Express Wash Concepts reaches 150 locations with Columbus milestone opening
The operator marked its 150th site at a new Moo Moo Express in Columbus, the same city where the company launched in 2009, with 14 more locations under construction.
By The Car Wash News Staff
3 min read
Express Wash Concepts has hit a notable scale benchmark, celebrating its 150th location with the grand opening of a new Moo Moo Express Car Wash on Cleveland Avenue in Columbus, Ohio. The milestone returns the company to the city where it got its start, according to reporting from Car Wash Business Center.
Founded in Columbus in 2009 with a single Moo Moo Express site, EWC now runs five express car wash brands across six states. The new location also stands as the 40th Moo Moo Express in Central Ohio. At the time of the celebration, 148 of the 150 sites were operational, with another 14 locations under construction and slated to open by the end of 2026.
Scale across six states
EWC operates under five banners: Moo Moo Express, Flying Ace Express, Clean Express Auto Wash, Green Clean Express Auto Wash and Bee Clean Express. The company's footprint spans markets including Columbus, Detroit, Toledo and Cleveland, and it continues to grow through both new construction and acquisitions. A central feature of the model is the Wash Smart Unlimited Club, which lets members wash at any EWC location across the portfolio under a single membership.
Founder and CEO John Roush tied the milestone to the company's origins, saying reaching 150 locations is "a defining moment for EWC." He credited the company's people, customers and communities for the growth.
A grand opening built around promotions and giving
The Cleveland Avenue site leaned on a familiar express-wash playbook to drive sign-ups and traffic. From October 16 to 25, the location offered free Ceramic 4 Ultra signature washes, a package valued at $26, and discounted the unlimited club membership by 50 percent for the first three months on that top-tier package.
The celebration also carried a charitable component tied to Wagons Ho Ho Ho, a Central Ohio nonprofit serving children and families during the holidays. EWC pledged $10 per new Ceramic 4 Ultra membership to the group and sold $50 gift cards for $25, with all gift card proceeds going to the nonprofit. The grand opening day on October 16 included a noon ribbon cutting, a food truck, a petting zoo, giveaways for the first 150 customers, and branded apparel incentives for new members.
Why it matters for operators
EWC's 150-location mark, paired with 14 sites under construction, illustrates how multi-brand chains continue to consolidate and scale in the express tunnel segment. Operators competing against regional players should note the strategy at work: a cross-brand unlimited membership that locks in recurring revenue and makes every new site immediately useful to existing members.
The grand opening itself is a template worth studying. Free top-package washes draw volume, while the three-month membership discount is engineered to convert that one-time traffic into recurring subscribers at the highest price tier. The charitable tie-in and family event build local goodwill and press coverage at the same time, turning a single opening into a community moment rather than just a transaction. For independents, the lesson is less about matching EWC's scale and more about pairing an aggressive membership offer with a local cause and an event that gives customers a reason to show up.
