Express Wash Concepts hits 150 sites with new Norfolk Green Clean location
The Virginia opening brings EWC to 22 Green Clean washes in Hampton Roads, with three more sites planned before the end of 2026.
By The Car Wash News Staff
3 min read
Express Wash Concepts has opened a new Green Clean Express Auto Wash at 3600 Tidewater Dr. in Norfolk, Virginia, pushing the operator's portfolio to 150 running express carwash locations across six states. According to reporting from Professional Carwashing & Detailing, the Norfolk site is the company's 22nd Green Clean location in the Hampton Roads market.
The opening is part of a continued regional push in southeastern Virginia, where EWC says it is building a denser network of neighborhood washes. Three more Green Clean sites are scheduled to open in Newport News, Virginia Beach and Franklin before the end of 2026.
Growth tied to team development
Founder and CEO John Roush framed the expansion around both customer convenience and staff advancement. "Every new Green Clean location represents another opportunity to serve our customers," Roush said, adding that the company aims to create rewarding careers within the organization as it grows.
EWC's model lets Wash Smart Unlimited Club members wash at any company location across its family of brands under a single membership. That cross-brand access is a recurring theme across the operator's recent openings and gives each new site immediate value to existing subscribers while widening the funnel for new sign-ups.
Grand opening offers and local tie-in
To mark the Norfolk launch, the site is giving away free Ceramic 4 Ultra signature washes, a package valued at $26, from Oct. 30 through Nov. 8. New customers can join the Wash Smart Unlimited Club at 50% off for the first three months on the Ceramic 4 Ultra package.
The company is also tying the promotion to a local cause. For every new Ceramic 4 Ultra unlimited membership sold during the celebration, Green Clean will donate $10 to Samaritan House, a Hampton Roads nonprofit that supports individuals and families affected by domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault and homelessness. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was set for Friday, Oct. 30, at noon, bringing together local leaders, team members and Samaritan House representatives.
Why it matters for operators
The Norfolk opening shows how multi-site operators are using market density, not just raw site count, to build competitive moats. By concentrating 22 locations in a single metro, EWC makes its unlimited membership more valuable to each customer because a wash is always close by. That convenience lowers churn and strengthens the pitch to new subscribers.
The grand opening playbook here is worth noting. Free signature washes draw first-time traffic, a steep introductory membership discount converts that traffic into recurring revenue, and a charitable donation tied directly to sign-ups turns the promotion into a community-relations event. Operators planning a new site launch can study how these three levers work together: trial, conversion incentive, and local goodwill.
Finally, Roush's emphasis on team member advancement reflects a practical reality of rapid expansion. Opening multiple sites in close proximity requires a bench of managers, and promoting from within is often faster and cheaper than recruiting externally. Operators scaling in a single region should plan staffing pipelines well ahead of each opening.
