Year Founded: 1957
Founder: Victor Odermat
Current President/CEO: Victor Odermat
Number of Locations: 20 tunnel locations, 20 self-serve locations and four in-bay locations. Some locations have combined services.
Carwashes Located in: Washington
Carwash Equipment Used: AVW Equipment, Sonny’s Enterprises, Hanna
Add-on Profit Centers: 22 gas locations (15 with c-stores)
Brown Bear: We view our primary competition as the driveway carwasher. We offer an environmentally friendly, time-saving, more-effective, and safer alternative for washing their vehicles.
MCC: What are the three most important factors to staying successful during the current recession?
Brown Bear: 1. Keeping the customer from viewing the carwash as a luxury service that can be cut from their budget. This can be achieved by effectively marketing the benefits that regular carwashing can have on vehicle finish preservation.
2. Consistently meeting or exceeding customers’ value expectations.
3. Monitoring and controlling variable expenses
Brown Bear: The offering of a free carwash day at all our tunnel sites every August. The free media exposure it generates is significant, and it gives us an opportunity to introduce new customers to our operation.
MCC: How important has environmental stewardship become in your business practices and marketing messages?
Brown Bear: Up until the current economic downturn, it was very important. We were one of the first in the industry to really push the “green” aspect of commercial carwashing on a widespread basis. We have federally trademarked “Wash Green” and use the mark throughout our advertising. We also funded a groundbreaking toxicity study on the potential impacts of driveway carwashing that has been cited by governmental agencies throughout the country and abroad.
While the environmental message remains an important one, we believe that the current economic conditions will find the customer placing a greater emphasis on the vehicle-preservation benefits of commercial carwashing.
Related Articles: