Industry Newsline

MOTIONS AND PROMOTIONS

Arvada, CO-based Mark VII Equipment Inc., the US subsidiary of WashTec AG of Germany, has announced that Bill Mills joined the company as the Southeast regional manager. Mills has 33 years of sales and marketing experience in both the car wash and retail petroleum industries, including time spent with Ryko Manufacturing and Phillips Petroleum. He holds a BA in Behavioral Science from National Louis University in Atlanta, and he will continue to be based in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

SUPER SIZE SELF SERVE

The grand opening of a huge new self-service car wash in Dallas, TX was scheduled for May 21. The project was put together by Pro-Tech Service Co., Inc. of Lewisville, TX for owner Nick Rizos, a local restaurant and nightclub owner. The wash features 15 self-serve wand bays, one touch-free in-bay automatic, and 32 vacuums, eight of which are vac/shampoo/fragrance combo units. With the exception of the Belanger Vector in-bay automatic, all of the equipment is from Dilling-Harris.

According to Ralph Nasca of Pro-Tech, the wash is located in a predominantly Latino neighborhood with only one other self-serve car wash. The site is fully bilingual — from the signage to the voice-enabled bay meters that verbally advise, for example, that “You’ve selected the wax,” in both English and Spanish. At the end of the wash, customers are verbally thanked for their business and prompted to move forward out of the bay — again in both languages.

The wash shares a four-acre piece of property with a Laundromat — another Rizos venture. The Laundromat features 200 professional-grade laundry machines, plasma TV, air conditioning, popcorn, and free wireless Internet connections. There is music playing throughout the whole site, inside and out. Adding to the aesthetic appeal is a wrought-iron fence that runs along the entire perimeter of the four-acre lot. Four handmade — and extensively decorated — steel gates provide access to the site.

FOAM & WASH RAISES

$22,000! Foam & Wash and Oil Change Plus of Dutchess and Orange counties, NY surpassed last year’s record amount in donations collected for the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude’s Hospital was founded by entertainer Danny Thomas and opened in 1962. St. Jude is supported primarily by contributions raised by its national fundraising events.

St. Jude is the only pediatric research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay.

The teams at Foam & Wash and Oil Change Plus centers — with the help of their customers — managed to raise $22,000 for the cause. Owned and operated by Baright Enterprises, Foam & Wash operates 12 locations in Dutchess and Orange counties. The company consists of Foam & Wash Car Washes, Oil Change Plus facilities, Foam & Wash Mobil gasoline stations, and the Foam & Wash Laundromat.

DOSMATIC’S NEW WEB SITE

Dosmatic U.S.A./International, Inc. has redesigned its web site (www.dos matic.com) for faster and easier service to distributors and customers. The updated web site includes helpful items such as chemical compatibility charts, product selection guides, frequently asked questions, manuals, training information, warranty information, and more.

The product information page guides users to the best product for their application and is very user friendly. It is easy to find and quickly download information.

WOMEN’S BOARD TURNS 10

The Car Care Council Women’s Board is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2006, according to Katie Noga, Car Care Council Women’s Board president.

The Car Care Council Women’s Board was formed in 1996 by several women who saw a need for a different perspective on the automotive aftermarket. Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, served as the very first president. The group understood that women motorists didn’t need different information on automotive maintenance than men, they just needed it to be targeted more directly to them.

For the most part, maintenance and repair information had gone through traditional channels of automotive sections and publications whose readership was primarily male. The Women’s Board is dedicated to informing female audiences about proper vehicle maintenance and safety. \

For more information about the Car Care Council Women’s Board, visit http://women.carcare.org or e-mail womensboard@carcare.org.

NYSCWA CAR WASH TOUR

The New York State Car Wash Association’s (NYSCWA) Spring Membership Meeting, May 5, included a tour of three Long Island car washes capped off with Diamond View corporate-suite seats in New York’s Shea Stadium for the Mets vs. Atlanta game.

The first stop on the car wash tour was Mark Tree Road Car Wash, which features two Ryko in-bay automatics and three self-serve bays, seven J.E. Adams vacuums, a Kleen-Rite pet wash and a Triad Design bill breaker.

Cottage Car Wash was the second stop. This new 95-foot tunnel is fully equipped with all new Belanger equipment, Wunderbar’s custom neon arches, a Hoffman wheel blaster, and Ecolab Rain X arch.

Kings Super Wash II was the last stop. This new wash features a 95-foot tunnel equipped with a mix of MacNeil and Econocraft equipment. It is also one of the first washes in the Northeast using the new Cobra heated CTA system. This wash also has Ecolab’s new Rain-X on-line arch.

The association’s next event is a golf tournament, August 29, at the Pompey Club in Syracuse. For additional information, contact the NYSCWA offices at (800) 287-6604 or log onto www.nyscwa.com.

EXPANDED MARKET FOR LITTLE TREES

“Little Trees” are making their way into new markets as Watertown, NY-based Car-Freshner Corporation — manufacturer of the famous “Little Tree” air fresheners — sponsors the 2006 seasons of two popular ESPN2 fishing shows.

Car-Freshner will once again sponsor the “Tools of the Trade” segment of Billfishing Xtreme Release League (BXRL), the only TV reality show dedicated to competitive offshore big-game fishing. The company will sponsor Big Game Fishing the World, as well. Car-Freshner has also signed an endorsement contract with Captain Norm Isaacs, the personable and charismatic host of both shows.

Big Game Fishing the World airs on Sundays at 7 a.m. EST. BXRL airs Sundays at 10 a.m. EST. Both shows are on ESPN2.

 GLASS REPAIR E-INVOICES

Electronic invoice processing — better known as EDI in the glass repair industry — has been a recognized practice by the networks and the insurance providers they represent for many years.

The capability to communicate work dispatches, authorization, and network prices electronically is essential to the survival and growth of modern glass-repair businesses. Glass Technology, the Durango, CO-based manufacturer of windshield repair kits and supplies, has partnered with eDirectGlass to assists glass-repair businesses in setting up the electronic process, which will allow them to manage and submit invoices electronically with no additional fees. Businesses will begin saving money immediately over the traditional mailing and faxing of invoices

To ensure the success of this program, Glass Technology provides assistance with special startup training and in obtaining insurance network credentials with LYNX, Safelite and others, allowing for a “no-hassle” process. For information, contact Glass Technology at (800) 441-4527, or log onto www.gtglass.com.