From Sept. 23-25, the carwash industry gathered in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for the Northeast Regional Carwash Convention (NRCC) 2019. This year marked a significant milestone for this regional event in that it was its 30th anniversary.
In 1989, NRCC’s early organizers gathered in Newport, Rhode Island, for its inaugural event. According to information gleaned from organizers, the first NRCC drew approximately 300 attendees and featured 50 booths, and the floor space measured about 6,000 square feet.
Over the years, the event has grown in popularity as a major industry convention held annually in the Northeastern U.S., drawing much wider appeal.
Last year, NRCC 2018 featured over 320 exhibitor booths and 1,492 attendees. This year’s event, however, was one for the record books.
During the course of the three-day event, 1,847 attendees were treated to an extensive educational program and a trade show that included 348 booths filled with the latest in carwashing and detailing innovations.
From the Virtual Carwash Tour moderated by Tom Hoffman Jr. on Sept. 23rd until the show floor closed at 2:30 pm on Sept. 25th, attendees partook in various educational sessions and 10.5 hours of expo time.
This year’s keynote address was delivered by John Roush of Moo Moo Express Car Wash in Central Ohio. He shared his experiences from becoming a single-site operator to now being part of a chain that is featured among the top 50 conveyor chains on our publication’s annual list.
“There’s really no secret sauce to the carwash business. There’s nothing anyone in this room has that we don’t know about. There’s only one secret, and that’s where you’re going to go next — where your next site’s going to be. And that’s a secret you don’t want to tell anybody. Otherwise, anything anyone [here] does … should be shared. And when we all rise … that means [the industry rises] too.”
On Sept. 24th, an awards luncheon was held to honor some of the outstanding people in the professional carwashing and detailing industry. Award recipients included:
- Emerging Leader
- Carlos Robledo, AquaTech Car Wash Solutions
- Shane Alden, Hoffman Car Wash
- Guiding Light
- Sandy Murphy, Professional Carwashing & Detailing
- Distinguished Person
- Tom Hoffman Jr., Hoffman Car Wash
- Jeff Gold, Buckmans Car Wash
- Brett Benderson, Delta Sonic Car Wash
- Hall of Fame
- Kevin Detrick, Innovative Control Systems (ICS)
“It was indeed an honor to serve as co-chairman, along with New York State Car Wash Association (NYSCWA) President Walt Hartl, as the host association for this year’s show,” said Mike Benmosche, 2019 co-chair of the event. “Our 30th anniversary truly lived up to the new standards set this year and will raise the bar for years to come. It was wonderful sharing stories with new and old friends. I believe this exemplifies the tremendous commitment from our operators, vendors, suppliers and manufacturing family toward the advancement of the carwashing industry.”
Be sure to check back on Carwash.com and www.nrccshow.com for information about NRCC 2020.
