 Industry Newsline - February 2005  |
| Industry Newsline
MOTIONS AND PROMOTIONS California Scents, a manufacturer of air freshener products, has announced the appointment of Dave Slingsby as executive vice president. Slingsby has more than 28 years' experience in the retail industry. He spent the last 20 years with Target Stores, most recently as a regional vice president covering the Southern California market. He will bring his management, operations, and retail expertise to California Scents focusing on developing and building internal structure. Akron, OH-based DRB Systems has named Harold Guthrie national accounts representative. A well-known figure in the car wash and car care industries, Guthrie has been with DRB Systems for 10 years, and has served the company in a variety of capacities, including director of its support department. In his new position, Guthrie will be working with DRB Systems' large chain accounts. A native of Green, OH, Guthrie spent 11 years with IBM, where he was a systems engineer, prior to joining DRB Systems. Ed Schaad has joined Ryko Manufacturing Company's sales and marketing team as major account manager. Schaad brings considerable experience to Ryko, having held sales management positions with Veeder-Root, OPW Fueling Components, and, more recently, Belanger Inc. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from California Polytechnic State University and an Associate of Arts Degree, Marketing from Orange Coast College. In a separate statement, Ryko announced the appointment of Don Gaddy as vice president, global operations and procurement. Gaddy comes to Ryko from Danaher Corporation where he was vice president, global operations planning and procurement for the Gilbarco Veeder-Root business platform. He has over 25 years of operations/materials management experience working for two Fortune 500 manufacturing companies: Square D and Danaher Corporation. Gaddy has a business/marketing degree from Eckerd Business School and is certified CPM, CPIM, and registered as an ISO lead assessor auditor. Oasis Car Wash Systems of Galena, KS has announced the appointment of John Jonas of Lewisville, TX as regional sales manager. Jonas has 23 years of industry experience, including 20 years as operations manager of a multiple-location car wash group. Most recently, John was the southwest regional sales manager for Blendco Systems, a major supplier of chemicals to the car wash industry. "John will play an important role in the continued growth of our company," said national sales manager Mitch Wade. "We feel fortunate to have him as part of our team." Lexington, KY-based Valvoline Instant Oil Change has named Kevin R. Mueller regional manager. He will be responsible for 60 corporate-owned service centers in Michigan and northwest Ohio. Bryan K. Justice has been named VIOC manager of process improvement and learning, effective November 29, succeeding Mueller. In his new role, Justice will be responsible for corporate and franchise training, employee development, and process improvement. He reports to Steve Lynn, director, business development. LUSTRA BEAR BALLOON Cleaning Systems Inc. of De Pere, WI recently introduced the Lustra(tm) Bear balloon. This 12-foot giant encourages the car wash customer to "give your car a hug." "The Lustra Bear can't help but draw attention to your car
wash and is an excellent Grand-Opening or special-event attraction,"
said Jim Thomes, the company's vice president of sales and marketing.
WASHUSA 2005: UNITEC JOINS Unitec Electronics of Jessup, MD, has announced its 2005 participation in the September 24 WashUSA fund-raiser to benefit The Make-A-Wish Foundation(r) as a Gold Sponsor, according to the company's vice president of sales and marketing, Pamela Piro. "Given the success of this event in previous years, we're excited to see what 2005 will bring. We appreciate the dedication and hard work of the volunteers who make this event possible for the Make-A-Wish Foundation," said Piro. The WashUSA committee is presently growing its 2005 vendor sponsors. There are varying levels of commitment available to suppliers, in addition to the four founding sponsorships, to help underwrite the costs involved in marketing this effort. For more information on participation and sponsorship opportunities, contact WashUSA founder Mark Curtis at (888) WASHUSA or Suzanne Stansbury, trade media manager, at (518) 877-6779 or e-mail her at media.solutions@verizon.net. To download a participation agreement, log onto www.washesforwishes.org. The one-day event, slated for September 24, has a rain date of October 1. In the mean time, WashUSA and The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America have issued an urgent request for those washes which have yet to remit their donation for the 2004 event to do so at their earliest possible convenience. WashUSA is looking to close out their 2004 books and begin their 2005 campaign, according to Curtis. RYKO ADDS MERCER Ryko Manufacturing Company has added R.W. Mercer Company to its increasing sales and service distribution network. R.W. Mercer Company will be responsible for all sales and service in the state of Michigan and will deal exclusively with Ryko car wash systems. The R.W. Mercer Company, a leader in the petroleum equipment and construction industries, was established in 1960, and is comprised of highly-skilled and dedicated professionals. With the addition of a car wash division and factory-trained service technicians who possess extensive experience in installing, troubleshooting, and repairing car wash systems, Ryko is confident that R.W. Mercer Company will push to the forefront as a leader in the car wash industry as well. DOSMATIC TEST STATIONS Dosmatic USA/International has introduced two custom-engineered performance-test stations in its production facility in Carrollton, TX. These test stations are designed to test the full range of Dosmatic products in order to uphold its stringent quality-control and ISO procedures during the manufacturing and assembly of its full product line. These modern test stations were designed under strict specification by Dosmatic's engineering team. They are able to accurately test every unit prior to dispatch at both the high- and low-end of the specifications with a permanent computer record of performance linked to a detailed history by serial number. The operation of this high-tech test station is fully automated, and controlled by a touch-panel computer, which will record all the data of results achieved in the test: In addition to providing test data, these new test units will decrease the test time required and thus increase production through the facility, resulting in decreased lead time. SECWA: NEW MANAGEMENT The Southeastern Car Wash Association has announced the appointment
of a new management company. The new company is Organization Management
Group of Virginia Beach, VA and the association's new executive
director is Gail Phillips. The new contact information is as follows: 184 Business Park Drive, Suite 200-S |
