WIND GAP, Pa. — After graduating high school in 1981, Kevin Detrick asked his parents to lease him the carwash attached to a building they purchased, according to Keystone Edge.
Detrick bought two more carwashes during his time at Lehigh University, where he majored in business management, the article stated.
He graduated from college in 1986, the article continued, and quickly discovered that there are several components to running a successful carwash.
“The machinery is complex, needing constant adjustment and maintenance, and making sure customers are happy with the results requires vigilant quality control,” the article added.
Innovative Control Systems (ICS) was founded in 1988 and manufactures high-tech controllers for carwashes as well as outdoor kiosks, reported the article.
The first carwash, Sparkle Car Wash, is still running today and is the site ICS uses to test new systems and its R&D, noted the article.
When asked what’s next for ICS in the article, Detrick responded, “We’re introducing our 4D (four-dimensional) carwash controller; it’s operating in two carwashes right now. We believe this is going to be the future of carwashing. We’re starting to automate more of the carwash process, in addition to the business processes around the carwash.”
Read the entire article, which includes a Q&A interview with Detrick, here.
