SPLASH - Heartland Carwash Association
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
SPLASH
10 Steps to Building a Carwash From the Ground Up
By: Tommy Car Wash Systems
As a 40 year veteran carwash equipment manufacturer and Start by driving around your target area, paying close attention
site developer, we’ve seen it all. We know what a daunting and to the relative traffic, types of local businesses, and anything that
potentially confusing process starting a new carwash can looks for sale. Get a feel for your potential market. You should
be. What comes first? Prospecting site locations? Securing also visit a commercial real estate MLS like Loopnet.com or
financing? Assessing your market? How soon should you begin many others. Be sure to take your time and never rush into a
marketing? How long will the process take? purchase.
While we certainly can’t cover everything you need to know to 2) Review the Competition
start a carwash in a single post, we can take a few words to
cover what we feel are the 10 most important steps to launching Try to get a feel for the local carwashes in the area. How
your own carwash business. many customers do they have and how aggressively are they
marketing? What will they do when you open your wash? Can
1) Location is Everything – Go Scouting they afford a multi-million dollar renovation to bring their wash
in line with yours? Are they debt free and can they cut prices to
Carwashes aren’t automatically successful. Great care must be outcompete you (with your interest payments) in the short term?
taken when selecting the location on which you want to build. Are their customers frequent users and very loyal—or are they
Our Site Model Pages have in-depth descriptions of location waiting for something better?
criteria to consider (including population, competition, street
types, car counts, and more) and our site development services Entrenched local competition can be dangerous, and selecting
can help you select and approve the best locations available in a location with some elbow room between you and competitors
your area. is important. But don’t worry too much about single stall auto-
matic carwashes or local fundraisers—you’ll be working in a
completely different weight class.
(Continued on page 6)
Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Fellow Members of the Heartland Carwash Association:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
It is hard believe another year is all but behind us. I hope everyone had a safe and
productive holiday season as we look forward to what the New Year brings us.
10 Steps to Building a Carwash From the
Ground Up............................................... Cover From what I have heard from our members throughout the year, 2017 was a good
year. The stock market was booming, the economy was growing and our industry
Letter from the Executive Director...................2 was headed in a positive direction.
State of the Car Wash Industry: The Good, the
The year 2017 was also a great year for the HCA. We showed growth with our
Bad, and the Competitive Edge......................4 membership base and hosted a tremendous Product Show in April - one of the best
The 34th Annual HCA Product Show..............8 Shows the HCA has ever hosted.
Heartland Carwash in the News...................14 I hope you were able to attend the Product Show this past April. We had both a
Anita Hill........................................................15 record number of exhibitors as well as a record number of attendees. With your
support, the Annual HCA Product Show has turned into one of the largest regional
industry trade shows in the country.
HCA WISHES TO THANK
In case you missed the Product Show, we had over 70 exhibitors on-hand displaying
ALL OUR GENEROUS their products and services. We hosted three informational seminars sponsored
ADVERTISERS by WashCard Systems, a breakfast sponsored by Windtrax, Inc., a reception
sponsored by Heartman Insurance and the very popular Carwash Tour sponsored
this year by Blendco Systems, Huron Valley Sales and Ryko Solutions.
Airlift Doors, Inc...............................................6
Thank you to those of you who were able to attend the Show this year. For those
HydroSpray.....................................................7 who were unable to make it, please keep reading this edition of Splash as we will
Extrutech Plastics, Inc.....................................9 recap the Show for you.
CryptoPay......................................................10 Please mark your calendars for the 35th Annual HCA Product Show which is taking
Warsaw Chemical Co., Inc............................12 place on April 3rd and 4th, 2018, at Prairie Meadows Conference Center, Hotel and
Casino in Des Moines, Iowa. As attendance increases at the Show each year, the
Innovative Control Systems...........................13 number of exhibitors at the Show will also continue to grow. We hope you are able
to attend the 2018 Product Show as it will be bigger and better than ever before.
Thank you for your support of the Heartland Carwash Association. If there is
HCA EVENTS CALENDAR anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to reach out to us as we are here
for you – our valuable members.
35TH ANNUAL
2018
Best regards,
Roy Skoglund
PRODUCT SHOW Executive Director
APRIL 3 & 4, 2018 Heartland Carwash Association
THE MEADOWS CONFERENCE CENTER
Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino
Altoona, IA
Heartland Carwash Association
P.O. Box 42035 | Des Moines, IA 50323
phone/fax 515.224.6845
info@heartlandcarwash.org | www.heartlandcarwash.org
2
35th Annual
April 3 & 4, 2018 Product & Equipment Show
“Partners in Progress” MINNESOTA
Members Only - Register before SOUTH DAKOTA
WISCONSIN
Please join us at the Heartland Carwash Association’s March 18th, and receive special “2 for 1”
Annual Product Show. See the newest products and Product Show Passes! The “2 for 1” pricing IOWA
applies to individuals within the
NEBRASKA
equipment, learn about the latest trends and network ILLINOIS
with industry professionals. The HCA Product Show same family or company.
is the largest trade show in the Midwest, so do not KANSAS MISSOURI
miss out on this opportunity! Register Today
Primary Contact E-mail
Register Today!
Company Phone
Show Agenda Address Fax
Tuesday, April 3rd
7:30 AM Registration Opens City State Zip
Attendee Information
9:00 - 1:00 PM Carwash Tour Please list your organization’s attendee names as they are to appear on the badges
1:00 - 2:00 PM Panel Discussion 1
“Renewable Energy - Is It For You?” 1) ___________________________________________ TOTAL $ ________
Floor Only Pass All Access Pass
2:00 - 3:00 PM Panel Discussion 2 $25 - Both Days $75 - Members - All Events/Both Days
“How Investment Equals Profits” $200 - Non Members - All Events/Both Days*
3:00 - 7:00 PM Show Floor Open
2) ___________________________________________ TOTAL $ ________
7:00 - 9:00 PM Reception, Awards and Floor Only Pass All Access Pass
$25 - Both Days $75 - Members - All Events/Both Days
Entertainment
$200 - Non Members - All Events/Both Days*
Wednesday, April 4th 3) ___________________________________________ TOTAL $ ________
Floor Only Pass All Access Pass
8:00 - 9:00 AM Breakfast & Annual Meeting
$25 - Both Days $75 - Members - All Events/Both Days
9:00 - 10:00 AM Open Forum Discussion $200 - Non Members - All Events/Both Days*
“What’s on your Mind?”
4) ___________________________________________ TOTAL $ ________
10:00 - 2:00 PM Show Floor Open Floor Only Pass All Access Pass
$25 - Both Days $75 - Members - All Events/Both Days
Times and Events Subject to Change
$200 - Non Members - All Events/Both Days*
Hotel Arrangement Total Amount Due $ _______________
Prairie Meadows TWIN 35
CITIES HWY *Includes Annual Membership Valued At $125
Hotel 65 CHICAGO
35 80
1 Prairie OMAHA
DES MOINE S
80
Payment Information
Meadows Drive, Check Enclosed (Checks should be made to Heartland Carwash Association)
9TH ST NW/ADVENTURELAND DRIVE
80 235
PRAIRIE MEADOWS DR
EXHIBITORS
ALTOONA Receiving and
& Conference Center
Altoona, IA
The Meadows Hotel
Distribution Docks
35 KANSAS
Back of Bldg NE Corner
Please Charge my: Visa Mastercard American Express Discover
50009 CITY
NE 56TH STREET
For Reservations ATTENDEES
Use Main Casino Entrance
Card Number _______________________________________________ Exp Date ______________
Please Call
800.325.9015 or visit Prairie Meadows Billing Address ______________________________________________________________________
Racetrack & Casino
Altoona, Iowa
www.prairiemeadows.com
Signature ___________________________________________________ Date _________________
Special discounted rate for the HCA Product Show starting @
$110.00 Per Night if Booked Before March 18th, 2018! Please Mail, Email or Fax form with payment to: Heartland Carwash Association, P.O. Box 42035, Des Moines, IA 50323
Mention the “HCA Product Show” to get the special rate when phone/fax: 515.224.6845 Email: info@heartlandcarwash
booking your room.
3
State of the Car Wash Industry: The Good, the Bad,
and the Competitive Edge
By: Del Willams for Erie Brush
Outshine the Competition
As more carwashes
are built, local market
oversaturation can
become a problem.
So how can owner
-operators set them-
selves apart from new
competitors with big
checkbooks?
“When we compete
with big box retailers,
we’ve got to keep our
wash quality high,
The Industry is growing, but with rising competition and cost, our service fast, and
operators must optimize operations to survive and thrive. do the little things that they find hard to do,” says Justin Alford,
co-owner of Benny’s Car Wash, with seven family-owned loca-
tions in Baton Rouge, LA, including express, exterior, full-service
With recent economic growth in North America, the good news oil changes, and convenience stores with gasoline.
is that the carwash industry is growing. Consumers are buying
more new vehicles, particularly trucks, which creates a greater Often this requires that owners maintain a hyper-focus on oper-
demand to keep them clean, polished, and looking new. ational details and seek out the most effective wash materials
and equipment for their market. With the fully integrated gaso-
The bad news is that the carwash industry’s growth has line marketers, this is less likely to happen because the carwash
attracted lots of tough new competition. This has placed downward business can be an afterthought.
pressure on pricing just as labor and utility costs are rising.
Technological advances like sensors, keyless ignition, and For example, instead of inefficiently having staff hand scrub,
driverless cars are also introducing complications in the market. hard-to-clean, vehicle tires and wheels in tunnel washes, Alford
uses an automated conveyor car wash brush specially designed
To survive and thrive in an increasingly competitive carwash to clean tires and wheels.
market, owner-operators must now pay close attention to
operational details and select the best equipment and materials The brush’s filaments vary in length between four to seven inch-
that will give them a competitive edge in wash quality, shine, es so that as a vehicle travels through the automated carwash,
efficiency, and total per car cost savings. the longer bristles reach deep into wheel crevices while the
shorter bristles clean the tire and wheel surface.
Growing Truck Market Share
“Instead of inefficiently hand scrubbing vehicle tires, wheels, and
With total U.S. vehicle sales on pace as of August 2016 to eclipse rims, particularly difficult big ones, we use something called the
16.98 million for the year, sales continue at a brisker pace than Poodle Brush,” says Alford. “Resembling a well manicured poo-
the 15.42 million average of the last two decades. In fact, the dle, this brush is made for us by car wash supplier Erie Brush
industry came off its sixth straight year of sales growth last year. and Manufacturing.”
Consumers however, are opting for more cargo-passenger “It gets into the nooks and crannies better than high-pressure
capacity and features like towing and four-wheel drive, pushing sprayers with heated water and cleaning solution, and gives a
the light duty truck (including pickups, SUVs, crossovers, large better quality wash for our customers,” he adds.
vans, and minivans) market share up to 58 percent of all vehicles
sales in the first half of 2016.
For carwash owners who have traditionally calibrated their
equipment to wash smaller cars and sedans, the taller, lon-
ger, wider vehicles that consumers now prefer may require
adjustments to their operation. This could include working with
vendors to adjust equipment to accommodate these vehicles.
4
Troubleshoot Technology Seniw turned to prep brushes made of hog’s hair, actual hair that
comes from hogs. This has the smallest diameter tapered fila-
ment, which helps to make it the softest. Since it is soft, tapered,
and feathered at the tips, it tends to release grit and debris when
properly lubricated and will not grind it into the car surface. Be-
cause of the taper, the hairs still retain stiffness for washing up
close, if scrubbing is needed.
For an optimal approach in the automated express wash tunnel,
Seniw prefers soft cloth for cleaning painted surfaces. For win-
dows, he opts for a type of foam material mounted on a core,
which rotates, and is used in similar top, side, or wrap around
equipment as cloth, filament, or regular foam.
Adapt to Market Changes
As owner of College Park Car Wash in College Park, MD, Dave
Among the issues that confront carwashes today are rapid DuGoff ran a high volume location with five self-serve bays and
changes in technology such as collision sensors, keyless three in-bay, touchless, automatic spray washes for many years.
ignition, and even driverless cars.
When he noticed higher demand for the self-serve bays and re-
On tunnel washes, for instance, cars are placed in neutral. But alized that two automatic bays would be sufficient, he converted
what do you do if a sensor thinks that wash equipment is a car his third automatic bay to another self-serve bay.
and applies the brakes?
In the self-serve bays, he also relies on hog’s hair for his foaming
Another problem occurs when cars have keyless ignition fobs. brushes.
The technology can lock the doors or change gears from neutral
to park if the owner walks away with the fob. “You can’t beat the quality of a soft hog’s hair brush on the car’s
surface,” says DuGoff. “It’s something my self-serve customers
“There’s no great solution to technology glitches right now be- notice. In the first month we converted an automatic bay to self-
cause the last thing car manufacturers think about is how the car serve, and we increased our sales volume and since then it has
will be washed,” says Alford. “When a car’s sensors or keyless been a source of growth.”
ignition is a problem, we have the owner ride in their car through
the tunnel and have an operator follow to fix problems quickly. As carwash owner-operators adjust to both the good and bad in
But in the long run, car manufacturers may need to create a Car- today’s market, zeroing in on operational details and choosing
wash Mode to simplify the process for everyone.” the best materials and equipment for the job will help them out-
wit, outshine and outwash the competition.
Cut Labor, Enhance Quality
Along with greater competition, the rising cost of labor and utili-
ties means that carwash owner-operators have to optimize their
labor and processes with the most effective equipment and ma-
terials to compete.
“When we started 34 years ago, labor was $3.35 an hour and
we charged $6.00 a car,” says Doug Seniw, co-owner of Prairie
State Express Car Wash, an exterior express wash in Chicago,
IL. “Now labor is $9.00 an hour and we charge $3.00 a car. Due
to the competition, we’ve had to cut our price and streamline our
business anywhere we could without cutting quality.”
To optimize their process, Seniw has made a number of changes
over the years.
Previously, at the wash entrance his staff used nylon prep brush-
es to mop trouble spots on the front and back of cars such as the
grill, headlights, and license plates. But this required excessive
scrubbing to remove bugs, bird droppings, and other debris, and
was not sufficiently gentle on the car surface.
5
(Continued from Cover) 5) Research carwashes
3) Do the Paperwork
Find out what local city or county department handles business
licenses and request an application, as well as information on
local utility usage codes, insurance requirements, tax rates, and
other requirements for opening a business. You will also need
a Taxpayer Identification Number and you should use the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office’s trademark search tool to check
your brand then register to claim it.
Each area and city has different rules, so make sure you take
the time to understand everything and keep your business in
line. If you can, also get information on local sanitary sewers (for
your waste water), utility prices, water usage limits, and other
regulations.
4) Planning and Approval Process
Tour as many successful carwashes as possible to see what
Set up a meeting with the city planner. Show them a rendering of makes them tick—especially if you haven’t been in the business
your concept and try to get verbal approval of the design—or a very long. Check out automatic carwashes, partially automat-
list of probable issues to address. If you have approval you can ic, express, detailing, and other washes to see how they differ
set up a formal meeting to present your plans and have them from one another. Operations, promotions, pricing, services, de-
voted on at a city council meeting. With luck, your carwash, with mographics… Try to learn as much as you can and develop as
its modern style, efficient design, and great investment potential deep a background as you can with operations, staffing policies,
will blow them away! Try to be friendly, optimistic, and down to equipment repair, and customer management (aka, complaints).
earth. If the city gets on board with your project it can make the
whole process move along more smoothly. To help out, our team has training available to teach you every-
Quality Craftsmanship
Short Lead Times
Patented Products
Excellent Warranties
Over 30 Years Experience
6
thing you need to know BEFORE you’re trying to run your wash The best way is by drawing huge numbers of passing customers
on hot days with long lines. with a great looking building, perfected layouts, and a full and
fast service menu. Make sure every component of your facility
6) Operations Decisions design has been carefully thought out to create a single, cohe-
sive investment that pays off. From pay systems, deceleration
Will you run your carwash independently or will you have a fran- lanes, walls, equipment, and roofing, be sure to include sophisti-
chise, LLC, or S-corp? There are many models, each with pros cation, professionalism, and value.
and cons. Franchises offer support at the cost of a residual. Solo
operations offer total freedom but deprive you of much-needed 10) Market your New Business
backup and brand awareness. How much personal involvement
are you looking for? If you plan on hiring a manager instead of
handling things yourself, make sure he or she has the necessary
qualifications and is heavily invested in your future success.
7) Make a Business Plan!
Your carwash business plan should focus on both long term and
short term operations. Use a professional service and remember
that the more detailed, thorough, and researched your plan is,
the better it will look to investors or your bank. Include costs (up
front and overhead costs), planning for building to long-term rev-
enue management, and marketing strategies (launch and long-
term). Professional proforma companies are ready to help and
our team is also standing by with years of experience to back up
our advice.
8) Get Financing
Customers don’t know what they don’t know, so don’t just ex-
This is likely the most challenging step, and your success here pect them to line up without any effort on your part. Make sure
will largely depend on how well you’ve researched and prepared to let the community know about your wash ahead of the grand
your business plan ahead of time. A solid revenue model can opening with onsite advertising as well as print, radio, local web,
help convince investors to put up the capital for your new car- and possibly TV advertisements. You’ll begin to build a curious
wash business, so be prepared to demonstrate that you need customer base who will drop buy and tell their friends and fam-
enough funding for a truly high quality carwash facility and equip- ily afterwards. $15,000 or $1 / car for initial marketing including
ment with great return potential. You will also need a convincing billboards, mailings to 5 mile radius, promotional washes, and
resume with business and/or carwash experience, and a solid radio commercials is a good place to start at your launch and
marketing plan. $.10 / car is a standard ballpark long-term rate for the future. One
or two day Social media campaigns (incentivize customers with
9) Build the Right Wash free washes for best results) can also be highly successful. Be
prepared to collect feedback and adapt your marketing program
Carwashes thrive when they capture the attention of the local for the greatest possible effectiveness moving forwards.
market and are designed to make turning in, purchasing a wash,
and moving through the tunnel as quick and easy as possible.
7
The 34th Annual HCA Product Show
What You Need - When You Need It
The HCA hosted our Annual Product and Equipment Show at has 20+ years of sales, branding, merchandising and marketing
the Prairie Meadows Conference Center, Racetrack, Hotel and experience in leadership roles within the packaged goods, retail
Casino on April 5th and 6th, 2016. The Product Show, themed and durable goods industries.
“What You Need – When You Need It”, turned out to be one of
the largest Shows the HCA has ever hosted. Overall, it was a Dan, the President of WashCard Systems, developed the first
tremendous success for both attendees and exhibitors. card activated payment system for carwashes as a way to cap-
ture and retain new business. With his nearly 30 years experi-
If you have never been to the HCA Product Show before, please ence in the carwash industry, Dan continues to provide industry
mark April 3rd and 4th, 2018, on your calendar for our 35th An- leading tools for our carwash operators.
nual Product Show. The Product Show keeps growing each and
every year, so you do not want to miss it! Our second Panel Discussion was titled “Carwash Accounting
– Let Us Find You Money”. The panel included two individuals
Open Forum Discussion with extensive backgrounds in the accounting industry who were
more than willing to share their experience and expertise with
Back by popular demand was our one hour Open Forum Discus- our members – at no cost to our Product Show Attendees!
sion. Instead of having a guest speaker as in previous years,
the floor was opened up for questions from the show attendees. One of our panelists was Pat Shannon with Bulldawg Tax and
Topics ranged from floor heat installation to buy/sell agreements. Accounting where he is Senior Partner. In addition, he is the
No topic was off limits during this session. owner and operator of several carwashes in the Omaha metro
area. His background as an accountant along with his experi-
The Forum was moderated by Allen Hansen, owner of Spotfree ence in the carwash industry was extremely unique and benefi-
Carwash in Des Moines, Iowa, and Past President of the HCA cial to those who attended the panel discussion.
Board of Directors and Pat Shannon, owner of Big John’s Car-
washes in Bellevue, Nebraska, and current HCA Board Presi- Our second panelist was Jeff Dick with McGowen, Hurst, Clark &
dent. Smith, P.C. His specialties include Income Tax Preparation and
Planning for Businesses and Individuals, Business Consulting
The Forum was very well received by all of those in attendance. and Quickbooks Assistance among other tax related services.
Expect the Open Forum discussion to be a popular event at the Jeff’s goal is to help individuals and businesses maximize profits
Product Show for some time to come. while minimizing tax liabilities.
Panel Discussions For those of you who missed this Panel Discussion, it was ex-
tremely informative for those in attendance. Our panelists were
The HCA hosted two Panel Discussions at the Product Show more than willing to share their expertise with our members and
this year. Both discussions touched upon many timely and rele- provided tremendous insight into the complicated world of taxes
vant items for our owners and operators. The Panel Discussions and accounting.
gave attendees the opportunity to interact with industry profes-
sionals with extensive and diverse backgrounds. Exhibit Floor
At the first Panel Discussion, the topic was, “Risks vs Rewards
– Does It Pay to Invest in New Technology?”. The expert panel-
ists included many veterans of our industry who were more than
eager to share their knowledge and experiences.
The panel consisted of Ryan Forsyth from Heartman Insurance,
David Miller with National Carwash Solutions and Dan Yarus-
so from WashCard Systems. Each panelist brought their own
unique perspective to the very insightful Panel Discussion.
Ryan is an HCA Board Member who has been part of the HCA
since 1989 when the Heartman Insurance Agency was founded
by his father Bob. Ryan is the primary agent to the carwash
insurance program which has grown to over 600+ locations in-
sured throughout the Midwest.
David is the Senior Vice President of Marketing and New Prod- The main Product Show trade show ballroom at Prairie Mead-
uct Development for National Carwash Solutions (NCS). David ows was filled to sold-out capacity with 64 exhibitor spaces. In
8
addition, we had seven exhibitors lining the entrance into the The tour began with a stop at National Carwash Solutions, the
ballroom bringing the total number of exhibitor spaces to 71 – a parent company of Ryko Solutions, Inc., located in Grimes, Iowa.
big increase from 2016 and the most exhibitors the HCA has At this stop, owners and operators were able to get a first-hand
ever hosted for a Product Show. look at Ryko and MacNeil equipment including Ryko’s new Soft-
Gloss Mini Tunnel Express, the ideal retrofit solution for auto
All of the latest equipment, products and services were on dis- dealers, fleet and C-store owners.
play. The exhibit floor is a great opportunity for the attendees
to visit with industry professionals as well as to see, touch and The second stop was to Waukee Auto in Waukee, Iowa, which
feel the latest and best equipment available on the market today. was updated in 2016. Mike and Karen Brelsford own this eight
Whether you are looking to replace equipment, seeking a new bay carwash which includes two new Washworld Razor Touch-
supplier or wanting to see the latest products and services, ev- Free Automatics, both of which have the Wash Select entry sta-
eryone in our industry needs to attend the Annual Product Show. tions, and six Self-Serve wash bays with the Unitec WashPay
Credit Card System. Blendco Systems provides the full line of
Carwash Tour sponsored by Ryko Solutions, Blendco Sys- chemicals for the site, which are provided by PCS.
tems and Huron Valley Sales/PROPAK
The third stop was to Clive Car Wash located in Clive, Iowa.
Once again, the Carwash Tour was one of the most popular Clive Car Wash, owned by Dr. Scott and Pam Neff, is a four bay
events at the Product Show. Ryko Solutions, Blendco Systems, site with two automatics and two self-serve bays. Opened in
and Huron Valley Sales/PROPAK sponsored the tour again this 2001, both automatic bays were updated in 2015 with the Wash-
year. World Razor Touch-Free machines. Both automatics use the
Wash Select entry stations as well as the WashCard Systems
The Carwash Tour took a trip around the Des Moines metro area Loyalty Program. Armor All Professional supplies the full line of
stopping at three carwash locations plus a manufacturing plant chemicals to this location.
for a behind-the-scenes look at the latest technology and equip-
ment. The Tour allows attendees to visit different sites in order to The fourth and final stop on the tour this year was to Fleur Car
ask questions first-hand and to see the inner-workings of several Wash in Des Moines, Iowa. The carwash, owned by Brian
operations. Winslow, is a four bay site with two PDQ Laserwash 360 touch-
9
Cost Effective. Secure. Simple.
Add credit card acceptance today.
Visit www.GetCryptopay.com to learn about the Cost Effective –
Secure – and Simple way to start accepting credit and debit cards
at your car wash. Call CryptoPay today: 719-277-7400.
CryptoPayAdLayout_HCAShow.indd 1 10/17/16 4:32 PM
10free automatics, which utilize the PDQ Access machines with The ‘Most Innovative Product or Service’ award went to IDX,
EMV chip technology, along with three self-serve bays. The car- Inc., out of El Dorado, Arkansas.
wash was completely updated in 2016 and uses the Armor All
Professional Assurance Ultra-Concentrate Chemicals.
Reception, Entertainment and Awards Ceremony spon-
sored by Heartman Insurance
The main event of the evening is always the Reception, Enter-
tainment and Awards Ceremony, sponsored once again this year
by Heartman Insurance out of Rochester, Minnesota. The re-
ception was a great way to relax and have some good food and
fun while recognizing some our industry peers.
At every Product Show, the HCA gives special recognition to
companies and individuals who have been both supportive of Founded in 1988, IDA created an optically encoded token and
our Association as well as instrumental within our industry. This acceptor with the purpose of eliminating counterfeit and unwant-
year was no exception. ed tokens. For the first time, the carwash market had the ability
to eliminate acceptance of tokens from other nearby establish-
This year, the HCA Board of Directors decided to award two ‘Don ments. IDX is the only supplier that is able to stop cross play
R. Havens Longtime Support’ awards. of unwanted tokens. Congratulations to IDX, Inc. for the Most
Innovative Product/Service at the 2017 Product Show!
One award recipient was Rich Leonard.
The ‘Best Booth Display’ at the Product Show this year went to
Blendco Systems from Bristol, Pennsylvania.
Rich worked in the carwash industry for over 20 years and was
a longtime member of the HCA and the HCA Board of Directors. A long time exhibitor at the HCA Show, Blendco Systems manu-
Congratulations to Rich for his longtime support of the HCA and factures and supplies a full line of superior and innovative clean-
his contribution to our industry! ing products. With a newly designed booth, Blendco Systems
certainly captured the attention of those attending the Product
The other award recipient was Dale Hughson. Show. Congratulations to Blendco Systems for this well-de-
served award!
The night ended with entertainment provided by Lee Cole, rated
‘one of the finest comedy magicians in the business’ by Royal
Caribbean Cruise Lines.
The award was accepted by his wife Susan as Dale passed
away on December 22, 2016. Dale was the owner/operator of
D H Wash Solutions Inc. and worked as a Midwest distributor for
Standard Change Makers for many years. He also was a mem-
ber of the HCA as well as the HCA Board of Directors for many
years. Dale was a deserving recipient of this award and it was
gladly accepted on his behalf by his wife and daughters.
11His show was spontaneous and energetic and involved every- Thanks to all the Sponsors, Exhibitors and Attendees
one in the room.
The reception and awards ceremony was a great way to end the The Product Show is a great opportunity for owners and opera-
first day of the Product Show. Again, a special thank you goes tors to see first-hand the latest products and services which are
to Heartman Insurance for sponsoring the evening. revolutionizing our industry. It is also a chance to visit with all
of the industry professionals who are on-hand to answer your
Industry Breakfast and Annual Meeting sponsored by questions and share their knowledge. Thank you once again to
Windtrax all of the sponsors, exhibitors and attendees who made the 2017
Product Show a tremendous success!
The State of the Association address was given again this year
by HCA President Pat Shannon. Pat reported the HCA has Please be sure to check with our sponsors and exhibitors when-
continued to show growth over the past several years, from the ever you are looking for new products, services, suppliers or
number of annual members to Product Show exhibitors and at- equipment!
tendees. The Heartland Carwash Association looks to continue
its forward progress and expects growth in the years to come. Save the Date and join us in 2018!
The annual meeting is also the time the Board of Directors get The 35th Annual Product Show is scheduled to take place on
voted on for another two year term. Several members were up April 3rd and 4th. The host venue, Prairie Meadows Conference
for re-election and got voted in for another two year term. Center, Racetrack, Hotel and Casino in Altoona, Iowa, (just out-
side of Des Moines) has been very popular with both exhibitors
The HCA By-Laws allow up to 19 seats on our Board of Directors. and attendees. With plenty of exhibitor space, an on-site Hotel
There is still room on the Board if you are interested in joining and a Casino, Prairie Meadows is the perfect venue to host our
as it is a great time to be involved with the HCA. Please contact Product Show we continue to grow each and every year.
the HCA office for additional information and to have your name
passed on to the Board for consideration. Please save April 3rd and 4th on your calendar as you do
not want to miss out on the 35th Annual HCA Product Show
in 2018!
Get Your Shine On!
HOT CARnauba
SHINE TM
New Wave ShieldTM
Formula 704
The new addition to the
Wave ShieldTM online
premium protection process.
HOT CARnauba SHINE™ combines Works great in all foaming wax
the latest polymer technology with the arches. Fresh citrus scent too.
Warsaw Chemical Co., Inc.
durability of real carnauba to deliver a New Formula 704 delivers P.O. Box 858, Warsaw, IN 46581
superior, hand-polished look and feel. your customers a real WOW Phone: 800-548-3396
Real carnauba = a better customer foam show. And more revenue Fax: 574-267-3884
experience = more per-car revenue for you. Find out more at warsaw-chem.com
for you. A true premium upsell. warsaw-chem.com today.
Car Choice ®.
“If your car could choose.”
1213
Heartland Carwashes In The News
By: Kristen Corbisiero, Managing Editor
See news happening in the Heartland Carwash area you want Missouri
to see featured in Splash? Email our Managing Editor, Kristen
Corbisiero at: kcorbisiero@heartlandcarwash.org. The Missouri carwash chain Tiger Express is planning a location
in Sedalia. A sign has been installed near PetSmart off of U.S.
Illinois Route 50. The chain is also expanding into Lebanon, Farmington
and Fenton.
Yelp, a consumer rating service for local businesses, rated Cly-
bourn Express Car Wash the number one carwash in Chicago, Mister Car Wash has expanded its presence in Springfield, Mis-
Illinois. The carwash is located at 2452 N Clybourn Ave., and souri, moving from four locations to six with the acquisition of
received a 4.5 star rating out of a possible 5 stars. “Everything two Tiger Express Wash locations, according to a press release.
about this carwash is exactly what I’ve been looking [for]...this is
the place I’ll be going back to,” writes one reviewer. Nebraska
Iowa Construction is moving along at the Super Suds Car Wash in
North Platte. Gary Jones, the carwash owner said the expansion
Mills Fleet Farm will anchor the new Sunnybrook Village Retail is a self-service facility that will offer contemporary technology
Center located in Sioux City. The store is exptected top open including credit card receptors and options for various washing
in fall 2018 and will feature a carwash, among other consumer chemicals.
convenience shops.
South Dakota
Kansas
Need a reason to install security systems? Police stop an at-
A new Trax Express Carwash is set to open in December 2017 at tempted burglary at St. Joe Car Wash in Rapid City after a bur-
565 S. Andover Road, Andover. The carwash will feature outside glary alarm had been set off. The burglar damaged a door and
washes and provide vacuums to customers. coin machine on the wall, and was placed under arrest for pos-
session of burlary tools, intentional damage to property, and at-
Minnesota tempted commission of a crime.
Wayzata Bay Carwash in Wayzata, MN, has garnered attention Wisconsin
from a 35-year-old Army combat verteran turned micrometerotie
hunter named Scott Peterson. Peterson collected cosmic dust A new carwash and detailing business called Too Clean opened
that likely traveled for billions of years at more than 100,000 in Prairie du Sac. Mike Brown, the owner offers services a full
miles per hour before chancing into the Earth’s atmosphere and array of interior and exterior hand wash and detailing services
falling on the rooftop. Peterson uses a magnet to collect the dust for vehicles, in addition to waxing, buffing, carpet and upholstery
and studies them under a mictroscope. cleaning, vacuuming, and tire dressing - even underbody work.
14BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT VICE-PRESIDENT TREASURER SECRETARY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR
PAT SHANNON CRAIG ZYLSTRA KEVIN WEHDE DAN MCNERNEY ROY SKOGLUND KRISTEN CORBISIERO
Big John’s Car Wash Classic Car Wash Ankeny IA 50021 Ver-Tech Labs Heartland Carwash Assn. Heartland Carwash Assn.
2221 Main St PO Box 303 (515) 865.4044 Rockford, MN P.O. Box 42035 (518) 635.0375
Bellevue, NE 68005 Sully, IA 50251 (515) 491.6675 Des Moines, IA 50323 kcorbisiero@heartlandcarwash.org
(402) 898.2621 ver-techlabs.com (515) 224.6845 linkedin.com/in/kcorbisiero
(641) 891.1982
mybjcw.com heartlandcarwash.org
DIRECTORS
Brent Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (763) 567.6276 Danny Giefer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (620) 343.0772 Jon Walters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (507) 764.4188
Blendco Systems LLC - Bristol, PA Mr. G’s Carwash - Emporia, KS MyGuy Inc. - Sherburn, MN
www.blendco.com Dante Pierangeli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (515) 965.6276 www.myguyinc.com
Scott Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (515) 434.2876 Casey’s General Stores - Ankeny, IA
Scott’s Sales Co - McCallsburg, IA www.caseys.com Doug Wiebelhaus . . . . . . . . . . . . . (605) 996.2735
Chris Stern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (515) 986.3700 Mega Wash - Mitchell, SD
Larry Boothe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (515) 961.7205
Ryko Solutions
Sunstar Carwash Systems - Indianola, IA Grimes, IA
www.belangerinc.com www.ryko.com
Ryan Forsyth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (800) 657.2139 Mark Tentis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (800) 227.3373
Hartman Insurance - Rochester, MN PDQ Manufacturing Inc - De Pere WI
www.heartman.com www.pdqinc.com
Anita Hill
1934 - 2017 Once she moved to Ankeny, Iowa, Anita was not about to set-
tle for ordinary. She then owned and operated Landmark
Longtime Carwash Owner / Operator Carwashes in Ankeny and Des Moines, owned and operat-
and Former Executive Director of the ed multiple area businesses as well as owned and rented out
Heartland Carwash Association multiple properties. This was no ordinary woman.
Anita Hill-Kelly died peacefully in her Anita was a pioneer for women before it became political, a
sleep surrounded by family at her true matriarch, Anita was a successful businesswoman. Above
daughter’s home on Tuesday, July all, Anita was a devoted parent, grandparent and great-grand-
11, 2017, following a year and a half of cancer challenges at the parent.
age of 83. Born in 1934 as one of seven children to Freeda and
Ben Cook in Seymour, Missouri, Anita transplanted to Ankeny, Anita was preceded in death by her husband Steve Kelly and
Iowa, where she lived for over 50 years. former husband Jack Hill, her parents Freeda and Ben, Sr., four
siblings who reached adulthood, Freeda Elizabeth, Fred, Elston,
Anita left an impoverished home (her father passed when she and Jean.
was 10) with a friend at the age of fifteen and rode a bus to Kan-
sas City to strike a life for herself. Did she ever! Anita is survived by her only daughter Kay Oberender; Grand-
children, Jaime (Cory) McClure and Zac (Mitzi) Oberender;
Once in Kansas City, Anita lied about her age to secure a job Great-grandchildren, Caden, Quinton and Piper as well as two
in a café and then in retail where she had no problem selling to brothers Phillip Cook and Ben Cook. Anita is also survived by
those who had much more than her. It was in Kansas City in the numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and other extended family.
1950’s that Anita secured an independence and business acu-
men which was exceedingly rare for a woman of the era. She The Heartland Carwash Association extends our warmest
overcame many challenges, transforming into the inspiration she condolences to Anita’s family
was.
15PRESORT
STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Des Moines IA Permit
No. 418
PO Box 42035
Des Moines, IA 50323
SAVE THE DATE AND JOIN US!
35TH ANNUAL
2018
PRODUCT SHOW
APRIL 3 & 4, 2018
THE MEADOWS CONFERENCE CENTER
Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino
Altoona, IA
phone/fax 515.224.6845
info@heartlandcarwash.org | www.heartlandcarwash.orgYou can also read
