Around the Industry - September 2015

Around the Industry – September 2015

The latest happenings from around the car care and c-store industries.

PC&D launches Guest Post

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — We strive to provide our readers with the latest trends, technologies and techniques impacting the industry. In order to better achieve this goal, Professional Carwashing & Detailing has launched a new blog, Guest Post, on carwash.com.

This blog will feature helpful car care tips and advice on a variety of industry-related topics, from carwashing and detailing processes to marketing, add-on services and targeting new investors, written by you, our valued readers.

Have you launched a new concept at your business? Are you testing the waters with an innovative technology? Do you have some advice or great technique you would like to share with your fellow car care professionals?

In the Guest Post, share helpful tips, stories and techniques to discover what works, and maybe even what doesn’t, from those who know the industry best: your peers.

Email the PC&D editorial team with your Guest Post idea, and you could be featured as a guest blogger.

Contact Editorial Director Rich DiPaolo at [email protected] or Assistant Editor Maria Woodie at [email protected].

 

Connecticut passes sales tax on carwash services

MANCHESTER, Conn. — Connecticut lawmakers are imposing a new sales tax of 6.35 percent on carwash services, including vacuums and coin-operated washes, according to wfsb.com.

An association representing around 100 family-owned carwashes across Connecticut wants the Connecticut General Assembly to revisit the sales tax because it is “concerned its members will have to absorb the cost.”

Local carwash owners feel that if they have to increase prices to help cover the sales tax, the higher prices may not cover the full cost and might result in the loss of price-sensitive customers.

“You put everything you own on the line to run a business,” said Todd Whitehouse, former president of the Connecticut Carwash Association (CCA) and owner of Connecticut carwashes. “And for someone to come in and say, `We’re going to tax you on something you can’t collect, just raise your price,’ is not the answer. We’re a discretionary purchase. People need gas in their vehicle to get to work, but they don’t need a clean car to get to work.”

 

Hackers steal credit card information

COLONIE, N.Y. — Hackers have stolen credit card information from a local carwash in Albany County, New York, according to news10.com.

A local resident said in the article that she has been the victim of credit card fraud at two different local carwashes. Her card information was first stolen at Colonial Car Wash and, most recently, at Hoffman Car Wash in the city of Colonie.

Tom Hoffman Jr., CEO of Hoffman Car Wash, found a virus at the Amsterdam and Village of Colonie locations. “We then started scanning every other location and could not find any problems with the 19 other carwash locations we operate,” he added.

The breach was immediately reported to the Secret Service, and they were able to figure out how it happened. “We did make a mistake with one location’s router configuration,” explained Hoffman. “That allowed the breach, and we’ve been able to correct that situation.”

 

ETP and Sunoco LP announce billion-dollar transaction

DALLAS — Energy Transfer Partners LP (ETP) is selling 100 percent of Susser Holdings Corp. to Sunoco LP, according to CSPnet.com.

The approximately $1.93 billion sale was “driven by the desire to accelerate Sunoco LP’s exposure to the fast-growing retail business with its exciting backlog of organic growth opportunities and strong EBITDA performance.”

Sunoco LP is majority-owned and managed by ETP, which also owns Stripes LLC and Sunoco Inc.

ETP said that the addition of substantial scale and size for Sunoco LP will deliver new organic growth opportunities as well as improve its ability to focus on a wide range of third-party acquisition opportunities.

 

Newport Beach City Hall urges residents to conserve water

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — City hall in Newport Beach, is encouraging residents to conserve water, according to dailypilot.com. The city was asked by California to reduce water use by 28 percent.

Home carwashing can use more than 100 gallons of water compared to carwashes equipped with recirculating water systems, which can use less than half that amount.

“More often than not, I see a river of water running down my street because neighbors are washing their cars,” said Allen Drucker, a Newport Beach resident. “We’re letting our lawns die to conserve water, but we’re not willing to take our cars to the carwash and do the same?”

Drucker frequents The Car Spa once a week, which the location’s manager, Alu Almeida, says uses around 16 to 18 gallons of water per wash.

Eric Wulf, CEO of the International Carwash Association (ICA), estimated that every minute in use, around eight to 10 gallons of water leave a household hose.

 

New event posted: Car Care Expo 2016

MUMBAI, India — A new event has been posted to our Events page on www.carwash.com. The event, Car Care Expo 2016, will take place Jan. 21-23, 2016, at the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre in Mumbai.

Car Care Expo 2016 is India’s first car care exposition and is being held in conjunction with four related expos: Clean India Pulire, Laundrex India Expo, IFS Expo (Integrated Facility Services Expo) and Waste Technology India Expo 2016.

The event will feature a wide assortment of technology, chemical and equipment solutions for car cleaning and maintenance.

You can find this expo as well as other industry events on our Events page.

Listing your event in the pages of PC&D magazine and on carwash.com can help you reach a wide range of industry professionals and draw a larger audience to your event. Want to submit an event? Contact Rich DiPaolo at [email protected].

 

Aurora considers sales tax on coin-operated machines

AURORA, Colo. — The city of Aurora is considering a tax on coin-operated machines, according to The Denver Post.

A recent audit of several coin-operated laundry facilities and carwashes in Aurora found that the city has never collected a 3.75 percent sales tax for renting the equipment used at these businesses, such as vacuum hoses and washing machines used on-site.

According to Trevor Vaughn, manager of Aurora’s tax and licensing division, other cities located around Denver are considering or have started collecting similar taxes, and it is time for Aurora to do the same.

This “compliance initiative,” explains Vaughn, will help the city bring in up to $300,000 in annual revenue.

 

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Big Dan’s Car Wash opens first location in Southwest Georgia

ALBANY, Ga. — The site boasts a 150-foot tunnel, self-prep stations and 30 vacuums.

Big Dan’s Car Wash logo

ALBANY, Ga. — According to a report on WALB.com, Big Dan’s Car Wash opened its first location in Albany, Georgia.

The carwash, located at 375 N Slappey Blvd., offered free washes for several days during its grand opening.

This is the first location in southwest Georgia, and company officials noted that several other sites in South Georgia are in development, according to the post.

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VICTORIA, Texas — The new wash is the second of at least three planned Victoria locations.

Mammoth Holdings opens Silverstar Car Wash in Coon Rapids

DALLAS — The opening marks the 26th Mammoth location under the Silverstar Car Wash brand.

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LANSING, Mich. — The event will feature Mark Fisk, a partner at Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications.

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UNC’s Paulina Paris featured in ZIPS Car Wash Convos

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Paris joined the UNC women’s basketball team for the 2022-23 season after being ranked as the No. 27 player in the country.

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