Confessions of a Certified Car Wash Menu Nerd | Sean Pashley | The Wash Exchange

The Wash Exchange — Jay Frank, COO, Splash Car Wash Episode description Splash Car Wash was founded in Connecticut in 1981 and is now one of the twenty largest car wash operators in the United States — 80-plus locations across seven north-eastern states, including New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania. Backed first by private equity in 2018 and more recently by AEA, Splash has grown from around 20 sites to over 80 through a mix of acquisitions and new builds, running everything from express exteriors and full-serve tunnels to in-bay automatics, hand wash, detailing, oil change and laundromats. What hasn’t changed is the people: senior leaders and site managers with 15, 25, even 35 years in the business, and a culture the company credits as the springboard for its growth. In this episode Blair sits down with Jay Frank, 26-year Splash veteran and newly appointed Chief Operating Officer, for a practical look inside how a top-20 operator actually runs: The 30/60/90-day acquisition playbook — why Splash does a “slow walk” after every purchase: meet the team first, fix safety, then roll in POS, staffing models and reporting, so by day 90 a site “looks like a Splash” without the customers noticing anything except better service. The mistakes other buyers make — cutting staff, raising prices and changing the menu in week one, before earning it. “Deposits before withdrawals” — the philosophy behind Splash’s near-zero management turnover, from pay and recognition to owning your mistakes fast. Converting retail sites to membership — training, belief at the pay station, clear goals and rewards, not beating customers over the head. New builds vs acquisitions in an expensive market, and why Splash keeps doing both. Running 80 sites across seven states — regional structure, daily KPI calls, open-book management and managers who run their wash like they own it. Buying a 16-site chain tomorrow: who runs it? Jay’s answer on bench strength and culture-builders. What separates the consolidators that last from the ones that stall — and how Splash responds when a well-funded competitor opens a mile away with free washes. Real stories, real results. Essential listening for any operator in acquisition mode, building a membership base, or trying to hold onto good people. Please like and subscribe to your chosen platform.

The Membership Playbook with Sean Pashley | The Wash Exchange Memberships have changed the economics of car washing, and few people know the model better than Sean Pashley. In this episode, Blair Woolcott sits down with Sean to unpack everything operators need to know about building, pricing and keeping a membership base. They cover: Why recurring revenue changes what a wash site is worth How to price and tier plans without cannibalising single washes Sign-up tactics that actually convert at the pay station Churn: why members leave and how to keep them Capacity, wash quality and the member experience at peak times The numbers every operator should be tracking Whether you run one site or twenty, this is a straight-talking look at the biggest revenue lever in the industry. The Wash Exchange is the B2B podcast for car wash operators in Australia and the US, brought to you by Slipstream Pro. Subscribe for new episodes, and share this one with an operator who needs to hear it.

This week on The Wash Exchange, Blair sits down with Eric Wulf, CEO of the International Car Wash Association (ICA) and a long-time friend of the Australian Car Wash Association and its members.

Payment fees are changing, and Australian businesses need to be ready. In this episode, we explain what's coming and how it could hit your car wash. Then Matt Sawyer joins us to talk about wash software and shares what his time working with McDonald's taught him about running a high-volume operation.

In this episode of The Wash Exchange, Blair Woolcott sits down with Rob Sacco, the owner behind Waves Carwash — voted the No.1 car wash business nationally and the dominant wash brand in the ACT, with sites now stretching into Victoria. Waves Carwash Rob has built Waves into a genuine multi-format operation: full-service tunnel washing, 24/7 self-serve bays, touch-free automatics, and Enhanced Care detailing across five Canberra locations — plus a family-friendly flagship with a café and kids' play area that turns a car wash visit into a destination. Waves CarwashWaves Carwash We get into how Rob thinks about site format mix, why full-service still works when the industry is racing to express, building the Wash Club membership base, staffing a labour-heavy model, and what it takes to expand a regional brand interstate. If you operate a wash — or want to — this one's worth your time. 🎧 Listen on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Brought to you by Slipstream Pro.