Love
of Cars Drives Wash Succes
By
Jim and Elaine Norland
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Westside Brushless Car Wash
has a message for you. |

If Victor Giangrant weren't in the car wash business himself, he'd
be high up on other operators' speed-dial, a "go-to" guy
in case of breakdowns or emergencies. He knows construction and
mechanics like few others.
His professional plumbing and electrical skills, his own energy
and his lifelong love of cars all contribute to the smooth operation
and success of his own wash, Westside Brushless Car Wash, in Dover,
DE.
The 21-year-old enterprise at 805 Forest Street has been voted best
car wash five years in a row by
consumers in Kent and Sussex counties (two of the state's three
counties). This year Giangrant was honored as Small-Business Person
of the Year by the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce, and recognized
by the state's governor and senate.
His 30-some employees might come up with similar accolades. Eight
of them live in three houses adjoining the wash, buildings that
Giangrant bought and planned to tear down to build an oil change
facility until one, then others, asked him if they could live there.
"I didn't have the heart to ask them to leave," he says.
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Vic outside the exit side of
the wash. Note the "big top" umbrella and the brick patio to
the right of the tunnel exit. |
He buys them lunch every day, too. If the wash is really busy,
Vic even lets them choose what they want that day. He holds monthly
meetings and asks their opinions on, say, whether to open on certain
holidays if there's been a run of rainy days beforehand.
His concern for employees is seen also in the "big top"
shade at the exit of his full-service tunnel wash. Three years ago,
Giangrant bought "one of the biggest umbrellas you've ever
seen," to protect employees (and customer cars) from the hot
summer sun. Underneath that big top, temperatures are 15 degrees
cooler.
"It's the little things I do for my employees that makes them
happy. I'm not a rocket scientist, but I know that if your help
is happy, your customers are going to be happy."
Leading his crew by example, Giangrant is a hands-on participant
in wash operations. "I vacuum, I prep, I drive them out, I
towel them dry, and I kiss customers goodbye," he says. "I
do it all. I just have to! It's just me."
The Westside crew responds with dedication and loyalty. Rob Kish,
the manager, has been with Giangrant for about ten years. Other
long-time employees include brothers Mike and Roger Pritchett; Paul
Reimer, a seven-year veteran of the wash; Greg Smith, five years;
and Jason Hawks, a Westside employee for three years.
Another employee who shuns both title and authority but works energetically
on the wash line every day is Ronnie Clark, with some 20 years experience
in the car wash industry. "He's phenomenal," Giangrant
says of the 61-year-old Clark; "he's here ever morning 90 minutes
before we open."
Giangrant believes his own hands-on involvement in his car wash
and detail business every day contributes to the success of Westside.
His personal role is complemented by that of his wife, Lynn. "She's
my right hand," Victor Giangrant says. "She does all the
payroll, all the books. When I won the award (as Central Delaware
Chamber of Commerce Small-Business Person of the Year), I told her,
'Half of it is yours, Honey.'"
The couple's three teenage sons are involved in the business, too.
The oldest, 18, is handicapped but comes with a couple of his classmates
and their coach to clean up the yard, sweep the lobby and do the
windows at Westside. "I try to help the special kids out as
much as I can," Giangrant says. The younger sons, 15 and 16
years old, also work at the wash site. "I try to get them involved
in the business," he says.
This car wash owner obviously loves cars. The seating inside the
Westside Brushless Car Wash lobby includes three "car chairs,"
one made from the back of a '51 Mercury and another from a '65 AC
Cobra.
Giangrant's collection of over 200 1/18-scale model cars lines
shelves surrounding the lobby and hallway of the wash. With so much
car memorabilia to enjoy, customers are never bored while waiting
for their own vehicles.
He started buying and selling cars while still in high school,
trading so often he was forced to take out a dealer's license. He
still deals, most often with exotic or unusual cars that he buys,
nurtures, drives, and eventually sells, one at a time right from
his site. For example, he recently bought and is driving an Acura
NSX, a hand-built model of which only 150 were imported to the US.
When he tires of it, he'll sell it and buy something else at auction.
In past years, Giangrant has also restored vintage vehicles.
It seems that Giangrant and his crew lavish the same kind of attention
on customers' cars. The one-acre site on which Westside Brushless
Car Wash is located also houses a detail operation. Customers can
choose from full detail or a la carte services ranging from a regular
hand wax and polish to quick cleanup of a spill on upholstery and
carpet.
The detail crew is fully interchangeable with the wash crew, so
Giangrant and his key personnel can allocate people as needed. In
fact, he prefers that any new hire be a detailer. "They make
the best cleaners. When they cross over to the car wash I tell them
this is detailing at high speed. And that's true."
"I look at the detail shop as a convenience for my customers,"
Giangrant comments. "It's tough to make a living detailing,
but I keep it there for my wash customers. They want their interiors
cleaned, their cars waxed, scratches and spots removed. Some want
Lexol or Rain-X treatment; anything they want, they get," but
he doesn't do any glass repair or body work, as some detail shops
do.
The wash began as an exterior-only operation in 1981, and operated
that way for ten years. "I couldn't make a living on exteriors;
we just weren't making ends meet." He converted to a full-service
tunnel wash and "it started to click," Giangrant says.
Westside's 6,000-square-foot A-frame building houses the 100-foot
Hanna conveyor, its length augmented by a 10-foot front awning.
Giangrant presently has Sherman mitters and a Protovest Untouchable
dryer as part of his equipment. "This is our second conveyor
and the third chain on that, and our third blower."
Once again, he's getting ready to replace equipment, somewhat reluctantly.
"That Sherman stuff works so good, it's just hard for me to
let go." Giangrant's skills as a plumber and electrician undoubtedly
help keep his machines running smoothly.
Rather than buy any one manufacturer's complete equipment package
or any one chemical-supply line, Giangrant studies and shops constantly
for better options. "I go to the trade shows (he's a longtime
member of the International Car Wash Association), I go to other
washes and see what they're using. I take what I like."
He admits to "always trying something new" in chemicals,
too. "I keep a very open mind. I'll try anything once."
His present arsenal of cleaning products includes Blue Coral, Ardex,
Simoniz, Armor All, and Lexol.
Customer comfort isn't neglected at Westside Brushless Car Wash,
either. In addition to complimentary coffee and lollipops for children,
Giangrant provides attractive surroundings for his customers. Big
potted plants are "everywhere," he says, and there is
a brick patio on the exit end of the wash with comfortable patio
furniture. A rock garden features a wide variety of plants, while
Old Glory waves in the breeze outside.
The blue roof and blue-and-white exterior of Westside Brushless
Car Wash harmonizes with the blue T-shirts and optional blue hats
worn by employees. Signage includes two on Division Street and one
on Forest Street, plus a marquee that is changed frequently to display
an eye-catching message.
Giangrant has held prices steady in recent years. His economy wash
costs $7, full service $8, wash and wax $10. The "Works"
package is $14." All vinyl and rubber treatments as well as
Lexol are priced on an a la carte basis.
Those prices attract a wide range of vehicles and their owners.
"We get hot rods, we get '57 Ford Thunderbird convertibles,
brand new Mercedes, Porches, Corvettes; we do them all," says
Giangrant. His average revenue through the wash is about $10 per
car.
A combination of coupons and specials keeps individual customers
coming to Westside. Giangrant
uses newspaper coupons, and has special day promotions such as Ladies'
Day, Men's Day, and Seniors' Day, which he advertises prominently
on his marquee. In wintertime, he offers a Salty Dog
Special to attract motorists.
He sponsors all kinds of sports, especially kids' teams. He also
contributes wash tickets to church and other community fund-raising
events.
Westside gets plenty of fleet and commercial business, too. Playtex
is down the street from the wash. "They buy hundreds of wash
tickets and give them to their employees as incentives," Giangrant
reports. "We do detailing for the City of Dover Police Department,
too." That latter job can sometimes involve very difficult
cleanups, he says.
Real estate agents are big customers at Westside. "They want
their car looking clean all the time. They're in here two or three
times a week so their cars always look good when they're showing
properties."
Beyond the "best car wash" accolades it has earned five
years in a row, Westside's skill in car cleaning shines through
for such critical
customers.
Jim and Elaine Norland are regular contributors to Auto Laundry
News.
Teaching by Example
Victor Giangrant believes so strongly in car care and personal
enterprise that he teaches it with a unique show-and-tell model.
The first year he won the "Best Car Wash in Delaware"
honor, he built a 1/24-scale model of his entire car wash and detail
shop. He now displays it at trade shows and at the mall and takes
it to area schools as he gives seminars on business and entrepreneurship.
The model, mounted on a 4-foot-by-8-foot sheet of plywood, is finely
detailed. It shows all the equipment of the wash, with employees
shown performing each function, customers watching through the lobby
windows, and cars waiting in line, "a typical day at the car
wash," as Giangrant describes it.
He speaks to other groups about car care, too. He is a Boy Scout
assistant scoutmaster and teaches scouts about auto mechanics, a
subject he knows well. Meetings are held both at Westside Brushless
Car Wash and at the regular scout meeting location, qualifying his
young students for an auto mechanics merit badge.
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