Company News

Mister Car Wash acquires sites in Wisconsin and Illinois

TUSCON, Ariz. — Mister Car Wash recently finalized the acquisition of five Octopus Car Wash locations in Madison, Wisconsin, and Rockford, Illinois, according to a press release.

The company continues to “accelerate its growth strategy by adding 21 stores to its portfolio since the beginning of the year.” Mister Car Wash now operates 157 carwashes in 18 states.

“Wisconsin and Illinois are strong and dynamic markets with a long history of washing cars,” said Mister Car Wash President and CEO John Lai. “This bolsters our already strong position in the Midwest, and we can’t wait to begin working alongside a very talented group of team members.”

Mister Car Wash has also been able to expand its brand by focusing on recruiting, training and maintaining talent from top leadership positions to the store level.

 

Automotive maintenance chain supports K9s For Warriors

During the third quarter of 2015, Grease Monkey International Inc. has been supporting K9s For Warriors, according to a press release.

Throughout July, August and September, participating Grease Monkey™ centers have contributed and collected donations.

In 2014 Grease Monkey™ collected more than $75,000 for K9s For Warriors, which is dedicated “to providing service canines to warriors suffering from [post-traumatic stress disorder], traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma as a result of military service post 9/11.”

“K9s For Warriors is grateful to Grease Monkey™ for their incredible support to our nation’s heroes that need our help so badly,” said Shari Duval, K9s For Warriors founder and president.

Grease Monkey International, founded in 1978, is a large automotive maintenance chain with around 300 centers located in the U.S., Latin America and China.

 

Gerber acquires collision repair center

CHICAGO — The Boyd Group Inc. announced the recent acquisition and opening of a collision repair center located in Battle Creek, Michigan. The collision center previously operated under the name Phil Smead’s Auto Body.

The center has approximately 19,000 square feet of production space.

“This is a large facility that has been serving the Battle Creek community since 1980,” stated O’Day. “We will maintain the high level of customer service and quality that has been established over the past 35 years and that we are known for at all our Gerber repair centers. Our portfolio continues to grow and we are on track to meet our targeted 2015 growth rate of [six] to 10 percent through single store additions.”

Directly and through subsidiaries, the Boyd Group is an operator of non-franchised collision repair centers in North America, with locations in five Canadian provinces under the trade name Boyd Autobody & Glass and in 17 states in the U.S. under the trade names Gerber Collision & Glass and Champ’s Collision Centers.

 

Association News

ACWA video wins international competition

VICTORIA, Australia — Two animated videos from the Australian Car Wash Association (ACWA) were entered into the 2015 StormTV Project, according to a press release.

Over 35 expert judges reviewed 150 submissions. ACWA’s video, “Stormwater Pollution The Dirty Truth: Home Car Washing,” won the competition and received the highest ratings in the public education category.

The video is a part of the Stormwater Pollution Educational Awareness Campaign, www.thedirtytruth.com.au, which according to its website, was developed by ACWA with professional input from Stormwater Australia and funding support from the Victorian Department of the Environment, Land Water & Planning. You can find the video on the campaign’s website.

The partners of the campaign will be presenting at the ACWA’s Car Wash EXPO Aug. 26-27 at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.

 

ICA seeking nominations for Car Wash Hall of Fame

CHICAGO — International Carwash Association (ICA) announced it is accepting nominations for the Car Wash Hall of Fame, according to a press release.

The inductee will be announced this October at the Car Wash Show Europe in Amsterdam.

In 1962 the first industry leaders were inducted into the Car Wash Hall of Fame. This year marks the first time that carwash leaders in the European market, specifically, are being considered.

“The concept of recognizing some of the amazing contributions that European carwash operators and suppliers have made to the world of carwashing is long overdue,” shares Eric Wulf, ICA CEO. “There is no more appropriate platform for recognizing these leaders than at Europe’s first carwash convention and trade fair.”

The Car Wash Show Europe will take place Oct. 5-7 in Amsterdam. Nominations for the Car Wash Hall of Fame can be submitted by visiting www.carwashshow.eu.

 

People News

Dosatron welcomes regional sales manager

Dosatron International Inc. has named Curtis Wendling regional sales manager, according to a press release.

Curtis recently graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in marketing.

He was active in the National Strategic Selling Institute, at which Curtis was a key account manager, and assisted in the development of a system designed to help students at university career fairs.

Curtis will work out of Dosatron’s corporate offices in Clearwater when he isn’t visiting customers, traveling or attending trade shows.

“I am very excited to start working with the great people at Dosatron,” said Curtis. “I hope to bring an added energy to the sales team, build lasting relationships with customers and help them get excited about the excellent products and services Dosatron has to offer.”

 

Mark VII welcomes new manager of special projects

ARVADA, Colo. — Mark VII Equipment Inc. has named Randy Wingert as manager of special projects, according to a press release.

Wingert has held marketing management positions in the car care industry, including with Turtle Wax and Ryko Solutions, for more than 25 years. He will be based at Mark VII’s factory located in Denver.

“Randy is a great addition to the team,” said Mark VII CEO Chris Andersen. “His broad experience in all facets of the car care business will bring a fresh perspective to strategic initiatives critical to meeting our growth objectives.”

Mark VII is the North American subsidiary of WashTech AG of Germany, a manufacturer of vehicle cleaning systems.