This year, five deserving recipients will be awarded an All-Access Pass to The Car Wash Show and three-nights accommodations at a host hotel. This scholarship is intended for up-and-coming leaders (site managers, technicians, division managers) under 45 on both the operator and vendor side of the industry. This package is valued up to $700!

Three of the most significant developments in the industry happened earlier this month. The 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and the North American International Auto Show in Detroit saw automakers new and old (and their suppliers) show off their plans and innovations in this arena. And the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued its report on the Tesla fatality. Together, they suggest a future filled with driverless cars that are both safer than today’s vehicles and radically different in appearance and comfort.

The construction that has been underway at South Meadows Marketplace is beginning to resemble its end product — a car wash. Last year, Surf Thru Express Car Wash purchased a 1.4-acre parcel for $804,115, $13 per-square-foot, according to information from Dickson Commercial Group (DCG). 

Gate Petroleum Co. is preparing to take the wraps off of its Gate Express Carwash venture. The Jacksonville-based retailer has acquired six sites for the initial push into the stand-alone car wash market. Another 11 sites are in various stages of review. Gate owns some of the sites, some could be bought imminently and others are under contract or a letter of intent. 

Rocket Wash, a $3 million car wash unlike any other in the area, is ready for takeoff. Rocket Wash, 4733 Spring St., is the first building to open in the new development by Jim and Michael Willkomm at the southeast corner of Spring Street and Highway 31. The brothers have estimated the cost of the entire development at $7 million to $8 million. 

It’s Monday, and one of your staff members has called out — again. While it's not all that frequent, the lost days are starting to form a pattern, and not a good one. So what's the best way to handle the issue? Eight successful human resources executives from Forbes Human Resources Council offer their best tips on how businesses can successfully cut down on excessive employee absences.

At the start of 2016, Google announced it had discovered the secret ingredients for the perfect team. After years of analyzing interviews and data from more than 100 teams, it found that the drivers of effective team performance are the group’s average level of emotional intelligence and a high degree of communication between members. Google’s recipe of being nice and joining in makes perfect sense (and is hardly counterintuitive).

Someday soon, MailChimp may have to change its name. That’s because the email service provider is taking what it describes as its "first major move from email-only to a marketing platform." It is now allowing its 15 million small business users to create Facebook ad campaigns within its platform. The Atlanta-based company says that it intends to become a "holistic marketing platform," and indicates it will offer tools for other channels at some point.

A large social media following can be a powerful tool for any small business but not many are willing to put in the work. Social media doesn’t have to be a chore, armed with the right information your business can become a social media superstar. In this article we’ll show you how to get a leg up on the competition on each of the big three social media networks — Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.