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 St. Nick's Picks - December 2009  |
Car Wash Express —
Founded in 2001 by individuals with over a half century of combined car wash experience and now managed by an executive staff in its mid 20s or younger, Car Wash Express in the suburbs of Denver is showing that a then-new idea in Colorado can thrive and even expand while many feel uncertain about business growth. The firm added two sites this year to its original three locations. The company was the first to introduce express car washing to the Denver market. Some who followed with the idea have tried much lower pricing, (as low as $3 for the basic wash), only to adjust upwards later, while Car Wash Express has held the line with its $6, $9, and $12 offerings, most customers choosing either the $9 or $12 services. Drivers can get a sizeable break on those prices by buying packages of four tokens giving them an 8 percent to 12.5 percent discount as well as often faster entry into the washes. Real bargain hunters who love clean cars can save even more with token packages of 52, 100, or more offering the company’s Ultimate wash, normally $12, at $8 — a whopping 33 percent discount. That also has obvious benefits in customer loyalty, notes Brett Meinberg, Car Wash Express’s young president. Meinberg started working for the company in 2003 while he was still in high school, and like other execs at Car Wash Express, worked up from a line-worker position to increasing levels of responsibility. “We are a very young company,” notes Meredith Hotz, marketing/sales director. All the general managers, the maintenance crew, and she are in their 20s. Car Wash Express locations feature big, long-tunnel buildings that are neighborhood accessible and friendly. The long tunnels (two where site size can accommodate) pack a lot of equipment including a battery of blowers well within the building so as not to create a noise nuisance. They can handle an amazing volume of cars. The Highlands Ranch unit, a double-tunnel store, washed 3,103 cars in 13 hours on Valentine’s Day, 2004. Other CWE locations are Centennial and Broomfield, one opened in 2003, another in 2006. Each site has its own ownership blend of parent company (St. Charles Investments and John Oppenheimer are major factors there) and the general manager of the site.
Car Wash Express’s commitment to equipment for fast, customer-pleasing washes and clean cars is readily apparent. “We design our own equipment packages. We don’t have a standard package you can get out of a catalog,” Meinberg says. Soft cloth and Neoglide foam gently remove dirt and road film in the long (135-ft. minimum) tunnels. “We have a lot of custom equipment,” including some built by Bob Hodge, one of the founders of Car Wash Express. Each tunnel has 15 to 18 blowers, “more than anybody in the area, to turn out a really dry car.” A sizeable vacuuming area with free vacuums and recently added free Rhino Mat mat cleaners help customers finish the interior of their vehicles. General managers, along with Meinberg and the company’s maintenance crew, installed all the equipment at the two newest locations, opened this year. One store is in Northglenn, north of Denver, the other in Aurora, east of the Mile High City. “They literally have their blood, sweat, and tears in them,” Hotz says of the general managers, although the Car Wash Express proprietary training program also gives each employee good grounding in equipment, chemicals, and other critical elements of management.
Meinberg’s career with Car Wash Express is reflected in what other managers have experienced. “I didn’t grow up wanting to run car washes,” he recalls, “but I had a great mentor at our Highlands Ranch location, Mike Huggins. He was my manager and mentor. We talked a lot and I got the car wash bug. I continued with the company, went to school and finished my four-year education at the University of Colorado-Denver. I was promoted and there was a good opportunity for me. It has been a long journey, but we’ve done well.” He became CWE president after the two newest locations opened this year. Every one of the current general managers started off in car washing by working the line at one of the washes. Many have been with the company five or six years, starting in high school and getting their college degrees along the way. The company has roughly 35 employees, the work force staying fairly constant because of the washes’ efficiency. Pre-wash prepping is minimal, but in wintertime there may be one or two more people working the line. “Still we are always prepared for a busy day,” says Hotz, and a combination of full-time and part-time employees helps cope with varying volume. New hires or “wash associates” have a $10 starting hourly wage, full health benefits, monthly bonuses (pegged to their location’s revenue, not just profits), and paid vacations as well as free car washes. Not just anyone can qualify, however. Present team members watch for eager, outgoing prospects who are evaluated and put through a “We want to know they’ll enjoy the opportunity as much as we’ll enjoy them being with us,” Meinberg adds. “We understand that employee turnover is much more expensive than just getting the right employee in the first place.”
The new team members learn both by working with associates and managers and through the multi-level Car Care Advisor program. After a newcomer has been with Car Wash Express for a while, he or she progresses through workbooks covering subjects from chemical training, car wash operations, customer service, and general business knowledge. “This gets them prepared for any job they’re going to have. We treat our employees as if they are business owners at each store, as responsible for these investments as our owners.” Stores are built to fit into the community and frequently conform with prevailing colors of an adjoining strip mall. Masonry block construction is standard, with company colors of red, blue and yellow incorporated in trim and signage. Landscaping employs xeriscaping to reduce total water usage. Car Wash Express further displays its environmental sensitivity with signs showing it is part of the ICA WaterSavers program. “People see the ‘We Save Water’ signs at our locations, and that has really helped our acceptance by the community,” Meinberg reports. Site layouts minimize noise or any other disruptive element. All the washes close at 8 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays, 6 p.m. on Sunday, so late night lighting isn’t a factor either. “In our newest facility, we’ve incorporated a lot of skylights to use natural light inside the tunnel so we don’t have to spend as much in artificial lighting. Colorado has more sunshine days than many states, so we take advantage of the Colorado sun with our big windows and skylights.” The company actively supports both national and community causes. Recent events in which CWE has taken part or will take part:
CWE stays involved with its customers through Facebook and Twitter social networking sites, and with events such as the recent customer appreciation day. While envisioned as a thank you to loyal customers, washes were free to all who drove in. “We hope we’ve gained all of them as future customers,” Meinberg says. Giveaways of snow cones, cotton candy, and other items added to the attraction of the festive event. “We washed a lot of cars.” Additional promotion and creative marketing uses some direct mail, some in-store commercials near each CWE site, and register tape advertising. The company doesn’t use gimmicks, Meinberg notes; “simple and easy is what we go for.” Commercial or fleet business development began a couple of years ago. Meredith Hotz seeks out businesses that could best benefit from using Car Wash Express. “We get involved with a lot of business community events to let others know about the services we offer for fleets. We also accept most general fleet cards such as Voyager and Ride Express,” Meinberg adds, “and get involved with large companies who don’t fully realize the advantages of washing their vehicles at our locations.” Fitting into each neighborhood or community, locally recruiting bright and energetic people, and constantly reaching out to customers and prospects help make Car Wash Express welcome wherever it expands in the Denver area. The company has shown its confidence in the future and its business model by expanding this year while many other businesses have been in a retrenching or stand-pat mode. “In uncertain economic times, the people who make moves are the ones who are going to come out on top,” says Meinberg. “If you stay stagnant, customers are going to forget about you; we thought it was a great time to expand.” It seems that spirit and forward movement are establishing Car Wash Express as a solid leader. Jim and Elaine Norland are regular contributors to Auto Laundry News. |
