(Editor's Note: Showboat Car Wash is modeled after Classic Car Wash's Delta Queen, in Campbell, Calif. The Delta Queen facility was built in 1972. Click here to read Modern Car Care's 2002 profile.)
Company Name: Showboat Car Wash LLLP
Headquarters: Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
Founded: 2004
Founders: David Danzeisen, Tom Duhon and Scott Cole
Current President/CEO: David Danzeisen
Highlighted Location: St. Augustine, Fla.
Year Project Completed: 2005
Cost of Project: $2.75 million
Wash Process: Flex service
Carwash Equipment Used: Sonny’s, A.V.W. Equipment, Proto-Vest
Add-on Profit Centers: Detail center
Project Background:
We wanted to build a theme that matched the community, using as small a footprint for the wash as possible while building at least a 150-foot tunnel — thus allowing more area for vacuums and stacking. Florida is theme driven.
Project Challenges:
The biggest hurdles faced during design, construction and development were zoning, site plan approval, finding the right contractor and determining the correct building materials, some of which were changed due to individual building inspectors’ whims.
Project Solutions:
We asked for an exception in zoning and were granted some, but then the council reversed its position on a portion of the property 30 days later. This held up the project for six months. While we redesigned plans, site-plan approval was held up due to a tree ordinance. Fortunately, while we were in approval and start-up, a hurricane hit and took down many of the trees that were forbidden to remove. Nature acted on our behalf.
We needed a contractor who was flexible and understood carwash construction. We took a good contractor as our partner, and then bought him out.
Each building inspector had his own ideas about this type of construction, including the quality of the paints and sealants. After all our plans were approved, another inspector determined we needed to sprinkler the entire facility.
The community needed and wanted the project completed, and once pressure started to come from the general public, we received total cooperation from the local government and have received the same ever since.
Project Results:
We would never build another wash without a theme. People come from as far as 30 miles away with their kids to use our wash on a weekly basis. The facility is very user friendly. Many people come just out of curiosity; some think it is a restaurant. Our future themes will match the communities that we build in.
The only other competitor this location has is an old block, 65-foot tunnel that is over 25 years old with no upgrades. Furthermore, we put an overabundance of equipment in our tunnel, including double wraps, high-pressure side brushes, double tire applicators, double dryers, tire shine applicators, etc.
With customers staying in their cars, the experience is impressive, and they can be confidant that their vehicle will be clean and dry.
With the economy as bad as it is, we have been bombarded with many chemical suppliers. Although we have generally been loyal to our long-term suppliers, we have tried unfamiliar names in some of our other washes and have been extremely pleased with the results. Our customers are not supplier-name driven. Even at Showboat, we have had to run specials and lower our prices to keep our customers.
We have seen little or no such help from our chemical suppliers. In fact, it has been just the opposite. They have raised prices, once again putting the carwash industry in the middle. Shame on them. We hope they don’t kill the golden goose.
By the way, there are seven washes for sale — pretty much going under — in one of our local communities.
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