This week, we cover a Mammoth Holdings acquisition, a new hire, company recognitions, a world record and grand openings.

Mammoth Holdings forms “operator-focused” conveyor carwash platform

ATLANTA — Mammoth Holdings LLC, an Atlanta-based express conveyor carwash operator, has formed a 22-unit platform with the acquisitions of Birmingham-based Marc-1 Car Wash and Atlanta-based Wash Me Fast LLC, according to a press release.

“We’ve brought several leading brands under one roof to create the first carwash acquisition platform formed by industry-insiders,” said Gary Dennis, Mammoth’s co-founder and CEO. “We are ‘customer-focused’ operationally and ‘operator-focused’ when it comes to acquisitions. We want to be the partner-of-choice for carwash operators who want liquidity yet want their company and employees to end up in the right hands.”

“When I looked at this opportunity a couple months ago, it made sense to me immediately,” said Marcus Kittrell, the founder of Marc-1 Car Wash who will be senior vice president of operations and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for Mammoth in addition to being a major investor. “I spent the better part of my life building my business, and joining forces with operators I trust and respect, who are as passionate about customer service and providing a great place to work for their associates as I am, was an easy decision.”

Chip Hackett, Mammoth’s co-founder and CFO added, “When Marcus said he was ‘in,’ Gary and I knew we were putting together something special, something leading operators in the industry like Marcus have wanted for a long time.”

Jim Dudley, the founder of Wash Me Fast who made a significant investment in the Mammoth platform, said, “I could have sold my business many times and chose not to. Mammoth presented the opportunity to sell to a group that I know will take care of my customers and employees the way I would have. They’re operators who know the carwash business, and they made the whole process easy for me.”

Mammoth partnered with Red Dog Equity LLC, an Atlanta-based private equity firm, which, through its partnership with Tom Pritzker’s family business interests (advised by The Pritzker Organization), has additional equity capital available to fund Mammoth’s future acquisitions, the release noted.

Harris Williams advised Mammoth, and Monroe Capital provided debt financing and an acquisition facility to Mammoth, the release concluded.

New customer service manager appointed for MacNeil

BARRIE, Ontario — MacNeil Wash Systems has named Wendy Missen as its new customer service and inside sales manager, according to a press release.

In this new role for the company, Missen will be responsible for guiding customer service, inside sales and order processing, and working closely with the 48 members of MacNeil’s international distributor network and four North American sales managers to process and track customer orders, the release continued.

“Wendy joined us as our equipment order coordinator and has brought a tremendous amount of organizational experience and customer service savvy to the Customer Service Department to deliver best-in-class customer care,” said Jeff Tulk, plant operations manager for MacNeil Wash Systems. “This is a key role in the partnership we have with our distributors and owner-operators, and I’m looking forward to having Wendy lead significant growth on our key objectives in this area.”

Hydra-Flex named a fastest-growing private company in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL — Hydra-Flex Inc. was recognized for rapid revenue growth, bold innovation and its entrepreneurial spirit by earning a spot on the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s (MSPBJ) Fast 50, a list of the region’s fastest growing private companies, according to a press release.

Appearing on the list for five consecutive years, Hydra-Flex jumped to the No. 23 rank due to a revenue growth rate of 69.25 percent over the last three years, the release noted.

“Climbing two spots on this prestigious list is a humbling honor,” stated Jaime Harris, president and CEO of Hydra-Flex. “Sustaining growth in our competitive and dynamic industries calls for both innovation and adaptability on a continuous basis. This award is a testament to the quality people, processes and products we have at Hydra-Flex.”

Kim Johnson, the MSPBJ Fast 50 project editor, commented on what it takes to make the cut as one of the fastest-growing private companies. “Every year, we seek nominations from the Twin Cities that will share their financial secrets,” says Johnson. “Everyone is held to the same requirements to ensure the integrity of this list, which includes some of the state’s most dynamic companies.”

See the full Fast 50 list at MSPBJ | 2018 Fast 50 List.

“The Car Wash Guru” sets world record

SMYRNA, Ga. — On Sept. 16, 2018, Bentley Brandon, owner of Luxury Wash in Smyrna, broke the world record for the number of cars washed by an individual in eight hours, according to a press release.

The previous record, set by a gentleman in India, was 55 cars washed in eight hours, the release continued.

Brandon set out to wash 100 cars alone by hand in eight hours and succeeded, the release noted; as such, he will be included in the 2019 Guinness Book of World Records.

“Hand washing cars, you have to be very athletic,” Brandon said. “For the most part, if you’re really good at what you do, you’ll build an audience, or from a business standpoint, you build a customer base. For the last decade, I did both. People gather to watch me wash cars. I became so busy that I couldn’t watch regular sports like football, basketball, baseball. Day and night, I washed cars seven days a week, and it was like a marathon. Carwash is my sport.”

In addition, Brandon achieved another feat this year: having Car Wash Day recognized on July 14th in the state of Georgia, the release added.

Brandon hopes to have the date recognized nationwide one day and is currently speaking with the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, South Carolina and Texas about having Car Wash Day adopted in those states, the release stated.

“Never in history until now has any state proclaimed a Car Wash Day,” Brandon said. “Clearly, this isn’t a local issue nor regional — this concerns every driver in the world. In most cases, drivers don’t wash their cars, which causes hazardous conditions for other drivers. As far as carwash operators, we deserve our very own day as we keep the dirt out of people’s lives.”

In addition, Brandon also founded CarWash Careers in January 2018 to help staff carwashes around the globe, the release concluded.

For more information, visit www.carwashcareers.com and www.bentleybrandon.com.

New Tommy’s Express location opens

SARASOTA, Fla. — According to www.sarasotamagazine.com, Tommy’s Express Car Wash recently opened a new location at 4615 S. Tamiami Trail.

It is the first of several locations that owners Nick McMullen, Will Grosz and Mark Mitchell plan to open in the area, the article continued.

The location features a 130-foot belt conveyor, soft cloth brushes, tire shine services, hot wax and more, the article concluded.

Top Shelf Car Wash opens new location

TITUSVILLE, Fla. — According to www.spacecoastdaily.com, Top Shelf Car Wash, a full-service carwash, recently opened its newest location and celebrated with free washes from Oct. 12-14.

The automated carwash features ultra-soft, gentle cloth and spot-free water, and it is completely environmentally friendly, the article continued.

The carwash offers detailing services, hand waxes and free self-serve vacuums in addition to unlimited wash plans starting at $19 per month, the article noted.

Chip Burton, a 25-year carwash veteran who designed and developed the location, said, “Our commitment to ‘green’ carwashing includes the recycling of almost 50 percent of the water. We use much less water than you would use during a driveway wash, and all of our used wash water is discharged into the sanitary sewer rather than in the grass and into a storm drain and eventually into our pristine rivers and lakes. This dedication to environmentally responsible carwashing is reflected in our membership in WaterSavers, a nationally accredited organization with strict guidelines for eco-friendly carwashing.”

Podium Named to Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups List

LEHI, Utah — Podium, the leading customer communication platform for local businesses, has been named to Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups list for 2018, according to a press release.

An elite group of 25 companies, the list highlights those that members from Forbes’ editorial team and TrueBridge Capital Partners believe have a strong shot at reaching a valuation of $1 billion or more in the near future, the release continued.

“The startup environment is incredibly demanding and competitive, and we’ve been proud of the passionate team and loyal customers we’ve accumulated in these first few years,” said Eric Rea, CEO and co-founder of Podium. “As we have gone from working in a spare bedroom in an apartment to having local businesses connect with one in eight U.S. cellphone owners using Podium’s platform, we have had a long list of humbling moments. Earning a spot on this ranking is definitely one of those moments and we look forward to continued growth in years to come.”

Founded in 2014 and now working with more than 25,000 businesses to create over 4 million customer interactions a month, Podium has quickly become one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in the U.S., the release stated.

Recently hitting $50 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), the company is changing the way that local, offline businesses interact with their customers across a variety of markets including automotive, medical/dental, retail and home services, the release noted.

Making this Forbes list adds to the widespread recognition Podium has received in 2018 so far, the release added, including being:

• Ranked No. 13 on the 5000 list of America’s fastest growing companies for 2018
• Named the 2018 Best SaaS Product for Small Business/SMBs by The SaaS Awards
• Named to the Forbes 2018 Cloud 100
• Listed as one of Inc.’s Best Workplaces for 2018.

To compile the annual list of the Next Billion-Dollar Startups, Forbes teamed up with TrueBridge Capital Partners to ask nearly 200 venture capital firms to nominate the companies they thought were most likely to become unicorns, the release stated.

Forbes narrowed down the field from over 100 businesses to 25 by looking at revenue, funding and their most recent valuation, the release concluded.

To see the full list of Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups for 2018, visit: www.forbes.com/next-billion-dollar-startups/#17618fb04441.