SCWA tour puts spotlight on Cleveland's varied wash models models

More than 100 car wash professionals traveled to Northeast Ohio for the Southern Car Wash Association's Cleveland Car Wash Tour, spending a day visiting five distinct sites and swapping ideas with peers from across the country. According to reporting from Professional Carwashing & Detailing, the stops ranged from established family operations to newer unattended models, illustrating the different directions the industry is taking.

SCWA Executive Director Chuck Space said Cleveland had been on the association's list for several years after recommendations from members and suppliers. The group counts members in 46 states and looks for destinations that combine an existing membership base with distinctive washes. Space said the city was described as a top spot for unique operations, and the tour confirmed it.

Five sites, five approaches

The day opened at Waterway Carwash in Brook Park, a family-owned double tunnel that drew attention for its air-conditioned interior vacuuming area. The group then visited Splash Car Wash, whose flagship campus pairs multiple wash tunnels with a dedicated detail operation and an express interior cleaning building running a dual belt conveyor, giving customers several service options at one location.

After lunch at DRB headquarters, attendees stopped at Sgt. Clean Car Wash, where the focus shifted from equipment to people. Staff greeted the group with welcome bags, reflecting a hospitality-driven culture the company has built around employee engagement and customer experience.

United Auto Wash offered a look at an unattended in-bay automatic model, a segment Space described as trendy and one that drew several attendees specifically to see it. The final stop was Clean Express Auto Wash, one of five brands run by Express Wash Concepts. The parent company operates 142 locations across six states, including 59 Clean Express sites in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and showcased standardized processes and efficient site design.

Value in the conversations

Space said the greatest benefit of the tour came from the discussions between stops. With two buses of attendees traveling from site to site, operators had extended time to network, compare notes and talk through shared challenges. He noted that even competitors welcome the chance to gather and exchange ideas.

The day closed with an evening visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, giving attendees another setting to connect outside the wash environment. Space framed those shared experiences as a core responsibility of an association.

Why it matters for operators

Site tours like this one give operators a low-risk way to evaluate features before committing capital. Seeing an air-conditioned vacuum area, a dual belt conveyor express interior building, or an unattended IBA in person reveals how these ideas actually perform and how customers respond. The strong turnout for the unattended IBA stop signals rising interest in lower-labor formats, worth watching for anyone weighing staffing costs. Just as valuable is the peer conversation: candid exchanges with operators outside your own market, including competitors, can surface practical solutions faster than trade research alone. Operators who cannot attend can still apply the lesson by visiting standout washes in their region and studying how layout, service mix and culture combine to shape the customer experience.