WINTER2022_SSCWN_1-68-3

2 • WINTER 2022

POLISH IS 

your passion 

WINTER 2022 • 3

CONTENTS 

Around the Wash: 

Carwash Cats ..................5 

Tips ..................................... 6 

Around the Wash: 

Pitfalls ............................. 10 

Fun & Games ............... 14 

Innovations .................... 19 

Extra! Extra! .................. 20 

Association Calendar 

& News ............................ 26 

Industry Dirt ................. 30 

Tricks of the Trade .... 40 

Cover Story .................... 50 

Get Wise About Water 

Reclaim............................ 54 

Darwin ............................. 59 

VOL. 50, NO. 1, WINTER 2022 

Publisher Jackson Vahaly 

Editor Debra Gorgos 

Design Katy Barret-Alley 

Note to Self 

BY DEBRA GORGOS, EDITOR 

In the pile of rubbish that was 2021—from political turmoil, health crises, 

and (on a smaller end of the scale) entertainment hiatuses and travel plans 

that went kaput, there were actually a lot of bright spots from the past year. 

On a global scale, we made extreme advances on the planet of Mars after 

NASA’s six-wheeled robot was able to carbon dioxide to oxygen for the first 

time. After 34 years, pandas are now off the endangered species list. One of 

the best shows I have ever seen debuted (Only Murders in the Building). And 

Yamagata, one of the deadliest strains of influenza, which had been killing 

500,000 people per year, have pretty much disappeared. 

On a more intimate level, Self Serve Car Wash Magazine is now 50+ years 

strong, and this fall will mark my fifth year as the editor; the self serve industry 

is doing well, and the importance of small business patronage is strong 

and acknowledged from towns to metropolises. I’m not going to lie… when I 

met so many of you at the 2021 Car Wash Show and the Northeast Regional 

Carwash Convention, I was energized and eager to start promoting the resiliency 

of this industry even further and showcase self serve owners’ hard work. 

While others learned to make homemade focaccia, self serve owners were out 

their cleaning out the pits, the garbage, emptying vacuums, re-hanging the 

hoses ...etc. ete. There was no resting. No working from home, you’ve already 

been doing that. No virtual anything. Your feet have been consistently on the 

pavement, in the cold temperatures, in the unbearable heat, hands marked 

with dirt, water, perfumes, criminals, messy customers, or both. While the 

world weeps over the past two years’ delays, stressors and damp squibs, you 

all still showed up. I praise you. I see you. I admire you all. 

Now that it is a new year, I am excited to share more positive stories. What 

are your goals? Maybe you have a small one… To paint, to get new signage? 

Or big ones? To expand, add new equipment… add a new additional revenue 

maker. Maybe you’re done with goals altogether, and maybe showing up every 

day is enough cause to celebrate or be proud. I get it. I will never pretend 

to know how it is, but I understand. 

And before I sign off, I hope you all appreciate this issue as much as I appreciate 

you. Also, the advertisers deserve admiration, for being so steadfast 

in their participation. 

Onward and upward, 

Editor Emeritus Jarret J. Jakubowski 

Editor Posthumous Joseph J. Campbell 

Editor Posthumous Julia E. Campbell 

Self Serve Carwash News is published 4 times 

per year and is independently owned by Jackson 

Vahaly. Web address is www.sscwn.com. 

All inquiries should be directed to: 

Self Serve Car Wash News 

110 Childs Ln., Franklin, TN 37067 

jacksonv@sscwn.com 

Copyright 2021. 2 Dollar Enterprises/SSCWN. All Rights Reserved 

4 • WINTER 2022

Another 

Car Wash Cats 

How about some heartwarming news? The following are stories 

of cats found at car washes, who eventually found forever 

homes. Now, for a collective “awwwwwwwwwwwwww……” 

Time for some more car wash cats! 

Meet Basic, 

Deluxe 

& Ultimate 

SUBMITTED BY MATT 

HUNTER OF TYPHOON 

WASH IN MAGNOLIA, 

ARKANSAS 

FULL SPECTRUM 

STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD. 

INTRODUCING THE ULTIMATE LIGHT 

SHOW FOR SELF SERVES. 

T 800.285.6780 

E sales@ggled.net 

www.ggled.net 

Actively market your car wash with eye catching colors and dramatic light shows that attract 

business and set your site apart from competition. Sync all your lighting together, easily scroll 

through any color imaginable or select from one of our unique preset color changing scenes 

controlled by a user-friendly app on your own device. Easily create stunning light shows that 

support holidays, site branding, community events and more to increase seasonal traffic. 

WINTER 2022 • 5

TIPs 

EQUIPMENT TIP 

Vacuum Electrical 

Maintenance 

Follow this checklist when it comes 

to checking your vacuums: 

1. Check wire connections 

• Look for any wire wear 

• Look for any loose wires 

2. Blow out coin mechs and 

motors with compressed air. 

3. Ensure you have the proper 

amps for your equipment. These 

include: 

• 3 motors pull 24 amps 

requiring 30 amp svc 

• 2 motors pull 16 amps 

requiring 20 amp svc 

4.Always use a licensed 

electrician to check for and 

maintain the: 

• Proper voltage 

• Length of run 

• Proper wire gauge 

Tips provided by J.E. Adams 

CUSTOMER SERVICE TIP 

Use the multidemographic 

review 

Turn to your friends and family members (preferably those who 

aren’t afraid to tell the truth) and ask them to visit your self serve car 

wash. Ask people from all different generations and genders. Then ask 

them the following questions: 

• What time did you visit? 

• Was the property clean? 

• Was the signage helpful? 

• Was the menu easy to 

understand? 

• Was any of it confusing? 

• Did you get enough time 

to wash your vehicle? 

• Did you feel safe and secure 

at the wash? 

• If not, what would have made 

you feel more safe? 

• How was the vacuum area? 

• Was it neat and picked up? 

• Did the vacuums work well? 

• What can I do to make the 

car wash better? 

Then, if you want an even more in-depth customer analysis, ask them 

to visit your competition and compare the two experiences. Make sure 

you tell them you are looking for and will appreciate honest feedback 

and there will be no hard feelings. 

BUSINESS 

MANAGEMENT TIP 

Are you 

prepared for 

the worst? 

From a car ruining one of your bays, to a thief 

damaging your coinbox, and the unfortunate 

possibility of a natural disaster, it is important 

to know how to prepare for a loss in business 

income. The following is information provided 

by ready.gov, a national public service campaign 

designed to help businesses and individuals. 

■ Business Impact Analysis 

A business impact analysis (BIA) predicts 

the consequences of disruption of a business 

function and process and gathers information 

needed to develop recovery strategies. Potential 

loss scenarios should be identified during a risk 

assessment. Operations may also be interrupted 

by the failure of a supplier of goods or services 

or delayed deliveries. There are many possible 

scenarios all of which should be considered. 

Identifying and evaluating the impact of 

6 • WINTER 2022 

disasters on business provides the basis for 

investment in recovery strategies as well as 

investment in prevention and mitigation 

strategies. 

■ Consider the Impact 

The BIA should identify the operational and 

financial impacts resulting from the disruption 

of business functions and processes. Impacts to 

consider include: 

• Lost sales and income 

• Delayed sales or income 

• Increased expenses (e.g., overtime labor, 

outsourcing, expediting costs, etc.) 

• Regulatory fines 

• Contractual penalties or loss of contractual 

bonuses 

• Customer dissatisfaction or defection 

• Delay of new business plans 

■ Timing and Duration of Disruption 

The point in time when a business function 

or process is disrupted can have a significant 

bearing on the loss sustained. A store damaged in 

the weeks prior to the holiday shopping season 

may lose a substantial amount of its yearly sales. 

A power outage lasting a few minutes would be 

a minor inconvenience for most businesses but 

one lasting for hours could result in significant 

business losses. A short duration disruption 

of production may be overcome by shipping 

finished goods from a warehouse but disruption 

of a product in high demand could have a 

significant impact. 

■ Conducting the BIA 

Use a BIA questionnaire to survey managers 

and others within the business. Survey those 

with detailed knowledge of how the business 

manufactures its products or provides its services. 

Ask them to identify the potential impacts if 

the business function or process that they are 

responsible for is interrupted. The BIA should 

also identify the critical business processes and 

resources needed for the business to continue to 

function at different levels. 

■ BIA Report 

The BIA report should document the potential 

impacts resulting from disruption of business 

functions and processes. Scenarios resulting 

in significant business interruption should be 

assessed in terms of financial impact, if possible. 

These costs should be compared with the costs 

for possible recovery strategies. 

The BIA report should prioritize the order of 

events for restoration of the business. Business 

processes with the greatest operational and 

financial impacts should be restored first. 

■ Business Disruption Scenarios 

• Physical damage to a building buildings 

• Damage to or breakdown of machinery, 

systems or equipment 

• Restricted access to a site or building 

• Interruption of the supply chain including 

failure of a supplier or disruption of 

transportation of goods from the supplier. 

• Utility outage (e.g., electrical power outage) 

• Damage to, loss or corruption of 

information technology including voice and 

data communications, servers, computers, 

operating systems, applications, and data 

• Absenteeism of essential employees

WINTER 2022 • 7

TIPs 

MARKETING TIP 

Get on base! 

Spring training is just weeks away and America’s 

favorite pastime is about to take over the parks, 

televisions, sports news sections, etc. According to 

ESPN, more than 25 million kids played baseball 

or softball in 2018, and nearly 15 million of those 

were “core” players who played 13 or more times in 

a year. Therefore, it might be worth your while, and 

your advertising budget, to consider sponsoring a 

local team. Those shirts and uniforms, emblazoned 

with your car wash name and logo will be seen 

by parents, fans, umpires, referees, grandparents, 

coaches and players. Plus, it can also build loyalty 

with those grateful for the donated money. 

Another idea is to buy and/or rent a fence sign 

or “billboard” at the local ballpark. They are also 

available for advertising at local skating rinks, 

basketball courts and soccer fields. Another thing 

to consider is that because a lot of local youth 

groups are registered as non-profits, a sponsorship 

would be considered a tax write-off. 

If you have a local AA baseball team there are 

many marketing ideas for that arena. Consider 

advertising in the programs, on a field sign, or maybe 

man a booth at the stadium in which you hand out 

flyers and giveaways or host a raffle. Another idea 

is to sponsor an inning and have your business’s 

name broadcasted out by the game’s announcer. 

This might also be heard if the games are broadcast 

on the local radio stations. You can also sponsor an 

entertainment segment in between innings. 

And, if its too late to sponsor a baseball team, 

there is always hockey and basketball sponsorship 

opportunities. 

Better act now though as Spring training is already 

underway and Spring is just around the corner. 

And to prove sponsoring a team works, here is 

a picture of myself, editor Debra Gorgos (the only 

one not wearing a hat). This was back in the mid- 

1980s and I still remember that CT Male was the 

sponsor of our softball team for so many years. 

LEGAL TIP 

How to register 

your trademark 

and logo 

If you’ve taken the time and creative energy 

to come up with a great name and/or trademark 

for your business, you should also take the time 

to register them both. The last thing you want is 

anyone stealing your hard work and creativeness. 

It is not difficult to do this. You simply have to visit 

United States Patent and Trademark Office (uspto. 

gov) to get started. If you’re still in the designing 

phases, you have to do some research. According 

to upcounsel.com, you’ll need to make sure that 

no similar mark already exists in the Trademark 

Electronic Search System, found at https:// 

tmsearch.uspto.gov/. If you find something similar, 

the next step is making changes to your mark so 

that it doesn’t infringe. 

Once you’ve determined that your mark is 

truly unique, upcounel.com stated, you can start 

using the TM symbol at the end. The three main 

placement techniques for notifying competitors of 

your intent to use the mark are: 

• Placing a symbol (TM, ®, * [asterisk], or 

dagger/double dagger) at the first use of 

the trademark but not on subsequent uses, 

then adding a footnote that overviews the 

trademark 

• Placing the TM or ® symbol next to the 

trademark every time you use it 

• Using a different font or formatting, such 

as bold, italic, or uppercase, for the 

trademarked words to differentiate them 

from other text. 

Here are a few frequently asked questions 

found on Legalzoom.com which deals with small 

business legal matters. 

■ I found a trademark similar to mine. 

Can I still register it? 

Oftentimes no, because it could create confusion. 

But if the other mark is used for different 

products or services, it might be possible because 

consumers may not be confused about who sells 

what. Take the Delta trademark. Delta Dental, 

Delta Air Lines, and Delta Faucet Company 

coexist because the products are different enough 

to prevent consumer confusion. 

■ Do I need to register my business 

name and logo separately? 

Yes. The USPTO (United States Patent and 

Trademark Office) allows one trademark—that’s 

one name, one logo, or one slogan—per application. 

You can register a logo that includes text, 

but then the design and the text together are 

considered one trademark. Want them protected 

individually? You’d need to file two applications. 

■ What’s the difference between a 

basic and a comprehensive search? 

With a basic search, we look for direct hits (aka 

exact matches) in the federal database to see if 

someone already registered your mark. With a 

comprehensive search, we look for exact and 

similar matches—plus, we’ll see if someone uses 

but hasn’t registered your mark. 

■ How long will it take to register my 

trademark? 

Ideally, six to nine months if you’re using your 

mark in commerce. The USPTO will review your 

application within a few months, and then either 

send an Office action with questions or concerns, 

or approve your trademark for publication. If 

published and there are no objections by the public 

within 30 days, your mark is officially registered. 

If you’re not yet using your mark in commerce, 

it can take longer. After making it through the 

previous steps, the USPTO will grant a Notice 

of Allowance—which says they’ll register your 

mark once you provide proof of use in commerce 

through a Statement of Use. Once that’s submitted 

and approved, your mark is officially registered. 

8 • WINTER 2022

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WINTER 2022 • 9

Around The Wash: Avoiding Pitfalls 

Avoiding Pitfalls 

The Pitfalls 

of Owning 

a Car Care 

Business 

By Rob Schruefer 

rob@onspotdetailing.com 

It is the ‘American Dream’ to create and operate 

your own business. There is a freedom and feeling 

of satisfaction that comes with working for yourself 

and being your own boss. Ask anyone and I bet 

they would say they would start their own business 

if given the opportunity. What most people do not 

realize or want to acknowledge is that 8 out of 10 

businesses fail within the first year of operation. I 

don’t have actual figures, but I would guess a self 

serve car wash would fail because many think it 

requires little work and is a fail proof business. But 

to be successful in the the industry it is vital to 

avoid some of the biggest pitfalls that cause a business 

to close. 

The following are some of the common pitfalls 

that I personally see detailing business owners fall 

(and sink) into, which would also apply to self 

serve car wash business owners. 

■ PITFALL #1: 

Not Securing Capital 

Failing to secure capital to keep the business 

running is one of the trickiest parts of starting your 

own business. You need this money upfront in order 

to start. It could take years for a business to 

become established and make enough money to 

support itself, and you. The leap from going from 

a full-time job elsewhere can be a scary and expensive 

venture. When I started my company, it 

was tedious. I spent the first 5 years of the business 

working at night and on weekends at a bar to ensure 

money that the company made could be put 

back into the company. It is imperative to have 

several months-worth of operating income available 

to you in case of an emergency. This money 

can cover you during an injury, bad weather, or 

just a downturn in the amount of work coming in. 

If you need capital prior to starting the business, it 

can be obtained through bank loans, investors, or 

the Small Business Administration (SBA), just to 

name a few. 


Ignoring Your Demographic 

Not knowing or understanding your market can 

keep you from having loyal and repeat customers 

and will hurt your advertising efforts. The demographics 

and needs of the community will ultimately 

dictate the type of services you can offer, 

and what you can charge for those services. Do 

some research, ask around, visit the competition 

and find out what the majority of the people in 

your area are looking for in a self serve and are 

willing to pay. You can find vehicle information, 

median household income, and other buying habits 

from the Internet to help you guide your decision. 

You may find that your main client is going to 

be women ages 30 to 45, with a household income 

of $60k, and driving a minivan. Put a picture of a 

minivan on your website. Have a “Back to School” 

or “Mother’s Day” special. And be sure to speak 

to her in a way that makes her want to use your 

car wash -- this will make the difference between 

success and failure. Know who your client is and 

give them the service they want. 


Being Mean 

If you have an employee, being someone that 

no one wants to work for will make your business 

sink. And, if you’re mean to your customers, expect 

the same. Everyone wants to be treated with 

respect. Always remember that your employee(s) 

and customers are people too, and they have fam- 

Definition of PITFALL: pit·fall 

/ˈpitˌfôl/ 

noun 

a hidden or unsuspected danger or difficulty. 

A Few Other Pitfalls 

According to Entrepreneur Magazine, here 

are a few other pitfalls to avoid: 

Ignoring the Competition: Never 

underestimate your competition. Competition 

can crush your business totally if you aren’t 

careful, especially if you haven’t taken the 

time to fully understand it. Startups based 

around a new idea sometimes get too sure of 

themselves, neglecting to keep a watch on 

the markets -- competition isn’t necessarily 

a bad thing, but you need to make sure you 

differentiate yourself in a way that makes 

your company seem like the more appealing 

service. 

Becoming Complacent: Too many 

companies have failed because they were 

overly dependent on one thing. Maybe it 

was a highly valuable customer, or a very 

talented and experienced worker. Maybe it 

was an environmental condition that allowed 

for the company to be successful. But 

remember: Customers can opt out. Workers 

can quit. Environmental conditions can -- 

and will -- change. If you allow any part of 

your business to be dependent on anything, 

you’re setting yourself up for disaster (or at 

least a huge gamble). Instead, hedge your 

bets by investing in multiple variations and 

multiple, complementary dependencies. 

10 • WINTER 2022

WINTER 2022 • 11

Around The Wash: Avoiding Pitfalls 

ilies to support and bills to pay, and places to go. They want their opinions 

and concerns heard, acknowledged and addressed. Not all suggestions will be 

implemented, or are even logical, but it is important to listen. More than just 

listening to them, reward them for hard work with adequate pay and bonuses. 

It’s important to remember that your reputation as a good, or horrible boss 

or business owner can spread like wildfire. Negative word-of-mouth can hurt 

a business, even if you own an exceptional car wash, so make sure your own 

employee(s) or customers are doing some good marketing for you. Do not let 

ego, or stubbornness become a pitfall that you cannot overcome. 


Ignoring the Pitfalls 

Thinking you know everything and have it all figured out is another big pitfall. 

You have to always keep yourself in check and know that small businesses 

fail all the time. The aforementioned pitfalls are just a few of the many I see 

business owners fall into, and there are so many more out there to be aware of 

and avoided. Avoiding them will certainly help in keeping your business afloat 

and will certainly help you along your journey to becoming an established business. 

Read reviews of your business. Check the Nextdoor App, Facebook, Yelp 

and Google to see if anyone is talking about your business. Ask your customers 

if they are satisfied. Take classes provided at tradeshows and the SBA. It is important 

to be flexible and think outside the box for solutions to help you avoid 

becoming part of the 90% that do not make it. 

Why Startups Fail 

The following graphics were from Entreprenuer.com: 

Rob Schruefer is the owner of On The Spot Detailing out of Columbia, Maryland. 

He proudly serves on the board of the International Detailing Association and works 

tirelessly to ensure that detailing business owners receive business development 

support to help them achieve their goals. When not writing the cover story, Rob is a 

regular contributor for Auto Detailing News with his column, The Business of Detailing. 

Famous Companies that Failed to Pivot 

It’s no secret that familiar and once-popular business chains are 

closing down...forever. From Toys R Us, to Kmart, to non-brick and 

mortar companies such as MySpace and Motorola. People will say they 

miss the businesses, but how much money were they actually giving 

them. Little to none was the case and the businesses ultimately closed. 

The reason? According to experts, it’s because they failed to pivot and 

change with the times, and the generations. The baby boomers had 

different needs than Generation X-ers, but some businesses didn’t 

consider this or maybe didn’t want to waste potential time and money on 

investing in such changing needs. 

Toys “R” Us CEO David Brandon, stated in a U.S. Securities and 

Exchange Commission filing in 2017 that the company fell behind its 

competitors “on various fronts, including with regard to general upkeep 

and the condition of our stores.” And, while Amazon.com competition 

wasn’t helping matters, customers complained of the stores’ warehouselike 

environments with little to no customer service. 

As for the once extremely popular and money-making machine that 

was Blockbuster, it wasn’t Netflix that did the company in, it was the 

company’s failure to reimagine its prototype. While the business did 

welcome new ways to make money and serve its clientele by offering 

video game and music rentals in the 1990s, it didn’t think past the way 

in which to make money through $3+ rentals and late fees. In fact, 

Netflix approached Blockbuster with a proposal to team up and set the 

stage for a mail-order and brick and mortar prototype. But that proposal 

was rejected. According to Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix, that 

meeting was upsetting, but not detrimental. In his book, No Rules Rules: 

Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention. Hastings wrote: “I am often 

asked, “How did this happen? Why could Netflix repeatedly adapt but 

Blockbuster could not?” That day we went to Dallas, Blockbuster held all 

the aces. They had the brand, the power, the resources, and the vision. 

Blockbuster had us beat hands down. 

It was not obvious at the time, even to me, but we had one thing 

that Blockbuster did not: a culture that valued people over process, 

emphasized innovation over efficiency, and had very few controls. Our 

culture, which focused on achieving top performance with talent density 

and leading employees with context, not control, has allowed us to 

continually grow and change as the world, and our members’ needs, 

have likewise morphed around us.” 

12 • WINTER 2022 

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WINTER 2022 • 13

FUN& 

GAMES 

WHAT’S DIFFERENT? 

Think these two pictures taken at a self serve car wash are the same? 

Think again! There are four differences. Can you spot them all? 

1. Drum is smaller 2. Outlet is missing 3. Cinder block lines are missing 4. Lock on control box is missing 

LET’S GO FOR … 

A TRIP 

AROUND THE 

WORLD! 

Can you guess where the 

following car washes are 

located? The choices are: 

1. Romania 

2. Ontario, Canada 

3. Brisbane, Australia 

4. Poland 

14 • WINTER 2022

SHAQ’S 

COSTLY 

SELF SERVE 

CAR WASH 

MISTAKE 

Basketball legend and multi-business owner Shaquille O’Neal knows a thing 

or two about making bank. But making it to the bank is a whole other story. 

As the owner of 150 car washes across the country, O’Neal admits to not 

being very business savvy when he first started out in the industry. 

Graham Bensinger on his show, Shaquille O’Neal revealed this bizarre 

story about his car wash. He told Graham Bensinger on his show, In Depth, 

that he was being an irresponsible business owner. 

“I would get the coins and the quarters and I’d just take them home and put 

them in my safe. But so much money was coming in, I didn’t think we could 

take quarters and dimes to the bank like that. I didn’t want them to think I 

was, you know, breaking into vending machines. So I would just take them and 

dump them in plastic bags and pillowcases and put them in the house.” 

His fear of cashing in the coins eventually caught up with him, to the 

tune of $250,000 in misappropriated funds. His financial advisor called him 

and asked if he could account for the missing ¼ of a million dollars. 

“What?” O’Neal replied. Oh yes, he said, “I think that’s at home in my safe.” 

For Details Visit • www.swcarwash.org 

WINTER 2022 • 15

INNOVATIONS 

INTRODUCING 

Inventory App 

Kleen-Rite Corp., the largest family-owned 

car wash distributor in the 

country, has introduced the new KR 

Stock app, bringing car wash inventory 

management to the palm of your 

hand. Kleen-Rite has developed an application 

aimed squarely at making life 

easier for car wash owners, whether 

they own one site or one dozen sites. 

KR Stock allows operators to keep 

track of the inventory levels of the 

Kleen-Rite products they need the 

most. Operators and employees can easily 

keep track of the products they currently 

have in their inventory, see which 

car wash they’re being stored at, and order 

immediately from the app. Instead 

of carrying around a pen and paper to do 

things the old-fashioned way, or having 

to deal with cumbersome spreadsheets, 

this app uses intuitive actions and icons 

to let operators adjust on the go, from 

their phone or tablet. 

The KR Stock app offers: 

• Inventory Management in 

the Palm of the Hand: Access 

inventory counts right from any 

handheld phone or device – both 

amount and car wash location. 

• Fast Track Ordering: Ability to 

order right away in the app when 

restocking is needed. 

• Personalized Management for 

Preferred Items: No information 

overload about irrelevant 

products, instead providing focus 

on previously-ordered products 

for focused reordering. 

• Order History: Past orders 

are shown, and can be clicked 

through immediately to add those 

products to the cart for reorder. 

Any experienced car wash owner 

knows that keeping a flow of chemicals, 

parts, equipment, vending items, 

and other supplies is absolutely crucial 

to the success of a car wash. This lets 

them spend less time shopping, and 

more time managing their car wash. 

The new KR Stock app is easy to access. 

Simply download the KR Stock 

app from the preferred download location 

– the app is available in both 

the Apple Store or Google Play Store. 

Access is done using customers’ existing 

Kleen-Rite customer log-in information, 

and allows them to get started 

immediately! 

16 • WINTER 2022 

Disinfectant 

Wipes and Ready 

to Use Cleaner 

Malco® Products, Inc. has launched the addition 

of Disinfectant Products to its product portfolio. 

Malco Disinfectant Wipes are multi-purpose wipes 

that clean, disinfect3, and deodorize hard, non-porous 

surfaces in one easy step. Made with an EPA-approved 

bleach- and alcohol-free formula, the wipes 

are effective against cold1 and flu virusesttt and kill 

99.9% of bacteria in 15 seconds**. They are also effective 

against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes 

COVID-19, after 30 seconds***. 

Malco Disinfectant RTU Cleaner is a ready-to-use 

cleaner that disinfects3, sanitizes, cleans, and deodorizes 

hard, non-porous, and soft surfaces§. The cleaner 

is also made with an EPA-approved bleach- and 

alcohol-free formula that is effective against cold1 

and flu virusesttt and kills 99.9% of bacteria in 5 seconds**** 

and is also effective against SARS-CoV-2, 

the virus that causes COVID-19, after 30 seconds***. 

“Malco has been providing trusted cleaning products 

to the automotive, marine, and consumer products 

markets for years. Once the pandemic hit, it only made 

sense that we should expand our offering to include 

No pile-ups patent 

New air freshener company 

Founded by three Los Angeles natives, Smellies is 

dedicated to developing high-quality scents that are 

environmentally friendly. 

“We are downright obsessed with delivering premium, 

safe, sustainable multi-use air that fills lives with freshness,” 

explained spokesperson Frank Ponce De Leon. 

Smellies air fresheners are available in ten scents: 

Vanilla, Black Ice, New Car, Tropical, Honey-Peach, 

Blueberry, Citrus, Fresh Linen, Lemon, and Lavender. 

Smellies is not just focused on odor removal and promoting 

multi-use air fresheners for all, but the brand is 

committed to protecting the planet and improving air 

quality worldwide through its Fresh Air Initiative. 

NEW AND IMPROVED PRODUCTS 

AND SERVICES FOR SELF SERVE CAR WASHES 

disinfectant products,” said Malco President Seth Glaburman. 

“The Malco Disinfectant Products provide our 

existing customers access to the products they need, 

where and when they need them to keep their business, 

vehicle, office, and home safe for all who enter.” 

Malco Disinfectant Wipes are industry standard 7” 

x 8” and available in a 75 count canister. Malco RTU 

Cleaner is available in a 22 oz spray bottle, 1-gallon, or 

5-gallon sizes to support the demand from consumer 

and automotive customers. The disinfectant products 

are available for purchase from local distributors 

across the U.S or on the Malco Automotive website. 

††† Influenza A Virus, Pandemic 2009 H1N1 Influenza A Virus, Human Coronavirus¹ 

** Staphylococcus aureus (Staph), Klebsiella pneumoniae, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli (E. coli) 

O157:H7 

3 When used according to disinfection directions 

*** When used according to package directions 

****Staphylococcus aureus (Staph), Klebsiella pneumoniae 

§Composed of 100% cotton, 100% polyester, or 50/50 cotton/polyester 

DRB, an Akron, Ohio-based provider of car wash 

point-of-sale and optimization technology, announced 

that it has been awarded a patent for No- 

Pileups, a full-tunnel optimization system for conveyorized 

car washes designed to reduce in-tunnel 

collisions and optimize tunnel capacity. 

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) 

issued U.S. Pat. No. 11,127,283 relating to NoPileups 

on September 21. The patent covers NoPileups’ 

ability to configure cameras, LIDAR, RADAR or 

SONAR to track the relative positions of vehicles 

in the tunnel and trigger a stop of the conveyor and 

wash equipment when a collision threat is detected. 

NoPileups was developed to solve the growing 

challenges of in-tunnel collisions, particularly with 

the prevalence of automatic braking systems. The system 

uses computer vision and machine learning technology 

to monitor car wash tunnels and automatically 

stop the conveyor when collision threats are detected. 

With NoPileups preventing in-tunnel collisions, car 

wash operators can confidently load vehicles at optimum 

levels, allowing them to wash more cars during 

peak hours. It also helps them identify misaligned 

equipment so the tunnel runs at top performance. 

“NoPileups has been a true game-changer in the 

car wash industry, helping its users save money on 

damages and preserve their reputation all while increasing 

their operational efficiency,” said Dan Pittman, 

President of DRB. 

The first NoPileups system was installed in 2016. 

There are now more than 700 NoPileups systems 

installed in car washes across the United States. 

“Smellies Fresh Air Initiative is our pledge to sustainability, 

protecting vulnerable forest and ocean 

habitats, and meeting our annual carbon emission 

offset goals by offering our customers CO2 compensated 

shipping options at checkout to ensure carbon-neutral 

shipping operations.” 

“We also strive to reduce our environmental 

impact by using fully recyclable, minimalist, and 

eco-friendly packaging. To achieve our sustainability 

goals, Smellies partnered with the Ocean Conservancy, 

TerraPass, and the National Forest Foundation, 

which fund projects that promise fresh air for all,” 

stated Business Partner Greg Svorinich.

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EXTRA! 

EXTRA! 

Presenting the news stories featuring 

self serve car washes 

New wash opens in Tasmania 

Co-directors Ken Upchurch and Heath Lang have 

opened a self serve car wash in Legana, Tasmania, Australia, 

according to a December 11 Examiner story. 

The was includes several cashless self-wash stations, a 

large in-bay automatic car wash, self detailing bay, and a 

pet wash. 

“The car wash was intended to be completed in September 

but sourcing the specialized labor required to construct 

the facility was delayed by quarantine issues,” the story said. 

“We looked around and thought about what the community 

needed, and we’re just hoping the community agrees,” 

Upchurch said in the story. 

New wash opens in McGregor, Minnesota 

Two couples, Brandon and Janae Popp and Jordan and Alli Barten, recently formed a partnership 

called Bartopp Properties and now own a self serve car wash as their first venture, a 

December 11 Message Media story said. 

Brandon and Janae Popp reside in McGregor, Minnesota, where Brandon serves as the 

superintendent at Minnesota National Golf Club and Resort. Janae is a registered nurse. 

Jordan and Alli Barten live in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, where Jordan is a commercial banker 

and Alli is a daycare provider. 

“The partnership will bring diverse experience to the new business,” the story said. “Living 

in the McGregor area and knowing the local community well is a bonus,” Brandon said in 

the story. “We hope to try and fill a void in the car wash world of a small community. We are 

excited to learn and grow with the business.” 

“The biggest initial change is we will be open year-round, which was one of the bigger 

requests from customers,” Alli said in the story. 

A new in-bay automatic wash, which will be installed and operational by early-spring and 

large self-serve bay will be kept as-is. “Bartopp Properties is also working in collaboration 

with McGregor Oil to bring savings to the community and encourage the support of local 

businesses. The new owners would also like to eventually add a pet wash in the future, another 

popular request,” the story said. 

Currently, there is only one other automated car wash in McGregor. 

“We are very excited about the purchase, and we will be moving quickly to complete all of 

the updates,” Alli said in the story. “As a family with many connections to the area, we look 

forward to serving the community and keeping it clean - one car at a time!” 

Texas self serve serves as 

Covid-19 testing site 

The D&D Coin Op self serve car wash in San Antonio 

was turned into a Covid-19 testing site back in December, 

according to a Fox 29 news report. 

The December 8 story said the post-holiday surge of 

COVID-19 along with a lack of supply forced some people 

to wait for several hours in line to get a COVID test. 

The testing clinic which was run by Nomi Health was 

one of many pop-up clinics across the county. 

The testing site was open every day for the second week 

of December from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. including on Saturday. 

Renovated car and truck 

wash opens in Barryville, 

New York 

Jim Sallusto and his son Matt had been visiting 

the area of Barryville for the past 27 years, 

and now they’re living here permanently as 

co-owners of the newly renovated Barryville 

Car & Truck Wash. According to a December 29 

River Reporter story, “Matt is in charge,” Jim said 

at the December 18 ribbon cutting and celebration, 

“I’m just the eye candy.” 

Matt said they installed the most modern self 

serve car wash equipment. ”In deference to the 

proximity to the Upper Delaware River, the car 

wash is equipped with a series of holding tanks 

that filter out sediment, salt and any chemical 

residue from the biodegradable soaps. The produced 

grey water is then pumped out by a local 

carrier,” the story said. 

New wash opens in 

Toms River, New 

Jersey 

Prestige Auto Spa NJ, of Toms 

River, New Jersey, recently opened 

its doors last November, according 

to a press release. 

Prestige Auto Spa NJ is locally 

owned and operated by Jeff Kovatch 

and Sal Branchizio, long-time 

friends and long-time car enthusiasts, 

the press release stated. Driven 

to build a community car wash 

that offers more, Prestige offers 

full-serve and self serve bays along 

with oil changes, window tinting, 

headlight restorations, detailing, 

and more. 

WINTER 2022 • 19

EXTRA! EXTRA! 

The Brits are going after litterers in a 

whole new way 

Littering is apparently a £850 million (which equals $1,146,225,000 in 

US dollars) problem in jolly ol’ England, according to a January 12 MSN 

story. However, not one to sit on its britches, a British tech company called 

Littercam “has developed a technology that uses AI and computer vision 

to detect littering and match it with the offender’s license plate. Cameras 

can be mounted on lampposts or plugged into existing CCTV cameras. 

The software is in its first six months, but it’s already being trialed in Kent, 

Central London, Essex, Scotland, and The Netherlands.” 

According to the story, the UK spends about £850 million cleaning it 

up from the streets. The Littercam algorithm is trained to detect the 10 

most common litter types, including cigarette butts, cups, and fast-food 

packaging. When the computer catches a litterbug in the act, it registers 

the offense and matches it with the license plate. (The algorithm can also 

be used to detect graffiti and waste on the side of the road.) 

Current software does not offer facial recognition, and the data can only 

be accessed by authorized law enforcement agents. The car’s information 

will be then sent to the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, and 

each incident will be reviewed. Littercam will then issue a penalty notice 

to the car’s registered owner, featuring snapshots of the license plate and 

the littering offense. The maximum penalty is £150, which equals about 

$200 US dollars. 

“Fundamentally, it’s about behavior change,” said Andrew Kemp, Founder 

of Littercam, “but more broadly, we’re a technology company that wants 

to take on challenging data science problems to deliver the technology of 

the future, particularly from an environmental perspective.” 

At-home car washing banned (sort of) in 

California 

According to a January 4 Associated Press story, Californians will face 

mandatory restrictions governing their outdoor water use as the state endures 

another drought and voluntary conservation efforts have fallen short. 

The rules adopted January 4 by the State Water Resources Control 

Board come after Californians failed to meet Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call 

for a voluntary 15% reduction in water use compared to 2020. Between 

the months of July and November, water usage was down by just 6%. 

State climatologist Michael Anderson also warned that forecasts show 

January, February and March could be drier than average. 

Despite a rainier-than-normal December, “significant parts of the state’s 

water system are still under stress from the extremely dry conditions earlier 

in 2021 that dropped many of California’s largest reservoirs to record 

and near-record lows,” the story said. 

Eric Oppenheimer, chief deputy director for the state water board, said 

in the story, “We need to be prepared for continued drought.” 

Among the water uses restricted under the new rules: Outdoor watering 

that results in excessive runoff into the street and sidewalks; washing cars 

with hoses lacking shut-off nozzles; using potable water to wash driveways, 

sidewalks, buildings and patios and for street cleaning or to fill decorative 

fountains or lakes. 

According to the story, much of the Western United States is experiencing 

a drought, but only California has adopted statewide restrictions on 

residential water usage. 

This isn’t the first time Californians have been put under water restriction 

laws. The state enacted similar restrictions during the five-year 

drought which ended in 2017. Some cities and local water districts even 

made them permanent. 

The state has also set up a website where individuals can turn in their 

neighbors who might be violating the rules. “During California’s last 

drought, people engaged in so-called “ drought shaming “, the process of 

publicly outing people who are wasting water by posting videos to social 

media,” the story said. 

20 • FALL 2021 

Don’t drive with a dirty window in Spain! 

If anyone is looking for a major change in scenery, consider opening a car 

wash in Spain! Why? Because car washes are becoming an important part of a 

driver’s life. According to a January 4 Sur story, drivers can be fined up to 3,000 

euros for not keeping the windows of their cars clean from dirt, ice and snow. 

“According to the country’s traffic rules, vehicle windows need to be kept 

clean along with headlights and license plates. Under safety laws, the police 

can impound a car if it has ‘deficiencies that constitute a particularly serious 

risk to vital safety,’” the story said. 

According to Owner and Founder of Grupo Moure and Elefante Azul, “Car 

washes are an essential activity for any driver. …Today a good carwash center 

is equipped with highly efficient technology and a computer that manages 

the different phases of the process leaving an impeccable final result. Washing 

a vehicle is more than just mixing water with soap and rinsing,” 

Where or where did all the PPP money go? 

An in-depth report by Jim Probasco of Investopedia dug deep into the 

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and where and to whom the funds were 

dispersed. The January 23 story, outlined the PPP, which was enacted as part 

of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), 

and provided small businesses with approximately $800 billion in low-interest 

uncollateralized loans from April 3, 2020, through May 31, 2021. 

According to research and analysis conducted by the National Bureau of 

Economic Research (NBER), the program “preserved 2 to 3 million job-years 

of employment at a cost of $170,000 to $257,000 per retained job-year (a 

job-year is defined as one job for one year.) 

“Almost all PPP loans are expected to be forgiven with 94% of eligible 

small businesses in the U.S. receiving one or more loans under the program. 

Roughly 25% of PPP loan funds went directly to workers who would have 

lost their jobs. The rest (75%) went to business owners, shareholders, creditors, 

and suppliers of companies receiving loans,” the story said. 

Also of note, according to the story: 

• NBER analysis of PPP found that 75% of PPP funds went to 

business owners, shareholders, creditors, and suppliers and roughly 

25% to workers who would have otherwise lost their jobs. 

• Marginal propensity to consume (MPC) (spend the money on 

consumption) for the top 75% of PPP recipients was 0.5, about half 

that of workers which was 1.0. 

• The high cost ($170K to $250K) per job saved was another 

unfavorable aspect of the program. 

• 94% of eligible small businesses that received assistance. 

• Most of the negative outcome is blamed on the untargeted nature of 

the program due to the lack of administrative capacity in the U.S. to 

administer a program of this type. 

• A percentage of PPP loan funds that went to businesses reinforced 

the company’s bottom line in the form of windfall profit. 

“What is less certain is the degree to which small employers would have 

shuttered their doors permanently versus on a temporary basis, the story 

questioned. The data, NBER said, offer stronger support for PPP helping 

small companies avoid temporary closure than for preventing them from 

shutting their doors forever.” 

It appears that 25% of PPP funds were paid to businesses that used the 

funds to pay retained and previously unemployed workers. The remaining 

75% of funds, were given to creditors who would not have been paid yet 

also became beneficiaries. “Business owners could use loan proceeds to pay 

non-payroll expenses, including rent, utilities, and mortgage interest. Using 

the funds for these expenses made that part of the loan forgivable.” 

However, it was found that some percentage of PPP funds went to, “owners 

and shareholders of PPP-receiving firms as residual claimants in cases 

where businesses would have met some or all of their payroll and other 

financial obligations absent PPP (AKA, windfall profits),” according to 

NBER. In other words, according to the story, some businesses received the 

benefit of PPP funds but didn’t need some or all of those funds in order to 

stay open and solvent.

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WINTER 2022 • 23

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“We’ve been advertising to car wash operators for 7 years now, and 

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24 • WINTER 2022

WINTER 2022 • 25

2021 

CALENDAR 

OF EVENTS 

*All events are 

subject to changes 

due to current 

circumstances. 

FEB 27 

MAR 1, 2022 

2022 SCWA 

CONVENTION & CAR 

WASH EXPO 

Fort Worth Convention Center 

Fort Worth, Texas 

MAY 

9-11, 2022 

THE CAR WASH 

SHOW 2022 

Music City Center 

Nashville, Tennessee 

JUNE 

7-8, 2022 

HEARTLAND CARWASH 

ASSOCIATION: 

2022 PRODUCT & 

EQUIPMENT SHOW 

The Prairie Meadows 

Events and Conference Center 

Altoona, Iowa 

SEPT 

17-19, 2022 

NORTHEAST REGIONAL 

CARWASH CONVENTION 

Atlantic City Convention Center 

Atlantic City, New Jersey 

Association News 

Carwash Association of Pennsylvania 

CAP President shares 

hopes for the new year 

The following is a letter from Keith Lutz, president of 

the Association, to the CAP members: 

Dear Fellow Carwash Professionals, 

Friends and Colleagues: 

The start of any new year brings with it a hope for change, 

advancement, and growth. Combine this with the fact that 

2021 was not a magical “reset” we were hoping for coming 

off of 2021. So for many reasons, I think we can all say 

that we look to 2022 with a renewed hope of progress while 

also celebrating the obstacles we continue to overcome as 

an industry. 

Foremost, I wish to recognize and celebrate the recipient 

of CAP’s Carwasher of the Year Award, Josh Lindsay of 

WetGo Car Wash (Northwest PA). Josh embodies the passion 

and energy that makes the carwash industry great! 

He has advanced his career with WetGo over the years, 

helping them open new locations and providing exceptional 

customer service every step along the way. In his words, “I 

know I’ve had a positive impact on a guest’s day when I see 

a smile on their face!” Congratulations, Josh! 

CAP is also looking forward to again hosting various networking 

events this year, which includes our annual baseball 

outing, dinner and tabletop show, and golf outing fundraiser 

and picnic. Specific dates will be confirmed soon, so please 

stay tuned into our communications, visit our website at 

www.pacarwash.org, or email executivedirector@pacarwash. 

org to receive updates. We really hope to have you join us at 

one or all of these events – families and spouses are welcome! 

If you are not a current CAP member, we invite you to join 

our growing network of operators and vendors from across the 

Commonwealth. We have hit the ground running in 2022 

with plans to invest additional resources into our membership 

this year, resources that will help all carwash businesses, 

both operators and vendors, better connect, collaborate and 

contribute to our industry. Please visit us today at www.pacarwash.org 

learn more and get involved. 

New York State Car Wash Association 

New Yorkers enjoy a game at Citi Field 

The Association recently stated that despite a rainout 

on May 28, the New York State Car Wash Association 

(NYSCWA) was able to move its annual Mets Event to 

September 17. The Mets took on the Philadelphia Phillies 

at Citi Field in Flushing Meadows/Corona Park, New 

York. The game, according to the NYSCWA, saw the 

Mets fight back from an early lead by the Phillies, and unfortunately, 

their efforts fell short with a 4-3 loss to Philadelphia. 

“Every time we come to Citi Field, it’s exciting 

and a really great day for our members and their families,” 

NYSCWA President Walt Hartl stated. “I wouldn’t 

miss this event, and I’m so thankful we were able to hold 

It is with great pride that I say that the carwash industry 

continues to prove its resilience and commitment to being a 

helpful community within and beyond the borders of Pennsylvania. 

Now into a new year, some of us will enter the industry 

while others will exit, some of us will grow or expand, while 

others may look to downsize or sell. The common denominator 

is our passion for serving others, in whatever form that 

may come. Thank you all for serving our industry well and 

being a part of this very special community. 

Best wishes for a safe, healthy and prosperous 2022! 

Keith Lutz 

President, Carwash Association of Pennsylvania 

it this year, albeit on a smaller scale.” 

COVID restrictions limited the number of attendees 

in the Porsche Party Suite to 35, but that did not dampen 

everyone’s excitement at being back together and enjoying 

America’s greatest pastime, a statement read. “I’ve 

been involved in this event for more years than I care to 

remember, and every year it brings a smile to my face,” 

said Event Coordinator Mike Benmosche. “You couldn’t 

ask for a better venue. And you couldn’t ask for a better 

group of operators in which to enjoy it.” 

This year’s event was sponsored by Micrologic Associates, 

Ledgewood, New Jersey. 

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Southwest Car Wash Association 

Association News 

Newt Gingrich to give Keynote address 

The SCWA is excited to announce that former 

Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will headline 

the SCWA 2022 Convention & EXPO as Keynote 

Speaker. SCWA continues the tradition of providing 

World Class Speakers and Premier Educational 

opportunities for our convention attendees, a 

statement read. 

Speaker Gingrich is an intellectually fearless visionary 

and historian and is one of the foremost 

economic, social, political, and security-focused 

thinkers today, the SCWA stated. “He is wellknown 

as the architect of the ‘Contract with 

America’ that led the Republican Party to victory 

in 1994 by capturing a majority in the United 

States House of Representatives for the first time 

in 40 years.” Gingrich was also a candidate for 

President of the United States in 2012. 

Recognized internationally as an expert on world 

history, military issues, and international affairs, 

Newt Gingrich is the longest-serving teacher of the 

Joint War Fighting course for Major Generals, according 

to the SCWA. He also teaches officers from 

all six services as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar 

and Professor at the National Defense University. In 

addition, Newt Gingrich served as a Member of the 

Defense Policy Board. He was a member of the Terrorism 

Task Force for the Council on Foreign Relations, 

and he co-chaired the Task Force on United 

Nations Reform, a bipartisan congressional effort to 

modernize and improve the United Nations. 

“Now, more than ever, we need to understand 

where we are as a country and what needs to be 

done to preserve businesses and personal opportunities. 

You will be able to pose questions prior 

to and during the Keynote, so come prepared to 

hear and learn from one of our nation’s foremost 

thinkers,” the SCWA stated. 

Speaker Gingrich will address the SCWA convention 

attendees at the General Session on Monday 

morning, February 28th. 

The 2022 SCWA Convention & EXPO will take 

place February 27 - March 1, 2022, at the Fort 

Worth Convention Center. 

The SCWA has been known for its impressive 

list of keynote speakers. Past addresses have been 

made by Former United States Vice President 

Dick Cheney, and media emperor Steve Forbes. 

Car Wash Operators 

of New Jersey 

Association lobbyist 

makes Power List 

Car Wash Operators of New Jersey 

(CWONJ) Lobbyist, Al Gaburo, with 

Princeton Public Affairs Group (PPAG) 

in Trenton, New Jersey, has been named 

to New Jersey Globe’s 2021 Power List, 

stated the Association. The annual recognition 

honors the 100 most politically 

powerful personalities in the state, focusing 

on those who impact politics and government 

in New Jersey. 

Gaburo and his team at PPAG have 

crafted legislation to keep professional 

carwashes open during public health 

emergencies, state emergencies or Executive 

Orders declared by the Governor, 

according to a statement. The board has 

been working closely with PPAG for the 

last year on these efforts. The legislation 

is slated to be introduced in mid-January. 

New England Carwash Association 

Event hosted at Gillette Stadium, new Board of Directors named 

Not even a Nor’Easter could not dampen the 

spirits of nearly 90 attendees on October 26, 

NECA reported regarding an Association event 

including car wash tours and gathering at Gillette 

Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. 

At 1 p.m. the motor coach tour, sponsored by 

Sonny’s Car Wash Services Northeast, departed 

for the first tour of remodeled RoJo on Rte. 1 in 

Norwood, Massachusetts, NECA stated. Presenting 

sponsors included AutoWash Technologies, Simoniz 

and Vacutech. The next stop was the new 

RoJo on Rte. 1 in Walpole. Presenting sponsors included 

DRB, Modernwash and Sonny’s Car Wash 

Services Northeast. The buses then dropped all off 

at Patriots Place for the Hall of Fame tour sponsored 

by Washify. 

“We had the entire CBS Sporting Club, overlooking 

Gillette Stadium, for our annual meeting and 

reception sponsored by Autowash Maintenance 

Corporation, Cross Insurance and National Carwash 

Solutions. A brief state of the association report 

was presented by Treasurer John Shalbey and 

by VP and Membership Co-Chair Jeffrey Katseff. 

Past President Bob Katseff conducted the election 

for our 2022 Board of Directors. The microphone 

was then handed back to President Patrick Mosesso 

who presented the 2021 “You Make It Happen” 

award to a very surprised Mark Delaney. Mark’s 

brother Mike and father Chuck were there to celebrate 

this honor.” 

According to the NECA, Delaney is a quiet 

guy that really gets things done. “In fact, when he 

was growing up, that quiet served him really well. 

He became the most popular caddy at the country 

club down the street from where he grew up, 

eclipsing his two brothers in popularity. The golfers 

just really liked his quiet competence.” 

As is the case with many of our members, NECA 

stated, car washing is his family business. Mark 

started vacuuming cars as a teen and as soon as he 

could drive, he would drive the vehicles onto the 

track. Delaney studied business in college and eventually 

joined his brother Mike at Allston Car Wash. 

This was a great help to his Mother and Dad. 

Mark eventually served on the NECA Board of 

Directors from 2017 through 2019. “During that 

time, he logically worked with the golf outing 

committee but his service to NECA did not end 

when his term on the Board ended. This is something 

that does not happen often. Mark agreed to 

take on the outing chairmanship and his very first 

outing in 2018 was so successful, that despite being 

held during a Nor’Easter, we made our largest 

charitable contribution to date, only exceeded by 

our 2019 outing. He did the legwork for our 2020 

outing, which unfortunately could not be held, 

but our 2021 Outing was a great success thanks to 

his leadership.” 

The 2022 Board of Directors Elected at the annual 

meeting include: 

OFFICERS 

President: Patrick Mosesso, Auto Bright Car Care 

Immediate Past President: Mat Paisner, ScrubaDub 

Car Wash 

Operator Vice President: Jeffrey Katseff, Turnpike 

Car Wash 

Supplier Vice President: Chris Zona, Autowash 

Technologies 

Treasurer/ Secretary: John Shalbey, Jr., RoJo Co. 

OPERATOR DIRECTORS 

Tony Lombardo Scrub-It Car Wash 

Derek Mourad Neponset Circle Car Wash 

Chris Ouimet Fitzy’s Car Wash 

Felix Taranto Triton Wash Car Care Center 

Chris Vercollone Briteway Car Wash 

SUPPLIER DIRECTORS 

Matt D’Souza Washify Services 

Mike Snow Maintenance Tech 

Brian Stanikmas Simoniz USA 

WINTER 2022 • 29

INDUSTRY DIRT 

HAPPENINGS 

IN & AROUND THE SELF 

SERVE CARWASHING INDUSTRY 

PSD Codax welcomes Mark 

Byard as new manager of 

business development 

PSD Codax of Bristol, England, part of ICS and 

OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions, global leaders in 

vehicle wash and payment solutions technology, 

welcomed Mark Byard as the new Manager of 

Business Development 

A December 6, 2021, press release stated that in 

this role, Byard will be directly responsible for PSD 

Codax sales and marketing efforts in the UK, Ireland 

and Scandinavian markets, as well as overseeing 

PSD Codax’s growth in the European market. 

Prior to joining PSD Codax, Byard was the Business 

Development Manager and Head of Sales for 

Kärcher Wash Systems, where he was responsible for 

overseeing business growth and key accounts. Before 

joining Kärcher Wash Systems, Byard held a variety 

of roles in the car wash industry from engineer to 

technical service manager to installation manager. 

“Mark has a level of experience, background and 

connection to the vehicle wash market that we find 

most beneficial to help understand and respond to 

our customers’ requirements,” said Rob Deal, Vice 

President of Corporate Sales for ICS, in a press release. 

“His depth of experience is exactly what we 

have been looking for as we expand our business 

development efforts to continue our growth. We 

are excited for the future and look forward to the 

impact Mark will bring to our customers.” 

“Over the last few years, the customer needs 

have changed and the requirement for contactless 

payment at the wash bay entrance has been a regular 

request,” Byard also stated in the press release. 

“I’m excited to join PSD Codax and be a part of 

offering vehicle wash operators the solutions they 

need to help increase profits by providing a seamless 

wash experience with the latest in payment 

system technology.” 

As Self Serve Car Wash News previously reported, 

OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions was formed in January 

2019 and consists of PDQ Manufacturing, Inc., 

Belanger, Inc., and Innovative Control Systems. 

EverWash Acquires 

omniX Labs 

EverWash of Philadelphia, 

a leader in car wash 

membership and subscription 

management, 

announced that it has 

acquired omniX Labs, industry-leading 

real-time 

vehicle analytics, and Machine Learning (ML) 

platform. This acquisition will deepen EverWash’s 

capability to gain key sales and marketing insights 

at car washes to benefit their wash partners and 

customers. Together, EverWash and omniX Labs 

will use vehicle-centric data to improve the car 

care life cycle experience, while setting their eyes 

on other industries that can benefit from their proprietary 

analytics and ML models. 

“As a proven leader in the innovation and development 

of the car wash membership business, 

EverWash efficiently provides a mobile platform 

for subscribers and robust end-to-end solution for 

car wash operators,” said Scott Caplan, Co-Founder, 

and President of EverWash, in a November 15, 

2021, press release. “In order for our business to 

embark on the next leg of our high-growth journey, 

the acquisition of omniX Labs will accelerate 

our ability to provide even more vehicle-centric 

actionable data that we can use to personalize the 

customers' experience and improve the operators' 

bottom line." 

“omniX Labs shares EverWash’s commitment 

to actionable data for the pursuit of client and 

customer success,” said Anoop Kanthan, CEO & 

Co-Founder of omniX Labs, in the press release. 

"We’re excited to contribute to their expansion 

by continuing to provide intelligent sets of eyes to 

help optimize the car wash experience. Ultimately, 

our insights will enable both EverWash and 

omniX to develop the next generation of car care 

solutions via the vehicle becoming an extension of 

the consumer’s wallet.” 

EverWash and omniX Labs have been working 

together since May 2020, but this complete merger 

will bring two leading technology platforms together 

to provide car care operators and retailers 

full lifecycle visibility into their customers. 

Express Wash Concepts 

acquires Kleenco 

Express Wash Concepts 

(EWC) of Columbus, Ohio, 

announced on January 19, 

2022, that it acquired Kleenco, 

a leading supplier of car 

wash service, chemicals and 

components to automotive 

dealerships. Kleenco joins the Express Wash Concepts 

portfolio which presently includes 60 operating 

express tunnel car wash locations throughout 

Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Virginia. 

Powered by Express Wash Concepts, the newly 

enhanced Kleenco offers an expanded network 

of highly skilled car wash service professionals, an 

easy-to-use online service portal for scheduling 

service and chemical delivery, a fully stocked parts 

warehouse, and faster dispatched service calls, a 

press release stated. Award-winning chemical supplies 

are provided by industry leader ChemQuest. 

"We have drawn upon the deep breadth of experience 

from of our current Kleenco and Express 

Wash Concepts teams and look forward to providing 

our dealership customers with the best possible 

service, chemicals and components for their 

washes," John Roush, Express Wash Concepts 

Chief Executive Officer, stated in the press release. 

Moving forward, Kleenco's three-tiered service 

approach will offer a wide range of service options 

for automotive dealerships who at minimum want 

to keep their washes running with access to the 

best chemistry in the business, to higher volume 

dealerships looking for the convenience and value 

of automated chemical delivery, regular wash inspections 

and cleaning, to on-demand service. 

Discounted promotional options are also being 

offered to dealerships who prefer to provide customers 

with the convenience and value of washing 

at one of Express Wash Concepts' 60+ brand locations. 

Express Wash Concepts was formed in April 

2018 with the announcement of a strategic investment 

partnership with Wildcat Capital Management, 

the family office of TPG Capital co-founder, 

David Bonderman. In 2021, EWC announced its 

geographical footprint expansion beyond Ohio 

and into Virginia, Pittsburgh and Indiana through 

the acquisitions of Green Clean Express Auto 

Wash, CleanTown USA and Snazzy's Express Car 

Wash. The Company plans to open an additional 

50+ locations in 2022. 

30 • WINTER 2022

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32 • WINTER 2022

Carwash 

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WINTER 2022 • 33

INDUSTRY DIRT 

Suds Creative and 

Retention Express 

announce new partnership 

Suds Creative, of 

Meridian, Ohio, a 

leader in data-driven 

marketing and CX 

technology for the 

car wash industry, 

announced on January 5, 2022, a new partnership 

with Retention Express LLC, an outsourced, 

white labeled, customer experience support team 

focused on membership retention across all customer 

touchpoints for car wash operators. The 

partnership will focus on identifying strategic 

opportunities for collaboration between the companies 

on a client-by-client basis. “Our goal is to 

drive greater revenue for our clients and we’re laser-focused 

on strategies and tools that will help 

the hundreds of operators we work with achieve 

their business goals. Aligning with Retention Express 

allows us to expand our ability to help clients 

deliver outstanding customer support to members 

and customers without increasing their own 

team size and allowing their employees to better 

serve on-site customers,” said Jason Baumgartner, 

CEO of Suds Creative, in a company press release. 

Added Bobby Thomson, CEO of Retention Express, 

“We are thrilled to partner with Suds and 

to provide car wash owners a dedicated solution 

to closing the back door of churn, delivering superior 

customer support, and creating more satisfied 

customers. We really are able to quarterback the 

off-site customer experience while our specialists 

capture the voice of their customer by solving every 

inbound customer inquiry through a first call 

resolution approach and providing owners with 

valuable insights and analytics.” 

SBA pledges support in 

recovering from pandemic 

Last year, according to a November 24, 2021, 

Small Business Administration (SBA) press release, 

shoppers came together in full force to support 

their local communities, and Small Business Saturday 

hit a record high with an estimated $19.8 billion 

in reported spending. This year, holiday consumers 

broke new records. Under Administrator 

Isabella Casillas Guzman, the U.S. SBA has been at 

the forefront of the recovery effort, equitably delivering 

economic relief to small businesses along 

Main Streets – from the mom-and-pop restaurants 

and retail shops to the contractors and small manufacturers. 

While much progress has been made to 

get Americans back to work, back to business, and 

back to normal, the Administration and the SBA 

have continued to make equity a priority by increasing 

access to government resources, lowering 

the barriers to opportunity, and helping expand 

the reach of the customers we serve. 

The U.S. SBA’s implementation of President 

34 • WINTER 2022 

Updates made to COVID EIDL guidelines 

The U.S. Small Business Administration 

(SBA) announced on November 19, 2021, the 

updated guidance for COVID Economic Injury 

Disaster Loan (EIDL) program applicants 

to better serve small business owners in need, 

while funding remains available. Since its inception, 

the COVID EIDL program, a federal 

disaster relief loan designed to better serve and 

support our small business communities still 

reeling from the pandemic, especially hard-hit 

sectors such as restaurants, gyms, and hotels, 

has approved nearly $300 billion in relief aid. 

Specifically, the following updated guidance is 

being provided: 

• EIDL loan and Targeted Advance 

applications will be accepted until 

December 31 and will continue to be 

processed after this date until funds are 

exhausted. 

• Supplemental Targeted Advance 

applications will be accepted until 

December 31; however, the SBA may be 

unable to process some Supplemental 

Targeted Advance applications submitted 

near the December 31 deadline due to 

legal requirements. The SBA cannot 

continue to process Supplemental 

Targeted Advance applications after 

December 31 and strongly encourages 

eligible small businesses to apply by 

Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) and other 

traditional loan programs have helped the smallest 

of small businesses survive, and the work continues. 

In the midst of a global pandemic, under 

Administrator Guzman, the SBA delivered a record 

number of its traditional loans to our nation’s 

small businesses while also scaling up to meet the 

immense demand for COVID-related economic 

relief. In 2021, SBA has overseen the distribution 

of nearly $416.3 billion in emergency relief aid 

to more than 6 million impacted small businesses 

through the Paycheck Protection Program ($280 

billion), Restaurant Revitalization Fund ($28.6 

billion), Shuttered Venue Operators Grant ($13.4 

billion), COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan 

(EIDL) program ($88 billion), and COVID EIDL 

Targeted and Supplemental Advance programs 

($6.3 billion combined). This support has directly 

helped small businesses stay open and keep workers 

on payrolls, especially for those owned by our 

underserved, including women, people of color, 

veterans, and rural and low-income communities. 

Highlights of the significant ARP resources going 

to our hardest hit, underserved small businesses: 

• The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant 

has awarded grants to nearly 13,000 live 

venues, theaters, and other entertainment 

and cultural hubs. Since the inception of 

the SVOG program, more than 90% of the 

December 10 to ensure adequate 

processing time. 

• Borrowers can request increases up to 

their maximum eligible loan amount for 

up to two years after their loan origination 

date, or until the funds are exhausted, 

whichever is sooner. 

• The SBA will accept and review 

reconsideration and appeal requests 

for COVID EIDL applications received 

on or before December 31 if the 

reconsideration/appeal is received 

within the timeframes in the regulation. 

This means six months from the date of 

decline for reconsiderations and 30 days 

from the date of reconsideration decline 

for appeals – unless funding is no longer 

available. 

“The COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan 

(EIDL) and EIDL Advance programs still have 

billions of dollars available to help small businesses 

hard hit by the pandemic. More than 3.8 

million businesses employing more than 20 million 

people have found financial relief through 

SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans,” said 

Patrick Kelley, Associate Administrator for 

SBA’s Office of Capital Access. “Key enhancements 

have been made to the loan program that 

will help our nation’s businesses recover and get 

back on track.” 

grants have supported venues with fewer 

than 50 employees – or the smallest of 

small businesses – a key priority of this 

Administration. 

• The retooled COVID EIDL Targeted and 

Supplemental Advance programs have 

provided almost 500,000 small businesses 

approximately $6.3 billion in financial relief, 

focused on supporting those from lowincome 

communities who were especially 

hard-hit and are still reeling from the 

pandemic. 

• And the Community Navigators Pilot 

Program has awarded nearly $100 million 

in funding to 51 organizations that will work 

with hundreds of local groups to connect 

small business owners to government 

resources and help level the playing field 

for America’s entrepreneurs. The two-year 

grants were designated in three tiers at $1 

million, $2.5 million and $5 million. 

Through SBA’s core lending programs, $44.8 billion 

in funding was delivered to small businesses in 

fiscal year (FY) 2021 through more than 61,000 

loans. Out of $36.5 billion in 7(a) loans, nearly $11 

billion went to minority business owners ($7.5 billion 

for Asian American and Pacific Islanders, $2.1 

billion for Hispanic Americans, $959 million for 

Black Americans, and $246 million American In-

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INDUSTRY DIRT 

dians), $5 billion to women-owned businesses, and 

$1.2 billion to veteran-owned businesses. Through 

the SBA’s $8.2 billion 504 program, minority business 

owners received nearly $1.9 billion in lending 

($1.1 billion for Asian American and Pacific 

Islanders, $632 million for Hispanic Americans, 

$106 million for Black Americans, and $26 million 

American Indians) with over $712 million 

going to women-owned businesses. The SBA also 

increased its support of rural small businesses by 

nearly 33 percent. 

“However, we know work remains in closing 

capital gaps,” the press release stated. “Despite 

significant growth in the SBA’s core 7(a) and 504 

lending programs, many entrepreneurs continue to 

face challenges in accessing funding to start and 

grow their businesses. Small-dollar lending in our 

7(a) program has decreased and become more 

concentrated with limited lenders, which is why 

the SBA will prioritize direct lending and expanded 

distribution networks to fill capital gaps in FY 

2022 and beyond.” 

Further, as many small businesses continue to face 

uncertainty due to the pandemic, the SBA stated it 

made key improvements to the COVID EIDL program 

so that entrepreneurs could take advantage of 

the billions of dollars in remaining COVID EIDL 

funds available, including implementing 24 months 

of deferred payments, and flexible use of funds and 

a new cap of up to $2 million. 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Build 

Back Better Act will revitalize entrepreneurship. 

President Biden’s historic legislative priorities, 

the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Build 

Back Better Act (BBB), will be transformative for 

the small business economy. And, with the passage 

of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re on our 

way there. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will 

empower America’s entrepreneurs to innovate, 

create good-paying jobs, and provide the essential 

goods and services to rebuild our infrastructure 

and address climate change. Specifically, the Bipartisan 

Infrastructure Law will: 

• Improve small businesses’ ability to 

get their goods quickly into the hands 

of their customers by upgrading our 

nation’s transportation infrastructure. The 

President’s plan invests an additional $621 

billion in transportation infrastructure and 

resilience to help small businesses get 

their goods to their customers by reducing 

shipping and logistics delays through 

upgrading our nation’s rails, roads, bridges, 

public transportation, ports, airports, and 

freight rail. 

• Help small businesses reach new customers 

and recruit/hire new employees by providing 

universal broadband. President Biden’s 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest 

$65 billion in broadband infrastructure, 

ensuring that every American has access to 

affordable, reliable high-speed internet and 

fostering a more robust micro businesses 

ecosystem. 

Small business owners: Be aware of this scam 

Small business owners are being targeted by scammers attempting to pose as Small Business 

Administration (SBA) representatives. According to a January 19, 2022, report by 

SmallBizTrends.com, Tiffany Bernhardt-Schultz, Southwest Wisconsin Regional Director 

for the Better Business Bureau, stated, “We know that consumers were filing for loans and 

business owners were filing for some financial support. Scammers have found a way to capitalize 

and to lure their victims into their tricks. …Scammers have become very complex. 

They want you to feel that their offer is real. You shouldn’t base your decision on calling 

them back without doing research.” 

If you’re contacted by someone attempting to gain loan or personal information, you can 

report suspected attempts on the Better Business Bureau website, as well as read up on all 

the latest scams being reported. Also, make sure to always conduct research into any person 

or organization that requests personal or sensitive information regarding a loan request before 

handing it over. 

A January 14, 2022, by WMTV reported that Kim Whitmore, the owner of Ujima United 

of Milwaukee, a small public health consulting firm, had applied for a EIDL loan during the 

pandemic. “My consulting business didn’t have as many projects going as it normally did,” 

Whitmore said in the story. “So I was eligible and applied.” 

About six months ago she started receiving phone calls from a friendly woman telling her 

she’d been approved for the loan. “They would make it sound like I talked to this person already 

when clearly I hadn’t talked to an individual about my loan yet,” explained Whitmore 

in the story. 

Thankfully, Whitmore, according to the story, was suspicious enough of the phone calls and 

did her research before calling anyone back, but she sees how easily someone could fall for it. 

“I think there’s a good chance that many people would believe them, call back, and provide 

some information,” said Whitmore. “I know how easy it is for people who are so desperate for 

that relief to trust that the information they are getting is real. …It’s hard enough the way it 

is during the pandemic for small businesses,” said Whitmore. “To add this potential risk that 

could jeopardize the already shaky finances of many small businesses is really unfortunate.” 

• Provide opportunities to access billions of 

dollars' worth of federal, state, and local 

government contracts, including more than 

$37 billion through the U.S. Department 

of Transportation (DOT). President Biden’s 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes 

a historic procurement effort designed 

to support small businesses and tackle 

long standing inequities in the contracting 

system. The benefits are long, but chief 

among them will be opportunities to 

access billions of dollars' worth of federal, 

state, and local government contracts for 

infrastructure and clean energy projects 

such as manufacturing solar panels, wind 

farms, batteries, and electric vehicles (EVs) 

that will grow our energy supply chains 

and build the national network of charging 

stations. 

The Build Back Better Act, if passed, will make 

even more investments in small businesses. From 

filling capital gaps with direct lending options, an 

expanded mission lender network and increased 

micro and emerging investment companies to 

incubation and acceleration programs, investments 

at SBA will be historic. It will also make 

key investments in the issues that matter to small 

business owners the most: strengthening a skilled 

workforce and assisting workers with affordable 

childcare, eldercare and health care options. 

“In the coming months and years, the SBA will 

reimagine itself to help small businesses prepare for 

the future through a customer first experience and 

technology forward resources to meet businesses 

where they are,” the press release stated. “We know 

we still have work to do. Under Administrator Guzman, 

the SBA team is thinking creatively about how 

to best support entrepreneurs at all stages of their 

life cycles in a post-COVID world. As the pandemic 

taught us, the world has grown increasingly 

interconnected. Yet, many in the small business 

economy lack the capital, knowledge and resources 

to leverage opportunities to grow in domestic supply 

chains and global markets. As President Biden’s 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law positions American 

businesses to compete in the burgeoning industries 

solving climate change and to grow clean-energy 

supply chains that will help expand global exporting, 

the SBA will be ready to help our innovators 

navigate an unprecedented number of opportunities. 

And it will be ready to support through our extensive 

on-the-ground resource networks, including 

68 district offices, over 1000 resource partner centers, 

and 51 community navigators. Small business 

owners will have access to critical expertise needed 

to leverage every opportunity they deserve arising 

through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or the 

Build Back Better Act.” 

WINTER 2022 • 37

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TRICKS OF THE 

(Note: Some posts feature 

minor edits for readability.) 

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 and common problems, as well as some of the best and brightest solutions, visit CarwashForum.com 

Welcome 

to the world of self 

serve car washes! 

Today marked 1 full week since taking ownership of the car wash. I felt 

like everything was coming along slowly but surely. A few minor leaks here and 

there… no big deal. That is until I was about to go home around 7:30 pm. In the bay I was 

working on, water starts pouring from the ceiling. Now, for a week into this I felt like I had a decent understanding 

of what most things do and where the water flows for the self service bays. I shut off the valves as I 

thought this would stop the rain, but nope! It still looks like someone left the hose running in the attic. I scrambled 

around shutting off the RO tank and looking at solenoids as if I knew what I was doing. During this time I ventured 

into the attic a few times to make sure it was still leaking, I guess. Finally, after about an hour of figuring and 

scrambling I found the issue. There is a solenoid valve from the city water that feeds the pump and it was not closing. 

I cobbled some parts together to shut the bay off for the time being (it was already not in service). I am really 

feeling like a car wash owner now! JOSWHAHA 

Looks like you have some work ahead of you. In 

your first pic, you see the rust on the reducer fitting. 

Someone used a steel fitting. You don’t want 

to do that. The smallest piece of rust will stop at 

your wand nozzle and piss off your customers. 

There is also a galvanized fitting. I wouldn’t use 

them either. It will take longer but they will rust. 

More things to clean up in your second pic. Fittings 

leaking and soon to blow etc. 

Some will say galvanized is ok, but brass or 

stainless is the way to go. 

Take some time, clean up all the issues one bay 

at a time, and you will reduce your number of 

emergency repairs. 

And by the way, open up that solenoid valve, if 

the seats are good you can get a rebuild kit for a 

few bucks. 

Also, the water should have been coming out of 

the wand, not in the ceiling, so you need to fix those 

leaks before putting that bay back in service. TOMS 

PTCARWASH 

Are you running hot water? If not, you can eliminate 

those solenoids. MEP001 

Cold only, it looks like those valves open on my presoak 

feature. I’m not sure about that yet though. 

JOSWHAHA 

They shouldn’t. They’re only for cold rinses, and 

presoak comes out of a tank which has to meet 

with water out of another tank, otherwise the 

pressure will just stop the flow of presoak. The 

only thing that should open with your presoak solenoid 

will be the 453P solenoid on the high pressure 

pump outlet. MEP001 

In time, your perspective changes. A leak would have 

freaked me out when I first opened. Now, I actually 

don’t mind repairing a leak at all, because it’s so simple 

to diagnose and repair most of the time. WAXMAN 

Normally such breakdowns only happen when 

you’re away on vacation! Somehow my car wash 

equipment knows when I’m unavailable! STARRWASH 

40 • WINTER 2022

Et tu, tunnel? 

TRICKS OF THE 

I currently operate my two sites (self serves and IBAs) without any employees. I keep running numbers 

to determine if I want to build a tunnel. With 11-13$ an hour it might make sense but I see 18$ right 

around the corner for entry level wages. The local restaurants are already at $15 starting for teens, 

entry warehouse is at $20, Amazon is at $22. The labor shortage isn’t going away. Can most tunnels stay 

competitive without raising membership fees with these labor rates? Does anyone have any models that 

have taken rising wages into account? Hesitant to jump into this model given this factor. C-RAY 

I wouldn’t touch this model with a ten foot pole. 

There seems to be very little ethics involved and 

the business model appears to be to just build 

right on top of a wash that looks to be successful. 

Not to mention the cutthroat pricing and all the 

free stuff. The canaries will stop coming out of the 

mines soon (actually I think it’s already started) 

and you should be able to pick one up for pennies 

on the dollar. The industry finally pretty much 

killed off the gas station freebie wash, and now it’s 

turned on itself. I.B. WASHINCARS 

What I see to support that is non-stop advertising 

for help wanted and managers working nights and 

weekends to cover. Just a matter of time before 

they increase prices to cover higher wages so they 

can recruit competitively. I just don’t think 40- 

50$ Monthly unlimited memberships are digestible 

over the IBA prices. C-RAY 

I recently retired and now use an express myself. 

I pay $17.95 per month for my first vehicle and 

$8.95 for the second one. $26.90 keeps my vehicles 

washed all month. There is also another express 

just 1/4 mile away. I think they look at any 

major intersection as the potential for 5 express 

washes, because eventually someone will build a 

two-story wash... I.B. WASHINCARS 

I’ve watched numerous express washes up wages a 

few bucks an hour in the last year. Every area is 

different but I’d expect $13 to be the new $10 

within a year. If you want “okay” employees that 

aren’t all in high school and less hiring issues it 

should be at least $15. If you want solid people 

you’re going to have to offer $17+. The bigger 

question is if you want to put tons of time into 

managing and hiring employees as well as working 

at the wash when someone quits or doesn’t 

show up. 

The market is accepting higher membership 

prices. $40 plans aren’t that rare, even among 

major players in the unlimited game. The competitive 

building is the biggest risk. People are 

only getting riskier and dumber. 

All that said, if you’re willing to put in the 

cash and the time an express is highly rewarding. 

If you’re willing to work your ____ off I recommend 

it. MC3033 

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WINTER 2022 • 41

TRICKS OF THE 

There’s a hole in the 

vacuum,dear Liza, dear Liza 

We have recently installed some premier vacs which have fantastic 

suction, but if the nozzle is on say a mat or hard surface, when the air flow 

gets blocked the motors definitely start to smell of burn. Is it best to drill 

some holes in the nozzle to prevent motor burn out? CARWASHIRELAND 

I use a HVAC crimper to notch some V’s at the 

claw. CAR_WASH_GUY 

Same. COPPERGLOBE 

Me too. I.B. WASHINCARS 

I used to file notches in the end, but I don’t waste 

the time since I replace at least a couple a week 

from getting run over. MEP001 

Drill 3 holes on top. Takes about 3 minutes. 

It’s an absolute MUST DO, & it’s a FREE 

improvement that makes a definite difference. 

SOONERMAJIC 

I’ve seen the claws with holes. Makes no sense to 

me, give them the best suction you can then cut 

it down an inch from where they need it and increase 

your electric bill at the same time. Grooves 

at the claw edge improve airflow where the dirt is. 

MEP001 

Same. Except that I just use wire cutters, 2 small 

V’s on the bottom of each claw. PAULLOVESJAMIE 

We drill holes. Have done it for years at our full 

service location. Holes or notches make it easier 

to use the vacuum, neither option creates a decrease 

in effectiveness of the nozzle. DAVIDM 

Well, if you compare the 2 side by side, you’ll 

notice no discernible difference. SOONERMAJIC 

Having the holes or notches actually improves 

the vacuum performance. SOAPY 

We notch. Purchased three motor vacs last year 

that had three holes in the claws that created an 

obnoxiously loud, high pitch whistle. MR. CLEAN 

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WINTER 2022 • 43

TRICKS OF THE 

Parking lot loot! 

Does anyone rent out parking lot space 

to windshield repair or other service/ 

vendors? If yes, how much do you charge 

monthly? Thanks. CARWASHBG 

Timely question as I’m talking to someone later about putting a 

food truck on site. That would pay maybe $400 a month. MAC 

SSCWN EDITOR CHIMES IN: Food trucks are making a killing. According to smallbizgenius.net, 

there are over 24,000 active food trucks in the United States and the food truck 

market size in 2020 surpassed 1.2 billion dollars. Experts predict the food truck industry 

will see a growth of 2.4% for 2021. Other ways to use empty lot space for a profit include: 

a Christmas tree lot, a pop-up fireworks stand, a pumpkin patch, boat and RV storage, or 

you can think way, way, way outside of the box, like Jack Anthony, CEO of 7 Flags Car 

Wash did back in 2001. Anthony said that one of the best things he ever did with one of 

his self serve bays at one of his car washes in California, was to use a bay as a flower shop. 

From the Fall 2001 issue of Self Serve Car Wash News: 

Then there’s the Magic Carwash in Manahawkin, New Jersey, which used to turn one of 

its self serve bays into a drive-thru flu shot clinic. This took place prior to flu season. And, 

while it was set up as a community service and didn’t bring in any additional profits to 

the car wash, it was a good deed which garnered positive media attention. The car wash 

discontinued the flu-shot bays when chain pharmacies such as CVS, Rite-Aid and even 

grocery stores started offering flu shots to the masses. 

FROM THE SPRING 2008 ISSUE OF SSCWN: 

The wash I’m buying is on a street with 26,000 vehicles per day. 

There is not enough room on the lot for a food truck but I could 

rent out a couple of spaces for windshield repair etc. Was thinking 

maybe $500 a month, but not sure if that’s too high. CARWASHBG 

People usually get $1500-2000 a month for a food truck in Austin 

if they supply them with water and electricity. I wouldn’t expect 

much from a windshield repair. I can’t imagine they would do the 

volume. I also wouldn’t want them soliciting customers, which 

I expect they would have to do to get enough business. MEP001 

Would love to do a food truck, trying to configure a way that 

doesn’t interfere with car wash, but may not be possible. Good 

point about soliciting customers, wouldn’t want that. Any other 

ideas for who to rent lot space to? CARWASHBG 

For what it’s worth, several years ago I rented space to food truck 

and he did well until received a letter from the lawyers for the 

7/11 beside me with a copy of an agreement from the county and 

the 7/11 which said that no food can be sold within 500 yards of 

the 7/11 property line. TOM THUMB 

Make sure to check your insurance policy to see if you’d be covered 

for any incidents involving a renter. May need extra liability 

which is cheap or the renter likely needs to provide proof of coverage. 

KRAMERWV 

Are you setting a certain amount of hours/days for the truck to 

be there, or did they come to you with that already in mind? And 

are you basing your price on their time on your property with the 

truck, or is it a flat fee you would charge? WASHNSHINE 

I don’t have a parking lot tenant yet, but it’s a busy street. I’d 

want something that pays monthly since would be easier for me. 

CARWASHBG 

Ain’t no bay high enough! 

I’m working with a wash right now with a major mess problem from trucks and food carts, and I need to put up 

height restriction pipes. Anyone have to do this and have the ideal height to keep out these vehicles and still 

allow all others like high-roof vans? I’d like to include RVs, but the bays are really too narrow for them to get 

in and wash. I’m also debating whether to hang them by chains or to attach them to the upright columns. I’ve 

watched trucks just drive under them. I’ve been thinking about a chain on one side and a wire with a plug on 

the other, so if they do get in they’ll disconnect power to the bay. MEP001 

Best way is to find the type of vehicle you wish to 

accommodate and then look at the manufacturer’s 

specs. Then add 6”. You should be able to accommodate 

the Amazon type of vans or county people 

movers. RVs can become a pain if they clean 

out their holding tanks when you are not around. I 

would avoid them unless you do not mind the possible 

mess. ROZ 

Most tall sprinters are around 9 and a half feet, so 

maybe 10 feet max would work KRAMERWV 

Maybe you could run furnace screws into the bottom 

of the pipe so they’ll hear a screeching on their 

paint when they run through them. BRICKS 

44 • WINTER 2022

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46 • WINTER 2022

WINTER 2022 • 47

TRICKS OF THE 

Thanks, but no thanks… 

As it says… anyone else get something like this? 

Basically, you have the best place in town! Here’s 4 

stars But I’ll never be back because your credit card 

minimum is the average and I didn’t notice cash was 

only $2 … I’m so confused MARTINS 

I once got a 3-star review, all it said was “It’s busy”. 

Yeah, I run a good car wash just so YOU can’t get 

in. MEP001 

I responded, I think, very professionally: 

Hey John, Thanks so much for the review! We 

have been working hard on the upgrades to the wash 

since we took over a year ago! I’m happy to hear the 

upgrades and new soaps are being enjoyed! I’m sorry 

to hear our pricing has caused you to go elsewhere, 

however, I think there is some confusion that hopefully, 

I can clear up! 

Our start price is only $2 (quarters) as shown on 

the timer in the new timer boxes. Our credit card 

option however is a minimum $3 start and a $15 

maximum per swipe. This covers the start time and 

the credit card processing fees for CC usage. Additionally, 

you get 6 minutes with the $3 cc price! 

We only just installed the credit card options back 

in March and have left the CC start time at $3 since 

install. Our plan is to not touch it unless there is a 

change in credit card processing fees. 

As for the cash price we did raise it from $1.50 

to $2 as we installed and updated the facility to better 

products, chemicals, and overall equipment for 

your use. We are very set on constantly improving 

our wash for our customer and have no future plans 

of increasing our start price any further at this time. 

Our hope is to have the automatic touch free removed 

and replaced with a new unit sometime in 

the next year as well, increasing your options with 

us even more! We are also looking into replacing all 

our vacuums with multi combo units as well. Until 

then we have gutted them and replaced them with 

all new motors, hoses, and tips! 

We truly appreciate your feedback and hope this 

has helped clear up any confusion there might have 

been. We truly hope to see you back at our wash 

again! We are always improving it for clients like 

you! We want to make sure we offer the absolute 

best product for you and your vehicles. MARTY 

It’s always someone in this world that wants something 

for nothing and here is a prime example. I dare 

wouldn’t let this get to you have done everything in 

your power to be professional. Some customers just 

don’t think about the tens and hundreds of thousands 

of dollars it costs us to be in business. The carwash 

industry has always and will be behind on pricing 

if we as operators kept up with pricing over the 

years. In the SS like the laundry industry, we would 

be $10 to start with quarters. People pay $7-$10 in a 

Laundromat but complain about $2 in the SS bays. 

You, good man, keep doing your thing as an operator. 

TDLCONCEPTSLLC 

I put my card limit at $9. Just Monday night I 

checked the cameras and there were two young 

ladies that swiped a card and were making videos 

of them doing different things. The only water they 

used was the trickle, to spray in the air. They never 

pulled the trigger. The rest of the time they were 

twerking on different areas of the car and giggling as 

they watched the videos. They never hit the button 

to stop their card so it only cost daddy $9. I should 

save the video in case they call and complain. It’s 

probably not good for the pump to bypass for that 

long, so I don’t feel too bad about it. My quarter start 

up is $1.75 for 3:58. $2 min CC. 

And my wash isn’t nearly as nice as yours. BRICKS 

SSCWN EDITOR CHIMES IN: 

HERE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW TO HANDLE A NEGATIVE REVIEW. 

It is always wise to respond to reviews, 

whether they are on Yelp, Google 

or Facebook. This not only shows 

professionalism, but also shows 

appreciation for the positive reviews. 

According to Business Warrior, 

“Responding to online reviews should 

be a priority for every business owner. 

In a time when customer reviews 

can directly influence the amount of 

new business you’re getting, no one 

can afford to let negative feedback sit 

unattended.” 

48 • WINTER 2022

Mud on the tires, money 

in the pocket 

TRICKS OF THE 

Wondering if there is any interest in washing your own semi/boat/RV? Want to start a self serve truck wash 

but not sure if there’s enough interest. Found a great potential spot across from a truck stop. Maybe everyone 

would prefer someone else do it or just drive thru an automatic. CBISHOP 

Those who have truck height bays at their self serves 

know that the taller vehicles/equipment trailers 

bring a ton of revenue. 

However, even if you can take all kinds of vehicles 

at a SS idk if it would financially make sense to 

do a new builder. MC3033 

The idea was since it’s right off a busy hwy (talking 

service road) and next to a truck stop the trucks coming 

in would be good and would also cater to RVs. 

There’s just nothing else out here except in the 

towns and nothing tall enough. I have 2 truck stops 

within 5 miles of each other as well. 

The biggest question is would truck drivers prefer 

SS or prefer drive thru or someone like blue eagle to 

do it for them. CBISHOP 

I wouldn’t expect much revenue from RVs. They’re 

almost all retirees on a fixed income. I know this 

from years of doing state safety inspections. I would 

inspect one probably every two weeks, and there 

would usually be a running light not working. I 

would only charge $1.50 to replace the bulb, which 

half the time was just corrosion on the bulb base or 

a loose ground wire, and not once in five years did 

someone opt to have me do it. It probably cost them 

more in gas to go home, fix it, and come back for the 

re-inspection. 

Trucks will spend a lot, especially dump trucks, 

but you have to have the right location. There needs 

to be some sort of dirt/gravel/clay yard permanently 

nearby. Construction doesn’t help because it will 

eventually end. And dump trucks will make a huge 

mess. The bay will have to be cleaned after almost 

every truck, or it will build up so fast they won’t 

even be able to get in. My late cousin used to have 

a 4-bay truck wash, even had one of the first credit 

card systems. He said they could spend between 

$50 and $100 washing a truck. This was in the mid- 

90s when most self-serves were still $1 for at least 

4 minutes. MEP001 

I could make good $ off a pet wash where I am located, 

but I have no interest in cleaning up after people 

and their pets. 

Same with a truck wash for me. I have a 2 acre 

lot, and near a lot of industry. I would not want to 

clean up after trucks, and the junk they leave behind. 

You also need to have the space and your parking 

lot etc, need to be made to handle 50,000# plus 

vehicles. 

I also believe owner/operators would be the only 

ones interested in washing their trucks. Corporate 

drivers won’t spend their time or money to wash. 

But again, that is what I think. I would do some research. 

Maybe start by asking some of the drivers 

at the stops how they get washed and who pays? 

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WINTER 2022 • 49

LET’S GET 

PUMPED UP FOR 

A NEW YEAR! 

What goals are being 

set for self serves from 

around the country? 

As new year’s resolutions have a good and a 

bad side – from too much pressure to succeed vs. 

motivation to try and do better – there is certainly 

nothing wrong with having attainable goals. To 

stay stagnant and not move with the times, the innovations, 

and the whatever-letter-we’re-now-on 

generational spending habits, is one way to lose customers. 

According to the book The Most Powerful 

Goal Achievement System in the World by 

Mike Pettigrew, “In fact, a lot of people hate 

setting goals, and this is because they think 

they might fail. Then if they try and fail, 

they can become ever more disillusioned, 

feel more disempowered, 

and doubt themselves even more 

than they did before. So, it’s no 

wonder that goal setting can 

become an uncomfortable topic. 

…However, the fact is that if 

we set clear, concise goals, we are 

forever doomed to drifting and reacting 

to changing circumstances.” 

“Takes a lot of 

hard working… 

maybe you 

should be 

disciplined.” 

- HANS 

50 • WINTER 2022

WINTER 2022 • 51

PUMPED UP FOR A NEW YEAR! 

That’s the key: clear, concise goals. New lights? 

Designing a company t-shirt? New trash signs? 

Painting the bays? Raising your prices? Is there 

anything you want to do? If you’re wondering 

what others are doing take a look at what self serve 

owners are planning for this year. 

“First of all, before you pump, you 

must warm up or else you’ll hurt 

your muscles. Now, listen here: 

We can’t make you warm up, 

that’s entirely up to you!” - HANS 

THE SECRET OF SUCCESS FROM VID 

ODERMAT OF BROWN BEAR 

This story is told by Car Wash Hall of Famer Vic Odermat, president of 

Brown Bear Car Washes, to Perry Powell during his podcast, Wash Ideas. 

“Keep plodding on. Damn the torpedoes, full 

speed ahead. That’s exactly what I did. It was 

from the ground up. You helped yourself by 

picking yourself up off the ground and continuing. 

If you have a goal in mind, I think anyone 

can succeed. But they have to have some idea 

or some goal of what they want to be or what 

they want to do. 

… But the next year I knew I had to do 

something. I went and leased a sign for $135 

a month. That helped. But I think the thing that 

really helped was that there was a local newspaper 

called the BALLARD Tribune. I took out a 

one-inch column ad on the front page and made 

every Tuesday be Ladies’ Day and I gave fifty 

cents off. I think between the sign and the Ladies’ 

Day promotion, we generated the volume. 

Within a year, year and a half, I was doing close 

to 5,000 cars a month. Then, when the opportunity 

came to acquire another car wash that had 

been built in 1965 by Dan Hanna – in business 

with another individual – I acquired that car 

wash. And then, in 1967, another car wash had 

been built that was having trouble and I acquired 

that car wash. Then I built my first car wash in 

1969. I built another in 1970. Acquired another 

two or three washes that year, too. And we just 

continued to grow. I want everyone to know – 

that in my opinion: ‘Bulls make money. Bears 

make money. And pigs get slaughtered either 

way.’ And I would like to encourage everybody 

to have a philosophy in mind. Perseverance in 

principle is more important than ambition.” 

“One of my exciting new goals is to further 

enhance the security at my car wash! I already 

have 31 HD video cameras, provided by Alert 

360. They recently added a video monitoring 

service, using 2-way audio cameras where they 

can speak with individuals to discourage loitering 

and/or illegal behavior. Between 11 p.m. 

and 5 a.m., they monitor 14 of my cameras. 

When they see such behavior, they announce, 

“This is Citrus Heights Car Wash Security....” 

If the activity continues, they can immediately 

call me or the police. Video monitoring is much 

cheaper than having a security service drive 

through 3-5 times a night or having a patrol 

officer sitting on-site for 6 hours a night (which 

can intimidate female customers). Knowing 

that a 3rd party is watching over my business, 

has given me more peace of mind. Since my 

car wash is located on a busy corner, I have 

opted to upgrade the sound system with louder 

speakers. My car wash is open 24 hours and 

stays busy, so I don’t want to close it down at 

night with a gate.” 

- Kimberly Berg of Citrus Heights 

Car Wash, Citrus Heights, California 

“LED. LED. LED. Just having a super hard time 

nailing down exactly what bulbs/fixtures we 

want to do. …We may put in something today 

that we love, and 12 months from now it’s obsolete. 

And the lighting colors never match when 

you have to start putting in different LED lights 

because the ones used before aren’t made anymore. 

I don’t want the washes to look bad, so 

we’ve been very hesitant to pull the trigger on 

this. The consistency with metal halide technology 

has been fabulous for the last 24 years. But 

we feel it’s time that we switch over to LED.” 

- Jeanine Humphrey of Hidden Cove Car Wash, Utah 

“I always try to do something either new or upgraded 

each year. This year I will be replacing a 

landscaped/vacuum Island that is outdated. I am 

working with a landscape contractor now about 

putting in something done all in stone. Up-todate, 

more modern and aesthetically pleasing.” 

- Timm Bauldauf of Advanced 

Car Wash, Voorheesville, New York 

“I’ve worked hard for the last 20 years making 

sure everything works how I want it and improving 

energy efficiency. The hard work is finally 

paying off now because I have few breakdowns. 

The downside is that I get very bored without 

having a large project in progress or on the 

drawing board. 

I intend to add more colored LED lights to 

complement the existing lighting on my Razors. 

People typically make favorable comments about 

the lights so adding more should bring more compliments 

and satisfied customers. I hope it helps 

differentiate my washes from the competition. 

I’m also considering some new business opportunities 

and partnerships. 

I’m trying to locate another property for a 

wash in a neighboring community, but land 

prices are too high. I’m trying to convince my 

competitor to sell to me but that looks to be a 

VERY long time from now. 

After 22 years of washing cars, which should 

read as “picking up after slobs,” I’m feeling a 

little burnt out. I still love this business, but I may 

be ready for a new challenge.” 

- Eric H of Leominster, Massachusetts 

“Increase another 20%” 

- Mac of Cape Coral, Florida 

“Our goals can only be 

reached through a vehicle 

of a plan, in which we 

must fervently believe, 

and upon which we must 

vigorously act. There is no 

other route to success.” 

– PABLO PICASSO 

“I’m planning to do all the finishing touches on 

my remodel of my automatic wash. I am completing 

the signs for my entrance archway. I would 

like to add another sign on the front of my wash 

that says: Car Wash Open 24 hours. I would 

like to build a small storage shed for my hand 

tools and some car wash items. I should repave 

a section of my parking lot. I am closing on a 

five-plex apartment building with a commercial 

space that’s currently set up as a beauty shop. 

That should keep me pretty busy, but what I really 

want to do is sit around and watch the cars go in 

and out of my new razor car wash!” 

- Waxman of House of Wax, Orange, Massachusetts 

“I want to install new all-in-one bay meter boxes, 

with adding on some new options in the bays.” 

- Sydney H. King of The Good Spray Car Washes, Utah 

“Upgrades! Several new in bay features...Purchase 

new sites.” 

- Kyle Peel of Happy Days Car Wash 

of Jackson, Louisiana 

52 • WINTER 2022

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Soft Touch In Bay Automatic System. 

This robust unit provides 

tough cleaning power while 

still being gentle on the 

vehicle’s surface! 

SCAN 

Here 

WINTER 2022 • 53

Get Wise 

About Water 

Reclaim 

Some things that you should have known but weren’t told about reclaim 

By Dean Taylor 

dean@progressivepump.com 

In this article, I am going to discuss a basic truth 

that many car wash owners need to know, but are 

not often told. I, like other authors of water reclaim 

articles, have also read many times about new approaches, 

new technology, and “innovations” for 

reclaim systems, “basic facts” about biological or 

ozone systems, etc. Such articles are mostly informative 

to a degree, and accurate in what they say, 

but leave pertinent basic facts unsaid. Herein I try 

to state some of the often unsaid basic facts that 

should be understood by anyone considering a reclaim 

system, no matter the type. Let’s consider it 

“reclaim 101.” A good understanding of the very 

basics of reclaim systems will put you in a far better 

position for discussions with your sales rep enroute 

to specifying one. 

It’s dirt, and it has to go 

somewhere! 

First, the water from washing cars is really, really 

dirty, possibly containing dirt, sand, salt, organic 

material (e.g. bird droppings, etc.) and car applications 

(oil, wax, surfactants, detergents, soaps, etc.), 

and any manner of other dissolved or suspended 

solids. These materials must be altered and/or removed 

to an acceptable degree from the wash ef- 

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WINTER 2022 • 55

56 • WINTER 2022 

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Around The Wash: Water 

fluent before the water is reclaimed sufficiently 

for reuse as wash water. 

However, reclaim for rinse water is 

a whole different matter. The aforementioned 

contaminants must be substantially 

removed from the water to 

be reclaimed and must go somewhere. 

Somehow, this is an often ignored truth. 

They don’t just magically (or biologically 

or chemically) just disappear. 

So, where does it go? 

The material to be removed can all go 

to one place, your settling tanks. This is if 

you are using biological systems or chemical 

(ozone) systems with auto back wash 

filters. Or, it can be split between two 

places if you are using a chemical system 

with filter bags (any number, but usually 

from one to three) and the settling 

tanks. The basic consideration is that it 

collects somewhere, and must eventually 

be removed or it will fill up your settling 

tanks, clog your filter bags (if used), etc. 

One manufacturer who uses a unique 

patented auto back wash filter offers a 

“sludge interceptor” for the effluent from 

the auto-backwash filters, which keeps 

the sludge from returning to the settling 

tanks. 

And remember, there is no magic, effortless 

method or system when it comes 

to reclaiming water. All reclaim systems 

will require some sort of maintenance 

and/or filter changing. 

Dean Taylor is the Applications Engineer 

at Progressive Pump and Treatment, 

a provider of commercial and industrial 

water treatment equipment and services, 

in Sarasota, Florida. 

Want to Recycle Water? 

Read this first. 

By Dean Taylor 

If the benefits of recycling water are attractive to 

the self-service operator, there are a few other guidelines 

that should be addressed with the manufacturer 

prior to making the investment. 

■ ODOR CONTROL: Foul water odor often associated 

with reclaiming is one of the fastest ways to lose 

customers. Be sure the system addresses complete odor 

control. Get an odor control guarantee in writing from 

the manufacturer. Beware if they cannot or will not offer 

an odor control guarantee with the equipment. 

■ PARTICULATE FILTRATION: Be sure the system 

will filter to below 10 microns. Many self serve 

equipment manufacturers require this parameter to 

warranty their pumps and equipment. Larger particles 

such as sand and dirt can harm pumps and prematurely 

wear out spray tips. 

■ MAINTENANCE: Be sure the maintenance isn’t 

going to cost you more time and money than it’s worth. 

What’s the point in recycling if you have to babysit the 

equipment? Beware of those promoting a “no maintenance” 

reclaim system. There are no “magical” water 

treatment systems. All reclaim systems will require 

some sort of maintenance and/or filter changing. 

■ BACKWASHING: Systems that automatically 

backwash are usually returning the dirt to the water 

it was just removed from. Although backwashing can 

help reduce daily maintenance, there are tradeoffs that 

can be very time consuming and costly to the operator. 

Monthly pumping of tanks and clogged sewer lines are 

common with automatic backwashing systems. Many 

cities do not allow backwash to go to sewer. Foreign 

materials can be detrimental to backwashing systems 

and media filters. If at all possible, avoid systems that 

have media filters and/or automatically backwash. 

■ SPACE: Be sure you have space for the reclaim system. 

Some systems are cumbersome and require more 

space than an equipment room can offer. Although 

some reclaim systems can be placed outside or in-bay, 

keep in mind that freeze protection may be required. 

■ TANKS: Reclaim systems also require water collection 

tanks to be placed in-ground or above ground. Be 

sure there is adequate space to implement tanks. Most 

manufacturers will recommend required tanks with 

their product information. 

■ COMPATIBILITY: Insure the reclaim system is 

compatible with the soaps, detergents and chemicals 

that are being used at your self serve car wash. These 

products will be going down the drain and the reclaim 

system will encounter them. Many chemical manufacturers 

are now offering “reclaim compatible” products. 

Ask the reclaim manufacturer if you will need to 

change the chemical diet of the car wash when recycling 

with his equipment. 

■ WARRANTY: Be sure the manufacturer is going to 

stand behind the equipment. Equipment failure can be 

costly and time consuming. Be sure your warranty covers 

all components for at least a year. 

In short, there are several great methods for the 

self serve operator to realize increased profits by conserving 

water. Do your homework and make sure the 

items you implement to conserve water are justified, 

cost effective and will not be adversely affected by 

contaminants such as oil, grease. 

How are the water supplies 

across the country? 

At the time of this publication, drought conditions 

were impacted the usual areas (see map below). And, it 

seems as if extremely dry conditions were causing water 

restrictions throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Montana. . 

The following is the drought outlook for the United 

States, according to Climate.gov. 

WINTER 2022 • 57

58 • WINTER 2022

Darwin 

DARWIN at 

the 

CARWASH 

The investment in security cameras pays off for carwash operators 

(and the readers of SSCWN) with these mostly frustrating, sometimes funny -- and always cautionary 

-- stories of Darwins Caught on Camera. Images of these criminals and/or their vehicles were given 

to police and the press. Many have been caught thanks to the prowess of security cameras. 

Two rules everyone needs to know: 

A prank only really works if it’s funny. and, two, 

don’t pull a prank on a self serve car wash owner. 

In Tower, Minnesota, Tom Anderson, the owner of 

Tower Car Wash, was sick and tired of a trespasser 

putting a closed sign at the front of his car wash. 

According to a November 4 Timberjay story, Anderson 

said, “I got seven calls on Sunday morning, 

asking me why the car wash was closed. That’s 

seven customers I lost.” This apparently wasn’t the 

first time the car wash was tampered with. 

Increasingly frustrated by the loss of business, the 

story said, and the impact on his business’s reputation, 

Anderson finally got some answers after viewing 

surveillance camera footage from a nearby business. 

Video not only showed the suspect in action, 

Anderson also recognized him as well. 

Anderson consulted with the St. Louis County 

Sheriff’s office, and sent a letter to the person involved, 

notifying them that if they are seen in or 

around the premises in the future, the sheriff or 

state police will be notified and can arrest him for 

trespassing, the story said. 

Due to other theft and vandalism issues at his self 

serve car wash the past summer, Anderson said he 

is looking into adding further security measures at 

the car wash, as well as moving to a credit-card only 

system. The car wash will also be converted into a 

gated self serve in which only members can enter. 

“It will be like a gym membership,” Anderson 

said in the story. “With a one-time membership 

fee. Then I can track who is there and make sure it 

is always left in good condition.” 

Scrub a dub dub, one man’s now in 

the jug. 

A man is facing multiple charges after allegedly 

crashing a stolen vehicle before attempting to carjack 

another vehicle in Worcester, Massachusetts. 

Kristoff from Frozen? Chris Pratt from his days on Parks and Recreation? 

I’m trying to figure out who this lovely man 

reminds me of…..Cousin Eddie from National 

Lampoon’s? 

Here’s the actual picture of a man caught 

on camera breaking into the Palm Springs Car 

wash in Ontario, Canada, on November 29: 

According to a Simcoe.com story, the robbery 

According to a November 15 Boston 25 News 

story, around 2 a.m. on November 14 an officer 

was flagged down by a woman who said she had 

gotten into an altercation with a male suspect at a 

Scrub-a-Dub car wash. 

The woman said she had pulled over her car to 

help a man who crashed a vehicle into the concrete 

foundation of a business sign. She said she 

took place at 3 a.m. An investigation found that 

the ATM and vending machine were also broken 

into. It also looks as if he is pointing his fists 

into the security camera. 

The guitarist from Foo Fighters? Mark Zuckerberg?..........Rutherford 

B. Hayes? Ulysses S. 

Grant? 

approached the driver of the vehicle, later identified 

as William Vasbinder, who then exited the 

vehicle and tried to get into the woman’s car. The 

woman said she tried to intervene, but an altercation 

ensued. The man then allegedly punched her. 

She somehow managed to stay focused enough 

to pull the keys away (I personally would have 

crumbled to the ground after getting punched and 

WINTER 2022 • 59

Turns out Facebook isn’t just for socializing or stalking your exes, 

it can also be used to catch 

criminals! Clear Lake Car 

Wash in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, 

was broken into on 

December 5, prompting the 

owner to make this plea on 

the business’s Facebook page: 

We need your help to identify! 

Your local car wash was broken 

into at around 7:45 pm CST 

Sunday 12/5, by this person below 

(via cutting our locks). This 

is an alert to our local Clear 

Lake business owners to be on 

watch. We have the suspicion 

this suspect was scoping out the tools needed in an 

attempt to break into our machines at a later time. 

If you or anyone you know can identify this person, 

you can remain anonymous by reporting this 

person to the Clear Lake WI Police Department at 

715-263-2156. 

The suspect, male, appears to be wearing black 

glasses, has scruffy short groomed beard with mustache, 

black/dark silver wedding ring on his left ring 

finger. About 5ft 10in. 

As always we appreciate your local business. 

We are small business owners like many navigating 

through the many challenges faced with Covid, 

And then we have the 

carwashforum.com user 

named “Bricks” who posted: 

Caught these people in the act of dumping 

about five bags of trash less than an hour ago 

on a random camera check. Crystal clear license 

plate shot. Our police are great. An officer 

is going to their house now. The other guy 

pleaded guilty Monday…. 

supply chain issues and rising costs to do business. 

We are working hard to always offer a quality 

and affordable wash. Over the past few months, 

we’ve invested thousands into new chemicals and 

improvements to the self-serve and automatic bays, 

along with a new service agreement by the same 

company who maintains Kwik Trip. We are open 

for business and we can’t wait to see you soon for 

your next wash at your favorite local Clear Lake 

Car Wash! 

God Bless & Thank You. 

And, apparently, the posting worked as the 

suspect was caught. 

would stay down there whimpering, but that’s just 

me) and the assailant then sped off on foot. 

Surveillance video from a nearby car wash confirmed 

the encounter. 

Officers arrived on the scene right after the suspect 

fled and were able to track down Vasbinder. 

And in a shock to no one, the vehicle he crashed 

into the sign, it turns out, was stolen and his driver’s 

license had been revoked. Vasbinder is now 

facing charges for assault and battery, carjacking, 

operating a vehicle without a license, leaving the 

scene of property damage, and using a motor vehicle 

without authority. 

And I thought showing 

up late to work was offensive. 

But, in true Dumb Criminals fashion, some employees 

are just bad… and some are just plain 

psycho! A former employee of Telly’s Restaurant 

& Pizzeria in Epping, New Hampshire, is now 

in jail for vandalism, thanks to a neighboring car 

wash’s camera. 

According to a December 21 Seacoastonline.com 

story, Alexander Garrett is accused of breaking the 

windows at Telly’s, causing $39,000 in damages. 

Police arrested Garrett on December 11 after 

Epping police were given surveillance footage 

from the nearby American Legion, Epping Dry 

Cleaners and Epping Car Wash. That footage 

caught him allegedly taking a hammer to the windows 

of Telly’s. 

“According to a police affidavit filed by Epping 

police detective Russell Hero, police were called to 

Telly’s at 1 a.m. by an employee reporting the damage. 

Employees of Telly’s interviewed that night 

pointed to Garrett as a suspect stating he was a 

former disgruntled employee and was suspected of 

breaking two windows when he was let go. Garrett 

was also in the area that night, according to one employee 

and later verified by police. Apparently Garrett 

had been asked to leave the nearby Applebee’s 

restaurant due to ‘a previous complaint of him harassing 

or stalking the employees,’” the story said. 

And, here’s another Facebook post 

that helped in capturing this guy: 

I am trying to figure out what he used to cover 

the lower half of his face…is it a seat cushion? 

Police in Lawrence County, Missouri, posted the 

above image and message on its Facebook page: 

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office is asking for 

your assistance in identifying the suspect and/or vehicle 

pictured below. The person pictured is suspected 

of burglarizing the car wash on Hwy 39 in Miller, 

MO at approximately 4:00 am on 11/23/2021. The 

suspect stole an undetermined amount of cash in the 

form of quarters and dollar bills. While doing so, he 

caused an extensive amount of damage to the facility. 

The suspect is described as a white male in his 

early to mid 20s. He was wearing a brown Carhart 

jacket with hood, a black stocking cap and gloves. His 

face was partially covered. The interior camera was 

an infrared camera thus the quality is not great. All 

images are still images. We ask that you pay specific 

attention to his somewhat unique eyebrow pattern as 

well as the vehicle. 

The vehicle appears to be an early 2000’s light blue 

or possibly gray Ford Windstar or Freestar van. It 

does not have license plates but is displaying dealership 

license plate inserts that are solid black with red 

lettering. If you recognize the suspect, the vehicle or 

happen to know which dealership uses those license 

plate inserts, please let us know. 

And, it looks like the posting also worked as the 

suspect was recognized and arrested. 

60 • WINTER 2022

WINTER 2022 • 61

And, from carwashforum.com, 

we have forum user Toms 

PTcarwash, of Landisville, 

Pennsylvania, who was able to turn a 

“grass-clip-leaving-bandit” (that name 

doesn’t roll off the tongue) thanks to his 

security cameras. Here is his post: Bad pic, 

but his guy was dropping huge bags of grass 

clippings in the middle of the bay for a couple 

weeks. I was able to get his plate on this drop 

and had the police return his clippings! 

Back that thing up, but not like 

that! A driver in Cleveland, Ohio, 

is wanted after he backed out of a car wash bay and 

into a vacuum station. According to the WOIO 

story, the driver then drove off. The car wash’s surveillance 

footage captured the incident on January 

8 and the images have been released to the public. 

Another evil person is locked up, thanks to a 

car wash’s security footage, according to KSAT. 

In San Antonio, Texas, a 19-year-old man was arrested 

after being accused of kidnapping a woman 

from a car wash and sexually assaulting her. 

Francisco Javier Juarez Gonzalez was charged on 

December 2, 2021, with aggravated kidnapping, 

aggravated sexual assault and evading arrest. 

An arrest warrant affidavit stated the 58-yearold 

victim called the police and reported that she 

was abducted at a car wash. She said the man displayed 

a gun and demanded her to get inside her 

vehicle on the passenger’s side. 

He then drove her to an unknown location 

where the assault took place. He then returned to 

the car wash to get back into his own vehicle. 

But, his getaway was short-lived as surveillance 

footage from the car wash captured the suspect’s 

description and the suspect’s vehicle. 

The story said that the police caught up with 

the suspect’s vehicle and attempted to pull it over, 

but Gonzales along with another man fled on foot. 

However, both men were eventually apprehended. 

This is a story in which that lovely trash, containing 

personal information, that is so often dumped 

at self serve washes, has actually done some good. 

Two men have been arrested in East Baton Rouge 

Parish, Louisiana, after a string of at least 15 burglaries, 

a January 11 WBRZ story said. 

According to the story, three suspects were 

caught on a doorbell camera pulling on a car’s 

door handles and then driving off in a black Hyundai 

Sonata. 

When deputies investigated the incident, they 

learned that three different police departments 

were working on various burglaries between January 

8 and 9 involving the same vehicle. 

In one incident police responded to Benny’s Car 

Wash after two men were caught on camera throwing 

away items that were in new or good condition. 

Police also found a black duffel bag, backpack and 

Gucci wallet that contained a checkbook with a 

name, at the car wash. Then cameras showed they 

were driving the black Hyundai Sonata. A ha! Go 

get ‘em, Columbo. 

Law enforcement agents were able to trace the 

car back to an AVIS rental car service and eventually 

caught up with 19-year-old Bobby Duncan and 

18-year-old Daniel Buffington, and a female. All 

three were detained and taken in for questioning. 

Offering up even more incriminating evidence, 

officers logged into the female’s cell phone location 

records and deputies were able to link Duncan 

and Buffington Deputies to many of the 15 

burglaries. 

I would like to know what the firefighter said 

after he climbed up the ladder in this next story. 

“Hey, man…like the jig is up, there’s literally no 

where to go unless you’re Spiderman.” Or maybe 

the guy was waiting for a helicopter to drop a rope 

ladder and whisk him away? Who knows….. 

A man in Texarkana, Texas, has been arrested 

for allegedly breaking into a car wash by entering 

through a hole in the roof, according to a January 

24 Texarkana Gazette story. 

This all took place around 4:15 a.m. at the 

Baywash Car Wash. Police were called to check 

the property after an alarm went off. They heard 

movement up on the roof and discovered 37-yearold 

Wayde Land. Land refused to come down. 

“When the suspect refused to come down off the 

roof after police arrived, the Texarkana Texas Fire 

Department responded with a ladder truck to get 

him down,” the story said. 

“Before his arrest Land had allegedly used a 

grinder saw to cut a hole in the roof that was just 

big enough for him to slip through and get inside 

the building. Once he got in, he allegedly loaded up 

several tools he found and also broke into one of the 

vending machines on the wall too,” the story said. 

It wasn’t such a quick trip 

for the driver of a truck 

in New Ulm, Minnesota, according to a January 27 

Gazette report. Wait… can we talk about the name 

“New Ulm,” for a minute. New Ulm…..just doesn’t 

roll off the tongue. No offense, as I live in a county 

called Schenectady (Skin-neck-tid-ee) for crying 

out loud. Anyway, the truck was parked at the Kwik 

Trip North car wash entrance for 30 to 40 minutes 

in the early morning hours of January 25, causing 

police officer Tara Martin to take notice. 

“Martin reported she noticed the truck due to 

the -9 degree temperature and -27 degree wind 

chill, but the truck’s driver’s side window was 

down and it had not moved for 30 to 40 minutes, 

despite no vehicles in the car wash,” the story said. 

Police approached the truck and saw the driver 

drop a large amount of $100 bills onto the 

floor from his hand. Police said they also noted an 

overwhelming odor of masking scents despite the 

truck window being down for a long time for at 

least 40 minutes. 

When questioned, the driver was identified as 

Robert Olson, who said he believed he was in New 

Auburn and said he lived in Brownton. However 

his driver’s license showed he did not live there. 

After searching his vehicle, police found a vape 

device with what was recognized as THC concentrate, 

a baggie that tested positive for methamphetamines, 

28.9 grams of marijuana, .5 grams of 

THC concentrate and 1 gram of cocaine. 

Olson was arrested and charges include two 

felony counts of 2nd-degree narcotic drug possession 

near a park, three counts of felony 3rd-degree 

drugs, two counts of 4th-degree and 5th-degree 

drugs and possession of more than 1.4 grams marijuana 

in a motor vehicle. 

Olson should count himself lucky that this 

didn’t take place in Northampton, England, because 

he could have also received a fine for spending 

too much time at the car wash (And for those 

of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, 

turn to the Extra Extra section of this magazine 

and look for the “Man fined for spending too much 

time washing car” story). 

62 • WINTER 2022

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WINTER 2022 • 63

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www.cpcarwash.com | sales@cpcarwash.com 

225 Crown Blvd. Timberlake, NC 27583 | PO Box 488, Roxboro, NC 27573

WINTER2022_SSCWN_1-68-3

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