022


FALL 2022 • 23


1<br />

9<br />

7<br />

2<br />

5<br />

0<br />

TRICKS OF THE<br />

Roof positive<br />

I just redid all of the high and low pressure<br />

hoses on our roof and would like to protect<br />

them from the sun to get as many years as<br />

possible out of them. Any suggestions for something<br />

to cover them with? I was thinking of something like<br />

a split wire loom but since the hoses start in a large bundle and then<br />

slowly get narrower as each bay splits off it’s hard to figure out a good<br />

solution. Curious what others do with their hoses on the roof to help<br />

protect them? - MCHAS<br />

?<br />

About 30 years ago I worked<br />

with a company out of France.<br />

They made a truck wash<br />

machine that was NOT a<br />

rollover. Rather it was a large<br />

frame that laid on the ground<br />

was about 12’ wide and 60’<br />

long. It was suspended by cables<br />

and rose and lowered. Can not<br />

remember their name but have<br />

a need for one now . Any help<br />

would be appreciated. - MAC<br />

Does anyone<br />

know the<br />

answer?<br />

I’ve seen tile drain used for short runs from a<br />

trough to where they come up from underground<br />

in PVC. You’ll probably want some that’s not<br />

perforated. - MEP001<br />

How about a 1 foot x 1 foot, three sided trough<br />

made from treated lumber? - DIRT<br />

I had a heat pump guy make a trough and put 2<br />

inch styrofoam on all 4 sides and made it where<br />

the lid would come off. Has lasted over 25 years<br />

and still in good shape. Make it big enough so you<br />

can work on the fittings. - DAWGWASH<br />

Just spray paint the lines all white. You’d be surprised<br />

how effective & cheap a solution that is. -<br />

SOONERMAJIC<br />

I run all my lines in 6 PVC pipe just under the roof<br />

attached to the ceiling joists. I do not see why you<br />

could not run them on top of the roof. - SOAPY<br />

<strong>SSCWN</strong> EDITOR CHIMES IN:<br />

Can anyone out there help out<br />

mac? If you have the answer,<br />

or a guess, you can comment<br />

by visiting carwashforum.com/<br />

and using search keywords:<br />

France and manufacturers.<br />

24 • FALL 2022


CHECK<br />

OUT OUR<br />

www.ColemanHanna.com<br />

in bay AUTOMATICS<br />

Water Wizard 2.0<br />

Touch-Free In Bay Automatic with impressive cleaning power.<br />

eFusion<br />

Soft Touch In Bay Automatic System.<br />

The FusionX is a customer choice<br />

combination wash system. It combines the<br />

unmatched cleaning ability of the Water<br />

Wizard 2.0 touch free system with the<br />

eFusion three soft touch brush system<br />

featuring Sparkle Soft wash materials<br />

The eFusion is the customer’s choice<br />

soft touch wash system. It is designed<br />

to effectively clean a vehicle using our<br />

unique SparkleSoft wash material. The<br />

eFusion is programmable to fit your<br />

wash needs.<br />

This robust unit provides<br />

tough cleaning power<br />

while still being gentle<br />

SCAN<br />

Here<br />

FALL 2022 • 25


WE WANT<br />

YOUR<br />

STORIES!<br />

Pour it<br />

on thick<br />

TRICKS OF THE<br />

New cement being poured in my 4 bay, contractor is asking what thickness<br />

is required. He thinks 6” but I’m sure I read 4” was adequate for a SS wash<br />

with no heavy equipment using it. Also, what is a good angle or slope that<br />

works to be comfortable for the users to walk around but still move water<br />

quickly to the pit? - KNIGHT01<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 />

4 1/2” minimum unless you have 16-wheeler tractors<br />

and dump trucks, then I’d recommend 6” and<br />

rebar. I’ll try and measure the slope of my bays.<br />

IMO they’re ideal, enough slope to clean easily<br />

without chasing dirt around the drain while cleaning<br />

and not uncomfortable to walk on. I worked<br />

for a distributor that did full turnkey construction,<br />

and my wash was one we built in 2001. - MEP001<br />

Where is this wash? If it’s in a cold climate, keep in<br />

mind that you will need to heat all that concrete.<br />

-I.B. WASHINCARS<br />

And you want a good base under the concrete. We<br />

used crushed stones under a 6” concrete with rebar<br />

and floor heating. I think the pitch to the pit is<br />

10 deg. If you are pouring new floors I would add<br />

PVC for the foam brush and wand holder to drain<br />

directly into the pit. Cuts down on the water on<br />

the floor if you have a weep system. - ROZ<br />

I.B. Washingcars: Yes, in Ohio. I have plans for individual<br />

radiant loops to each bay. I’m not sure if I<br />

leave them on the base if they will be effective or<br />

if I put them on some type of riser if they will stay<br />

in place while the cement is pouring around them.<br />

Roz: The heat in the floor and the pvc is the main<br />

reason for the new floors. Last winter, my first with<br />

the wash, we had 4 14x24 skating rinks and ice<br />

castles surrounding the weep guns. LOL. - KNIGHT01<br />

Floor heat lines should be zip tied to the rebar. You<br />

can get heat reflector material for underneath the<br />

lines too. Adds a bit to the cost but saves you fuel<br />

costs when the system is run. - ROZ<br />

Minimum would be 1/8 inch per foot drop. I think<br />

most car washes are 1/4 inch per foot drop. I have<br />

one that is more and it is easier to clean but people<br />

really notice the slope. Last wash I built the cement<br />

guys did not want the heat loops tied to the<br />

rebar so I had to put down wire mesh for the loops<br />

then rebar. I personally like my rebar on one foot<br />

centers but I think 2 foot centers are more common.<br />

Be sure that your floor loops are pressurized<br />

before the concrete is poured. I would also spec<br />

4000 lb concrete and go with 6 inch pour. Existing<br />

wash you should tie the rebar into the walls<br />

by drilling the rebar into the walls, that way you<br />

won’t have a floating slab. The rebar should also<br />

be raised, supported and in the lower 1/3 of the<br />

floor. Don’t let the contractor say he will just lift<br />

the rebar up after the pour. - SOAPY<br />

Such a screed is necessary for places of unorganized<br />

water outflow to ensure compensation for<br />

the difference between adjacent surfaces. Suppose<br />

you have an idea of the concrete floor’s installation<br />

process. In that case, there will be no difficulties<br />

in performing the work. During installation,<br />

you should carefully and constantly check<br />

the functionality of the drain itself in the room.<br />

Otherwise, later you will have to spend time drilling<br />

and cleaning. It is enough to create an angle of<br />

inclination of 4” and make more than 2 inches in<br />

the height of the installation itself. Concreteservicesdenver.com<br />

does screeds like this. Ask them if<br />

you’re not sure. - PAULAGRACERO<br />

Is there an additive or type of concrete that minimizes<br />

damage from salt? Curious to know. My<br />

bays over the years have concrete damage from<br />

car road salt and lot salting. Something for you to<br />

consider if your area has salt use. - TURBOJET<br />

I finally measured it. It’s not entirely accurate because<br />

the bays level out almost a foot from the<br />

walls and apron, but with a level on a 10’ piece of<br />

Unistrut I measured 2 1/4” to the floor at the end<br />

of the strut. It doesn’t seem like much, but the bays<br />

are really easy to clean, other than the level parts at<br />

the walls. I don’t get a lot of mud, but when I do it’s<br />

pretty hard to rinse down.<br />

The handicap bay is a lot flatter. - MEP001<br />

Reach out to Editor Debra Gorgos<br />

debgorgos@gmail.com to share<br />

your story with our readers.<br />

<strong>SSCWN</strong> EDITOR CHIMES IN: The concept of cement dates back thousands and thousands of years,<br />

although some credit the Egyptians, who used a mixture of mud, straw, gypsum and lime<br />

for their colossal pyramids, more than 5000 years ago. A more modern mixture of concrete<br />

cement most commonly used today was invented by Englishman Joseph Aspdin back in<br />

1824. A bricklayer by trade, Aspdin came up with a more marketable form and called it<br />

‘Portland’ cement due to its resemblance to the stones used for homes in Portland, England.<br />

According to an article distributed by the Canadian Concrete Expo, the Portland cement<br />

technology crossed the Atlantic and, by the end of the century, America had built its first<br />

concrete bridge (the Alvord Lake Bridge in San Francisco, California) and its first concrete<br />

street (in Bellefontaine, Ohio, and is still around today). And in 1875, American mechanical<br />

engineer, William Ward, completed the first reinforced concrete home in the United States and<br />

it still stands today in Port Chester, New York.<br />

26 • FALL 2022


Corporate Office: 81 Highland Avenue, Suite 300, Bethlehem, PA 18017 | icscarwashsystems.com | 800.642.9396<br />

Defining the World of Car Wash Technology<br />

FALL 2022 • 27


Association News<br />

2022<br />

CALENDAR<br />

OF EVENTS<br />

*All events are subject to<br />

changes due to current<br />

circumstances.<br />

NOV 16, 2022<br />

2022 Kleen-Rite EXPO<br />

Columbia, Pennsylvania<br />

JAN 15-17, 2023<br />

7th Women in<br />

Carwash Conference<br />

B Ocean Resort<br />

Fort Lauderdale, Florida<br />

New England Carwash Association<br />

NRCC keynote speaker talks about hope, perseverance<br />

It was another successful Northeast Regional Carwash<br />

Convention, which once again took place at the<br />

Atlantic City Convention Center, between September<br />

19-21, 2022. Hosted by the New England Carwash<br />

Association with Dave Ellard and John Shalbey<br />

Jr. as co-chairmen, the tradeshow floor was bustling<br />

the first day. With a pickleball convention happening<br />

next door, it seemed as if crowded conventions<br />

were back to normal and people were swarming<br />

the Atlantic City Convention Center to once again<br />

mingle, network, get ideas, and upgrades. One of the<br />

highlights of the recent Convention was the keynote<br />

address given by New York Times Author, Travis<br />

Mills. Mills, who is famous for writing Tough as They<br />

Come, is a retired United States Army Staff Sergeant<br />

who calls himself a recalibrated warrior, motivational<br />

speaker, actor, author and advocate for veterans and<br />

amputees. Mills lost portions of both arms and legs<br />

from an IED (improvised explosive device) while on<br />

active duty in Afghanistan. Mills’ road to recovery<br />

was not one marked with sorrow or pity, or despair,<br />

but instead humor, grace and determination. “You<br />

cannot always change your situation, but you can<br />

change your attitude,” he told the packed crowd.<br />

Mills and his wife Kelsey founded the Travis Mills<br />

Foundation, a nonprofit organization, to benefit and<br />

assist post 9/11 veterans who have been injured in<br />

active duty or as a result of their service to the country.<br />

He offered up the advice of moving forward and<br />

being grateful that you’re still alive and, to not dwell<br />

on the past. Mills was kind enough to greet attendees<br />

of the keynote address and even answer questions.<br />

Details for next year’s NRCC are already being<br />

revealed. It will once again take place at the Atlantic<br />

City Convention Center, but this time in October<br />

and will be held from October 2-4, 2023.<br />

FEB 22-24, 2023<br />

Southwest Car Wash<br />

Association’s<br />

Convention & Expo<br />

Fort Worth Convention Center<br />

MAY 8-10, 2023<br />

2023 ICA Car Wash Show<br />

Las Vegas<br />

SEP, 21 & 22, 2023<br />

Carwash Show Europe<br />

EXPO Greater Amsterdam<br />

The Netherlands<br />

OCT 2-4, 2023<br />

Northeast Regional<br />

Carwash Association<br />

Atlantic City Convention Center<br />

Atlantic City, New Jersey<br />

28 • FALL 2022


Association News<br />

And the 2022 NECA<br />

Scholarship Recipients are...<br />

Each year, one is awarded in memory<br />

of Tom Rando, an entrepreneur,<br />

innovator and respected industry<br />

leader. The 2022 Thomas Rando<br />

Scholarship recipient is Olivia<br />

Simons, whose dad Rick works<br />

for RoJo Carwash. Olivia is a rising<br />

sophomore at Bridgewater State University<br />

where she is majoring in business management with<br />

the hope of owning a business. She completed her first<br />

year on the Dean’s list while working two jobs and<br />

commuting from home to pay for her tuition, already<br />

exhibiting her entrepreneurial spirit.<br />

Marion Calabro, whose dad Ken works<br />

for Haffner’s Energy, also has been<br />

awarded a NECA scholarship. After<br />

graduating with honors from HS,<br />

she earned a Bachelor of Arts<br />

degree in History from Worcester<br />

State University. While working in<br />

residential services for young adults<br />

impacted by mental illness, her desire<br />

to be a nurse galvanized and this fall, she will be<br />

entering the BS Nursing Program at the Mass. College<br />

of Pharmacy and Health Sciences with the goal of<br />

addressing barriers vulnerable populations have in<br />

accessing health and mental health care.<br />

International Carwash Association<br />

Southeastern Car Wash Association<br />

Joins The Car Wash Show<br />

The International Carwash Association<br />

(ICA) announced that Southeastern Car<br />

Wash Association (SECWA) will become a<br />

co-marketer of The Car Wash Show, owned<br />

by ICA. The SECWA joins the Automotive<br />

Oil Change Association, the Midwest Carwash<br />

Association and the Western Carwash<br />

Association in partnering with the world’s<br />

largest car wash event, The Car Wash Show.<br />

According to the ICA, with this change,<br />

SECWA will exclusively support The Car<br />

Wash Show as its annual convention, discontinuing<br />

its own trade show, while increasing<br />

its focus on educational and networking opportunities<br />

for car wash operators and suppliers<br />

in the southeastern United States.<br />

“We’re thrilled to welcome SECWA to The<br />

Car Wash Show and our family of association<br />

collaborators,” said ICA CEO Eric Wulf, in a<br />

statement to the press. “SECWA’s support of<br />

The Car Wash Show will make for an even<br />

more dynamic environment for members,<br />

attendees and exhibitors. ICA collaborates<br />

with car wash associations across the United<br />

States, and around the world, based on<br />

our belief that we can accomplish more by<br />

working together. That’s why we’re equally<br />

excited about the role we’ll be able to play in<br />

supporting SECWA’s pivot toward delivering<br />

new value to its members.”<br />

“We are excited to be working closely with<br />

ICA to support the car wash community,”<br />

said SECWA President David Reep, in a statement<br />

to the press. “We have an ambitious<br />

educational and road show calendar coming<br />

up starting with our Atlanta Road Show on<br />

November 2, 2022. We also look forward to<br />

partnering with ICA for The Car Wash Show<br />

and more.”<br />

The Car Wash Show 2023 will be held May<br />

7-9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Las Vegas Convention<br />

Center’s new West Hall will host the<br />

event for the first time, which is expected to<br />

be record-setting. The Car Wash Show 2024<br />

will be held in Nashville, Tennessee.<br />

FALL 2022 • 29


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 />

30 • FALL 2022


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 2022 • 31


Association News<br />

Announcing the ICA’s Emerging Leader Scholarship recipients<br />

Lilly Chapa profiled the 2022 Emerging Leader<br />

Scholarship winners, who were awarded during the<br />

2022 Car Wash Show in Nashville this past year.<br />

Chapa wrote about each of the winners who are<br />

listed below, for the ICA.<br />

Iona Kearney, Operations Manager at Speedy<br />

Sparkle Car Wash of Berthoud, Colorado<br />

When Iona Kearney’s dad foreclosed on<br />

a car wash during the 2008 recession, he<br />

figured he could either sell it for a loss<br />

or try to get into the business — and<br />

that’s how Speedy Sparkle Car Wash<br />

got started.<br />

“I grew up around it — we sat around<br />

the dinner table coming up with names<br />

for the wash, so I’ve been involved since the<br />

beginning,” Kearny said. She started working at the<br />

wash when she turned 14 and quickly became the<br />

top unlimited wash salesperson before going off to<br />

college to study economic criminal justice.<br />

After graduating, she traveled around the country<br />

doing leadership consulting, but after a while she<br />

realized she really wanted to get back into the car<br />

wash industry.<br />

“My dad was surprised but glad to bring me back<br />

into the business — but only if I learned how to operate<br />

a wash,” Kearney said. “So I was a GM for a<br />

while, and now I’m an operations manager.”<br />

Kearney became a general manager shortly after<br />

COVID-19 sparked a string of shutdowns in the<br />

community, making her first challenge as a manager<br />

an unprecedented one.<br />

“I truly think that it was about caring for the employees<br />

and keeping the culture fun, even during the<br />

pandemic,” Kearney said. “Everyone was losing employees,<br />

but I think we lost one every eight months.”<br />

32 • FALL 2022<br />

Kearney’s enthusiasm for creating a fun workplace<br />

and connecting with employees carried on<br />

long after the worst of the pandemic-related shutdowns,<br />

and it’s now her passion to cultivate a great<br />

workplace culture for everyone, she said.<br />

“I love the employees and the culture,” Kearney<br />

said. “I like to say we’re just washing cars, so we might<br />

as well make it fun — my whole thing is having<br />

fun. I love the connection I get to have<br />

with all of our employees and try to make<br />

it fun every day for them, and it’s truly<br />

genuine. The culture is so important for<br />

me, especially as we look towards<br />

expansion.”<br />

Thanks to this approach,<br />

Speedy Sparkle’s turnover<br />

rate is incredibly low, Kearney<br />

said. Even if employees leave for school<br />

or internships, they love to come back<br />

and work on the weekends or during holidays.<br />

“Our employees are not going anywhere because<br />

of the culture we’ve built, and I’ll sit down<br />

with them and ask how they’re doing,” she said. “I<br />

keep track of small things like who they’re dating, I<br />

give them any vacation they want off, and I’m happy<br />

making them happy. It sounds weird, but I’m so happy<br />

when someone leaves. When I have high school<br />

students who are trying to figure out what’s next, I<br />

sit down with them and look at other companies or<br />

internships or colleges, and it’s so awesome to see<br />

them grow.”<br />

Tyler Shreck, Store Manager at Autobell Car<br />

Wash in Hampton, Virginia<br />

Tyler Shreck needed a part-time job while<br />

he was going to college, and a friend who<br />

worked at Autobell Car Wash told him<br />

they were hiring. Shreck gave it a shot<br />

and immediately fell in love with the<br />

role, which was flexible and allowed<br />

him to work outdoors, alongside cool<br />

cars and with his friends. Before long he<br />

took part in the wash’s management program,<br />

became certified as a store manager and<br />

ultimately took a full-time role with them. More<br />

than 13 years later, Shreck is still enjoying the perks<br />

of working at Autobell — and passing them along to<br />

younger employees.<br />

“We’re big on promoting, and we work with a lot of<br />

high school and college students, and after being here<br />

for so long I’ve had an opportunity to work alongside<br />

them and get them promoted,” Shreck said. “I’m also a<br />

mentor, so some of the local store managers can reach<br />

out and we keep open communication about everything<br />

within the car wash industry.”<br />

Maintaining a work-life balance is important to<br />

Shreck, who appreciates that Autobell allows him<br />

to prioritize his wife and two daughters.<br />

“I want to be as present as possible — going to<br />

baseball games, school functions and doing my part,”<br />

he said. “Autobell is really great about that — they<br />

push you to be a family-first person with their flexibility<br />

and time management. A lot of that is in the<br />

structure of the stores, whether they have assistant<br />

managers and team members who are trained to respond<br />

to situations where you might not be there.”<br />

Shreck is continuing his growth as a leader — he<br />

recently completed an eight-week management certification<br />

course through Dale Carnegie.<br />

“It was an amazing experience and I developed a<br />

lot of new skill sets, and I’m excited to bring what I<br />

learned back to Autobell,” he said.<br />

Tara Huntley, Operations Manager at RPM Express<br />

Car Wash of Pullman, Washington<br />

Tara Huntley and her husband always valued<br />

having a clean car but were frequently disappointed<br />

by the car washes in their small<br />

town in eastern Washington — and decided<br />

to do something about it. Along<br />

with two local friends, the Huntleys<br />

opened up RPM Express Car Wash in<br />

January 2020.<br />

“I left my job as a teacher to help start<br />

the wash, and of course it was right before<br />

the pandemic,” Huntley said. “It was hard. I think<br />

we had enough time before COVID that people<br />

were super excited and supportive in the community,<br />

but we did close for six weeks, so that was tough.<br />

We had these brand-new employees and they were<br />

scared, so it was trying to make them feel more comfortable<br />

and that things would be okay. It was the<br />

hardest — feeling guilty that they weren’t working.”<br />

Huntley said they were able to adapt by closing<br />

vacuums and reducing face-to-face interactions between<br />

employees and customers, allowing them to<br />

survive those first rocky months.<br />

The next priority was bringing superior service to<br />

their region — the whole reason the friends had started<br />

the wash in the first place. RPM Express is the<br />

only tunnel car wash in the area, and Huntley<br />

said they also focus on making sure the<br />

equipment can handle the unique challenges<br />

vehicles face in the region.<br />

“We’ve got a lot of gravel roads, and<br />

we grew up in this environment, so<br />

we know the spots on cars that would<br />

get missed in other washes,” Huntley said.<br />

“Also, a lot of washes don’t wash the covers on<br />

pickup beds, and that’s something that really bothered<br />

us, so our wash does clean those. It’s just the<br />

little things like that, and really striving for great customer<br />

service. We’re proud of what we do, proud of<br />

having a clean car and making sure it’s done right.”<br />

Huntley said they are opening up a new location<br />

in Spokane this summer and are looking at another<br />

site next year, so the wash is in a period of transition.<br />

She is going to the Spokane wash to conduct interviews<br />

and training and will travel between the sites,<br />

and they are always looking at ways to offer even<br />

more to customers.<br />

“Even though we’re new, we’ve already made a<br />

lot of changes in our tunnels,” she said. “It costs us<br />

money, but if we find something that could be better<br />

we’re going to do it. We’re not just sitting back and<br />

watching, we’re really trying to grow and do the next<br />

big thing. I think that makes us a little bit different.”<br />

Miller Clayton, Operations Director at Washbox


Car Wash in Rainbow City, Alabama<br />

Miller Clayton got his first job at a wash in<br />

college, and despite earning a political science<br />

degree he stayed in the industry.<br />

Ten years later, he has run four different<br />

express tunnels and now works at<br />

Washbox Car Wash, which opened<br />

shortly before the pandemic. The wash<br />

is looking to open more sites by the end<br />

of the year, and as operations director Clayton<br />

expects to be moving around between the<br />

sites to oversee operations. Starting at a new wash<br />

right before the pandemic created many obstacles to<br />

overcome, he said.<br />

“It was the first time for anyone to deal with<br />

something like that, and we were literally just getting<br />

open,” he said. “There were no cars on the road<br />

because everything was shut down. We were doing<br />

the best we could while things were shut down, and<br />

then as things started opening up a bit we planned<br />

a big Halloween event — we were on the news and<br />

everything. So we tried to maximize everything we<br />

were able to do that year.”<br />

Now that the wash is more established, Clayton<br />

gets to enjoy the favorite part of working in the industry:<br />

giving back to the new employees who were<br />

just like him a decade ago.<br />

“I was young when I started, and I see myself<br />

in a lot of the people I hire now in high school or<br />

college,” he said. “This industry can teach younger<br />

generations so much — interacting with customers,<br />

learning how to have responsibility — it’s big. I have<br />

a bunch of friends who run different washes<br />

around the country, and we all have the<br />

same mission, because we all got started<br />

in the same way — we all had people<br />

we looked up to when we first started<br />

when we were young. So now we’re in<br />

the position to train those younger kids,<br />

and it’s really rewarding.”<br />

Clayton said he was looking forward to<br />

seeing the innovations at this year’s Car Wash<br />

Show and how technology continues to expand.<br />

“There’s a lot I’ve already seen that intrigues me,<br />

but it’s amazing how every single year how much<br />

the industry evolves,” he said. “I remember when I<br />

first started the technology was so different from<br />

where we are today — it’s astronomical. I love coming<br />

to these events because if you don’t keep up<br />

with things, you’re going to fall behind.”<br />

Taylor Kiley, Manager at Whatta Wash South 14<br />

in Greer, South Carolina<br />

Tayler Kiley was a preschool teacher when her<br />

friends approached her about starting a car<br />

wash. Kiley has a marketing background<br />

and left teaching to build out Whatta<br />

Wash’s marketing and social media<br />

strategy — and loved it so much that<br />

she now runs the wash and is writing a<br />

dissertation on the marketing challenges<br />

rural washes face.<br />

Association News<br />

“I’m getting my PhD right now, and I’m writing<br />

my PhD on companies that aren’t immediately successful,”<br />

she said. “Our car wash isn’t near any anchor<br />

points like a store or restaurant like many washes are<br />

— we’ve got nothing around us. We’re a little slower<br />

to build and grow, so I’m focusing on how to be<br />

successful if you’re not on the busiest street in town.”<br />

On top of working on her dissertation, Kiley<br />

works full time six days a week for about 50 hours a<br />

week and is always on call. This summer she’ll be an<br />

online college professor and keep managing at the<br />

wash and has one more year before earning her PhD.<br />

“I love what I do, so it doesn’t bother me, but I’m always<br />

on at the wash,” Kiley said. “I’m really big on the<br />

community aspect of it — I do a Christmas car wash,<br />

which a lot of people don’t do yet. But we give all that<br />

money back to the community. This year, we found a<br />

family whose daughter has Stage 4 cancer — they had<br />

only one car and the mom couldn’t work any more.<br />

They’re one of our regular customers, so it was the<br />

perfect opportunity — we did their whole Christmas.<br />

If you have the opportunity to give back it makes such<br />

a big difference.”<br />

Once Kiley earns her PhD, she plans to<br />

continue teaching and working at the<br />

wash while using her dissertation findings<br />

to figure out the best strategic<br />

communication and marketing strategies<br />

for washes that aren’t in the busiest<br />

part of town.<br />

Scan me!<br />

THE<br />

RESULTS<br />

ARE IN<br />

1.3K RATINGS<br />

iOS APP STORE<br />

4.6<br />

BEST<br />

RATED<br />

CARWASH<br />

APP<br />

DON’T TRUST US. TRUST YOUR CUSTOMERS.<br />

Coinless is revolutionizing the SS/IBA customer/operator experience.<br />

coinlessmobile.com<br />

FALL 2022 • 33


INDUSTRY DIRT<br />

HAPPENINGS IN & AROUND<br />

THE SELF SERVE<br />

CARWASHING INDUSTRY<br />

Lock America<br />

names new National<br />

Sales Manager<br />

Frank Minnella, CEO of Lock America of Corona,<br />

CA has announced that Robert Chen has<br />

been named as the company’s new National Sales<br />

Manager. “We are pleased to acknowledge Robert’s<br />

creativity and performance in helping the company<br />

negotiate these challenging economic times,” he<br />

stated in a press release. “He has spearheaded and<br />

supported our efforts to enter new markets and<br />

enhance our products for current and new customers.<br />

Robert succeeds Dan Walsh on Dan’s retirement.”<br />

Lock America develops, manufactures, and<br />

markets a wide range of security locks and hardware<br />

for many markets, including Amusement and<br />

Vending, ATM, Information Management, Municipal<br />

Government, Petroleum and Propane Distribution,<br />

and Self-Storage.<br />

Robert Chen graduated from<br />

Cal State LA, majoring in marketing<br />

with a minor in economics.<br />

He has an extensive background<br />

in sales management, operations<br />

management and market development,<br />

originally in the auto<br />

accessories industry, and with Lock<br />

America for the past five years. He looks<br />

forward to continuing to expand product offerings to<br />

current and new markets: “Our goal is to develop customers<br />

at the manufacturing level. I’m committed to<br />

developing products that solve problems for our customers,”<br />

Chen stated in a press release.<br />

Robert’s mission is to manage the development<br />

of new security lock and hardware products<br />

that complement 21 st century technology singly<br />

and with industry partners. Minnella stated in the<br />

press release, “He is certain that Robert is the right<br />

person to lead that effort.”<br />

DRB ® Is a 2022 NorthCoast<br />

99 Award winner<br />

DRB ® , of Akron, Ohio, is proud to announce<br />

that it has been named a 2022 NorthCoast 99<br />

award winner by ERC, the Employers Resource<br />

Council, according to a September 6, 2022, press<br />

release. DRB was among 99 Northeast Ohio workplaces<br />

recognized for having exceptional policies,<br />

practices and benefits proven to attract and retain<br />

top performers.<br />

Founded in 1984, DRB is an industry-leading<br />

provider of point-of-sale and business optimization<br />

technology to the car wash industry and<br />

related industries. The company employs more<br />

than 500 professionals and prides itself on making<br />

employees feel welcome, wanted and important<br />

while investing in their personal and professional<br />

development. “DRB would not be able to achieve<br />

the success we have without our people,” said Ian<br />

Williams, DRB’s President and CEO, in the press<br />

release. “We strive every day to cultivate an environment<br />

that attracts and retains our best-in-class<br />

team and ensures we deliver a level of excellence<br />

and innovation to our customers. It is an honor to<br />

have ERC validate that.”<br />

To receive the NorthCoast 99 accolade, DRB<br />

participated in a rigorous application process, providing<br />

detailed information on how they address<br />

top-performer attraction, development and retention<br />

in the areas of:<br />

• Organizational strategy,<br />

policies and benefits<br />

• Talent attraction, acquisition<br />

and onboarding<br />

• Employee well-being<br />

• Employee engagement<br />

and talent development<br />

• Total rewards<br />

• Diversity, equity and inclusion<br />

“More than a business award or event,<br />

NorthCoast 99 is a yearlong research program<br />

that ERC established to help make our region a<br />

long-term destination of choice for companies and<br />

high-performing individuals,” said Samantha Marx,<br />

ERC’s Director of Strategic Projects, who oversees<br />

the NorthCoast 99 program, in the press release.<br />

The 2022 NorthCoast 99 awards program is<br />

sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield,<br />

CareerCurve, Cleveland Magazine, ERChealth,<br />

Fifth Third Bank, Gino’s Awards, Maloney + Novotny;<br />

Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis, Oswald<br />

Companies, Staffing Solutions Enterprises, UKG,<br />

and Wayfind Creative.<br />

DRB ® acquires<br />

Beacon Mobile<br />

In other DRB® news, the company announced<br />

on September 13, 2022, it has acquired Beacon Mobile<br />

LLC, a mobile technology innovator in the car<br />

wash industry.<br />

The acquisition gives DRB customers a frictionless,<br />

customizable and cloud-based solution to manage<br />

car wash memberships across the DRB family of<br />

brands. It also extends unlimited car wash membership<br />

capabilities to DRB In-Bay Solutions’ customers,<br />

according to a press release.<br />

“This acquisition expands our best-in-class POS<br />

solutions to be able to transact and manage memberships<br />

seamlessly across all of our offerings,” said DRB<br />

President Ian Williams, in the press release. “More<br />

than ever, we will be poised to help car wash owners<br />

grow their membership base more effectively and<br />

extend the lifetime value of their customers.”<br />

Alan Nawoj, CEO and Founder of Beacon Mobile<br />

also stated in the press release, “This relationship<br />

allows Beacon Mobile to leverage the stability<br />

and resources of a larger company. DRB is committed<br />

to developing and innovating the Beacon<br />

Mobile platform, and we are excited for our customers<br />

to reap those benefits.”<br />

The acquisition combines Beacon Mobile’s innovative<br />

technology with DRB’s depth of experience<br />

and breadth of customers, allowing DRB to<br />

offer consumer and market insights to customers.<br />

“The addition of Beacon Mobile aligns perfectly<br />

with DRB’s vision to become a world-class software<br />

and business intelligence company,” Williams added.<br />

Little Trees turns 70!<br />

The air freshener company, made famous for<br />

its tree-shaped ornaments scented with ‘Black Ice’<br />

(which launched in 2004), ‘New Car Scent’ and<br />

‘Morning Rain’ aromas, is now 70 years old. According<br />

to the company <strong>web</strong>site, back In 1952, a milk<br />

truck driver in northern New York complained to<br />

Julius Sämann about the smell of spilled milk. To<br />

address this issue, Julius combined exceptional fragrances<br />

with specialized blotter material and invented<br />

the first car air freshener. He gave it the shape<br />

of an abstract evergreen tree in honor of his years<br />

extracting aromatic oils in Canada’s pine forests.<br />

A 2012 New York Times article titled, “Who<br />

Made Those Little Trees Air Fresheners?”stated that<br />

In 1954, Samann filed a patent for paper impregnated<br />

with “odor-destroying, air-perfuming substances,”<br />

a cellophane wrapper and a string to hang<br />

it on. The string was a necessity, he noted in his<br />

application, because “the substances are sometimes<br />

of an oily or sticky nature or hard to remove from<br />

the hands.” The accompanying drawing featured a<br />

container holding a paper cutout of the profile of a<br />

bosomy, arch-backed pinup. But Samann eventually<br />

swapped out the pinup for the pine tree.<br />

“The reasons were largely practical,” the article<br />

stated, as the tree’s conical shape allowed its cellophane<br />

wrapper to be rolled back slowly, from its<br />

apex down, so the fragrance could be drawn out,<br />

branch by branch. Judicious users could preserve<br />

the pine scent for up to seven weeks.<br />

The first fragrances included Royal Pine, Spice<br />

and Bouquet. As the air fresheners grew in popularity,<br />

so did its catalogs of offerings. Based in Watertown,<br />

New York, the company expanded and<br />

added a factory in DeWitt, Iowa. The product offerings<br />

grew to vent wraps, vent liquids and sprays.<br />

Today, the company offers over 60 different scents.<br />

34 • FALL 2022


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 2022 • 35


EXTRA! EXTRA!<br />

Presenting the news stories featuring self serve car washes<br />

Couple notices this in the corner of the self serve bay<br />

With it being Halloween season and all, it isn’t<br />

unlikely to see scary things or references to the<br />

dead, or morose symbols… you get the idea. However,<br />

when a man discovered an urn had been left<br />

behind at a car wash, they knew it wasn’t part of<br />

the usual Halloween decor. Riley Webb was cleaning<br />

out his car at Aurora’s Happy Henry’s Car<br />

Wash in Aurora, Colorado, in early October, when<br />

he noticed an urn sitting next to a trash can.<br />

“I go over and I pick it up and I look at it and<br />

I’m like, this is heavy,” Webb told a CBS News<br />

Colorado outlet.<br />

After realizing what he had found, Webb<br />

brought the urn home, according to the story. He<br />

and his girlfriend Laquita Mitchell are now trying<br />

to find its owner.<br />

The car wash’s owner, Matt Bergman, said he was<br />

out of town when the urn was dropped off but was<br />

able to capture video footage of the person who left<br />

behind the urn. Footage shows a white male driving<br />

a reddish Pontiac Grand Prix or Grand Am with<br />

no front license plate, the story said. However, in a<br />

twist of bad luck, Bergman said there was an internet<br />

outage and due to the load on the recorder, surveillance<br />

video of the dropoff was overwritten. “Even if<br />

I was able to give over the video, it wouldn’t have<br />

helped much with any sort of identification of the<br />

car that dropped it off,” Bergman said in the story.<br />

“We feel awful for the deceased relatives and hope<br />

they find the family it belongs to.” The urn has since<br />

been turned over to the police, who are still trying to<br />

find its owner or a family member.<br />

INDUSTRY DIRT<br />

D&S launches<br />

new <strong>web</strong>site<br />

According to a company press release,<br />

D&S announced that In conjunction with<br />

its logo rebrand earlier this year, it continues<br />

to evolve and grow with the modern<br />

car wash market - and to reflect these<br />

changes, the D&S Marketing Department<br />

has been hard at work crafting an all new<br />

D&S <strong>web</strong>site.<br />

“The new site improves the aesthetics,<br />

navigation, and user experience,” the<br />

press release stated. The official launch<br />

date of the new <strong>web</strong>site was Thursday,<br />

October 13th.<br />

As previously mentioned, D&S also<br />

debuted a brandnew logo over the summer.<br />

The rationale for the change, according<br />

to the company were the following<br />

factors:<br />

• To project a dynamic, forwardlooking<br />

symbol of the ownership<br />

change to Lometa Capital Partners<br />

while maintaining our core D&S<br />

identity.<br />

• To rebrand as D&S Car Wash<br />

Supply in a manner that<br />

differentiates the name change<br />

more effectively than a simple word<br />

substitution<br />

• To accommodate brand extension<br />

logos such as our Field Sales &<br />

Service Division*<br />

• To give the 50-year-old face<br />

of D&S a makeover for a more<br />

contemporary, compelling and upto-date<br />

symbol of our firm.<br />

Secret Service returns $286 million in fraudulent small business loans<br />

The U.S. Secret Service returned $286 million<br />

in fraudulently obtained pandemic aid loans to the<br />

Small Business Administration (SBA), according<br />

to an August 29 CNBC report.<br />

The agency announced that the funds sent back<br />

to the SBA were obtained via the Economic Injury<br />

Disaster Loan (EIDL) program using both fabricated<br />

information and stolen identities, the story said.<br />

Around 15,000 accounts were caught using<br />

Green Dot Bank, a fintech institution. “Fraudsters<br />

in general are always looking for ways and techniques<br />

to better do their crimes and modern conveniences<br />

are just one of those things they use. So<br />

currently, cryptocurrency is a big thing, fintechs,<br />

third-party payment systems. But there’s not an<br />

institution, even our traditional financial institutions,<br />

that weren’t targeted during the pandemic,”<br />

Roy Dotson, lead investigator for the Secret Service,<br />

told CNBC in an interview. Green Dot stated<br />

it was cooperating and even partnering with federal<br />

agencies to identify the culprits.<br />

“Account protection and fraud prevention are<br />

top priorities for us, and we work around the clock<br />

and invest heavily to identify, block and address<br />

fraudulent activity. We’re committed to protecting<br />

customers, and also to serving as [a] proactive<br />

ally to government agencies and industry peers as<br />

we work together to prevent fraud,” Green Dot<br />

spokeswoman Alison Lubert said in a statement.<br />

While investigations are still ongoing, there<br />

have so far been more than 400 indictments and<br />

nearly 300 convictions related to pandemic fraud.<br />

Since the pandemic started back in March<br />

2020, the U.S. government allocated more than $1<br />

trillion to “Main Street” under both the Paycheck<br />

Protection Program and EIDL program to help<br />

small businesses stay afloat. “Reviews of the two<br />

programs by the SBA’s Office of Inspector General<br />

warned that criminals would potentially exploit<br />

the system due to the fast-moving nature of the<br />

rollout and demand for aid,” CNBC reported.<br />

The SBA OIG said it has identified $87 billion<br />

of potentially fraudulent EIDL loans. The Secret<br />

Service has so far seized over $1.4 billion in fraudulently<br />

obtained funds and has been able to return<br />

approximately $2.3 billion to state unemployment<br />

insurance programs.<br />

36 • FALL 2022


Essential Fragrances<br />

24 COUNT CARDED<br />

NEW CAR SCENT VS50189<br />

STRAWBERRY VS50312<br />

BAYSIDE BREEZE VS57121<br />

BLACK ICE VS50155<br />

SUNSET BEACH VS57177<br />

ROSE THORN VS57308<br />

CARIBBEAN COLADA<br />

VS50324<br />

TRUE NORTH VS57146<br />

SUPERNOVA VS57303<br />

VANILLAROMA VS50205<br />

72 COUNT POUCH PACK<br />

NEW CAR SCENT VS10189<br />

STRAWBERRY VS10312<br />

BAYSIDE BREEZE VS17121<br />

BLACK ICE VS10155<br />

SUNSET BEACH VS17177<br />

ROSE THORN VS17308<br />

CARIBBEAN COLADA VS10324<br />

TRUE NORTH VS17146<br />

SUPERNOVA VS17303<br />

VANILLAROMA VS10105<br />

ORDER TOLL FREE 800.233.3873 OR ONLINE KLEENRITE.COM<br />

BLACK MICROFIBER<br />

TOWELS<br />

Available now from<br />

KLEENRITE.COM | 800.233.3873<br />

FALL 2022 • 37


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 />

38 • FALL 2022


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 2022 • 39


EXTRA! EXTRA!<br />

Official car wash of the<br />

Denver Broncos opens<br />

another location<br />

A new car wash featuring touch free and self<br />

serve bays is now open in Denver, Colorado,<br />

according to an August 12 press release. Dennis<br />

Dreeszen, CEO of Autowash, said the new<br />

Autowash is open 24 hours a day and has do-ityourself<br />

dog wash stations. “We know the area’s<br />

been waiting for this location to open for a few<br />

years now, and we can’t wait to give the community<br />

the highest quality car wash available – especially<br />

those that love their cars!” Dreeszen stated<br />

in a press release. “Our washes are a big part of<br />

the car community in Colorado, we’re excited to<br />

help expand that community and help people<br />

take care of their favorite cars and trucks.”<br />

Autowash opened its first location 10 years<br />

ago in the Denver area. The chain now has 23<br />

locations and said in the press release it washes<br />

about 2 million cars per year. It is also the official<br />

car wash of the Denver Broncos.<br />

New self serve coming<br />

to Wadena, Minnesota<br />

The new South 71 CarWash, which is owned<br />

by Chad Dickey Sr., should be open for business<br />

by November 2022.<br />

“I looked at this spot and I said, ‘this would be<br />

the perfect place for a car wash,’” Dickey told the<br />

Pioneer Journal. His brother Chuck also operates<br />

a car wash down in Eagle Bend, Minnesota.<br />

The car wash will have a self-serve bay with a<br />

14’ doorway that’s large enough to accomodate<br />

a pickup and trailer or campers. There will also<br />

be a touch free bay including a LaserWash 360.<br />

According to the news article, Dickey pulled<br />

the trigger on the project in July 2021 and spent<br />

the winter coming up with a business plan so<br />

that he could take the necessary steps to obtain<br />

a business loan from his bank. By July 2022, the<br />

foundation was in place and the walls went up.<br />

Dickey and his wife Kathy hope this will be<br />

a nice side business for their family. Their son<br />

Chad, who is a trucker, will help out, too. “It’s<br />

going to be a fun deal,” Dickey said in the story.<br />

New car wash opens in<br />

Cazenovia, New York<br />

The brand new Caz Car Wash is now open<br />

for business in Cazenovia, New York, and features<br />

two self serve and two automatic bays,<br />

including a soft-touch and a touch-free laser.<br />

According to an October 24 story by the<br />

Cazenovia Republican, washes can be purchased<br />

with cash, credit card, or Apple/Google<br />

Pay. Coins will not be accepted.<br />

The car wash will also have two vacuum<br />

islands offering vacuums, shampoo, and fragrance<br />

for cleaning vehicle interiors, the story<br />

said.<br />

The owners of the car wash are Don Ballway<br />

and Clay Coleman who also happen to be<br />

brothers-in-law.<br />

Karie Ballway, who is Ballway’s wife and<br />

Coleman’s sister, and Linda Coleman, who is<br />

Coleman’s wife, are assisting with the promotion<br />

of the car wash and will be active in its<br />

day-to-day operations, the story said.<br />

“Knowing that Cazenovia has not had a<br />

car wash in almost two decades, they felt this<br />

would be a service well-received by the community,”<br />

Karie said in the story. “The nearest<br />

car wash had been about 10 miles outside of<br />

town. “There are also several local lakes with<br />

many boat owners and recreational vehicles<br />

that need washing at the beginning and end of<br />

each season.”<br />

The story said the car wash was possible<br />

thanks to the Town of Cazenovia/Town of<br />

Nelson Route 20 Water District Improvements<br />

project, which extended public water<br />

from the Village of Cazenovia Public Water<br />

System to businesses and residential properties<br />

along Rt. 20. “Without the Water District<br />

Improvements project, we would not have<br />

been able to operate the car wash,” Karie said<br />

in the story. “We selected the site knowing the<br />

water district was forthcoming. The site also<br />

had all other utilities required to operate a car<br />

wash, [such as] electric, gas, and sewer.”<br />

Canadian car wash holds<br />

customer appreciation day<br />

Bridgenorth Car Wash, of Bridgenorth,<br />

Ontario, which is owned by former restaurateur<br />

Frank Palermo, held a customer appreciation<br />

day on Saturday, September 3,<br />

according to a Peterborough Examiner story.<br />

The weekend celebration was in honor of its<br />

one-year anniversary.<br />

Pizza and refreshments were served and<br />

Palermo said it will be an annual event.<br />

Bridgenorth Car War is a self-serve car<br />

wash, featuring three bays where boats, recreational<br />

vehicles and tractor-trailers can be<br />

cleaned. The car wash also sells snacks, refreshments<br />

and car accessories.<br />

It’s a family-run business and Palermo’s<br />

wife along with his three children pitch in.<br />

Palermo said in the story that he got out of<br />

the restaurant business to spend more time<br />

with his family.<br />

“It was all about just trying something<br />

different. The restaurant business had a lot<br />

of hours and late nights,” Palermo told The<br />

Examiner. “My family is growing and I was<br />

spending a lot of time away from my family.<br />

With the car wash I don’t have to be there<br />

24/7; with the restaurant I had to be there<br />

until 2 or 3 in the morning. So I’m able to<br />

spend more time with my family.”<br />

Wise Guys celebrates<br />

1-year anniversary<br />

of Canadian location<br />

Wise Guys Car Wash recently celebrated the one-year<br />

anniversary of its location in Kelowna, British Columbia,<br />

according to a press release. During October, it offered halfprice<br />

express, touchless and self-serve car washes and reduced<br />

the price of its Wash Club memberships.<br />

“The Kelowna Wise Guys Car Wash is the only car wash<br />

in town that has express, touchless and self-serve options,”<br />

said owner Travis Wise. “Why are we the best? Our staff goes<br />

the extra distance to ensure each customer is taken care of<br />

professionally and their vehicle shines.”<br />

Unlike other car washes, Wise Guys stated it offers free<br />

microfibre towels at the vacuum/detailing area so customers<br />

can add a personal touch while listening to classic rock music,<br />

the press release stated.<br />

40 • FALL 2022


CV-A<br />

Features<br />

■ Fragramatics 1600 hr Turbo Motor<br />

■ Poly or aluminum dome<br />

■ Computer controlled timer<br />

■ UV protected graphics<br />

■ Filters – Four-bag system uses high performance,<br />

synthetic filtration media with 15 sq. ft. filtration<br />

area. Two easy-access service doors on rear<br />

■ 2” dia. vac hose – high-flex, vinyl, crushable, 15 ft.<br />

long. Includes cuff and polyethylene hand tool<br />

■ ¼” x 25’ Wire braid or coil hose with inline gauge<br />

Specifications<br />

■ 1.25 HP ‘Big Dog’ high output compressor<br />

■ Brushed Stainless Steel Tank and Main Cabinet<br />

■ Coin acceptor – mechanical<br />

■ Electrical - 120 V ac, 25 amps<br />

■ Mounting - One internal and two external lugs<br />

with security collars. Uses 3/8” bolts for secure<br />

installation.<br />

■ Tank Dimensions - 18.5”dia. x 42”h<br />

■ Unit Weight - Net 145 lbs. Ship weight 185 lbs.<br />

■ Ships in carton/pallet: 67”h x 32”w x 31”d<br />

Options<br />

■ Multi-coin acceptor<br />

■ Lighted dome<br />

■ Debris catcher<br />

■ Dome colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue,<br />

white<br />

■ Hose colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue,<br />

white, gray, black<br />

fragramatics.com<br />

3021 Midland Drive • Pine Bluff AR 71603<br />

800-643-1574 • sales@fragramatics.com<br />

FALL 2022 • 41


EXTRA! EXTRA!<br />

Self serve car wash featured in dental office commercial<br />

What is happening here?, you may be asking.<br />

Well, it looks like a dental office in Mesa, Arizona,<br />

is using the viral TikTok trend to promote its services<br />

and hygienists<br />

According to an October 25 Tiremeetsroad.<br />

com story, “Mesa and Chandler-based Aesthetic<br />

Family Dental staff filmed and uploaded a car<br />

wash challenge video earlier last month and, with<br />

over 7 million views, it’s certified a viral video.”<br />

Apparently there has been an ongoing viral<br />

TikTok challenge in which users film themselves<br />

at self-serve car washes doing a dance to the Ellie<br />

Golding’s “Lights.” TikTok, for those who don’t<br />

know, is a social media platform where people<br />

post and share videos. The number of clicks and<br />

likes can be seen along with the video.<br />

The video may have been their best marketing<br />

idea yet, as comments under the upload include:<br />

“Switching dentists immediately”<br />

“They’ll be scheduling into 2026 now”<br />

“So, um, my wisdom teeth needs to be pulled immediatly<br />

but I’m clearly going to the wrong dentist”<br />

So far, the video has been viewed more than<br />

7 million times and has received more than 1.2<br />

million likes and 27,000+ comments.<br />

Entire self serve<br />

bay lifted to free<br />

truck<br />

Here’s something you don’t see<br />

every day: A semi-truck crashed –<br />

and then got stuck – inside of a self<br />

serve bay in Chadron, Nebraska,<br />

according to a Chadron Radio report.<br />

The September 2 post stated<br />

the trucker was unloading a semi<br />

at Skeeter’s NAPA Auto Parts,<br />

located on the north side of 3rd<br />

Street and the highest point on the<br />

street when the tractor-trailer began<br />

rolling across the parking lot.<br />

“The semi crossed Maple Street<br />

and hit another truck parked at<br />

the Closer to Home Soup kitchen<br />

before veering south across 3rd St/<br />

Hwy 20 and hitting the north bay<br />

at the Hi-Tech Car Care car wash,”<br />

the story reported.<br />

Thankfully, no one was injured.<br />

However, the car wash bay had to<br />

be lifted upwards to free the truck.<br />

42 • FALL 2022


WHEN DID YOU LAST<br />

UPGRADE YOUR<br />

<br />

ROWE CHANGER?<br />

IF YOU CAN’T REMEMBER, IT’S TIME FOR AN UPGRADE.<br />

BC-1400A-KIT<br />

BC-1400 w/ Older<br />

ROWE Components<br />

BC-1400A w/<br />

Upgraded Components<br />

AMERICAN CHANGER’S<br />

<br />

Conversion & MEI Kits for Rowe machines<br />

®<br />

www.AmericanChanger.com · info@americanchanger.com · (954) 917-3009<br />

FALL 2022 • 43


From cashless toll booths<br />

to ‘credit-card-only vending<br />

machines’, there’s no<br />

denying that there has been<br />

a major shift in an average<br />

customer’s wallet content.<br />

It is not just due to the pandemic (where touchless<br />

transactions became the norm and dirty dollar<br />

bills were treated with rubber gloves), in fact, years<br />

before more and more businesses were looking into<br />

cashless payment systems for a variety of reasons,<br />

including:<br />

Customers appreciate them<br />

No cash on site = less crime<br />

Such set-ups are not for everyone though. Many<br />

customers, those from ‘old school’ cash-loving carriers<br />

to pre- to current baby boomers, to kids who aren’t<br />

old enough to have a credit card, may still want<br />

to use paper bills and coins. And, there are also concerns<br />

over the technology. For instance, if systems<br />

are down, how will people buy … well, anything?<br />

Back in March 2022, Hershey Park, a major<br />

theme park based around the world-famous chocolate<br />

company, announced it was going cashless. An<br />

official statement read: Hersheypark is now cashless<br />

in an effort to create more convenient retail and dining<br />

experiences for guests. All major credit cards, Hersheypark<br />

gift cards, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google<br />

Pay will be accepted.<br />

In place of cash, guests should consider purchasing<br />

an e-gift card before their Park visit. Guests who<br />

arrive at the Park with cash only can convert cash<br />

to prepaid debit cards at five Cash-To-Card kiosks<br />

throughout the Park at no fee. Prepaid cards can be<br />

used anywhere Visa is accepted. They cannot be reloaded<br />

or refunded.<br />

Guests will need to purchase a separate Gaming<br />

Card for games, which they can load via cashless<br />

payment at an in-Park Gaming Card kiosk.<br />

Some people liked the idea, some lost their ever-chocolate-lovin’<br />

minds. In a Hershey Park Facebook<br />

fan group called: Hersheypark Connissoures,<br />

comments about the new police ranged from: ``It's<br />

44 • FALL 2022


FALL 2022 • 45


POLL:<br />

Are you completely<br />

cashless at your<br />

carwash?<br />

NO: 80%<br />

No, but thinking<br />

about it: 14.3%<br />

YES: 5.7%<br />

COMMENTS:<br />

Who would wanna be cashless, in a cash business?<br />

- Soonermajic<br />

What? So the IRS isn’t involved? - CarWashBoy<br />

It seems to me that there will always be a<br />

varying degree of both types of customers -<br />

cash and credit, depending on location/demographics<br />

etc. Your business might be 95%<br />

credit card users and 5% cash, but even at that,<br />

those 5% might wash elsewhere if you don’t<br />

have the cash option at your wash. I’m just<br />

not willing to give up 5% - or even 1% of my<br />

customers. - Washnshine<br />

I think I will eventually-maybe five Years or<br />

so. - Greg Pack<br />

All Bays, Vacuums and Dog Wash are cashless<br />

and only have credit card readers. We sell<br />

custom wash cards (for people who only have<br />

cash) from our Mega Vendor 3. It’s the best<br />

set-up for self serves I have seen and we have<br />

had zero vandalism for over 2 years. Best decision<br />

we have made and it's the best of both<br />

worlds. We are about 80% Credit/Debit and<br />

20% Cash. - Carwashmafia<br />

Well, there also may be a time in the future<br />

when we are a cashless/currency-less society.<br />

- Washnshine<br />

That set-up would not work here in a small<br />

South Texas rural town where many don't<br />

even have credit cards or computers. Our<br />

business is currently 65% credit cards and 35%<br />

cash. - CheetahExpress<br />

I traveled in the UK for two weeks and never<br />

once used cash. EVERYTHING is TAP to<br />

PAY, even the donation boxes located inside<br />

churches (you can select any amount and tap<br />

to pay it - no matter the amount). Not many<br />

car washes in the UK, perhaps an untapped<br />

market.... - Roz<br />

I wonder how long before we will be accepting<br />

cryptocurrencies…. If ever…? - Sjb<br />

about time,” to ‘how dare they!” or something to<br />

that effect.<br />

One commenter named Deana Lucy wrote: Really<br />

ridiculous!, we’re Hershey people, have been<br />

many times & thought maybe they wouldn’t jump<br />

on this absurd trend.<br />

And some even lumped the policy in with their<br />

views on their rights and choices being taken away.<br />

Heidi N Warren Quinn wrote, I already said I prefer<br />

my card...but there are lots of people who don't<br />

prefer cards, and they should still be able to enjoy<br />

the park without having to jump through hoops getting<br />

prepaid cards. As far as "cash not being a thing<br />

in 5 years" that's actually really not a good thing. It's<br />

absolutely fine to have a cashless OPTION but any<br />

time a CHOICE is taken away from us, it's more<br />

control. I want my freedom to choose how I want to<br />

spend my money. I think it sucks …<br />

Major sports stadiums from Fenway Park to the<br />

Paul Brown Stadium have also adopted a no-cash<br />

policy within the last couple of years. And, once<br />

again, people took the news with a mixed-bag of<br />

emotions. When Levi Stadium announced it was going<br />

cashless in an August 2021 post, one commenter<br />

named Scott Lyons went down the political route,<br />

stating: Un American to not accept cash! More liberal<br />

crap<br />

Okay, so there’s the negative side to the coin.<br />

Of course, many do not like change (no pun intended)<br />

and cannot fathom that a change is not a<br />

part of some political agenda or a personal affront.<br />

But, what if there’s an honest-to-goodness reason<br />

for going cashless? What if it’s simply to cut down<br />

on crime? No cash? No break-ins! Or, at least less<br />

break-ins.<br />

“I’m in the process of buying a self serve wash<br />

and thinking of going cashless,” said Jonathan Amary.<br />

There is a cost to handling cash, he added, noting<br />

that the self serve is in a high crime area. “Damage<br />

to equipment or a person isn’t worth it and people<br />

will spend more with cc especially with count up<br />

that will offset the costs,”<br />

Jim Ralph is the owner of a wash with four self<br />

serves and three in-bay automatics in Northeast<br />

Pennsylvania and he said he will be making the<br />

switch to cashless for a variety of reasons. “I spend<br />

on any given week about three hours pulling money<br />

from my machines, separating cash to dispense<br />

as change, going to the bank and recording it,” he<br />

said. “The last two years I have also spent $5,000<br />

maintaining my equipment to handle my cash. Then<br />

there’s the bill dispenser maintenance/replacement<br />

parts and the time it takes resetting them when they<br />

go down.” Ralph said he also collects taxes on his<br />

credit card sales but pays the taxes out of his pocket<br />

for cash sales so he sees it as a way to put a small<br />

bump in revenue where he can repurpose his expenses<br />

and time to other areas of the business.<br />

“I’m currently at 85%/cc so I don’t think it’ll matter<br />

to my customers but you should know your market<br />

[before making any kind of switch],” he advised<br />

Nick Raehsler is a self serve wash owner in Wis-<br />

STRAIGHT FROM<br />

THE FEDERAL RESERVE<br />

Is it legal for a business in the United States to refuse cash as a form of payment?<br />

There is no federal statute mandating that a private business, a person, or an organization<br />

must accept currency or coins as payment for goods or services. Private businesses<br />

are free to develop their own policies on whether to accept cash unless there is<br />

a state law that says otherwise.<br />

Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, entitled “Legal tender,” states: “United States coins and currency<br />

[including Federal Reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal Reserve Banks<br />

and national banks] are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues.” This<br />

statute means that all U.S. money as identified above is a valid and legal offer of payment<br />

for debts when tendered to a creditor.<br />

HOWEVER ...<br />

CHECK YOUR STATE LAWS<br />

Back in January 2020, New York City lawmakers voted Thursday to require stores<br />

and restaurants to accept cash for payment, saying businesses that accept only credit<br />

and debit cards are discriminating against New Yorkers who lack bank accounts and<br />

credit cards, according to the Associated Press.<br />

“This practice punishes the underbanked,” City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said<br />

before the council’s 43-3 vote in favor of the bill.<br />

Under the bill, businesses that refuse cash will be fined $1,000 for the first violation<br />

and $1,500 after that. The measure, which is expected to go into effect by the end of the<br />

year, also prohibits stores from charging higher prices for paying in cash, the Associated<br />

Press reported.<br />

46 • FALL 2022


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 2022 • 47


consin, and he has his own thoughts on going cashless.<br />

You are putting your full trust into a credit card<br />

processor, he questions. “Half of my customers don’t<br />

have $8 in their bank account to float the $10 authorization<br />

or even a debit/credit account, let alone have a<br />

credit/debit to begin with.” Rachsler noted that while<br />

it wouldn’t work for his business, it really depends on<br />

your area and income. He did however note one negative<br />

side to going cashless: “Collecting the cash is the<br />

only fun part of my job like TikTok says!”<br />

Scott Murray is a car wash owner in Ontario,<br />

Canada. Canada is apparently one of the leading<br />

countries in the cashless movement, according to<br />

a Global News report, and Murray said there’s always<br />

a cost whether it be cash or cashless, but it all<br />

comes down to your patrons. “Try looking at what<br />

your consumer wants in your area,” he stated. “Stop<br />

focusing on pennies and focus on your consumers.”<br />

Car wash owner Iqbal Ahmed of San Antonio,<br />

Texas, made the switch to being cashless last September<br />

and has no regrets. “I had a change machine<br />

and a machine that dispenses tokens and then in the<br />

middle of August it was severely vandalized. It was<br />

a big mess. And it was a lot of money to get it fixed.<br />

And, then I thought about it and realized it was too<br />

much of a hassle to go through the trouble of getting<br />

it fixed.” ​At the time, his credit card sales were at<br />

around 55% of his total sales. “I simply didn’t want<br />

to put in a new change machine again and experience<br />

the same in the future.”<br />

Ahmed said he still has a coin acceptor on site<br />

that takes quarters, but it is up to customers to bring<br />

their own quarters.<br />

Ahmed said they put up signage announcing<br />

they were cashless and only a few customers complained.<br />

“‘Sorry, guys, this is just how it is now,’” he<br />

would say to the customers.<br />

Steve Elbaum, who has car washes in the San<br />

Fernando Valley area of California and has been in<br />

the car washing business for over 35 years, switched<br />

his five express locations to cashless almost two years<br />

ago. Elbaum makes it very clear that the move had<br />

nothing to do with politics, or following some sort<br />

of trend, instead, it simply has to do with time and<br />

money. “I have had people tell me it is un-American<br />

to not accept cash, and I can tell you that it has<br />

nothing to do with politics; it has to do with me<br />

sleeping better at night knowing I am not wasting<br />

my time counting money and knowing there is no<br />

cash on site for anyone to steal.”<br />

Elbaum said he was spending a half hour in the<br />

morning and a half hour in the evening counting out<br />

the money. Also, he noted that knowing they offer<br />

monthly car wash plans, customers are more likely<br />

to purchase a plan with a credit card in hand. Plus<br />

it costs money to deposit cash at the bank, so he is<br />

saving money that way, although he did note there<br />

are credit card fees, so it sort of evens-out.<br />

And, of course, there’s the cut-down on criminal<br />

activity. In fact, Elbaum said since going cashless<br />

there has been zero criminal activity at his washes.<br />

“With no cash on site, there is nothing to steal. I can<br />

ONE WAY TO DO IT<br />

In Niskayuna, New York, the local<br />

pub, Broken Inn, is a cash-only establishment.<br />

There is an ATM on site. And,<br />

every month, the business puts what<br />

money it saves by not having credit<br />

card fees and puts the money back<br />

into the town of Niskayuna. From the<br />

local baseball league, to the town’s<br />

community action program, thousands<br />

of dollars is donated each month. Not<br />

only is this a great way to give back, it<br />

helps the town and is great publicity.<br />

relax knowing an employee won’t steal from me,<br />

or a criminal won’t come to one of my car washes<br />

looking for cash.”<br />

In extreme cases when Elbaum is on the premises,<br />

he will make an exception if a customer is not in<br />

possession of a credit card. “It’s rare, but I have done<br />

it once in a while. I will take their cash and then<br />

use my own credit card for their wash. I would say<br />

it happens with five out of every 1000 customers.”<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 />

• Membership Plans<br />

• Loyalty Programs<br />

• Fleet Programs<br />

• Automated Marketing<br />

• Text Marketing<br />

• And More!<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 612-787-7278<br />

48 • FALL 2022


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 2022 • 49


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>) with these mostly<br />

frustrating, sometimes funny -- and always cautionary -- stories of Darwins Caught on Camera. Images of these criminals and/or<br />

their vehicles were given to police and the press. Many have been caught thanks to the prowess of security cameras.<br />

There’s a lot going on in this story.<br />

Gambling. Card counting. Murder.<br />

Could almost be a Danielle Steel novel… Days of<br />

Our Lives, or a ‘weaker’ James Bond plot starring<br />

George Lazenby.<br />

LET’S START WITH THE CRIMINAL: CHRIS LEE,<br />

a.k.a. Kevin Barton. A well-known card counter who<br />

has cleaned out blackjack tables all over the world,<br />

including South America, India and Australia.<br />

THE PLACE: CALGARY, CANADA<br />

THE VICTIM: VIDA SMITH. ANOTHER<br />

Blackjack-playing card counter and Lee’s partner<br />

since the 1990s.<br />

THE CRIME: MURDER<br />

Back in July 2020 Smith and Lee were at a Starbucks<br />

in Northeast Calgary. Following the meet-up,<br />

Smith disappeared….forever.<br />

One week later, Lee somehow learned that police<br />

were looking for him. He was then caught on<br />

camera cleaning out his Cadillac Escalade at a self<br />

serve car wash. Police were able to spy on Lee and<br />

witness some ‘questionable’ behavior.<br />

“Covert officers watched as Lee took his SUV to<br />

a car wash and vacuumed it before tossing car keys<br />

belonging to Smith in nearby bushes. They would<br />

also recover what turned out to be a homemade<br />

gun silencer, which Lee tossed over a wall at the car<br />

wash,” according to an October 19 CBC story.<br />

Lee then apparently drove to a nearby business<br />

area and footage shows him placing a tarp and mats<br />

in the back of the Escalade, the story said. He then<br />

walked into a pet store and purchased stain remover.<br />

Officers soon made an arrest. “Inside the vehicle,<br />

they seized five loaded firearms, knives, $44,000 in<br />

cash and handcuffs. DNA on the handcuffs would<br />

later come back as a match to Smith as would a<br />

droplet of blood inside the SUV. The same area also<br />

tested positive for baking soda and cleaning product<br />

residue,” the story said.<br />

Today, Lee is on trial for second-degree murder.<br />

Smith’s body has never been found.<br />

Who did this guy think he was, Andy<br />

Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption?<br />

A man in Florida tried to make his own doit-yourself<br />

escape route while attempting to rob a car<br />

wash, but failed miserably. Antoly Kutsar has been<br />

linked to the attempted burglary of the Your Choice<br />

Car Wash in Naples, Florida, back in August 2021.<br />

Kutsar, 40, of Collier County, Florida, and his<br />

partner Rachael Noel Kaz-Clark were already in jail<br />

after being arrested at the Holiday Inn on out-ofstate<br />

warrants, according to an NBC News report.<br />

“The two tried to elude deputies by cutting a hole<br />

through their hotel room wall and make their way<br />

into another hotel room, in an attempt to sneak out<br />

the window,” the story said. After their arrest, police<br />

were able to locate their storage unit where lots of<br />

evidence was found linking them to crimes in other<br />

states. One of the items recovered was a surveillance<br />

DVR taken from the Your Choice Car Wash.<br />

Video retrieved from the DVR shows Kutsar approaching<br />

the establishment around 1 a.m. on August<br />

23rd, 2021. “He would enter the building from<br />

50 • FALL 2022<br />

a rear door, before making his way into a washroom.<br />

Once inside, Kutsar would use a drill and cutting<br />

tools to remove a large mirror and plasterboard. He<br />

would then create a hole four-feet tall and nearly<br />

three-feet wide to gain access to the office and<br />

maintenance room which contained money collection<br />

machines,” the story said.<br />

Footage captured Kutsar using a grinder to cut a<br />

hole in one of the safes, which contained multiple<br />

sets of keys, and then cutting wires to the surveillance<br />

camera DVR. Footage also shows him taking<br />

off with the DVR.<br />

According to the story, Kutsar stole approximately<br />

$3,500 in cash and merchandise and caused over<br />

$15,000 in damages to the car wash. He now faces<br />

up to 44 charges for his alleged criminal activity.<br />

If any of you readers live in Pittsylvania<br />

County, please forgive me for making<br />

fun, but I cannot imagine how many times<br />

you have to slowly pronounce the name before people<br />

say, “You mean, Pennsylvania?” “No,” you probably<br />

have to reply, “It’s PITT-sly-VANIA.” I am not one<br />

to talk though, considering I grew up in Schenectady<br />

County, as in SKIN-NECK-TID-EE and the town<br />

of Niskayuna as in NISK-A-YOU-NAH! Those two<br />

names I have to spell out all the time, even to people<br />

who live nearby. In any event, it looks like police are<br />

on the lookout for two people who stole a car from<br />

the Hurt area of Pittsylvania, Virginia, and then used<br />

that car to drive to a car wash where they broke into<br />

the utility room and stole money. According to the<br />

October 20 WDBJ story, the thieves, one male and<br />

one female, are seen on surveillance video burglarizing<br />

the business and leaving in the stolen vehicle.<br />

Cash was taken from the car wash and damage was<br />

done to the building and equipment.<br />

Then, around 1:40 p.m. that same day, police received<br />

a call that a vehicle was on fire along the<br />

railroad tracks, and it matched the vehicle used in<br />

the car wash robbery.<br />

Police have released footage of the car wash robbery<br />

and have asked the public for help in identifying<br />

the suspect.


FALL 2022 • 51


And here it is, readers! The reason this<br />

section is called what it is called. In Wheeling,<br />

West Virginia, we have an alleged car wash thief<br />

who left behind some pretty damning evidence.<br />

….. that evidence was…. drumroll……his wallet!<br />

According to the article by The Intelligencer, the<br />

owner of the M&M Car Wash called police after<br />

he discovered a door had been left open at some<br />

point during the night. The police didn’t have to<br />

investigate much further after the owner also said<br />

he found a wallet on the floor. Inside the car wash<br />

equipment room, a wrench was found in near<br />

the change machine, according to, the story. Footprints<br />

were also found on top of the water tank<br />

and it appeared as if the thief climbed up on it to<br />

cover the car wash’s security camera with a pink<br />

and white bed sheet. The owner said nothing was<br />

taken, and that the change machine was not successfully<br />

broken into, according to the story.<br />

A driver’s license belonging to Joel Curtis Polley,<br />

was found inside the wallet along with four<br />

debit cards issued to Polley.<br />

Didn’t take police too long to track down<br />

Polley and get a search warrant to search his address.<br />

There they found five pairs of shoes with<br />

the same tread pattern as the shoe prints found<br />

on top of the hot water tank. Oh, and they also<br />

found the pry bar that was apparently used. Oh,<br />

for real??? Is this guy even trying to get away<br />

with it at this point?<br />

Polley was arrested and charged with breaking<br />

and entering.<br />

The bar is set pretty low when it<br />

comes to the criminals mentioned<br />

here, but to be fair, I do think the two thieves<br />

in this next story are smarter than the guy who<br />

left behind his wallet, and footprints. Why? Because<br />

at least these guys tried to burn their incriminating<br />

evidence. However… as you’ll read<br />

setting a vehicle ablaze and having it go up in<br />

flames is a terrible way to stay under the radar.<br />

You be the judge.<br />

In Campbell County, Virginia, a pair was<br />

caught on camera at the Five Flags Car Wash<br />

breaking into and burglarizing the utility room,<br />

According to an October 20 WFXR story, between<br />

the hours of 12:44 a.m. and 1:13 a.m.<br />

the pair took an undisclosed amount of cash<br />

and caused significant damage to the building<br />

and equipment. The pair fled the scene in a<br />

red 2008 Lincoln MKX that was apparently<br />

stolen earlier during another burglary nearby.<br />

Around 1:40 p.m. police were notified that a<br />

vehicle was on fire by some railroad tracks and<br />

it was identified as the same vehicle caught on<br />

camera at the car wash burglary. Deputies are<br />

still looking for the suspects and posted the car<br />

wash footage on their Facebook page.<br />

You must be pretty hard up if you rob a thrift store.<br />

A woman is now in custody after she supposedly<br />

robbed or attempted to rob 15 different businesses<br />

in Bend and Redmond, Oregon, according to<br />

an Oregon Daily News story. Laura Marie Zachary,<br />

30, faces 13 counts of burglary, 13 counts of criminal<br />

mischief, seven counts of thefts and more for<br />

robbing everything from a Spirit Halloween store,<br />

to the aforementioned thrift store, to the Choice<br />

Car Wash. At the thrift store, footage shows her<br />

taking a blanket and wrapping it around her to<br />

stay warm. Footage from the car wash shows her<br />

creeping around the building and fleeing when a<br />

customer drove out of one of the bays.<br />

According to the story, police say the woman<br />

was finally caught after a business owner watching<br />

their store’s surveillance video allegedly saw<br />

the burglar inside the business. Police went to the<br />

business and caught Zachary inside who attempted<br />

to flee on foot.<br />

I don’t know if these criminals were just dumb, or they simply weren’t allowed to<br />

play with Tonka trucks while in the playpen.<br />

In Colorado Springs, Colorado, thieves are accused<br />

of hijacking an $80,000 construction bobcat<br />

and ramming it into a car wash, news station<br />

KRDO reported. “The bobcat was driven up here<br />

and rammed into my son’s car wash,” Irene Toomey<br />

told KRDO. “They stole the coin changers and<br />

did extensive damage.”<br />

Colorado Springs Utilities confirmed the bobcat<br />

was stolen from a site near the car wash. The car<br />

wash’s surveillance cameras captured the suspects<br />

and police were called after the owners saw the<br />

live footage.<br />

The culprits also stole money from the change<br />

machine. “What are they going to do with all those<br />

quarters?” Toomey also said to KRDO.<br />

52 • FALL 2022


self serve<br />

& support equipment<br />

SINGLE VACUUM<br />

• Stainless Steel arches that are<br />

designed for the single SS vacuums<br />

• Fixed SS Boom to provide the hose<br />

near the drivers door of the vehicle<br />

• Vacuum boom can be ordered<br />

to allow the hose to swing<br />

over the vehicle<br />

• Post is 3” x 6” x 8’ tall for the<br />

fixed vac arch<br />

Used for 2-6<br />

self serve Bays<br />

• High and low pressure gauge<br />

• Pre-wired and pre-plumbed<br />

• Low voltage electric panels<br />

• Single V-belt & pulley<br />

• Stainless steel belt guards<br />

• Easy access to chemicals<br />

• System lettering and<br />

graphic decaling<br />

• ETL/UL/CE APPROVED<br />

SUPER SAVER<br />

Available for 7-12 bays<br />

Features<br />

• Low pressure tire cleaner, medium<br />

pressure pre-soak, high pressure soap,<br />

foaming brush, rinse, foaming<br />

conditioner, clear coat protectant,<br />

high pressure wax<br />

• All stainless steel construction<br />

• Totally self-contained<br />

• Removable pump assembly<br />

• Model CAT 5CP2120<br />

Pump, 4.0 GPM/1000 PSI<br />

• Brass regulators<br />

• Automatic chemical mixing tank<br />

• Fused terminal blocks<br />

• 3 HP 3 PH motor<br />

The Power Pack<br />

self-service car<br />

wash system<br />

is designed for the space<br />

conscious. The modular<br />

stainless steel framework<br />

is about 25% shorter but<br />

still includes most of the<br />

same features as the<br />

Super Saver 2500.<br />

Optional<br />

Features<br />

• Bug remover<br />

• Triple foam<br />

brush<br />

• Triple shine<br />

• Spot-free<br />

rinse (low or<br />

medium<br />

pressure)<br />

• Marine<br />

engine flush<br />

UNDER $11,000.00<br />

*STARTING AT UNDER $11,000.00<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 />

9400 Series Vacuum<br />

The 94000 Series Vacuums are constructed of high<br />

quality, stainless steel and provide high performance.<br />

SCAN<br />

Here<br />

FALL 2022 • 53


I don’t think a sequel to the movie<br />

Fargo will center around this story,<br />

although ***SPOILER ALERT: the villains<br />

in that movie didn’t get away with<br />

it either. END of SPOILER ALERT***.<br />

In Fargo, North Dakota, a car wash employee is<br />

accused of taking around $4,000 from a customer’s<br />

car. According to an Inforum.com story, Alyssa and<br />

Elijah Holter were in possession of $4,000 after receiving<br />

a loan from their bank. On their way home,<br />

they decided to stop at Don’s Car Wash and get a car<br />

wash. Now, why they would leave $4,000 in cash in<br />

their vehicle and hop out to have someone vacuum<br />

it is beyond me, but this section isn’t called: More<br />

Dumb Car Wash Customers, so we will just let that<br />

go. After the vehicle’s interior was vacuumed by an<br />

employee, they noticed the money was gone. Shocker!<br />

The car wash manager was more than willing to<br />

pull up the surveillance footage. Elijah described the<br />

footage, saying he saw an employee vacuuming the<br />

passenger seat and then going into the bathroom for<br />

about eight minutes, the story said.<br />

“He goes outside, he’s on a phone call, and then<br />

he waits until no one is around, and he digs around<br />

in his sock, shoe and then walks over to the dumpster<br />

and then throws something away,” Elijah recalled<br />

in the story.<br />

He said officers later found a crumpled up Gate<br />

City Bank envelope inside the dumpster. However,<br />

the money was not found. A representative of<br />

Don’s Car Wash said they even tore out the ceiling<br />

tiles in the bathroom while looking for evidence<br />

and that they found no proof the employee stole<br />

the money. They still fired the employee, explaining<br />

that they do not want to risk the possibility of theft.<br />

The Fargo Police Department confirmed that<br />

the investigation was still ongoing.<br />

Between a guy trying to crawl through<br />

walls like Andy-Dufrense and these<br />

guys acting like John McClean in Die<br />

Hard, we have a lot of Hollywood wannabes in<br />

the carwash criminal world. Two men are accused<br />

of breaking into a restaurant in Centralia, Washington,<br />

via the HVAC system then using a saw to<br />

cut a hole into a safe last July, The Chronicle reported.<br />

Cory Lee Hughes, 29, and Jordan Nathaniel<br />

White, 27, are accused of causing “well over”<br />

$5,000 in damage to the system in the process and<br />

stealing $1,455.86 from the safe. The two men<br />

then apparently fled in a blue Dodge Durango and<br />

parked it near a car wash.<br />

Surveillance footage from the car wash revealed<br />

the Dodge Durango’s license plate, which officers<br />

used to contact the vehicle’s registered owner, the<br />

story said. “A detective was assigned to the case on<br />

Aug. 24 and, upon reviewing the security footage,<br />

the detective was able to identify White by the tattoos<br />

on his hands. The vehicle’s owner confirmed<br />

that one of the two men in the video surveillance<br />

from the restaurant was White, but neither the detective<br />

nor the vehicle owner could identify the<br />

other man in the footage.”<br />

Hughes was eventually arrested and the second<br />

person seen in the footage has not yet been arrested.<br />

For starters, I would like for all of my<br />

exes to read this next story and be<br />

grateful I didn’t act as scorned as this<br />

crazy lady!<br />

In Las Vegas, a woman is accused of driving over<br />

her boyfriend at a car wash, and thankfully, it was<br />

all caught on camera. According to the Las Vegas<br />

Review Journal, a woman was arrested after apparently<br />

running over her boyfriend with a sport<br />

utility vehicle at a Las Vegas car wash during a domestic<br />

dispute. Elena Del Villar, 39, of Las Vegas,<br />

was booked on counts of attempted murder and<br />

domestic battery with a deadly weapon.<br />

According to the story, police said they were<br />

called to the car wash for a report of a man who<br />

had been struck and then dragged underneath a<br />

green Honda Pilot. The man also suffered an aortic<br />

dissection and was hospitalized in critical condition.<br />

Upon interviewing the victim, police said he reluctantly<br />

confirmed that the driver of the Honda<br />

was his girlfriend.<br />

Police said video surveillance from the car wash<br />

caught the whole incident on tape.<br />

When Del Villar was interviewed by police she<br />

said she initially did not know she had run over<br />

her boyfriend (mm..okay?) She also said the episode<br />

happened as they were arguing over the<br />

man needing “to stop smoking meth” when a soda<br />

spilled in the vehicle, police said, according to<br />

the story. That’s a legitimate argument, a couple’s<br />

counselor would probably say.<br />

Del Villar later said she was sorry and she “was<br />

flustered and panicked due to the soda spill on her<br />

dashboard and window,” police said in the story.<br />

No word on whether or not the couple is still together,<br />

but I am guessing the answer to that would<br />

be a “no”.<br />

Post of the Year:<br />

54 • FALL 2022


CUSTOM<br />

METER BOX DOORS!<br />

GinSan lets you upgrade your equipment with professionally designed<br />

custom doors, graphics & branding that gives your location a unique look and feel!<br />

Replace Your Existing<br />

Jim Coleman, Carolina Pride, Etowah<br />

Valley, RYKO, Mark VII, Dilling and<br />

Harris, A-OK, Specialty, or Magic<br />

Wand door assemblies with new<br />

cutting edge GinSan technology.<br />

Available in 7, 10, & 12 gauge stainless<br />

steel with rotary or push buttons, coin,<br />

bill and credit card acceptance.<br />

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM<br />

ULTIMATE SYSTEM<br />

System will accommodate<br />

up to six bays in a four<br />

squire foot template!<br />

GET A QUOTE TODAY!<br />

See all these exciting products and more at our<br />

<strong>web</strong>site, www.ginsan.com or call us at 800.446.7267<br />

FALL 2022 • 55


IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE<br />

THAT MATTERS<br />

INTERIOR PRODUCTS<br />

CUSTOMERS LOVE:<br />

AVAILABLE AT<br />

ORIGINAL PROTECTANT<br />

4 oz. pump spray bottle | 24 bottles per case<br />

AR13040<br />

TIRE FOAM PROTECTANT<br />

4 oz. can | 12 cans per case<br />

AR40040<br />

CLEANING SPONGE<br />

1 sponge per pouch | 100 pouches per case<br />

AR30800<br />

PROTECTANT SPONGE<br />

1 sponge per pouch | 100 pouches per case<br />

VS10800<br />

BLACK MICROFIBER<br />

TOWELS<br />

Available now from<br />

KLEENRITE.COM | 800.233.3873<br />

56 • FALL 2022

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!