Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good
Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Lisa Swiftney.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hi everyone and
welcome to episode number 142 of
the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Today we have as our guest wehave Mike Schwader and he is
with Wagon Wash in RochesterHills.
How are you doing today, mike?
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I'm doing.
Great.
Thanks for having us on today,Lisa.
We appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Great Thanks for
being a guest.
Let's start off by telling ourlisteners about your business.
What do you do?
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Thanks, lisa.
Yeah, we appreciate it as a newbusiness to the Rochester and
surrounding communities WagonWash.
We really try to bring aone-stop shop retail business to
the dog and cat industry.
So I think there's a lot ofmisconceptions currently with
neighbors out in the communitythat were because we had that
wash at the end of our name,that were just a self-wash.
(01:00):
But in actuality we run thegambit of services.
We have full-service groomingso that goes all the way down to
nail trims.
You can walk in for those.
We also have the full-serviceor maybe a bath and brush in
between a grooming.
We also have the self-washstation.
So we have state-of-the-artwhat they're called K9000
self-wash tubs and we've heardgreat reviews from all the
(01:22):
neighbors that have been in.
They use them so far and we'reactually thinking of adding two
more because we've been gettingsuch rave reviews here this
summer.
so more to come on that amazing,yeah, and then, in addition to
that, the the product that wecarry.
So we run everything fromPurina, from Redford Naturals,
so all the different brands thatyou're thinking about at your
(01:46):
normal big box stores.
We're carrying the nationalbrands, but then we're also
carrying some of the nichebrands across both dog and cat,
so that includes Raw and Natural.
In the freezer section we havean entire freezer section.
We have toys, treats, we havecat food, we have cat toys, we
have all the health and wellnessCBD products.
So we really try to fit forthat one-stop shop, like I said,
(02:09):
in the community, and inaddition to that, we recently
got all of our college and proteam sports apparel in store for
folks to you know, get theirlions or their wings or their
Pistons gear or their Michigan,michigan State.
They can get that for theirfurry friends at home as well.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Oh, that is amazing.
That is so good, so I'm goingto have to stop by and pick up
something.
So we are a house divided, sowe'll have to see who gets to
wear what.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
I think the you know,
I think the couple other things
I want to make sure we stressto the folks in the community is
I've been, is I was born andraised in Metro Detroit.
I've lived here my entire life.
Our store GM, chris Foster, isalso a key part of our business.
He grew up in the UP.
We actually, coincidentally,met in college and we've been
friends ever since and businesspartners as well.
(02:59):
We are locally owned andoperated.
All of our employees and staffare local to the surrounding
community, love animals and welove to see our neighbors come
in with their furry friends.
And I want to also mention,because I think a lot of folks
don't realize this, we are partof the Pet Supplies Plus family
(03:19):
and our Wagon Wash brand.
We actually are the firstlocally owned and operated
business here in Michiganoutside of our corporate store
in Ann Arbor that's right downfrom the big house, but we've
got 28 locations nationallycurrently.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Wow, I didn't realize
how big you guys were.
So tell our listeners aboutyour journey and you mentioned
it a little bit in your lastquestion but tell us how did you
get into this business?
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yeah, so you know I
started my career in the data
analytics market research worldworking for some large you know
large Fortune 500 companies andhave always had a passion for
pets.
So a huge driving force behindmy family's love for animals was
my mom.
I actually lost her this pastJuly.
I appreciate that.
(04:09):
But the reason I bring that upis she was a huge and integral
part of why our family was sosupportive in the animal
community, leading even up tothis before getting into the
retail business.
And you'll notice that in ourdonation bin in store she'll be
a driving force in that effortout in the community forevermore
.
So she always had, every year,had local rescue she liked to
(04:31):
donate to.
We would donate our extra food,things like that.
We will continue to do that asa store.
Every month we will donate to adifferent rescue in our
donation bin and you'll see thatevery month, along with the
adoption events, events, we'reworking with leader dogs, we're
lurking, working with gromforever tales.
So a whole plethora of differentcommunity organizations and
(04:52):
that's really what's a hugedriving force for this.
Yes, we want to have asuccessful business, but it's
also to help the surroundingcommunity and help those furry
friends and their families whoare in need, and and that's a
huge pillar of our business andwhy, you know, this was probably
the 25th business I had, youknow, looked into and the other
(05:14):
driving force was the PetSupplies Plus leadership that
really underscored the integrityand the values that we had and
it matched and aligned and itwas kind of a match made in
heaven, if you will.
So it was an easy decision oncethat kind of, you know,
alignment came to fruition andwe're just so excited to be part
(05:36):
of the rochester community andpart of this organization
because they really back us,support the neighbors, support
our pets and make sure we'redoing the right thing, not
what's best for the business inin all cases well, so true.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
So can you tell us of
any myth or misconceptions that
you hear about in your industry?
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, so you know a
lot of folks think that, from a
grooming perspective, one of thethings in the pet industry is
kind of an assumption like onlylong haired dogs need to be
groomed, which in fact a lot ofdogs and cats can benefit from
grooming.
Even short hair breeds needbaths, nail trims, ear cleanings
to stay healthy.
So those are all things thatwe're working to help our
(06:22):
neighbors achieve, and groomingcan not just be about aesthetics
.
Of course we want our pupslooking fresh and crisp and
everything on a daily basis, butit's more than just aesthetics.
Sometimes Grooming can helpprevent skin issues, detect
health problems early and keeppets comfortable, especially in
the summertime.
Hopefully we're coming out ofthose winter sessions and
(06:42):
getting the pups outside anddirty and in the mud and come in
and use those self-washstations.
And you know.
You know nail trims, I think,are also an under utilized thing
when we see dogs coming in withlonger nails, so I know a lot
of folks try and get them out.
You know, on the cement to keepthem down.
The frequency of your nailtrims is critically important to
(07:06):
you know, ensuring that you'renot getting overgrown and then
having additional issues.
You know moving forward, so Ithink that's the other thing.
Self-wash stations I thinkthat's another misconception,
that they aren't worth it.
You know, within our store, for$20, everything integrated
shampoo, conditioner, water,your dryer, towels, your aprons,
(07:26):
in between a groom.
You're out at the park, you geta little money.
You're out in the yard, youdon't want to dirty your tub up.
We're a great economical choice.
Come in, we do all the cleanup,we do all the hair cleanup out
of the tub, you don't have toworry about a thing and we're
always disinfecting in betweeneach dog so that we're not
transferring anything back andforth.
So again, it's a really niceconvenience and we do all the
(07:49):
heavy lifting.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
That is great, so
take your dog out for a walk.
Let them roll in the mud andstop by your place on the way
home.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Correct.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Right.
So, mike, tell me, when you'renot working on your business,
what do you like to do for fun?
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Well, as a busy
father of a 14-year-old who
plays travel sports, we staypretty busy with school
activities, travel sports.
I would say one of my biggesthobbies, especially in the
spring, summer and fall, is golfhere.
You know that's been a bigthing in my life since I was in
high school, started playingback then and you know, fun fact
(08:27):
, I was fortunate enough myselfand Chris, with some friends,
got to see Tiger in the Mastersin 2019.
And I will hold that memoryforevermore in my life.
You know it was one of thecoolest experiences I've ever
had.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Oh, that is amazing
and he is fun to watch.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
He is.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
So what are the few
things that you want our
listeners to know about yourbusiness?
How long have you guys beenopen?
Speaker 3 (08:58):
So we actually opened
.
We've only been open aboutthree months now, so we opened
October 18th of 2024.
And I think the biggest thingfor us is we want our neighbors
to know that we're here to helpyou.
You know our team members havea lot of knowledge and if we
don't know something, we'regoing to go help and find out.
So we have access to differentprofessionals.
(09:18):
Whether you're having a foodallergy issue, you're looking
for a specific type of brand ortype of brand you know, recipe
or, if you will, we can go lookinto that for you.
So we're not just going topoint you in the direction,
we're actually gonna help youanswer or find out, help you
find the answer that you'relooking for.
So you know we want to supportthe other local vets, trainers,
(09:43):
all the other ancillarybusinesses as well.
So we're also going to haverecommendations for you when you
come into the store on some ofthose types of things.
And we're really excited aboutRochester Hills opening up some
additional parks in the area andNowicki Park should be going in
, not too far from our store,and we're super excited about
(10:03):
that because that will include adog park and so that just means
we get to see more of theneighbors, dogs in the area and
coming by the store and it'sjust exciting for us.
We all love animals.
You'll hear that from myselfall the way down to our retail
staff.
You know we've already become afirst name basis with a lot of
our, our furry friends.
You know hey bandits in thestore today.
(10:24):
It's one of the corgis thatcomes in regularly to our store
and it's just a fun day.
You can't not smile when, whenyou get dogs coming in every day
and their neighbors rightthat's right.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
That is right.
You just see those littlelittle dogs walking down the
street, or even the big dogswalking down the street.
You just can't help but smile.
And it doesn't put a smile oneveryone's face.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Absolutely so help
your listeners.
Oh, go ahead.
No, I was going to say that youknow, the biggest, you know
thing that we've talked about isensuring that folks feel
supported.
So you're going to get thatvery neighborly welcome when you
come in, and it really is aboutbuilding those local
relationships.
So please don't hesitate toreach out to us.
(11:08):
We're here to help and we'dlove to see it in the store.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
That is great.
So our listeners are intrigued.
They want to know where theycan go and find you.
So how can they find you?
Where are you located?
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Yeah, absolutely so.
We're actually at the corner ofAdams and Silverbell, right
next to the Kroger, and you'rekind of just touching the edge
of Oakland Township there.
You can find us on our website.
We have all of our eventsonline, along with our team
members, some photos of thestore.
So go to wagonwashcom slashRochester.
You can find us there.
(11:43):
You can also find us on Google,so there's a business page for
reviews and and all those kindsof things.
But then also, most importantly, follow us on our socials
facebook, instagram, tiktok.
You can even find us on yelp.
We're always sharing contentabout upcoming events adoption
events, pet parties.
We actually just had one instore where we're giving away a
bunch of free swag.
(12:04):
We have free pup cups, freesamples from some of our partner
vendors that we were givingaway, so these are all fun
activities.
One of the big ones that'supcoming, we're going to have
Forever Tales Animal Rescue andfor the third time since we
opened with them alone, we'vealready helped adopt 20 plus
dogs in the first few monthswe've been open.
We can't wait to continue tohelp you know and see where
(12:27):
we're at at the end of 2025.
That's a huge goal across thewhole Wagon Wash brand and Pet
Supplies Plus, for that matter.
But that's something we reallytake to heart and we know we're
doing good things when we seethose furry friends find their
forever homes.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
That's amazing and
yes, you guys are doing amazing
work.
That's amazing and yes, youguys are doing amazing work.
So I want to say thank you forbeing a guest today on our
podcast and letting ourlisteners learn more about you
and what you do.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
We appreciate it very
much, lisa, and we look forward
to seeing you and our and ournew neighbors in the store soon.
Thanks for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast, rochester
.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNPRochestercom.
That's GNPRochestercom, or call248-988-9640.