This week, we cover the grand opening of a new Wash Tub location, an award, an expansion, a groundbreaking and an anniversary.

The 25th Wash Tub location opens

HELOTES, Texas — The Wash Tub Car Washes opened its 25th full service carwash location in Helotes, Texas, according to a press release.

The location features full automotive detailing and includes a gift boutique shop, the release continued.

The Wash Tub is ranked No. 13 among Professional Carwashing & Detailing’s list of the Top 50 conveyor carwashes and continues to expand in San Antonio and South Texas, the release added.

In celebration of its 25th location, The Wash Tub gave out annual carwash memberships to the first 200 customers, the release concluded.

VisionQuest named a Best and Brightest Company

HOLLAND, Mich. — VisionQuest Inc. has been named to the list of West Michigan’s “101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” by the National Association for Business Resources, according to a press release.

VisionQuest Inc. is the corporate parent of local carwash chain Quality Car Wash, national carwash franchise Tommy’s Express Car Wash, carwash developer Tommy Car Wash Systems and West Michigan-based marketing group Navigate, the release continued.

According to the National Association for Business Resources, “Companies that excel at employee relations, use innovation to motivate employees and implement creative compensation programs will be recognized.”

By evaluating factors including compensation, benefits, employee enrichment and shared vision, an independent research firm evaluates each company for inclusion in the appropriate regional list, the release noted.

VisionQuest Inc. is proud to be included and recognized alongside so many long-standing, innovative and distinctive West Michigan businesses, the release concluded.

Towel Pros Microfiber Specialists expands nationally

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — There is nothing elementary about third-grade school teacher Robert Regan, entrepreneur and owner of Towel Pros Microfiber Specialists, a company he started in 1995 after realizing microfiber fabric was the perfect solution for the automotive industry to prevent scratches, streaks and water spots, according to a press release.

After more than 20 years as one of the largest sellers of microfiber towels west of the Mississippi River, Regan announced a huge expansion of Towel Pros with the opening of four distribution centers across the U.S. in New Jersey, Texas, Washington and later this fall in Florida, the release continued.

In addition to teaching third grade at Monte Vista School in Santa Barbara, the release noted, he owns yet a second business there: Santa Barbara Auto Detailing.

Regan is an experienced high-end detailer who was a member of the 2013 Air Force One Detailing Team at Seattle’s Museum of Flight, the release added.

“I understood early in my detailing career the importance of using soft, absorbent material for cleaning automobiles and precious surfaces — something that was durable but did not leave lint or microfine scratches,” Regan said. “With Towel Pros, I perfected the durable, absorbent microfiber fabric, which is capable of absorbing seven times its weight in soil or liquid, making it ideal for cleaning surfaces like car paint, glass, metal, countertops, vinyl and ceramics that are susceptible to fine scratches, holograms, smudges, streaks and water spots.”

Regan has opened an East Coast distribution center at Dirty Harry’s Detailing in Rochelle Park, New Jersey, to handle sales from the eastern seaboard west to the Mississippi River, the release noted; Owner Harry Sandwith will also open a second center in Cape Coral, Florida, later this fall.

Caleb Robbins of CTR Auto Spa in Odessa, Texas, will manage sales in Texas and the southwest region of the U.S., and Bill Quinn of Bill the Buff Man in Ephrata, Washington, will manage a smaller sales region that includes Washington, Oregon and Utah, the release stated.

Regan will continue to manage sales to California and the Pacific West region, the release continued.

Towel Pros specializes in four types of microfiber towels, the release noted, including highly absorbent waffle weave drying towels; edgeless, tagless, paint towels; thin glass towels; and a variety of all-purpose towels that are perfect for cleaning ceramic coatings, wheels, door jambs, bumpers and car interiors.

Towel Pros also carries a variety of detailing accessories such as grit guards, clay bars and microfiber wash mitts, the release concluded.

For more information about the national expansion of Santa Barbara’s Towel Pros Microfiber Specialists, contact Regan at (805) 448-5132 or Kimberly Ballard at (256) 653-4003.

Dutch Car Wash LLC breaks ground in Aurora, Colorado

AURORA, Colo. — Dutch Car Wash broke ground on a state-of-the-art, $5 million express carwash facility on the southwest corner of South Parker Rd. and Quincy Ave., according to a press release.

The carwash is scheduled to open to customers in early 2019, the release continued.

The one-acre site will feature a visually stunning 110-foot-long tunnel with full-length bay windows; a curved, transparent roof for natural lighting; round, stainless steel equipment arches; and 17 free, self service, dual-hose vacuums, the release added.

Dutch Car Wash will have the latest carwash technology, the release stated, including RFID readers for unlimited carwash members and a dual belt conveyor system for easy loading, amongst other customer-friendly amenities.

The customer will stay in his or her car while it is automatically guided through the tunnel, where the vehicle is soaked, soaped and washed with multiple soft cloth brushes and then high-pressure rinsed with a spot-free solution for a high shine and completely dried with 18 high-power dryers, the release added.

Total wash time, from wash entrance to exit, will average about two to three minutes, the release noted.

Every 20 to 25 seconds, another vehicle can be loaded onto the conveyor, the release added, which will keep the wait times at the wash queue at a minimum; this is important, since this location has an average daily traffic count of over 85,000 vehicles.

This earth-friendly carwash has a water recovery system which is designed to capture, filter and recycle up to 90 percent of its water, so it uses much less of this precious resource and enables Dutch Car Wash to be part of the WaterSavers® program, the release added.

Dutch Car Wash will offer a monthly unlimited carwash program with packages starting as low as $19.99 per month, the release noted, and using a mobile app, customers will be able to purchase and manage Monthly Unlimited Club Memberships.

A small RFID tag will identify the car and enable it to drive right through without stopping at the pay station, the release stated.

Commercial membership packages will also be available for professional drivers, the release stated, such as Uber, Lyft, limos, taxis, etc.

Carwashes will begin at $7.99 for those preferring to commit to one carwash at a time, the release noted.

Dutch Car Wash is thrilled to be part of the local community by providing customers with a great, quick and easy option to keep their vehicles clean all year long, the release concluded.

For more information, please contact Christina Beumer, co-owner and general manager at [email protected].

DeanHouston celebrates 30 years in business this summer

CINCINNATI — DeanHouston Inc., a leading full service, business-to-business, integrated marketing communications firm, will celebrate its 30th anniversary as an agency this year, according to a press release.

This milestone marks multiple decades of delivering strategically-based, creative marketing solutions and exceptional results to prominent clients in the industrial and technical services sectors, the release continued.

Since launching in the summer of 1988, DeanHouston has undergone a significant transformation mirroring that of the rapidly evolving business landscapes in which it operates, the release added.

With co-founders Dale Dean, Greg Houston and Pam Houston at the helm — and also as the only staff members — their small, technical, products-focused, boutique agency quickly developed into a fully integrated organization that today employs more than 70 talented marketing professionals operating from the company’s offices located in Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Chicago and Shanghai, the release noted.

“DeanHouston is really the quintessential American success story,” said Greg Houston, principal of DeanHouston. “We literally started this company with an idea. We had no clients when we opened our doors in July 1988. With a little luck, a lot of hard work, the trust and support of great clients and years of personal sacrifice, we have been able to build a solid business.”

Early on, DeanHouston’s offerings primarily consisted of graphic design, illustration and content development services, the release stated; today, the company boasts a full range of integrated marketing services, beginning with strategic marketing followed by traditional and digital marketing strategies, brand development, graphic design, web design and development, media and publicity, video production and 3D animation.

“As a true entreprenuerial venture that began on a shoe string, we always applied ‘The DeanHouston Way,’ which means ‘Whatever It Takes’ to help our clients succeed,” said Dale Dean, president and CEO.

To mark the company’s 30-year anniversary, DeanHouston will hold a special celebration at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center from October 22-23, the release concluded.

For more information about DeanHouston, please visit deanhouston.com.