More than two decades after entering the car wash industry, Ronnie Corbin still talks about washing cars with the same excitement and energy that fueled his earliest ventures. But after helping build multiple regional brands, opening dozens of locations, and guiding operations through acquisitions and private equity growth, Corbin says his latest venture — Clean Car Wash — feels different.
Founded just over three years ago, Clean Car Wash has quickly established itself as an express chain to watch in Texas, with seven (soon to be nine) locations across the Dallas and Houston markets. The company is focused on expanding in these highly competitive markets, but growth is not its only objective.
For Corbin and his son-in-law and business partner, Jake Hirsch, the goal is to build something sustainable — a car wash company rooted equally in operational excellence, hospitality, and community connection.
“We’re not shooting for 150 stores,” Corbin says. “We want it to be manageable. We want to focus on washing cars.” That philosophy has become the foundation of the Clean Car Wash brand.
Corbin started in the car wash business 25 years ago, after selling a very successful home healthcare business. Looking for a new challenge with fewer labor requirements, he turned to an industry he had long admired through a family connection.
He started with a handful of self-serve locations, but his second career quickly evolved into something much larger. Corbin partnered with Arkansas Car Wash Systems and later helped drive standout brands including Rapido Rabbit, Boomerang Car Wash, and Legends Car Wash. Along the way, he developed a reputation as an aggressive builder and operator during the formative years of the express wash boom.
After years of development, acquisitions, and leadership roles — including serving as president of development and acquisitions for WhiteWater Express — Corbin stepped away from the car wash business. But the industry never really left him.
Then came the pandemic, and an unexpected partnership. Hirsch, a Long Island, NY native and former attorney, spent a decade practicing law before the pandemic disrupted everyday life and forced many families, including his, to reconsider their priorities.
“If you told me I’d be washing cars and living in Dallas, I would’ve told you you were out of your mind,” Hirsch says.
After temporarily relocating to Texas with his wife, Caroline — Corbin’s daughter — Hirsch found himself immersed in conversations about business, entrepreneurship, and the car wash industry while living with Ronnie and his wife, Sabrina.
“At night, Ronnie would talk about everything he had built in car washing,” Hirsch recalls. “And honestly, it was everything I’d always wanted to do.”
What began as family discussions soon turned into a business plan. The family got together and asked Corbin if we wanted to do it again. And the answer was simply, yes.
Today, the family dynamic remains central to Clean Car Wash’s identity. Sabrina Corbin serves as vice president of administration and head of HR, while the leadership team includes partners with backgrounds in marketing, analytics, operations, and finance.
The result is a company that combines decades of car wash experience with a modern operational mindset.
While Clean Car Wash provides many of the same amenities offered by rival express chains ̶ — free vacuums, towel exchange, mat cleaners, compressed air, etc. — Corbin believes his team sets the brand apart.
“No one will ever outwash us,” he says. “We’ll put whatever we have to put into it to provide the best customer experience.”
the growing membership program.
After building and operating more than 75 sites over his career, Corbin knows what works and what doesn’t, and those insights inform everything from traffic flow and tunnel design to employee positioning and customer interaction.
One of the company’s most distinctive features is its “VIP Experience,” a hands-on onboarding process designed specifically for new members. When a customer joins the membership program, team members escort them to a dedicated area behind red ropes, walk them through the amenities, explain the wash’s mobile app, and even demonstrate how to use equipment such as mat cleaners and detailing tools.
“We want customers to feel like we care about them,” Hirsch says. “Especially when they’re new. When you spend time with them and explain things, they really appreciate that interaction.”
While Corbin’s experience provides the operational backbone, Hirsch has helped drive customer engagement through next-gen digital technology.
Clean Car Wash’s mobile app lets customers manage memberships, track rewards, and interact with the brand. They can store vehicle profiles, track savings, redeem rewards, refer friends, and even play interactive games for prizes and discounts.
The company pairs digital convenience with highly intentional staffing and sales training. Dedicated membership sales specialists work the point-of-sale area, while managers actively engage customers throughout the site. The team leans heavily into real-time analytics and KPI reporting, tracking everything from maintenance tickets to profitability metrics daily.
“We know how our stores are performing every single day,” Corbin says. “We don’t wait until month-end to react.”
While modern digital tech helps drive operations and the customer experience, the brand still depends on good-old-fashioned community outreach to win the battle for customer acquisition and retention. For the team, community involvement is more than a marketing strategy — it is part of the company’s identity.
“We want to be more than a car wash,” Hirsch says. “We want to be part of the community.”
of the many Clean perks.
That mindset shows up through local business partnerships, cross-promotions, and an aggressive fundraising calendar that keeps nearly every location engaged with schools, churches, nonprofits, and local causes throughout the year.
On fundraising weekends, the company often donates 50 percent of graphene package sales to participating organizations while hosting on-site events, complete with food, games, and entertainment.
“We make it fun,” Corbin says. “And we do it almost every weekend.”
For Corbin, that local connection has always been one of the most rewarding aspects of the business. “You’d be surprised how many customers our employees know by first name,” he says.
As Clean Car Wash continues to expand across Texas, the company believes that balance — combining operational sophistication with genuine hospitality — will continue to drive its success. The leadership team hopes to add four or five sites in 2026 and even more in 2027 and beyond.
“We’ve spent the last three years building the platform,” Corbin says. “Now we’re ready to hit the gas.”
