It's been an awesome event so far, full of plenty of opportunities to connect with old car wash friends and make new connections to help enhance your business. Be sure to check us out on Facebook for more photo highlights from the successful event!

Shammy Shine Car Washes of NJ and PA, joining with over 3,400 other car wash locations nationwide, will offer free car washes to veterans and current military service personnel between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. The washes are being offered through the Grace for Vets Free Wash Program. "We're excited that the program has expanded internationally as it allows more military service to be honored," says Tom Halford of Shammy Shine. "I'm proud to be a part of an industry that continually supports our military."

Squeegeeing never seemed so spooky. A Belmont businessman has combined his love for Halloween haunts with his car wash that opened earlier this year. "I'm a Halloween nut," said David Warlick, owner of AquaWave Express Car Wash on Wilkinson Boulevard in Belmont. 

A car wash in Glenview sold a $700,000 winning Lucky Day Lotto ticket for the Monday midday drawing.

Customers who bought a lottery ticket from Kathe's Car Wash of Glenview, 825 Milwaukee Ave., may want to check their numbers right away. The winning ticket matched all five numbers – 12, 13, 16, 22, 32.

People driving by 1111 River Valley Blvd. soon will see a large barn take shape. The barn will not be for animals, however, but for vehicles. John Roush plans to open a Moo Moo Express Car Wash there in December or January, joining 10 other branches throughout central Ohio, including Pickerington, Reynoldsburg and Gahanna. He also is set to open a new car wash in Heath in about a month. 

Quick Quack Car Wash, a Roseville, California-based company, has announced the opening of the latest of at least 10 car washes to be built in Utah County over the next two years. The new car wash is located at 692 East 800 South in Orem and will be giving away free car washes for 10 days to celebrate its Grand Opening from October 26 through November 4. The car wash is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed on Sundays.

Workers are remodeling and modernizing Baywash at 1695 W. Morton Ave. "We want to give the people the best possible car wash available," said Terry Hansen of Jerseyville, who co-owns Baywash with his son, Jarrett. The updated car wash will have two new automatic washing units, according to Jarrett Hansen of Jerseyville.

Hill Peyton grew up in the Gate Petroleum Co. family business. Along the way, he said he’s worn many hats for the multifaceted company best known for its gas stations and convenience stores. Now, Peyton is adding a new hat – he’s head of Gate Express Car Wash, a business expansion of Gate. He will continue to run the company’s charitable foundation. 

You have an ambitious team member who’s asking to be promoted to manager. He’s great at his job, but is he really ready to lead? How do you judge his skills and experience? What’s the best way to measure his potential?

If you've been following my column for a while, you've noticed humility is one of my favorite leadership traits to write about. But because this word has a different effect on different people, it's often misunderstood. Some interpret it as having a lack of self-confidence or being timid – traits too soft to survive in the harshness of business life. Far from the truth. 

Ninety percent of shoppers say reviews impact their purchasing decisions. They are as good as gold – when they’re real. There’s just one catch. They’re well aware that retailers buy fake reviews, and they’re suspicious of them. And with good reason. Roughly 16 percent of restaurant reviews on Yelp are fake, according to a 2013 study. And up to 15 percent of all online reviews are fake.

Smart businesses know that it costs less to retain existing customers than it does to acquire new ones. That's why so many brands are focused on loyalty marketing – campaigns designed specifically to bring in repeat business and referrals.