This week, we cover new leadership at GO Car Wash, company honors, a new hire and a new partnership.

GO Car Wash expands C-Suite leadership 

PHOENIX — GO Car Wash has named JT Thomson president and chief development officer, Ira Rotenberg chief financial officer and Brett Meinberg chief operating officer, according to a press release.

The installment of these three leadership positions strengthens GO Car Wash’s upward trajectory as it grows in markets across the country, the release continued.

“We now have the key team to advance our acquisition plans for aggressive market expansion,” said Darren Skarecky, GO Car Wash CEO. “JT Thomson has been with GO Car Wash since its inception, has a clear vision of our path and applies astute leadership in developing business in each market we target.”

At the helm, Skarecky, who was previously part of the executive team at one of the nation’s largest carwash consolidators, and Thomson will intensely focus on new growth development through acquisitions and new site build-outs, the release noted.

Rotenberg was most recently vice president of finance/corporate controller at Phoenix-based American Vision Partners, the release added; prior to that, he was corporate controller at Avella Specialty Pharmacy and Isagenix International.

Through his 25 year career, he has developed scalable platforms for high-growth companies, the release noted.

Meinberg was president and CEO of Car Wash Express in Colorado, director of information systems at Denver’s International Car Wash Group and sales engineer at DRB Systems, a premier carwash technology systems company, the release added.

“This is an incredible team with significant experience to rapidly grow GO Car Wash throughout North America,” said Thomson. “Brett’s tech experience in the industry is unmatched, and Ira’s impressive financial background completes our power team of industry leaders for this top-tier platform.”

Having finalized nine Kansas City-area site acquisitions this year alone, GO Car Wash was founded in 2019 with the goal of building a multi-regional carwash company with clusters throughout secondary cities across North America, the release noted.

Headquartered in Phoenix, GO Car Wash will primarily focus on high-quality exterior express carwashes, with a multi-pronged growth strategy focused on acquisitions, partnerships and new site build-outs, the release concluded.

Hydra-Flex Inc. ranks No. 26 on 2019’s fastest-growing Minnesota companies

SAVAGE, Minn. — 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 (MSTBJ) 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 placed No. 26 due to a revenue growth rate of 66.23%, the release continued.

“By telling the ‘work hard, play hard’ Hydra-Flex brand story in a way that resonates with future employees, we have found that prospects embrace our founding story and are as passionate as we are about our mission to create measurably better fluid-handling products,” stated Jaime Harris, president and CEO of Hydra-Flex Inc. to MSPBJ in a recent article.

To be eligible for the Fast 50, companies must have consistent revenue growth for the last three consecutive years — and they had to start out with revenue of at least $1 million, the release stated.

All financial statements have to be verified by the company’s own independent accountant and are also reviewed by our accounting partner, the release concluded.

Goo Goo Express Car Wash named one of America’s Best Customer Service Brands of 2020 by Newsweek and Statista

COLUMBUS, Ga. — Goo Goo Express, a premier carwash company with 49 sites in the southern U.S., was recognized by Newsweek magazine for being one of American’s Best Customer Service Brands for 2020, according to a press release.  

The distinction was based on an independent survey of more than 20,000 U.S. customers conducted by global research firm Statista, which ranked retailers and service providers in 160 categories overall, the release continued.

The complete list, which distinguishes Goo Goo Express and two other carwash brands, can be found on the Newsweek website (https://www.newsweek.com/americas-best-customer-service-2020) and will be featured in the Oct. 18th edition of the magazine, the release noted.  

“Providing professional and friendly customer service has always been a point of pride for us. Being selected anonymously by customers and called out for our excellence in this space is really the highest form of praise. We are humbled by this honor and salute our employees for the leadership they have shown to make us deserving of this recognition,” said Phil Wise, regional vice president of Goo Goo Express Car Wash. 

The company’s commitment to customer service goes back to one of the formative principles of its founder R. D. Beck in 1945 and lives on today as a defining value at Goo Goo Express and its parent company, the International Car Wash Group (ICWG), the release concluded.

JBS Industries appoints new director of sales for North America

CINCINNATI — JBS Industries, a provider of carwash chemical technologies and carwash operator and distributor service programs, has announced the appointment of Randy Wingert as director of sales for the North American market, according to a press release.

Wingert is a sales and marketing leader with an accomplished track record of driving business growth with leading companies in the commercial carwash industry, the release continued.

Prior carwash industry achievements for Wingert include a successful North American turnaround for the Turtle Wax Professional division, Clean Touch chemical program at National Car Wash Solutions and Total Carwash Care chemical program at Mark VII Equipment, the release added.

Wingert will be working directly with the JBS Industries leadership team in Lebanon, Ohio, and replicating successful sales and marketing programs for the company’s North American distributors and retail carwash operator customers, the release stated.

The company has announced recent growth initiatives, and Wingert will be driving new channel growth in new distributor and OEM segments of the carwash industry, the release stated.

“We are excited to have Wingert join our leadership team, and he brings the market knowledge and innovation we have been looking for today,” said Scott Baeten, owner of JBS Industries.

UVP Digital and Creating Margin announce partnership

MILWAUKEE — UVP Digital and Creating Margin announced a strategic partnership to help set a new standard in the digital signage industry, according to a press release. 

The two industry leaders are teaming up to provide clients with an end-to-end solution for their digital signage needs, the release continued.

“As an example of our commitment to providing value and outstanding service to our client base, we are extremely proud to partner with Creating Margin to add another component to our digital signage solutions.” said Stanton Foster Smith, national sales manager for United Visual Products.

“We are so excited to have an opportunity to complete UVP’s comprehensive hardware offering by providing tailored training and content development services to their end users and partners. Together, we have a strong shared vision for how to provide turnkey solutions to customers and look forward to providing unique value to businesses across the country,” said Matt Krebs, founder and president of Creating Margin.

Belanger Cube^® draws significant interest at 2019 PEI-NACS Show

NORTHVILLE, Mich. — Belanger has announced that its new Cube^® Soft-Touch In-Bay Automatic Wash System received an overwhelming response by attendees at the 2019 PEI-NACS Show, which took place from Oct. 2-4 in Atlanta, according to a press release.

The Cube is an in-bay automatic (IBA) wash system that provides a quieter experience for the customer while also improving the quality of the wash, the release continued.

“We couldn’t be happier with the overwhelming response the Cube received at this year’s PEI-NACS Show,” said Allen Luce, sales manager. “Operators in attendance were impressed by the Cube’s innovative ‘smart’ features that allow them to choose the best ways to market their sites while delivering better throughput and cleaner cars. Additionally, the Cube was designed with the idea that a successful wash operation begins with meeting the needs of the person behind the wheel, and this new wash system does just that.”

Prior to developing the Cube, Belanger conducted an extensive voice of the customer (VOC) survey to learn what customers expected from a wash experience, the release added.

From this VOC, Belanger engineered a unique wash system that addresses each of the top requests, such as lower noise, no vehicle damage and higher quality of wash, the release stated.

To learn more about the Cube Soft-Touch In-Bay Automatic Wash System from Belanger, please visit belangerinc.com.

Belanger is part of OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions (VWS). To learn more about VWS, please visit opwvws.com.