Have you made your car wash or car wash products stand out and POP? If you have, and you would consider your latest endeavor to be innovative or award-worthy (or both) consider this an invitation to brag. Perhaps it is a new pay station or revenue center? Maybe a new sign or lighting options? Or, perhaps you’ve added new equipment or have debuted a new product? Send us your best photo and a few details for the chance at earning a spot in the next issue of CAR WASH Magazine. That’s right, we are opening up the floor for our members to share pictures and, yes, you’ve earned it – bragging rights!  

 

Send photo(s) to managing editor Shani Calvo at shani@naylor.com NO LATER THAN MAY 1.

This year in Nashville, The Car Wash Show will host its fifth Brian Campbell Best Booth Award. This people’s choice award is judged by Show attendees using the mobile app, and is named after Brian Campbell, one of car washing’s biggest fans. Brian was diagnosed with Williams syndrome when he was just six months old and has been attending The Car Wash Show since 1993. 

 

Take a look at the history of winners from past shows.

Source: The New York Times
At upstarts like the electric car company Byton and mainstream mainstays like Volvo, car designers are working on facial recognition, drowsy-driver alert systems and other features for keeping track of the people behind the wheel.

Source: University Herald
Today's leading tech companies are hard at work trying to use new car technology to avoid preventable deaths, including pedestrian-related ones. The rise of autonomous vehicles and sensory-laden roadways will change everything we know about preventing pedestrian deaths, and a new era of smart cities could spell an end to traffic fatalities as a serious societal problem.

Source: JALOPNIK
When the car wash function is activated, the car’s suspension shifts to the highest position to reduce the track widths, according to Mercedes’s press release. Plus, the exterior mirrors fold in, the windows and sunroof close up, the rain sensors shut off so the wipers don’t activate, plus more. All of these car wash settings shut off after the car exits the wash and reaches a speed above 12 mph.

Source: PBS
Tesla expects to have full self-driving cars in which humans won’t have to touch the steering wheel around the second quarter of next year. The company outlined its bold but risky bid to transform Tesla’s electric cars into driverless vehicles during an investor conference at its Palo Alto, Calif., headquarters.

Source: Community Impact
Ocean Express Car Wash will open a new location in September in Houston. The new location, which will be open seven days a week, will offer exterior wash packages, VIP unlimited monthly wash programs and 16 vacuum lanes for customers. The new location will be the fourth Ocean Car Wash in the Greater Houston area.

Source: Lancaster Online
Three owners of a home-improvement company, Daryl Bollinger Co. LLC Home Improvements, are opening a car wash in Pennsylvania. Brothers Jeff, Nelson and Ryan Bollinger are getting the design, layout and equipment from Tommy Car Wash Systems and Ames Construction is the general contractor. They already broke ground on their Riptide Car Wash, which is expected to open this fall.

Source:  Enterprisers Project
Business and IT leaders share examples of how they’ve turned their backs on time-worn advice and re-written their own leadership rules. Read on for their advice, and consider how it may – or may not – work for you.

Source: Inc.com
In the workplace, it is a common notion that conflict is to be avoided. However, when done in a constructive manner, challenging co-workers' ideas can lead to immense innovation and growth for an organization.

Source: MTA MarTech Advisor
Globally, customers use a plethora of platforms to better understand a product before making a purchase. Therefore, marketers must effectively understand and utilize social platforms, mobile marketing and online marketing, across multiple channels and devices while formulating their campaigns. Here are four foolproof ways to achieve this in 2019.

Source:  BizJournals
There are hundreds of factors to consider when developing a marketing strategy for a new product or service. But in order to create a successful product launch, you can’t market it within a vacuum. Now, more than ever, it’s becoming clear that one of the things that matters the most is high-quality content.