Tommy's Express operator taps single advisor for Orlando site real estate and financing
PetroCal Associates handled both tenant representation and construction financing to land a new express wash inside a $1 billion Orlando mixed use development.
By The Car Wash News Staff
3 min read
A new Tommy's Express Car Wash is coming to O-Town West, Unicorp National Developments' $1 billion mixed use project in Orlando, through a deal in which a single advisory firm managed both the real estate brokerage and the construction financing. PetroCal Associates, working with ParaSell Inc., completed what it described as a dual-advisory mandate for the project, according to reporting from Professional Carwashing & Detailing.
The wash will sit at 11215 S. Apopka Vineland Road in Orlando. PetroCal provided tenant representation services and arranged the construction financing, bundling two functions that are often handled by separate parties.
One firm, two roles
The operator behind the project, Bryan Smith, said combining real estate brokerage and capital advisory under one roof removed friction and sped up the timeline. Smith has worked with PetroCal for nearly a decade, during which the firm arranged financing for three of his car wash projects, including two ground-up developments, and represented him in selling multiple washes he previously ran in the market.
"There is a massive competitive advantage in having your real estate broker also act as your capital advisory team," Smith said.
Chuck Whittall, CEO of Unicorp National Developments, credited the firm's deal structuring on a transaction he said had many moving parts. Reuven Birnkrant, PetroCal's CEO, pointed to the difficulty of securing ground-up development sites at high-profile retail centers while also lining up financing. The firm framed the combined approach as a response to a tightening credit market and competition for premier, high-barrier-to-entry locations.
The site and the build
The location will carry the recognizable Tommy's Express building design and the brand's proprietary equipment, including a dual-belt conveyor built to handle a range of vehicle types. Placing an express tunnel inside a large mixed use development puts the wash in front of steady retail and residential traffic, though such sites typically come with more complex entitlement, lease, and site-plan requirements than standalone parcels.
Why it matters for operators
The story points to a procurement question many growth-minded operators face: whether to split real estate and financing work across specialists or consolidate it with one advisor. The pitch here is that a single team eliminates handoffs between broker and lender, which can shorten timelines and tighten deal structure when speed matters for landing a competitive site.
That model is not automatically right for every operator. Bundling advisory roles can concentrate reliance on one relationship, and operators should weigh whether a combined advisor delivers better terms than separately shopped brokerage and debt. The decade-long track record cited in this deal suggests the arrangement works best when there is an established relationship and repeat volume.
The broader signal is about access to capital. With credit conditions described as tightening, operators chasing ground-up development at marquee retail centers may find that financing availability, not site selection alone, becomes the gating factor. Lining up a capital strategy early, and understanding how it interacts with the real estate deal, is increasingly part of winning the best locations rather than an afterthought handled once a site is secured.
