Hold On To Your Hat
Home-style operators take Texas by storm

By Sara Cooper

For many, a classic red barn surrounded by tall, tangled oaks and expanses of green grass conjures up images of home-cooked bacon and clothes drying on the line in the warm summer sun. It is the type of scene that few associate with a carwash--unless, of course, they're talking about the Wash Tub Car Wash in San Antonio, Texas.

Although visitors are more likely to find a carpet shampoo than bacon on the menu, and it is mainly hoods and windshields drying in the sun, the family-owned business maintains a level of country-style comfort not to be found at the average carwash.

Wash Tub currently owns 10 carwashes in the San Antonio area, with five more on the way. But don't be fooled. This is not a corporate conglomerate sucking up profits at the cost of quality. On a busy day, it is not uncommon to see Wash Tub president Matt Vizza and his team of managers rolling up their sleeves to scrub and polish vehicles.

"We manage by example by getting out in the field," Matt says. "My dad and I are constantly out in the field with [the employees] doing the equipment maintenance and installation."

The hands-on philosophy is what has kept the wash's family-owned feel intact since the first Wash Tub opened in 1986. Al Vizza, Matt's father, started in the business as an equipment distributor for Sherman Industries, now Hanna-Sherman, in the late 1960s. In 1985, Matt left the public accounting industry and approached his father about financing a carwash facility. Al and his wife, Dorothy, are responsible for founding the business and carrying it through its early years.

Matt says Wash Tub now services 60 to 70 percent of all vehicles being washed in the San Antonio area. The one- to 1.2-acre facilities are strictly carwashing and detailing, relying on Sonny's equipment including 110-foot conveyors. Matt estimates that the company washes about 68,000 to 70,000 cars per month.

He attributes much of the wash's success to a strong management team, including general manager, Charlie Saenz and vice president of operations, Gary Stinnett. "There is a nucleus of about 20 folks who are like family that treat the business like it is theirs," he says.

Aside from the central carwash business, Wash Tub also operates a paint and body shop and limousine company, largely managed by Stinnett. Both businesses have proven to be complementary to the carwash.

Dealings with dealerships

Who better to have on your team than the guys who are selling customers their cars? Wash Tub's make-ready division has been set up to bring washing services on-site at car dealerships. About 10 to 12 dealerships currently sublet all of their make-ready work to Wash Tub. The carwash sets up hand carwash bays to perform services on new and used vehicles.

"We are professionals at washing and detailing cars, and they are professionals at selling cars, so we have basically been able to mix the two together," Matt says. The dealerships appreciate the arrangement because they are not required to deal with the chemical and labor issues. Over the years, Wash Tub has set up small satellite offices at the dealerships they service, each with a manager and crew of five to 10 employees.

Wash Tub also provides the dealerships with paint and fabric warranties so if a customer obtains a three-year paint sealant or a five-year fabric guarantee, Wash Tub will provide those services. One benefit of the arrangement is that the dealerships offer Wash Tub Car Wash Club membership as part of their selling packages, providing car buyers with one year of unlimited carwashing. This means long-term customers for Wash Tub.

"It is unbelievable the synergy that is there," says Matt. "There is nothing better than a car salesman in a car dealership promoting your name to their new car buyers who are unsure of how to care for their vehicles."

The Wash Tub logo can be found all over the dealerships, including on the windshield of every new car that exits the lot. "We put a little sticker on each car that says 'This car made ready by Wash Tub,' and it sets on the front glass of the showrooms in the dealerships. I just couldn't pay for that kind of advertising," Matt says.

The company started out doing a lot of dealership work at the carwash sites, but Matt found the pickup and delivery was too much trouble. He says the program works best for multi-site operators. If an owner only has one store, the value of the carwash club membership isn't as strong, he says. Since Wash Tub has locations across San Antonio, the services they can provide are convenient for dealerships.

Exploring new territory

The company builds its one- to 1.2-acre facilities in prime retail areas.

The Wash Tub detail shops offer an extensive array of services including engine clean and dress, 100-percent carnuba wax, cigarette-burn repair and paintless dent removal. For customers in need of more intensive work, the company also operates a paint and body shop. The shop is adjacent to one of the carwashes, which provides for a lot of customer crossover.

"If you build relationships with carwash customers and they get in a car wreck, they are more likely to come and see you because they know who you are and what you are all about," Matt says.

The company also runs a limousine business, located at their corporate headquarters. Brochures for the service are kept at the various carwash sites. Because Wash Tub is a long-established name in the community, customers tend to have a greater level of trust in the limousine service's credibility.

Catering to large corporations is another way the business is exploring new carwash territory. Wash Tub employs two full-time sales people who offer sales presentations to companies about the benefits of keeping company cars clean. Real estate companies, for example, are ideal candidates because image is so important in their industry.

"They have customers coming in and out of their cars, and they spend time in pre-construction areas where their cars are constantly getting dirty," Matt says. "We sell them discounted wash passes so they can come into any of our 11 locations whenever they are in town."

Wash Tub looks specifically for fleet businesses that will set up charge accounts at the wash. They then offer the companies volume discounts based on the dollar amount of purchases throughout the month.

The company's willingness to venture into new business territory earned it the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the year award for South Texas in 1998.

Building a new site

Wash Tub currently operates 10 carwashes in San Antonio, Texas.

The company just finished two new sites and will be breaking ground on two more in May. To the Wash Tub team, putting up a new site does not mean contacting the right people and then walking away. They are their own general contractors--involved, hands-on, every step of the way.

"We are there from designing the plans with the architect and the engineers to hiring all of the subcontractors. When we get to the stage where we are ready for equipment, we buy all of our equipment from Sonny's, do all of our own installation and set up our own interior," Matt says.

Wash Tub has even done a few consulting jobs for other operators outside of its competitive area, supervising projects and installing equipment.

The main difference between setting up a carwash 10 to 20 years ago and setting one up now is all the paper work involved with zoning and building permits, according to Matt. One of the recently constructed Wash Tub sites took 16 months to get through permitting. Others have taken close to a year, with challenges arising from dealing with city officials in different areas of the state. The Vizzas have learned after many years of erecting new sites that there will always be construction problems.

"You will have one inspector one day and another the next, and they will view it differently," Matt says. "Even though the code says one thing, they basically have the jurisdiction and power in their hands to tell you how they want it done. And that is hard to deal with sometimes."

Building in Texas has been difficult in growth areas. Matt says things are growing so fast in some areas that municipalities can find it difficult to keep up. He says a carwash operator building a new facility has to be flexible and able to adapt to change.

Wash Tub typically builds on sites in established, high-retail areas. Matt says it is worth paying top dollar for sites that guarantee business. Wash Tub will often buy extra land next to a carwash and lease it out to a fast lube center or another complementary business.

Everything changes

One of the biggest changes Matt has seen over the years is the focus on aesthetics. He has seen welcoming lobbies and modern-looking buildings replace the outdated carwashes of the 1960s and 1970s. Wash Tub puts a lot of effort into making the carwash homey and inviting. Wash Tub caters mainly to female customers who make up the bulk of the business.

Another recent change is the level of environmental responsibility carwashes are expected to have. The Southwest Carwash Association has done a lot of work putting together a water conservation program designed to educate city officials about carwash water use, Matt says. Wash Tub had lobbyists working alongside those sent out by the association. Matt says the program did a lot to make the public and local utility companies better informed. In fact, the utility companies are now encouraging people to use full-service carwashing. This is great advertising for Wash Tub. The company recycles 50 to 60 percent of the water it uses. Matt says a good relationship has been established between the city and carwash operators conserving water.

Continuing to grow

Matt says he plans to continue growing and promoting the company's product and name throughout new regions.

"People ask me, 'Well, how big do you want to get?' As long as we are providing great customer service and representing our family business, our logo, our name and our image, I think we are going to continue to grow in areas where there is a need and where we can respond and perform," Matt says.

Despite the high level of expansion, the company does not plan to enter the franchising scene. Matt says he is not ready to relinquish the family-owned presence at each wash or the image associated with the name.

Matt recommends that anyone considering getting into the carwash business spend a few weeks at a carwash, working out on the line, and getting to know the business from the ground up. He says the most common reason operators fail is because they are not prepared to handle the seven-day-a-week business that depends on capital, labor and the weather.

Over the years, Wash Tub has had its successes and failures. Matt, however, says if he could do it all over again, he wouldn't change a thing. "It has been a long haul to get to where we are, and it is always nice to be able to look back and see what it took to get here," Matt says. "If it was easy, it wouldn't be nearly as rewarding."

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