Wash installs charging station for electric vehicles
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Crossroads Soft Cloth Car Wash & Detail installed a charging station for electric vehicles, according to Highland Park Patch. The new ChargePoint station was supplied by Caron Day Automotive, which is based in Riverwoods.
The station will permit customers with electric vehicles to charge for free while the cars are being detailed at the carwash.
Earl Slavin, owner of Crossroads, noted that the charging station is another step for Crossroads toward being more environmentally friendly and better serving its customers.
Auto shop gives away car to family in need
BILLINGS, Mont. — Vallie Automotive Center provided a big gift to a deserving family in time for the holiday season, according to KTVQ.
Using parts donated from local businesses, including AutoZone and Griffin’s Detailing, the auto shop fixed up a 2003 Ford Taurus to give away to a family in need.
The shop’s owner, Tim Vallie, has given away more than a dozen cars over the past five years, and the shop’s mechanics donate their time and labor to help get the job done.
This year Vallie also gave away a second car bought at an auction to a longtime customer who has to walk to work because her vehicle died.
Sean Cahill, service manager for Vallie Automotive, said connecting to the community is important to the business.
Carwash reduces expenses by helping nonprofits
WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. — Scott Knight, proprietor of Rain Tunnel Express, found a creative and environmentally friendly way to reduce business expenses, according to South County Times. This reduction in business expenses is not only environmentally friendly, but also benefits nonprofit organizations in the area.
The carwash receives its drying agent and paint guard chemicals in 30-gallon plastic drums and detergent and polish in 55-gallon barrels.
Knight posted a sign at his location in Edwardsville, Illinois, which advertised the white, 30-gallon plastic barrels for sale for $5 and the 55-gallon barrels for $10. With few takers for the larger barrels, Knight lowered the cost to $7.
Moreover, two years ago the Saint Louis Zoo also showed interest in the barrels, and also interested in the barrels was the Missouri Highway Patrol, which has used them for a training obstacle course; some schools have also implemented the barrels into educational projects over the past few years.
Neighborhood fixture to be demolished
SAN FRANCISCO — For decades, Divisadero Touchless Car Wash has served the area around Divisadero, according to Hoodline. However, this long-standing carwash may soon be demolished to make way for a residential and retail development.
The property, which features the carwash and a gas station, is also known for its solar panels, a gift shop, an ongoing child-abuse prevention campaign and Burning Man promotions.
Roy and Patty Shimek are the longtime owners of the business. Roy started to work at the on-site Shell station in 1960 to help pay for undergrad at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and law school at Golden Gate University.
The Shell station was built in 1958, two years before Roy came on board to manage it, and it was a carwash known as the Lester Wash before that.
When his boss told Roy he was planning to sell the gas station, a fellow student told him he should buy the business, which cost $4,000.
Roy said he didn’t have the money, however his fellow classmate gave him a loan. Roy owned and operated the gas station throughout his time at UCSF and even acquired seven more locations by the time he graduated law school.
The permit to run the Lester Wash expired in 1980, which caused Roy to have to build a new one; he decided to stray from the norm at that time for a carwash that uses “nothing but water and air.”
Mike’s Carwash donates $28K to the Reds Community Fund
CINCINNATI — Representatives from Mike’s Carwash presented a check for $28,000 to the Reds Community Fund during on-field ceremonies prior to a Reds game at the Great American Ball Park early this fall, according to a press release.
The donations were raised during Mike’s Carwash’s “Bowtie Tuesday” promotion which took place during the 2015 Reds season.
During the promotion, Mike’s Carwash pledged to donate $1 to the Reds Community Fund from every Ultimate Wash purchased on Wednesdays following a victory for the Reds on Tuesdays. The Reds won 12 of the 23 games held on Tuesdays during the 2015 season.
Mike’s Carwash has 17 locations within “Reds Country,” which include Cincinnati, Dayton, Florence, Ft. Wayne and Evansville in Ohio as well as Mishawaka, Indiana.
“The participation from Reds fans in [the] Bowtie Tuesday [promotion] was fantastic, and we are thrilled to have raised $28,000 for the Reds Community Fund,” said Mike Dahm, Mike’s Carwash president and CEO. “It was an honor to support our hometown team this season by becoming the official carwash of the Cincinnati Reds.”
Established in 2001, the Reds Community Fund is dedicated to improving the lives of children through baseball-themed outreach efforts.
NACS announces scholarship recipients
LAS VEGAS — NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) announced the recipients of 11 scholarships, according to a press release.
Awarded by the NACS Scholarship Program, the 11 college students were selected to each receive a $3,000 scholarship.
In addition to the scholarship, each recipient received a stipend to attend the 2015 NACS Show, which was recently held in Las Vegas.
The students were recognized during a special ceremony and were given “the first-hand opportunity to learn more about exciting career paths in the industry.”
Each recipient was nominated by a company official for the scholarship because of their “academic excellence, leadership and passion for convenience and fuel retailing.”
The 2015-16 NACS Scholarship recipients are all currently employed with an NACS retail member company.
