This week, we cover new openings, including that of Waterway Express; an anniversary; awards; and a charity drive.
Waterway® Carwash introduces first Waterway Express
ST. LOUIS — Waterway® Carwash, setting the standard in the carwash industry for 40 years, is pleased to announce the first Waterway Express is now opening in St. Louis, according to a press release.
The new location is 2261 S. Kingshighway, on the northwest corner of Kingshighway and Southwest Ave., the site of a former BP gas station, the release continued.
Waterway Express opens the weekend of July 20-22 with free carwashes to the public, the release stated, and customers can get acquainted with this new service from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The Waterway Express, featuring a double-tunnel concept, is the first Express to open in the five cities Waterway serves, the release noted.
Providing busy people with the convenience of an efficient carwash, the drive-through carwash features a high-capacity wash, multiple self-vacuum stations and competitive pricing, the release added.
Waterway Express is committed to the same great Waterway experience that customers have come to know and expect, the release noted.
“This is an exciting concept for Waterway with its sole focus on fast and friendly service,” explained Waterway President and CEO Bob Dubinsky. “And we really do mean unbelievably fast. Our experienced Waterway staff will be out there on site at all times to offer assistance to customers.”
Waterway has invested $4.5 million in improvements to the site, which includes bioretention basins as well as LED lighting for the entire facility, the release noted; an estimated 20 jobs are being created.
Air Force One Detailing Team conducts 15th annual detailing of Air Force One aircraft
SEATTLE — The 15th anniversary Air Force One Detailing Team hits Seattle’s Museum of Flight from July 15-22, and in addition to the first presidential jet Air Force One, there is a new airplane on the agenda this year.
Master detailer Renny Doyle rand his handpicked team will continue their annual cleaning and preservation of the presidential plane on display at the museum, but they will also take their first shot preserving the museum’s newest acquisition: a Boeing B-52G Stratofortress Bomber known as Midnight Express, the release continued.
Built in 1960 as a nuclear-armed Cold War platform, she was used extensively during the Vietnam War, especially active during Operation Linebacker II in Dec. 1972, which led to the release of 591 prisoners of war in 1973, the release noted.
Also on the agenda this year is polishing the B-29 Super Fortress, a WWII bomber the team began restoring in 2011; cleaning and polishing the first-ever Boeing “Jumbo Jet” 747; polishing the supersonic Concorde Alpha Golf, which they have been working on since 2014; and numerous other priceless aircraft on exhibit at the Museum of Flight, the release stated.
Chosen and organized by Renny Doyle, the “Detailer of Air Force One,” and his wife and business partner, Diane Doyle of Detailing Success in Big Bear, California, all detailers are trained and certified by the International Detailing Association (IDA) and by Doyle himself, the release added.
All team members are successful detailing business owners in their own rights and make the minimal two-year commitment to the team on a voluntary, pro bono basis, the release concluded.
DRB Systems Named One of Northeast Ohio’s Top 150 Workplaces for the Second Year
AKRON, Ohio — DRB Systems, based in Green, Ohio, is proud to announce that it has been included in Northeast Ohio’s Top 150 Workplaces for a second year in a row, according to a press release.
Cleveland’s Plain Dealer newspaper has teamed with Energage (formerly called Workplace Dynamics), an employee research and consulting firm, to determine the area’s best workplaces based solely on employee surveys, the release continued.
Here are just a few of the words employees used to describe DRB Systems, the release stated: success, fun, customers and growth.
Employees firmly agreed that DRB Systems is going in the right direction, that the company operates by strong values and ethics and that they would highly recommend working at DRB Systems to others, the release concluded.
Bling King Car Wash
TAMARAC, Fla. — Bling King, one of Sonny’s Enterprises’ international customers, has been featured in the Belgium press for its impressive, state-of-the-art carwash, according to a press release.
Below is the English translation of the original transcript, the release noted, along with the Focus WTV video, which can be found at https://www.focus-wtv.be/nieuws/als-autowassen-een-belevenis-moet-worden.
“If you think washing a car is a boring job, you might want to walk by the Bling King, along the Bruggestraat in Torhout. At Bling King, a carwash becomes a total sensory experience, enhanced with light and smell. This carwash equipment comes from the world’s largest manufacturer of carwash equipment, Sonny’s The CarWash Factory, an American company. Sonny’s has been aiming for experience-oriented carwashes for some time. The carwash is not only spectacular but also sustainable. The energy for the LED lights, among other things, comes from solar panels, and the cars are washed with reclaim water. Thanks to Bling King’s own water treatment system, 80 percent of the water can be reused. The investment amounts to around €2.5 million.”
Hydra-Flex a finalist in the Minnesota Manufacturing Awards
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL — Hydra-Flex, Inc. has been named a top three finalist in two categories — Community Impact and Best B2B Product — in the 2018 Made in Minnesota Manufacturing Awards, according to a press release.
Hydra-Flex is a finalist for the Community Impact award for giving back to the community through employee volunteer programs, donations, and service, the release noted.
The company is a finalist in the Best B2B Product category because of the success of its Aqua-Rocket Industrial Turbo Nozzle, a high-pressure nozzle from Hydra-Flex that is changing the game in the industrial cleaning industry due to its durability, cleaning power, and ability to save precious resources, the release stated.
“We are honored to be finalists in these two categories, because it really shows the kind of people we have at Hydra-Flex,” said Jaime Harris, president/CEO and co-founder of Hydra-Flex. “We are deeply committed to leaving the world better than we found it through both our innovative, sustainable products and philanthropic efforts.”
Hydra-Flex and other finalists will be celebrated at an awards event in Minneapolis on Sept. 20th and will be honored in the September/October issue of Minnesota Business Magazine, the release concluded.
Palmer High School Band raises nearly $1,500 at Wild Blue Car Wash fundraiser
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The William J. Palmer High School Band was able to raise $1,487 at its carwash fundraiser hosted by Wild Blue Car Wash’s Academy location on July 14th, according to a press release.
Wild Blue Car Wash donated 50 percent of its wash sales from the fundraiser’s duration to the group, while band members and volunteers sold baked goods and vacuumed and dried cars for additional donations, the release noted.
“The staff at Wild Blue Car Wash is simply top notch. They make this the most stress-free fundraiser we do,” expressed Band Director Mr. W. Dale Crockett. “They set everything up for us and we simply show up, work the vacuum area, man the bake sale table and have a great time with all the customers. Thank you, Wild Blue, for supporting our band.”
Ultimate Shine Car Wash opens 10th location
BRISTOL, Va. — According to www.citizentribune.com, Ultimate Shine Car Wash announced that it will open its 10th location at 1309 Euclid Ave. in Bristol, Virginia, this month.
In addition to opening the new location, Ultimate Shine is also updating its nine other locations with state-of-the-art technology as well as modernizing its brand, the article continued.
The family-owned company first started in 2005, and Ultimate Shine opened its first express carwash tunnel in 2010, the article noted; since then, the company has rapidly expanded.
“We owe a lot of our success to the support of the community in East Tennessee, and we constantly strive to better serve our customers. The new equipment we’re putting in the tunnels at our existing locations and the features that our new Bristol location offers will help us not only meet our customer expectations but exceed them,” Ultimate Shine Owner David Wild said.
The Bristol location with include a high-tech polishing tunnel, which is a second conveyor used to wax and shine a vehicle in three minutes after the vehicle exits the express carwash tunnel, the article noted.
The nine other locations will be upgraded with a new premium wax, advanced drying systems, new digital menus and street signage, the article stated.
Ultimate Shine has grown quickly since its inception, and the new look it is sporting — meant to create a clean, modern brand and reflect the industry’s leading technology — represents the business’ evolution, the article noted.
“We’ve grown a lot as a business over the last 13 years, and we wanted to make sure that our brand has grown with us. We took this opportunity to modernize our look while still maintaining the brand that the community has become familiar with over the years,” Wild said.
In addition to the new look, Ultimate Shine will also modify its pricing, the article concluded; the four wash packages will now range in price from $8 to $20 for a single wash and $14.95 to $29.95 for a monthly unlimited plan, but during July and August, the company will run a summer special with a $3 discount off any single wash.
