October 11, 2023 • 35 mins
Simoniz's Jake Collison has spent over two decades in car washes. In this episode, Jake dives into the evolution of car wash products, Simoniz's commitment to quality and innovation, and how Simoniz collaborates with car wash operators to meet their specific needs and challenges.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jake Collison (00:01):
Hey
Kevin Zalaznik (00:12):
everyone, welcome back to the Modern Car
Wash podcast.
Our guest today is Jake Collisonfrom Simonize.
Jake, welcome.
Good morning.
Thank you for having me.
So I know you didn't just fly inor drive in just for this
podcast.
Uh, you are, it's almost likeyou're a Hoffman Car Wash
employee.
We see you all the time.
You're in our tunnels.
You're fine tuning things.
(00:33):
If you had to put a number onit, let's get right into it.
How many days of the year areyou on the road?
Jake Collison (00:39):
A lot.
I try not to calculate all thedays because it would be
shocking.
I know that, uh, the past coupleyears I've averaged in the
hundreds of overnights.
Um, which is all just part ofthe job.
Yeah.
Kevin Zalaznik (00:54):
I, I hope you have a understanding family at
home.
Wonderful family.
My
Jake Collison (00:58):
wife and kids are phenomenal.
I've done this job since beforemy kids were born, so they don't
know anything different.
Yeah.
Um, but yeah, I love my job somuch.
I'm so focused and so into thisbusiness that traveling is just
part of it.
Yeah, so we
Kevin Zalaznik (01:13):
had Al West from Simon Eyes on, I believe, in
season two, but...
So you're a second Simonize, uh,representative here.
What exactly is your title andwhat do you do at Simonize?
Okay, uh,
Jake Collison (01:25):
good question.
I'm Simonize sales and service.
Okay.
So I have a sales territory thatI cover.
And then along with that, uh, Ido servicing of all my accounts.
So my job is I get the productfrom our factory to the car
wash.
And then ultimately on to thecustomer's vehicle.
And I'm tasked with doingeverything in between.
(01:47):
So.
The order gets created with me.
I track the progress of theorder, make sure it gets
delivered in a timely manner.
And then once the product isthere at the customer's
facility, I make sure that weget it onto the car, maximizing
efficiency, all while trying toperform the task that the
product is designed to
Kevin Zalaznik (02:05):
accomplish.
Yeah, I think it's interestingbecause when I first came into
the industry, I would think thata supplier like Simonize would
be like, Here's your barrel ofchemical.
Good luck.
Yeah.
But it seems that you guys gothe extra step as far as making
sure that not only do you havethe product, but the product is
being used the right way so thatat the end of the day, the
(02:28):
customer's happy, the operator'shappy, Simon and Isaac's
Jake Collison (02:31):
happy.
Absolutely.
When I first started in the carwash business, I was, um, 16, 17
years old.
It was 1998.
I was, uh, in Indiana.
And we had a express car wash.
That's all we had at the time.
Um, our chemical rep would showup every few months.
He would sit in the office andhe'd smoke a couple cigarettes
(02:53):
with the owner and they wouldtalk and laugh and then he would
leave.
And I was always like, wow, thatmust be a fantastic job.
I mean, there's really not muchto it.
It's relationship business.
Um, which it is.
It's a big relationshipbusiness, but the other
component to it.
Which is what makes Simonizeexcel is that we're on the
(03:14):
ground working with ourcustomers.
We're in the field Maximizingchemical efficiency and usage
and helping our customers growtheir business at the same time.
Yeah,
Kevin Zalaznik (03:24):
so let's rewind Alright, so 1998.
Mm hmm.
You're in it Indiana,
Jake Collison (03:30):
Indianapolis, Carmel, Indiana, north side of
Indianapolis.
Yeah.
Was uh, what was the operator?
Duke's Ultimate Car Wash.
Okay.
Alright.
And this was also at the timewhen, uh, Mike's Yeah.
Was fairly young.
Um, they still had a car, a lotof car washes.
They were the premier car washin town.
Everybody looked up to him.
(03:51):
I used them when I wasn't goingto, to the car wash.
I worked at.
Um, so yeah, so it was 1998carwashing was, uh, you know,
and our market was an expressmodel.
Um, the city had some fullservice operations, but a lot of
it was, yeah, the express modelat the time.
How
Kevin Zalaznik (04:07):
did you get in?
It was a family or you just werea 16 year old kid looking for a
job?
Jake Collison (04:11):
I was looking for a job.
My best friend got a job at thecarwash.
So naturally to go hang out withmy best friend, I got a job at
the carwash as well.
Shortly after I was hired there,um, this is funny.
The owner came to me and said,um, listen, it's not working out
real well with your friend.
We're going to let him go, but Idon't want you to leave.
(04:33):
And I said, you know, I lovethis job.
Go ahead.
Get rid of him.
I'll, I'll take his hours.
I'll take his position.
That'd be excellent.
Turns out they did let him go.
Uh, my best friend, he didn'tlike the job anyway.
He wasn't into it and moved onto something else.
Turned out to have a phenomenalcareer.
He's doing really well rightnow.
So don't worry about him.
Um, But yeah, that, my firstintroduction to the car wash was
(04:57):
just cause my friend workedthere.
That's how I got started.
Kevin Zalaznik (04:59):
Yeah.
It's funny.
Those just like those first jobsand like my first job was
working for McDonald's cause Icrashed my brother's car when I
was 15, uh, and I had to pay offthe, you know, so yeah, maybe a
little different than how you,you laid in your first job.
Uh, but that's a whole otherepisode, I guess, uh, in this
(05:22):
time.
So.
Uh, how did you make your wayout east then if you were in the
Midwest?
Jake Collison (05:27):
So, working at the car wash for a while.
Uh, started college.
Um, wasn't very interested inpursuing, uh, further education.
I was really passionate aboutthe car wash.
I wanted to spend all my timethere, learn everything I
possibly could about it.
I mean, when I had a PA told youI have a passion for car
(05:48):
washing, I'm talking like I hada passion for.
As soon as I get there, I'mgoing to dump the trash and I'm
going to do everything else Ipossibly can do that needs to be
done.
I love to sell.
I love to dig the pit.
I love to learn how to fixequipment.
So naturally, I was just veryenthusiastic about the, about
the building.
Where did that enthusiasm come?
(06:09):
I think it was just hard workwas instilled in me at a young
age.
Both of my parents arehardworking people.
Um, and I think that, you know,I was taught.
Um, the value of time and otherpeople's money.
So, when I was hired to do ajob, I did it the best I
possibly could.
And that was whether I waspicking golf balls out of a pond
(06:29):
or selling fireworks at the, uh,side street shops during the 4th
of July.
It didn't really matter and itstill doesn't to this day.
Whatever I do, I try and do it100%.
Did you, did you sell fireworks?
I did.
Yeah, yeah.
Pre 16 years old.
Uh, I had a job at, um, a golfcourse and then selling
fireworks, which this isIndiana.
(06:52):
So things are a little bit morelax, but,
Kevin Zalaznik (06:54):
um, yeah, now in upstate New York, yeah, in New
Jake Collison (06:57):
York in general.
Right.
I remember my dad dropping meoff at the fireworks stores and,
you know, have a good day.
And I walked up, I said, I'mhere for work.
And, and she said, okay, here'sthe cash, here's the box.
I'm leaving a scene a couplehours and that's all there was
to
Kevin Zalaznik (07:12):
it.
Yeah, yeah, that's uh, that's sointeresting.
Was there, um, one part of, uh,your mind, my mind's gonna
automatically go, Oh, he lovedthe chemical side of it, but who
knows?
Like it could have been theequipment, it could have been
the people.
Was there one aspect that youreally enjoyed?
Jake Collison (07:30):
The operations side, I really enjoyed.
I liked the, the, the, theknowing that, um, When I come in
at the day, I have these tasksto accomplish, and then I have
these goals to do, which is tosell as much as I possibly can
and produce the cleanest, driestcars I possibly can.
(07:52):
So, no, there's probably notone, one particular thing that
that stands out from the best.
It's just the, um, the joy andthe, I guess, um, um, yeah, the
joy of the job.
I found it very enjoyable.
So
Kevin Zalaznik (08:08):
you're 25 years into the industry.
Yeah.
Uh, what was the name of theoperator?
Jake Collison (09:05):
The evolution in, in chemistry, um, has been quite
a bit.
On the protectants side, there'sbeen a little bit more
evolution.
Just because those are theproducts that we see as a
consumer and we feel good about.
Um, so protectants have comefrom just your basic.
online sealant protectantproduct to a carnauba wax a
(09:27):
total surface protectant aceramic protectant and now with
the evolution of of graphene wenow have graphite infused
products Simon eyes recentlyreleased a product called graph
carbonite, which is a grapheneinfused product We're actually
applying graphite to the surfaceof vehicles in a one atom layer
(09:50):
thick Uh, layer, which makes itextremely durable.
Uh, in fact, it's 200 timestougher than steel, harder than
diamond.
So, products like that havereally pushed the protectant
side of the business along.
Kevin Zalaznik (10:07):
Oh, I mean, the idea is just because...
Um, so, you know, you go fromcarnauba wax to ceramics to
graphite, carbon now, um, from alayman.
Like, who's speaking up theseideas?
Like, where is this coming from?
And I know Simonize has manydifferent branches of cleaning
(10:30):
supplies or whatever, you're inhospitals, like all that.
Is Simonize pulling from theseother...
Industries or like, how doesthis all work?
Well,
Jake Collison (10:41):
you're right.
Well, Simon and I first, weservice three industries.
So we're in the Janssenindustry, which is hospitality,
schools, restaurants,manufacturing, basically anybody
needs to clean stuff.
That's the Janssen industry.
Uh, then we have our dealershipindustry.
Okay.
So in dealerships, we offerproducts and programs that the
(11:01):
dealers can then sell to themotoring public.
To protect their new carinvestment or their motorcycle
investment And then our thirdchannel of industry is the new
car.
Sorry on your car is the carwash in and detail shop
operations so car washing iseverything from full service car
washes to inbay and self servesand that expands into our detail
(11:25):
side of the business, which isWe actually Operate a full
service, full time retail detailshop in West Hartford, New York.
As far as how products come tomarket, uh, Bill Gore and his
team are tasked with, um, all,uh, new product innovations.
So they're constantly scouringthe world for new technologies
(11:48):
that we can use in ourchemistry.
Uh, I touched on one, um, just afew minutes ago, which was our
carbonite product.
That is a very recent technologyas recent, I believe, as the
2020s.
So not too long ago, um, thisproduct graphene was actually
discovered.
(12:09):
So it's only been a couple ofyears since its discovery.
We're already finding a way toput this technology into
protectants for the motoringpublic.
So yeah, Bill Gore and his team,they're tasked with our, our new
product development and they'vebeen very successful in it.
If you think back in the past 20years or so, we've had some
major hits.
(12:29):
We had the online tire shiner in2000, which was a pad delivery
system to shine tires onlineinside a car wash.
We had our hot wax product,which came out in around 2011.
Um, that revolutionized the carwash industry.
We have operators that were, um,15 for a top package that we're
(12:55):
able to jump up to 20 to above20 for a top package.
Um, and then now as recently wehave our, our ceramic product,
um, which launched a few yearsago and is becoming highly
successful.
And now with the new evolutionof the graphene product, our
carbonite, uh, surface hardeningproduct.
(13:16):
It's interesting.
Kevin Zalaznik (13:16):
We.
Cause I think a lot of peoplewill, when they think of car
wash sales, you know, your mindgoes the unlimited or even just
like the individual package, butit's, it's these innovations
that allow for those upsellopportunities that drive more
revenue for sure.
Um, and that's on.
So, so Carbonite in thisapplication, it's been around
(13:41):
just a couple of years.
Is there any sort of regulationor regulatory process that
Simonize has to go through asfar as the government protocols
or things like that?
How does that
Jake Collison (13:53):
work?
Yeah, I'm sure there are rulesand regulations that go into it.
Um, that's not something that Iparticularly know about.
Yeah.
Um, but, uh, the people in our,in our factory and in our
office, yeah, I'm sure there'ssome guidelines that they must
follow.
Uh, efficacy, you know,obviously we want to make sure
our products work.
Um, which they do, uh, all ofthese products are tested in
(14:16):
advance in our laboratory andalso are tested out in the field
before we launch anything.
It was going to ask
Kevin Zalaznik (14:22):
you, you mentioned Simon and I says
detail shop.
How much of that shop is usedto, for testing purpose?
Oh
Jake Collison (14:28):
yeah, quite a bit.
Um, the detail shop, that'swhere all of our latest, uh,
innovations on the detail sideof the business get tested
there.
They go in there and we actuallyuse them on our own vehicles and
we use them on customersvehicles.
Um, and then as far as thecarwashing products, um, those
are laboratory tested.
We can actually apply things topanels and different stuff
(14:50):
inside the laboratory.
Uh, but where the rubber meetsthe road is when you're in a
customer's carwash, applying achemistry, using their water to
their vehicles through theirequipment.
Yeah.
That's what really tells youwhen stuff's
Kevin Zalaznik (15:04):
going to work.
Does Simonize have a, like a, doyou have a conveyor or like, how
does that, how's that work asfar as testing?
Uh,
Jake Collison (15:11):
so as far as testing goes, we do a laboratory
first, and then we have carwashes in our area of, uh, where
we manufacture, they were ableto use to do testing.
Kevin Zalaznik (15:20):
Gotcha.
So it's more partnerships with
Jake Collison (15:22):
local kind of...
Partnerships, yeah, with local,and then, um, uh, and then,
believe it or not, I mean, a lotof these products, we'll take
them across the country and plugthem in in different areas
because you want to see how theyreact in, in different
situations.
And, um...
Something, for instance, likehot wax, we plugged it in across
the country, uh, at various carwashes and they've got the same
(15:45):
results every single time.
The operators were freaking out.
They were going, we have neverseen a product that you could
apply to the vehicle and then Icould touch it and feel that
it's on there.
Most of it is, I feel like I cansee a shinier car.
It looks a little bit glossier.
I think there's some more shinethere.
(16:06):
This was a product that youcould touch.
It really changed everything forus at Simon Eyes.
You
Kevin Zalaznik (16:11):
touched about the geography and there's, uh,
the United States is a bigcountry and car washing is a
worldwide thing.
How, how much is, um, how many,do you have to tailor to
different geographical areas, todifferent climates or.
For the most part, is it allkind of one size fits all?
Jake Collison (16:31):
Yeah, it's a good question.
Um, it's not one size fits all.
I wish it was, it would makethings a lot simpler.
But we come into contact withdifferent soils throughout the
country.
So in your southwest, we'redealing with a lot of sand and
dust where in the southeast, wemight be dealing with more bugs
and clay.
we've got salt and sand to, tocontend with.
(16:54):
So we try and tailor ourchemistry according to what
we're trying to clean on theprotectant side.
Those are fairly similar acrossthe country.
Um, our ceramic, our, uh, ourcarbonite product, our hot wax
can be applied to any surface.
Kevin Zalaznik (17:11):
From a market standpoint is, have you seen
where you're like, all right,I'll use hot wax for an example.
Is, are, we're gonna, car wax isa new thing, or ceramics is a
new thing, or graphene is a newthing.
And, for whatever reason,doesn't take off in the
southwest.
Have you seen something like,the market's just like, nah,
we're
Jake Collison (17:31):
good.
We really haven't seen that.
Most of the time, what it is,when a market is slow to grow,
it's just they haven't seen theopportunity yet.
It hasn't been explained to themor shown to them.
Once we can sit down with anoperator and show them the plan,
To how do you deploy a certainproduct?
Um, it gives them a much moreconfidence on what to do with
(17:54):
the product.
Then they go out there, theyimplement it and they, they
shav, you know, measurableresults with it.
Um, but you're not going to get,you're not going to achieve the
kind of success that you want toachieve if you just simply send
the product to somebody and say,you know, do this, you're going
to have a home run.
No, you got to get involved withthe business.
You got to show them how to useit, explain to them what the
(18:16):
technology is so they canexplain it to their customers.
Kevin Zalaznik (18:19):
How much does water impact how you're
delivering or how the productsused?
Um, I'm assuming you are justlike the master of
understanding.
PH bow.
I don't even know.
You know what I mean?
Like you get all that.
Yeah,
Jake Collison (18:34):
it quite a bit.
Um water varies depending on Thelocation you're in so I could
have water hardness of 13 grainsin one town And I could have
water hardness of zero grains,and this is a matter of like
five and five miles Yes, allcould be within the same
geographic region just differentmunicipalities all depending on
(18:55):
where they get their water fromthis is important when I first
Start working with an operator.
What I want to know is what'sthe water quality?
Because that's going to tell mewhat chemistry I need to use.
Or it's also going to tell mewhat recommendations I should
make to this operator before westart to go down, uh, and get
involved in a situation where wemight have some regrets.
(19:18):
First thing I like to do with anoperator is I test their water
for hardness.
I want to find out what we'reworking with.
If the water is significantlyhard, I recommend water
softening systems becauseChemistry, soaps, detergents
work best in non hard water,soft water.
Uh, the hard water actuallydepletes the cleaning ability of
the product, also decreasesfoam, and then you get sludge
(19:41):
and scale buildup inside yourcar wash.
So, um, we try and start withsoft water.
Likewise, we try and manage thatwater throughout the car wash,
so that by the time we get tothe end of the wash process,
we're not using dirty, recycledwater or water with high TDS.
Mm.
Okay.
Kevin Zalaznik (20:00):
What, um, you, you mentioned you've, you know,
you're on the road half theyear, um, and it's not like
you're just going to one carwash one day.
I mean, you're seeing probablythousands of car washes,
different operators.
Is there some low hanging fruitthat you see operators are just
consistently just not picking,like, will anything stand out?
Jake Collison (20:24):
That's very interesting because prior to the
unlimited.
Blow up in our industry.
Everything was cost per car.
So operators tried to have asmany extra services that they
could at their car wash, thatthey could offer the customer to
have these packages that theycould sell and be able to
(20:45):
explain to a customer easily ina quick manner of the, of, of
what the products in it do tothe vehicle and why they should
outweigh the money for it.
And we've kind of got away fromthat.
We've gone to more of.
Sign up for my unlimited plan.
You can wash your car limitedfor this low, low price.
And we don't talk about all theextra services and all the great
(21:06):
products we have inside our carwashes that will make your car
look better and last longer.
Um, so I think that there is alittle bit of a transition we
need to get back to a little bitof let's start educating the
public, the motoring public thatare coming to our businesses
what products we have to offerinstead of just the unlimited
plans.
(21:26):
Yeah, which.
I love the Unlimited plans.
It has transformed our industryand everybody knows that when
car washes are washing a lot ofcars, it's great for the
chemical suppliers.
Um, I also do see some moneyleft on the table on the
operator's side becausesometimes they get so fixated on
growing the Unlimited base.
Kevin Zalaznik (21:47):
And I can see that too.
You know, like, uh, that HoffmanCar Wash are...
Lowest package, uh, is 29.
99 a month and that is next tono undercarriage wash, no, it's
just soap and water, right?
Um, and I think you're right.
I think it's a lot of times it'seasy to focus on, all right,
(22:08):
well, chances are this is thepackage that they want to sign
up for because it's the lowestprice point, whatever.
But they're missing a lot ofthat.
And, and the fact that down theroad by adding the ceramic or
whatever it is, each time theygo through, like their car is
just gonna, it's better fortheir car in the long run for
sure.
Um, and by educating thecustomer that you're providing
(22:31):
value of, okay, well, you knowwhat, that 37 package is
actually worth it because I'mgetting this, this and this.
Um, I think the.
Not everyone.
Um, I think it's easy for ourindustry to almost like a race
to the bottom, right?
Like, uh, how can you priceyourself so low?
(22:52):
Um, but hey, I heard this, uh,great quote one time.
It was like, if price was theonly factor and nothing against,
uh, Honda drivers, like everyonewould drive a Honda Civic,
right?
Like that.
So there's an opportunity toheighten your production.
Uh, heighten your, the qualityof car you're putting out by
(23:14):
using great chemicals andeducating the customer on that
is going to help everyone in thelong run, uh, for sure.
So, um, all right, so your lowhanging fruit is more of an
education process, and I thinkyou kind of, you need to do it a
few different ways, whether it'sthrough marketing, through
(23:35):
signage, um, you know, obviouslythrough your team members
interaction with the customer.
Obviously, keeping the mind, theline moving is, is, uh, top of
mind, for sure.
Um, we touched on, um, kind ofthe chemical development, have,
as things become, and this ismore than the last five years, I
(24:00):
mean, this last 25 years,really, it's like, there's,
there's been more of a, uh,insurgence of going green or
being more environmentalfriendly.
Um.
What, how does Simonizeaddressing these things?
And you're, you're even seeinglike a lot of car washers are
basing their brand on, on beinglike eco or whatever it is.
So what's Simonize's approachthere?
(24:20):
Yeah,
Jake Collison (24:21):
well, uh, for years, um, Simonize has always
been environmentally conscious.
You know, we're aware of thestruggles that our operators
have, and we're aware of.
The restrictions thatmunicipalities and and uh, and
different townships can place oncar washes So therefore we need
to have a variety of differentproducts available for Uh, for
(24:42):
our car wash consumers.
So, in some parts of thecountry, there are certain
chemicals, uh, raw materials youcannot use in your formulas.
So, we have specific formulasthat don't contain these
particular ingredients.
One of them is phosphates.
So, phosphates, as they get intothe environment, they produce,
they promote algae growth.
(25:03):
So, Um a municipality might notwant to have Phosphates
phosphates being discharged intotheir sewer because then they
have to remove that Um, solikewise we have other car
washes that are zero dischargecar washes Meaning that they
don't have access to a sewer andthey don't leach into the
(25:24):
ground.
Therefore, all of the chemistryand water that they use to wash
a car, they have to collect it,and then it has to be, um,
someone has to come get it, andtake it away and dispose of it.
So, in that scenario, there arecertain chemicals that you can't
put into that water because thedisposal company won't take it.
Gotcha.
(25:45):
Um, back in the early 2000s,Simon Eyes released a whole
product line of EPA approvedproducts.
These products are, the formulaswere all approved by the, the
EPA.
Um, therefore, Car Washcustomers could be confident
that they were using solutionsthat wouldn't degrade the
environment.
(26:05):
They wouldn't ever have to worryabout, uh, forever chemicals.
Um, and, yeah, those have been,yeah, highly successful for us.
Alright.
Um.
Kevin Zalaznik (26:15):
Any insights?
Are you willing to maybe shareyour cards a little bit?
Any exciting products comingdown the line here shortly?
Yeah, we
Jake Collison (26:23):
have tons of products that are always in
development.
Even older products that we arefinding new ways to use for
different applications orrefining some of the chemistry
in them.
Um, Carbonite, which was ourgraphene infused product, that
was our latest release.
Um, that is still gainingtraction.
I don't have any new productreleases today for you, uh, but
(26:46):
I can tell you that there areseveral projects in the
pipeline, uh, for the futurethat are going to carry the
Simonize brand strongly for thenext years to come.
So, was,
Kevin Zalaznik (26:55):
um, when you looked at, uh, the Carbonite and
you said it was like developedlike two years ago, right?
It just like...
The technology is recent.
Yeah.
The 10 world.
The technology is so recent thatit almost like you didn't have
time to like build up to it.
It was just like...
Oh my gosh, here this thing is,look how great it is, get it
out, go, go, go.
Does that make your job harder
Jake Collison (27:16):
though?
It doesn't make it harder, um,it makes me have to think a
little bit quicker because now Ihave all of these products at my
fingertips to use, so I gottamake sure I'm pulling the right
one at the right time.
Uh, there's no sense in me goinginto a car wash operator going
you should get on Carboniteimmediately when they don't have
hot wax, they don't haveceramic, they might not even
(27:37):
have a total surface protect.
So.
I like to work with an operator.
Let's work you into, uh, thesepackages.
Kevin Zalaznik (27:46):
Speaking of working with an operator.
So, um, and we talked about,we'll see you in our tunnels.
Like I'll be driving through.
I'm like, Oh, there's Jake, likein the blower room.
Like, uh, um, so walk usthrough.
So if you were to go down theroad here to one of our
locations, you can pull in.
What does your day look likewhen you walk through?
And I guess this goes to abigger picture as far as like
(28:07):
what operators are getting whenthey're working with Simonize.
Jake Collison (28:11):
Um, so a couple different things.
If it's a new operator for thefirst time, I'm going to assess
their business from start tofinish.
So I'm going to look at theirwater quality.
I'm going to look at the type ofcar wash they have, the
equipment they're using, and thecondition everything is in.
If it's an existing operator,Uh, I'm going to immediately go
(28:32):
to the water, like I saidpreviously, and water is very
important.
So I start with my watertesting, and then we work
through every chemicalapplication from start to
finish.
From the pre soak, to the dryingagent, to the tire shine,
everything in between.
Um, I have a lot ofcommunication with the, uh,
operators or car wash managers.
(28:53):
A lot of times they know what'sgoing on.
They have issues that they wouldlike to have resolved.
They're just real busy doingthe, the retail operation side
of the business.
If I can capture their, their,uh, their focused for just a
couple minutes, they'll explaineverything to me.
That, that I'm looking for is alot of, so,
Kevin Zalaznik (29:13):
So, when I see you in our washes, are you there
solving a problem or you're justfine tuning
Jake Collison (29:18):
things or?
Both.
Preventative maintenance is keyin this business.
Um, I'm big on preventativemaintenance because I'm a car
washer.
Preventative maintenance is, wasa big task.
Um, so I'm big on preventativemaintenance, so I'm looking for
potential problems down theroad.
So yeah, I'm doing everythingfrom maximizing the efficiency
(29:39):
of the application to repairingthe application.
I know
Kevin Zalaznik (29:41):
Simonize and Innovated have had a bit of a
partnership as far as thedispensing or chemical
dispensary.
Um, seems like you guys took abig liking to it.
I mean, you're dealing withchemicals all the time.
Is there something in thatproduct that really stood out to
you?
(31:10):
Are there, um, when you look atnew technologies or things in
the pipeline, not justnecessarily with chemicals, but
just in general of what you'reseeing in car washes, what do
you think the next three to fiveyears are going to look like as
far as efficiency in the carwash, um, quality, et cetera?
Jake Collison (31:29):
Yeah, the next three to five years, um, is, is
going to be interesting with theamount of car washes that we
have coming online daily.
In this country, there's gonnabe a lot of options.
Mm-hmm.
So in the morning or afternoon aconsumer's gonna go, I can go to
Car wash A or I could go to carwash B.
(31:51):
What's gonna be in my paththat's gonna be the best
quality, the most efficient, uh,for my time?
So, uh, I think what you'regonna, the next thing you're
gonna see in the next three tofive years is who's gonna gimme
the better customer service.
What's going to be the bestoption for me to go to?
So, if I'm an operator, um, Ineed to make sure that when the
(32:13):
customer is coming to mybusiness, I give them no reason
to go try anybody else's carwash.
Yeah.
They have the fastestexperience, the best experience,
and they put out a clean, dry,and shiny car.
Yeah.
Of everything else.
Kevin Zalaznik (32:25):
Yeah.
We touched on, I think, a lot ofthe clean and the shining part.
Uh, drying is such a big deal.
I mean, that's the two things Ithink with drying is, uh, a
little shine is the same thingyou kind of see when you leave,
but also, uh, you want to avoidspotting, obviously.
And, uh, how much, how, how muchoperators that you see How much
(32:49):
time are you spending helpingwith that drying process?
I'm sure it's an ongoing battle.
Yeah.
Because the wind could shift theday and it screws up the flow of
the jets and all that.
Jake Collison (32:58):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Operators want a dry car becausethat's when a consumer leaves
the car wash, that's what theysee.
It's either water droplets or nowater droplets.
They're not seeing, I got cleansize, I got shiny tires, I got
clean wheels.
They're not seeing that.
They see the water droplets.
So drying is a, is a big focusof what I do.
(33:19):
Um, a lot of times it just,it's, it's simple stuff.
It's the air is wet.
The, um, you have using too muchRO, uh, a blower placement might
be off, a blower might be out,but I do spend a tremendous
amount of time trying to improvethe airing.
Kevin Zalaznik (33:38):
How much is it like, cause I'll leave
sometimes, you know, mywindshield still might be wet,
but within two minutes it'sgone.
There's no spotting like.
Do people overreact when they dosee a wet windshield?
Jake Collison (33:52):
The operators, myself, ownerships, we react
more than anybody else.
You know, most of the time I seesmiles coming out of the engine
in the car wash.
Even if the person bumps their,their wiper blades once, you
know, there's a smile on theirface, they're coming flying out
of there.
Um, so yeah, usually we judge ita lot, a lot more harsher than
(34:12):
the motoring public does.
Kevin Zalaznik (34:14):
Jake, I don't want to keep too much of your
time, but I got to know, uh, we,uh, and all of our episodes with
this, just touching on whatyou're watching, what are you
streaming?
What are you binge watching?
Jake Collison (34:24):
It's cause it's funny.
Um, I don't have a lot of TVtime.
Uh, but when I do, I like tospend it with my wife and my
daughters.
And, um, we're real big on, uh,the great British baking show.
Oh yeah, I gotcha.
And another British show, uh,Glow Up.
Uh,
Kevin Zalaznik (34:43):
okay.
She's a makeup.
Okay.
All right.
Jake Collison (34:46):
Um, how old is your daughter?
I have a daughter who's 14 and adaughter who's 12.
Kevin Zalaznik (34:50):
Okay.
So they're driving thatdecision.
Absolutely.
Jake Collison (34:53):
Absolutely.
Um,
Kevin Zalaznik (34:54):
I get into it too though.
Of course.
Like, like anything.
I don't want to call it bad TVbecause I've never seen it, but
I fall into that too where Youknow, my wife's watching some
housewife show or whatever itis.
And I'm like, Oh, I'm just goingto read whatever before, you
know, and I'm like, I can'tbelieve she said that, you know,
maybe it's just
Jake Collison (35:14):
like that.
I do the same thing.
I'm working on my laptop andthen my wife will see me staring
over the top of the screen,watching, watching the TV.
Kevin Zalaznik (35:21):
Well, I hope you find time to watch something
you, well, you do enjoy this,apparently something that you
want to watch and not just askfor coming to the women at your
house.
Jake's thanks so much for comingin.
I know we'll see around here forsure.
Um, if not, check out SimonIce.
com, uh, and we'll be back nextweek.
Thanks.
Thank you for having me.
Hey
Kevin Zalaznik (00:12):
everyone, welcome back to the Modern Car
Wash podcast.
Our guest today is Jake Collisonfrom Simonize.
Jake, welcome.
Good morning.
Thank you for having me.
So I know you didn't just fly inor drive in just for this
podcast.
Uh, you are, it's almost likeyou're a Hoffman Car Wash
employee.
We see you all the time.
You're in our tunnels.
You're fine tuning things.
(00:33):
If you had to put a number onit, let's get right into it.
How many days of the year areyou on the road?
Jake Collison (00:39):
A lot.
I try not to calculate all thedays because it would be
shocking.
I know that, uh, the past coupleyears I've averaged in the
hundreds of overnights.
Um, which is all just part ofthe job.
Yeah.
Kevin Zalaznik (00:54):
I, I hope you have a understanding family at
home.
Wonderful family.
My
Jake Collison (00:58):
wife and kids are phenomenal.
I've done this job since beforemy kids were born, so they don't
know anything different.
Yeah.
Um, but yeah, I love my job somuch.
I'm so focused and so into thisbusiness that traveling is just
part of it.
Yeah, so we
Kevin Zalaznik (01:13):
had Al West from Simon Eyes on, I believe, in
season two, but...
So you're a second Simonize, uh,representative here.
What exactly is your title andwhat do you do at Simonize?
Okay, uh,
Jake Collison (01:25):
good question.
I'm Simonize sales and service.
Okay.
So I have a sales territory thatI cover.
And then along with that, uh, Ido servicing of all my accounts.
So my job is I get the productfrom our factory to the car
wash.
And then ultimately on to thecustomer's vehicle.
And I'm tasked with doingeverything in between.
(01:47):
So.
The order gets created with me.
I track the progress of theorder, make sure it gets
delivered in a timely manner.
And then once the product isthere at the customer's
facility, I make sure that weget it onto the car, maximizing
efficiency, all while trying toperform the task that the
product is designed to
Kevin Zalaznik (02:05):
accomplish.
Yeah, I think it's interestingbecause when I first came into
the industry, I would think thata supplier like Simonize would
be like, Here's your barrel ofchemical.
Good luck.
Yeah.
But it seems that you guys gothe extra step as far as making
sure that not only do you havethe product, but the product is
being used the right way so thatat the end of the day, the
(02:28):
customer's happy, the operator'shappy, Simon and Isaac's
Jake Collison (02:31):
happy.
Absolutely.
When I first started in the carwash business, I was, um, 16, 17
years old.
It was 1998.
I was, uh, in Indiana.
And we had a express car wash.
That's all we had at the time.
Um, our chemical rep would showup every few months.
He would sit in the office andhe'd smoke a couple cigarettes
(02:53):
with the owner and they wouldtalk and laugh and then he would
leave.
And I was always like, wow, thatmust be a fantastic job.
I mean, there's really not muchto it.
It's relationship business.
Um, which it is.
It's a big relationshipbusiness, but the other
component to it.
Which is what makes Simonizeexcel is that we're on the
(03:14):
ground working with ourcustomers.
We're in the field Maximizingchemical efficiency and usage
and helping our customers growtheir business at the same time.
Yeah,
Kevin Zalaznik (03:24):
so let's rewind Alright, so 1998.
Mm hmm.
You're in it Indiana,
Jake Collison (03:30):
Indianapolis, Carmel, Indiana, north side of
Indianapolis.
Yeah.
Was uh, what was the operator?
Duke's Ultimate Car Wash.
Okay.
Alright.
And this was also at the timewhen, uh, Mike's Yeah.
Was fairly young.
Um, they still had a car, a lotof car washes.
They were the premier car washin town.
Everybody looked up to him.
(03:51):
I used them when I wasn't goingto, to the car wash.
I worked at.
Um, so yeah, so it was 1998carwashing was, uh, you know,
and our market was an expressmodel.
Um, the city had some fullservice operations, but a lot of
it was, yeah, the express modelat the time.
How
Kevin Zalaznik (04:07):
did you get in?
It was a family or you just werea 16 year old kid looking for a
job?
Jake Collison (04:11):
I was looking for a job.
My best friend got a job at thecarwash.
So naturally to go hang out withmy best friend, I got a job at
the carwash as well.
Shortly after I was hired there,um, this is funny.
The owner came to me and said,um, listen, it's not working out
real well with your friend.
We're going to let him go, but Idon't want you to leave.
(04:33):
And I said, you know, I lovethis job.
Go ahead.
Get rid of him.
I'll, I'll take his hours.
I'll take his position.
That'd be excellent.
Turns out they did let him go.
Uh, my best friend, he didn'tlike the job anyway.
He wasn't into it and moved onto something else.
Turned out to have a phenomenalcareer.
He's doing really well rightnow.
So don't worry about him.
Um, But yeah, that, my firstintroduction to the car wash was
(04:57):
just cause my friend workedthere.
That's how I got started.
Kevin Zalaznik (04:59):
Yeah.
It's funny.
Those just like those first jobsand like my first job was
working for McDonald's cause Icrashed my brother's car when I
was 15, uh, and I had to pay offthe, you know, so yeah, maybe a
little different than how you,you laid in your first job.
Uh, but that's a whole otherepisode, I guess, uh, in this
(05:22):
time.
So.
Uh, how did you make your wayout east then if you were in the
Midwest?
Jake Collison (05:27):
So, working at the car wash for a while.
Uh, started college.
Um, wasn't very interested inpursuing, uh, further education.
I was really passionate aboutthe car wash.
I wanted to spend all my timethere, learn everything I
possibly could about it.
I mean, when I had a PA told youI have a passion for car
(05:48):
washing, I'm talking like I hada passion for.
As soon as I get there, I'mgoing to dump the trash and I'm
going to do everything else Ipossibly can do that needs to be
done.
I love to sell.
I love to dig the pit.
I love to learn how to fixequipment.
So naturally, I was just veryenthusiastic about the, about
the building.
Where did that enthusiasm come?
(06:09):
I think it was just hard workwas instilled in me at a young
age.
Both of my parents arehardworking people.
Um, and I think that, you know,I was taught.
Um, the value of time and otherpeople's money.
So, when I was hired to do ajob, I did it the best I
possibly could.
And that was whether I waspicking golf balls out of a pond
(06:29):
or selling fireworks at the, uh,side street shops during the 4th
of July.
It didn't really matter and itstill doesn't to this day.
Whatever I do, I try and do it100%.
Did you, did you sell fireworks?
I did.
Yeah, yeah.
Pre 16 years old.
Uh, I had a job at, um, a golfcourse and then selling
fireworks, which this isIndiana.
(06:52):
So things are a little bit morelax, but,
Kevin Zalaznik (06:54):
um, yeah, now in upstate New York, yeah, in New
Jake Collison (06:57):
York in general.
Right.
I remember my dad dropping meoff at the fireworks stores and,
you know, have a good day.
And I walked up, I said, I'mhere for work.
And, and she said, okay, here'sthe cash, here's the box.
I'm leaving a scene a couplehours and that's all there was
to
Kevin Zalaznik (07:12):
it.
Yeah, yeah, that's uh, that's sointeresting.
Was there, um, one part of, uh,your mind, my mind's gonna
automatically go, Oh, he lovedthe chemical side of it, but who
knows?
Like it could have been theequipment, it could have been
the people.
Was there one aspect that youreally enjoyed?
Jake Collison (07:30):
The operations side, I really enjoyed.
I liked the, the, the, theknowing that, um, When I come in
at the day, I have these tasksto accomplish, and then I have
these goals to do, which is tosell as much as I possibly can
and produce the cleanest, driestcars I possibly can.
(07:52):
So, no, there's probably notone, one particular thing that
that stands out from the best.
It's just the, um, the joy andthe, I guess, um, um, yeah, the
joy of the job.
I found it very enjoyable.
So
Kevin Zalaznik (08:08):
you're 25 years into the industry.
Yeah.
Uh, what was the name of theoperator?
Jake Collison (09:05):
The evolution in, in chemistry, um, has been quite
a bit.
On the protectants side, there'sbeen a little bit more
evolution.
Just because those are theproducts that we see as a
consumer and we feel good about.
Um, so protectants have comefrom just your basic.
online sealant protectantproduct to a carnauba wax a
(09:27):
total surface protectant aceramic protectant and now with
the evolution of of graphene wenow have graphite infused
products Simon eyes recentlyreleased a product called graph
carbonite, which is a grapheneinfused product We're actually
applying graphite to the surfaceof vehicles in a one atom layer
(09:50):
thick Uh, layer, which makes itextremely durable.
Uh, in fact, it's 200 timestougher than steel, harder than
diamond.
So, products like that havereally pushed the protectant
side of the business along.
Kevin Zalaznik (10:07):
Oh, I mean, the idea is just because...
Um, so, you know, you go fromcarnauba wax to ceramics to
graphite, carbon now, um, from alayman.
Like, who's speaking up theseideas?
Like, where is this coming from?
And I know Simonize has manydifferent branches of cleaning
(10:30):
supplies or whatever, you're inhospitals, like all that.
Is Simonize pulling from theseother...
Industries or like, how doesthis all work?
Well,
Jake Collison (10:41):
you're right.
Well, Simon and I first, weservice three industries.
So we're in the Janssenindustry, which is hospitality,
schools, restaurants,manufacturing, basically anybody
needs to clean stuff.
That's the Janssen industry.
Uh, then we have our dealershipindustry.
Okay.
So in dealerships, we offerproducts and programs that the
(11:01):
dealers can then sell to themotoring public.
To protect their new carinvestment or their motorcycle
investment And then our thirdchannel of industry is the new
car.
Sorry on your car is the carwash in and detail shop
operations so car washing iseverything from full service car
washes to inbay and self servesand that expands into our detail
(11:25):
side of the business, which isWe actually Operate a full
service, full time retail detailshop in West Hartford, New York.
As far as how products come tomarket, uh, Bill Gore and his
team are tasked with, um, all,uh, new product innovations.
So they're constantly scouringthe world for new technologies
(11:48):
that we can use in ourchemistry.
Uh, I touched on one, um, just afew minutes ago, which was our
carbonite product.
That is a very recent technologyas recent, I believe, as the
2020s.
So not too long ago, um, thisproduct graphene was actually
discovered.
(12:09):
So it's only been a couple ofyears since its discovery.
We're already finding a way toput this technology into
protectants for the motoringpublic.
So yeah, Bill Gore and his team,they're tasked with our, our new
product development and they'vebeen very successful in it.
If you think back in the past 20years or so, we've had some
major hits.
(12:29):
We had the online tire shiner in2000, which was a pad delivery
system to shine tires onlineinside a car wash.
We had our hot wax product,which came out in around 2011.
Um, that revolutionized the carwash industry.
We have operators that were, um,15 for a top package that we're
(12:55):
able to jump up to 20 to above20 for a top package.
Um, and then now as recently wehave our, our ceramic product,
um, which launched a few yearsago and is becoming highly
successful.
And now with the new evolutionof the graphene product, our
carbonite, uh, surface hardeningproduct.
(13:16):
It's interesting.
Kevin Zalaznik (13:16):
We.
Cause I think a lot of peoplewill, when they think of car
wash sales, you know, your mindgoes the unlimited or even just
like the individual package, butit's, it's these innovations
that allow for those upsellopportunities that drive more
revenue for sure.
Um, and that's on.
So, so Carbonite in thisapplication, it's been around
(13:41):
just a couple of years.
Is there any sort of regulationor regulatory process that
Simonize has to go through asfar as the government protocols
or things like that?
How does that
Jake Collison (13:53):
work?
Yeah, I'm sure there are rulesand regulations that go into it.
Um, that's not something that Iparticularly know about.
Yeah.
Um, but, uh, the people in our,in our factory and in our
office, yeah, I'm sure there'ssome guidelines that they must
follow.
Uh, efficacy, you know,obviously we want to make sure
our products work.
Um, which they do, uh, all ofthese products are tested in
(14:16):
advance in our laboratory andalso are tested out in the field
before we launch anything.
It was going to ask
Kevin Zalaznik (14:22):
you, you mentioned Simon and I says
detail shop.
How much of that shop is usedto, for testing purpose?
Oh
Jake Collison (14:28):
yeah, quite a bit.
Um, the detail shop, that'swhere all of our latest, uh,
innovations on the detail sideof the business get tested
there.
They go in there and we actuallyuse them on our own vehicles and
we use them on customersvehicles.
Um, and then as far as thecarwashing products, um, those
are laboratory tested.
We can actually apply things topanels and different stuff
(14:50):
inside the laboratory.
Uh, but where the rubber meetsthe road is when you're in a
customer's carwash, applying achemistry, using their water to
their vehicles through theirequipment.
Yeah.
That's what really tells youwhen stuff's
Kevin Zalaznik (15:04):
going to work.
Does Simonize have a, like a, doyou have a conveyor or like, how
does that, how's that work asfar as testing?
Uh,
Jake Collison (15:11):
so as far as testing goes, we do a laboratory
first, and then we have carwashes in our area of, uh, where
we manufacture, they were ableto use to do testing.
Kevin Zalaznik (15:20):
Gotcha.
So it's more partnerships with
Jake Collison (15:22):
local kind of...
Partnerships, yeah, with local,and then, um, uh, and then,
believe it or not, I mean, a lotof these products, we'll take
them across the country and plugthem in in different areas
because you want to see how theyreact in, in different
situations.
And, um...
Something, for instance, likehot wax, we plugged it in across
the country, uh, at various carwashes and they've got the same
(15:45):
results every single time.
The operators were freaking out.
They were going, we have neverseen a product that you could
apply to the vehicle and then Icould touch it and feel that
it's on there.
Most of it is, I feel like I cansee a shinier car.
It looks a little bit glossier.
I think there's some more shinethere.
(16:06):
This was a product that youcould touch.
It really changed everything forus at Simon Eyes.
You
Kevin Zalaznik (16:11):
touched about the geography and there's, uh,
the United States is a bigcountry and car washing is a
worldwide thing.
How, how much is, um, how many,do you have to tailor to
different geographical areas, todifferent climates or.
For the most part, is it allkind of one size fits all?
Jake Collison (16:31):
Yeah, it's a good question.
Um, it's not one size fits all.
I wish it was, it would makethings a lot simpler.
But we come into contact withdifferent soils throughout the
country.
So in your southwest, we'redealing with a lot of sand and
dust where in the southeast, wemight be dealing with more bugs
and clay.
we've got salt and sand to, tocontend with.
(16:54):
So we try and tailor ourchemistry according to what
we're trying to clean on theprotectant side.
Those are fairly similar acrossthe country.
Um, our ceramic, our, uh, ourcarbonite product, our hot wax
can be applied to any surface.
Kevin Zalaznik (17:11):
From a market standpoint is, have you seen
where you're like, all right,I'll use hot wax for an example.
Is, are, we're gonna, car wax isa new thing, or ceramics is a
new thing, or graphene is a newthing.
And, for whatever reason,doesn't take off in the
southwest.
Have you seen something like,the market's just like, nah,
we're
Jake Collison (17:31):
good.
We really haven't seen that.
Most of the time, what it is,when a market is slow to grow,
it's just they haven't seen theopportunity yet.
It hasn't been explained to themor shown to them.
Once we can sit down with anoperator and show them the plan,
To how do you deploy a certainproduct?
Um, it gives them a much moreconfidence on what to do with
(17:54):
the product.
Then they go out there, theyimplement it and they, they
shav, you know, measurableresults with it.
Um, but you're not going to get,you're not going to achieve the
kind of success that you want toachieve if you just simply send
the product to somebody and say,you know, do this, you're going
to have a home run.
No, you got to get involved withthe business.
You got to show them how to useit, explain to them what the
(18:16):
technology is so they canexplain it to their customers.
Kevin Zalaznik (18:19):
How much does water impact how you're
delivering or how the productsused?
Um, I'm assuming you are justlike the master of
understanding.
PH bow.
I don't even know.
You know what I mean?
Like you get all that.
Yeah,
Jake Collison (18:34):
it quite a bit.
Um water varies depending on Thelocation you're in so I could
have water hardness of 13 grainsin one town And I could have
water hardness of zero grains,and this is a matter of like
five and five miles Yes, allcould be within the same
geographic region just differentmunicipalities all depending on
(18:55):
where they get their water fromthis is important when I first
Start working with an operator.
What I want to know is what'sthe water quality?
Because that's going to tell mewhat chemistry I need to use.
Or it's also going to tell mewhat recommendations I should
make to this operator before westart to go down, uh, and get
involved in a situation where wemight have some regrets.
(19:18):
First thing I like to do with anoperator is I test their water
for hardness.
I want to find out what we'reworking with.
If the water is significantlyhard, I recommend water
softening systems becauseChemistry, soaps, detergents
work best in non hard water,soft water.
Uh, the hard water actuallydepletes the cleaning ability of
the product, also decreasesfoam, and then you get sludge
(19:41):
and scale buildup inside yourcar wash.
So, um, we try and start withsoft water.
Likewise, we try and manage thatwater throughout the car wash,
so that by the time we get tothe end of the wash process,
we're not using dirty, recycledwater or water with high TDS.
Mm.
Okay.
Kevin Zalaznik (20:00):
What, um, you, you mentioned you've, you know,
you're on the road half theyear, um, and it's not like
you're just going to one carwash one day.
I mean, you're seeing probablythousands of car washes,
different operators.
Is there some low hanging fruitthat you see operators are just
consistently just not picking,like, will anything stand out?
Jake Collison (20:24):
That's very interesting because prior to the
unlimited.
Blow up in our industry.
Everything was cost per car.
So operators tried to have asmany extra services that they
could at their car wash, thatthey could offer the customer to
have these packages that theycould sell and be able to
(20:45):
explain to a customer easily ina quick manner of the, of, of
what the products in it do tothe vehicle and why they should
outweigh the money for it.
And we've kind of got away fromthat.
We've gone to more of.
Sign up for my unlimited plan.
You can wash your car limitedfor this low, low price.
And we don't talk about all theextra services and all the great
(21:06):
products we have inside our carwashes that will make your car
look better and last longer.
Um, so I think that there is alittle bit of a transition we
need to get back to a little bitof let's start educating the
public, the motoring public thatare coming to our businesses
what products we have to offerinstead of just the unlimited
plans.
(21:26):
Yeah, which.
I love the Unlimited plans.
It has transformed our industryand everybody knows that when
car washes are washing a lot ofcars, it's great for the
chemical suppliers.
Um, I also do see some moneyleft on the table on the
operator's side becausesometimes they get so fixated on
growing the Unlimited base.
Kevin Zalaznik (21:47):
And I can see that too.
You know, like, uh, that HoffmanCar Wash are...
Lowest package, uh, is 29.
99 a month and that is next tono undercarriage wash, no, it's
just soap and water, right?
Um, and I think you're right.
I think it's a lot of times it'seasy to focus on, all right,
(22:08):
well, chances are this is thepackage that they want to sign
up for because it's the lowestprice point, whatever.
But they're missing a lot ofthat.
And, and the fact that down theroad by adding the ceramic or
whatever it is, each time theygo through, like their car is
just gonna, it's better fortheir car in the long run for
sure.
Um, and by educating thecustomer that you're providing
(22:31):
value of, okay, well, you knowwhat, that 37 package is
actually worth it because I'mgetting this, this and this.
Um, I think the.
Not everyone.
Um, I think it's easy for ourindustry to almost like a race
to the bottom, right?
Like, uh, how can you priceyourself so low?
(22:52):
Um, but hey, I heard this, uh,great quote one time.
It was like, if price was theonly factor and nothing against,
uh, Honda drivers, like everyonewould drive a Honda Civic,
right?
Like that.
So there's an opportunity toheighten your production.
Uh, heighten your, the qualityof car you're putting out by
(23:14):
using great chemicals andeducating the customer on that
is going to help everyone in thelong run, uh, for sure.
So, um, all right, so your lowhanging fruit is more of an
education process, and I thinkyou kind of, you need to do it a
few different ways, whether it'sthrough marketing, through
(23:35):
signage, um, you know, obviouslythrough your team members
interaction with the customer.
Obviously, keeping the mind, theline moving is, is, uh, top of
mind, for sure.
Um, we touched on, um, kind ofthe chemical development, have,
as things become, and this ismore than the last five years, I
(24:00):
mean, this last 25 years,really, it's like, there's,
there's been more of a, uh,insurgence of going green or
being more environmentalfriendly.
Um.
What, how does Simonizeaddressing these things?
And you're, you're even seeinglike a lot of car washers are
basing their brand on, on beinglike eco or whatever it is.
So what's Simonize's approachthere?
(24:20):
Yeah,
Jake Collison (24:21):
well, uh, for years, um, Simonize has always
been environmentally conscious.
You know, we're aware of thestruggles that our operators
have, and we're aware of.
The restrictions thatmunicipalities and and uh, and
different townships can place oncar washes So therefore we need
to have a variety of differentproducts available for Uh, for
(24:42):
our car wash consumers.
So, in some parts of thecountry, there are certain
chemicals, uh, raw materials youcannot use in your formulas.
So, we have specific formulasthat don't contain these
particular ingredients.
One of them is phosphates.
So, phosphates, as they get intothe environment, they produce,
they promote algae growth.
(25:03):
So, Um a municipality might notwant to have Phosphates
phosphates being discharged intotheir sewer because then they
have to remove that Um, solikewise we have other car
washes that are zero dischargecar washes Meaning that they
don't have access to a sewer andthey don't leach into the
(25:24):
ground.
Therefore, all of the chemistryand water that they use to wash
a car, they have to collect it,and then it has to be, um,
someone has to come get it, andtake it away and dispose of it.
So, in that scenario, there arecertain chemicals that you can't
put into that water because thedisposal company won't take it.
Gotcha.
(25:45):
Um, back in the early 2000s,Simon Eyes released a whole
product line of EPA approvedproducts.
These products are, the formulaswere all approved by the, the
EPA.
Um, therefore, Car Washcustomers could be confident
that they were using solutionsthat wouldn't degrade the
environment.
(26:05):
They wouldn't ever have to worryabout, uh, forever chemicals.
Um, and, yeah, those have been,yeah, highly successful for us.
Alright.
Um.
Kevin Zalaznik (26:15):
Any insights?
Are you willing to maybe shareyour cards a little bit?
Any exciting products comingdown the line here shortly?
Yeah, we
Jake Collison (26:23):
have tons of products that are always in
development.
Even older products that we arefinding new ways to use for
different applications orrefining some of the chemistry
in them.
Um, Carbonite, which was ourgraphene infused product, that
was our latest release.
Um, that is still gainingtraction.
I don't have any new productreleases today for you, uh, but
(26:46):
I can tell you that there areseveral projects in the
pipeline, uh, for the futurethat are going to carry the
Simonize brand strongly for thenext years to come.
So, was,
Kevin Zalaznik (26:55):
um, when you looked at, uh, the Carbonite and
you said it was like developedlike two years ago, right?
It just like...
The technology is recent.
Yeah.
The 10 world.
The technology is so recent thatit almost like you didn't have
time to like build up to it.
It was just like...
Oh my gosh, here this thing is,look how great it is, get it
out, go, go, go.
Does that make your job harder
Jake Collison (27:16):
though?
It doesn't make it harder, um,it makes me have to think a
little bit quicker because now Ihave all of these products at my
fingertips to use, so I gottamake sure I'm pulling the right
one at the right time.
Uh, there's no sense in me goinginto a car wash operator going
you should get on Carboniteimmediately when they don't have
hot wax, they don't haveceramic, they might not even
(27:37):
have a total surface protect.
So.
I like to work with an operator.
Let's work you into, uh, thesepackages.
Kevin Zalaznik (27:46):
Speaking of working with an operator.
So, um, and we talked about,we'll see you in our tunnels.
Like I'll be driving through.
I'm like, Oh, there's Jake, likein the blower room.
Like, uh, um, so walk usthrough.
So if you were to go down theroad here to one of our
locations, you can pull in.
What does your day look likewhen you walk through?
And I guess this goes to abigger picture as far as like
(28:07):
what operators are getting whenthey're working with Simonize.
Jake Collison (28:11):
Um, so a couple different things.
If it's a new operator for thefirst time, I'm going to assess
their business from start tofinish.
So I'm going to look at theirwater quality.
I'm going to look at the type ofcar wash they have, the
equipment they're using, and thecondition everything is in.
If it's an existing operator,Uh, I'm going to immediately go
(28:32):
to the water, like I saidpreviously, and water is very
important.
So I start with my watertesting, and then we work
through every chemicalapplication from start to
finish.
From the pre soak, to the dryingagent, to the tire shine,
everything in between.
Um, I have a lot ofcommunication with the, uh,
operators or car wash managers.
(28:53):
A lot of times they know what'sgoing on.
They have issues that they wouldlike to have resolved.
They're just real busy doingthe, the retail operation side
of the business.
If I can capture their, their,uh, their focused for just a
couple minutes, they'll explaineverything to me.
That, that I'm looking for is alot of, so,
Kevin Zalaznik (29:13):
So, when I see you in our washes, are you there
solving a problem or you're justfine tuning
Jake Collison (29:18):
things or?
Both.
Preventative maintenance is keyin this business.
Um, I'm big on preventativemaintenance because I'm a car
washer.
Preventative maintenance is, wasa big task.
Um, so I'm big on preventativemaintenance, so I'm looking for
potential problems down theroad.
So yeah, I'm doing everythingfrom maximizing the efficiency
(29:39):
of the application to repairingthe application.
I know
Kevin Zalaznik (29:41):
Simonize and Innovated have had a bit of a
partnership as far as thedispensing or chemical
dispensary.
Um, seems like you guys took abig liking to it.
I mean, you're dealing withchemicals all the time.
Is there something in thatproduct that really stood out to
you?
(31:10):
Are there, um, when you look atnew technologies or things in
the pipeline, not justnecessarily with chemicals, but
just in general of what you'reseeing in car washes, what do
you think the next three to fiveyears are going to look like as
far as efficiency in the carwash, um, quality, et cetera?
Jake Collison (31:29):
Yeah, the next three to five years, um, is, is
going to be interesting with theamount of car washes that we
have coming online daily.
In this country, there's gonnabe a lot of options.
Mm-hmm.
So in the morning or afternoon aconsumer's gonna go, I can go to
Car wash A or I could go to carwash B.
(31:51):
What's gonna be in my paththat's gonna be the best
quality, the most efficient, uh,for my time?
So, uh, I think what you'regonna, the next thing you're
gonna see in the next three tofive years is who's gonna gimme
the better customer service.
What's going to be the bestoption for me to go to?
So, if I'm an operator, um, Ineed to make sure that when the
(32:13):
customer is coming to mybusiness, I give them no reason
to go try anybody else's carwash.
Yeah.
They have the fastestexperience, the best experience,
and they put out a clean, dry,and shiny car.
Yeah.
Of everything else.
Kevin Zalaznik (32:25):
Yeah.
We touched on, I think, a lot ofthe clean and the shining part.
Uh, drying is such a big deal.
I mean, that's the two things Ithink with drying is, uh, a
little shine is the same thingyou kind of see when you leave,
but also, uh, you want to avoidspotting, obviously.
And, uh, how much, how, how muchoperators that you see How much
(32:49):
time are you spending helpingwith that drying process?
I'm sure it's an ongoing battle.
Yeah.
Because the wind could shift theday and it screws up the flow of
the jets and all that.
Jake Collison (32:58):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Operators want a dry car becausethat's when a consumer leaves
the car wash, that's what theysee.
It's either water droplets or nowater droplets.
They're not seeing, I got cleansize, I got shiny tires, I got
clean wheels.
They're not seeing that.
They see the water droplets.
So drying is a, is a big focusof what I do.
(33:19):
Um, a lot of times it just,it's, it's simple stuff.
It's the air is wet.
The, um, you have using too muchRO, uh, a blower placement might
be off, a blower might be out,but I do spend a tremendous
amount of time trying to improvethe airing.
Kevin Zalaznik (33:38):
How much is it like, cause I'll leave
sometimes, you know, mywindshield still might be wet,
but within two minutes it'sgone.
There's no spotting like.
Do people overreact when they dosee a wet windshield?
Jake Collison (33:52):
The operators, myself, ownerships, we react
more than anybody else.
You know, most of the time I seesmiles coming out of the engine
in the car wash.
Even if the person bumps their,their wiper blades once, you
know, there's a smile on theirface, they're coming flying out
of there.
Um, so yeah, usually we judge ita lot, a lot more harsher than
(34:12):
the motoring public does.
Kevin Zalaznik (34:14):
Jake, I don't want to keep too much of your
time, but I got to know, uh, we,uh, and all of our episodes with
this, just touching on whatyou're watching, what are you
streaming?
What are you binge watching?
Jake Collison (34:24):
It's cause it's funny.
Um, I don't have a lot of TVtime.
Uh, but when I do, I like tospend it with my wife and my
daughters.
And, um, we're real big on, uh,the great British baking show.
Oh yeah, I gotcha.
And another British show, uh,Glow Up.
Uh,
Kevin Zalaznik (34:43):
okay.
She's a makeup.
Okay.
All right.
Jake Collison (34:46):
Um, how old is your daughter?
I have a daughter who's 14 and adaughter who's 12.
Kevin Zalaznik (34:50):
Okay.
So they're driving thatdecision.
Absolutely.
Jake Collison (34:53):
Absolutely.
Um,
Kevin Zalaznik (34:54):
I get into it too though.
Of course.
Like, like anything.
I don't want to call it bad TVbecause I've never seen it, but
I fall into that too where Youknow, my wife's watching some
housewife show or whatever itis.
And I'm like, Oh, I'm just goingto read whatever before, you
know, and I'm like, I can'tbelieve she said that, you know,
maybe it's just
Jake Collison (35:14):
like that.
I do the same thing.
I'm working on my laptop andthen my wife will see me staring
over the top of the screen,watching, watching the TV.
Kevin Zalaznik (35:21):
Well, I hope you find time to watch something
you, well, you do enjoy this,apparently something that you
want to watch and not just askfor coming to the women at your
house.
Jake's thanks so much for comingin.
I know we'll see around here forsure.
Um, if not, check out SimonIce.
com, uh, and we'll be back nextweek.
Thanks.
Thank you for having me.
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