The following is a brief story about one of the nicest cowboy-hippies, turned pro-golfer, turned pro car washer, you’ll ever meet. They call him Pee Wee. And yup, we can almost say that with a straight face.
We always said this blog was going to be different. We always said it was about our community, about people. And so for this issue, I figured: why not introduce you to one of us. Why not tell you a little about one of the owners, Craig Celentano, and about his strange journey that ultimately landed him here, wiping down your car at Metro Car Wash.
First off, let’s get this straight: Craig Celentano is Tucson, through and through. He was born in 1958, the youngest of four boys (saddled with the nickname Pee Wee) and raised here in the desert by parents who had fallen in love with Southern Arizona. They loved it so much, in fact, that while Craig was still a teen his father decided it was high-time he and his sons became real-deal, authentic cowboys (the only kind to be). And so with money the Old Man had saved up, they purchased a ranch near Dodge and River – yes it was a real ranch, even though it was in the middle of town – and got down to the business of doing what cowboys do: purchased some horses and a single cow.
The cow’s name was T-Bone. And, as it turns out, T-Bone had a significant impact on young Pee Wee’s life. Primarily, the cow taught him (and his family) that maybe Pee Wee wasn’t quite cut out to be a real-deal ranch hand. After a mishap we don’t need to discuss, T-Bone found himself wondering down River Road at rush hour. Craig is still not sure where the cow wanted to go, but back to the Ranch certainly wasn’t it. When our young cowboy finally did catch up with the beast (lassoed it and at least wrestled it to the side of the road), T-Bone made a stand. It was a stand strong enough that gallant Pee Wee and his horse couldn’t budge him. A truck had to be called in for reinforcements. And as Craig Celentano helped tow T-Bone home behind the bumber (through rush hour traffic, the desert sun beating on his shoulders, horns honking), it gave him the much-needed time to think that, possibly, there was more to his future than cattle ranching.
Lucky for Craig, opportunities presented themselves. Craig’s dad was a local entrepreneur. The family first got into the restaurant business, owning the Frost Tops and then Frontier Drive-ins (for those of you old enough to remember Tucson in the 70’s), then expanded into the self-serve car wash business. The Celentano family was an Italian family with an old-school work ethic. What that meant for the boys was the chance to learn every job (at the restaurant and the wash), to work night and day (when not in school), and to do both with a smile on your face and not much pay (in other words, life as it is today). Craig could have grumbled and whined, but the truth was, even back then, there was something he really began to love about the car wash business.
But car wash careers aren’t often on the minds of high school kids. Craig attended Amphi High, and initially saw himself as a professional baseball player. Who knows what would have transpired, too, if he hadn’t blown out his knee his Freshman Year – in his mind, the only thing stopping the world from seeing another A-Rod. Instead, Craig was forced to find a new sport, something less physical. He picked up a golf club. And surprisingly, he was really good. Craig qualified for State three years in a row, mulled over his future, and went to college at the U of A. He continued to play golf, but hadn’t begun to take it seriously yet. In truth, he wasn’t taking much seriously at the time. This included his education. After two blurry years of college, he was kindly asked to leave the U of A … but hey, it was the 70’s.
So what’s a guy to do? Craig thought it over some more. He decided he needed a change of scenery. He’d grown his hair out. He thought possibly he’d make it big in California, thought maybe he’d outgrown Arizona. Again, who knows what the world might have inherited (Action film star? Philandering governor?), if it weren’t for another unexpected turn of events. This time it was serious. For a young man in California, there was of course the draw of the ocean, the draw of the beach. But while body surfacing one afternoon, Craig took a header into shallow water. It was a fluke accident. And it left him with both a broken back and a broken neck.
Craig is lucky to be alive. At the very least, he should have been paralyzed. But another thing about Craig is his stubbornness. And for whatever reason, he was both lucky enough and stubborn enough to beat the odds. The doctors called his case a miracle (I, on the other hand, tend to think more about the obstinate part); he woke from a coma, worked himself through rehab at Hogue Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, and after a long recovery was finally released. Not surprisingly, he headed straight back to Tucson. California, he decided, was not for him.
Back home, Craig began working in his family’s car wash business again. It was a job he liked, it fit him; fate was obviously calling. Only, he wasn’t quite ready to give in completely to the car wash gods. He had one more career he needed to try first.
Not long after he returned, Craig was introduced to Don Pooly (a PGA pro and former UA golfer). Craig had never stopped golfing, and Pooly was impressed enough with Craig’s game to help him into Peter Kostis’s Golf Digest School. Craig practiced, became a PGA professional out of Arthur Pack, and entertained aspirations of trying out for the PGA Tour. He spent four years working as a club pro and playing Mini-Tour Events before coming to the conclusion that, while good, he wasn’t good enough to go all the way. That being said, I still wouldn’t bet against him if you end up playing him. Someday, we may have to have a Metro Charity Golf Tournament just to prove my point.
Life’s a funny thing. Sometimes, the thing your best at is right in front of you. You just don’t see it. I sort of think that was the case with Craig. He returned once more to Tucson, to the car wash business. This time, the family’s car wash business was purchased by Blue Coral, a car wash chemical company. Craig was offered a job. It wasn’t a family business anymore, it was a big business. And over the next seventeen years, Craig rolled up his sleeves and dove into the industry with a passion. He lived and breathed car washing. He became Blue Coral’s Vice President of Sales/R&D/Tech Services – a long title, but a fitting one. He traveled all over the world as a car wash expert, selling soap, improving operations, innovating new equipment. In the car wash industry, there are very few people who don’t know the name Celentano. Lucky for Metro (and Tucson), Craig wasn’t quite finished.
Pee Wee, our cowboy with a broken back and killer golf swing, missed the intimacy and sincerity of a family business. His career was going great, but it wasn’t enough. He had a vision of what a car wash should be. He wanted his own business in Tucson. It was a dream that stuck in his head, rattled around but wouldn’t shake loose. He kept his eyes open, waited for an opportunity.
In 2002, Craig finally pulled the trigger. He’d met Sean Storer, an accountant, in the summer of 2000. He’d shared with Sean his idea for what Tucson needed in a car wash, and Sean had agreed. The two formed a partnership, drafted a business plan, and purchased their first Metro Car Wash on Oracle Rd. in August of 2002. The rest, as they say, is history.
And of course, you can still find Craig today, walking around Metro, fixing equipment, rubbing bumpers, talking with customers. He’s kept to his vision of what a quality, locally owned business should look like. The truth is: Craig loves what he does and we think it shows.
Thanks for sticking around to read this, folks. Granted, it may not be a best selling biography. But I do hope it gives you a little glimpse into who Metro is and what we’re about. The next time you’re by, look for Craig and introduce yourself. He’d love to meet you.
Until next time, stay clean my friends!
-DJ DripDry
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