tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57618823578496668222024-03-19T11:50:29.108-07:00Metro Car WashA blog from a Tucson car wash: observations of a community.DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-14800172515669980612013-04-20T05:17:00.002-07:002013-04-20T05:22:36.808-07:00Entropy: How We Used the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics to Help Our Car Wash<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, you read that correctly. We’re beginning this blog with a small science lesson. Hey, it’s Metro: expect the unexpected. So here goes … </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From a business perspective, we’re always looking for new tools that help us to manage more effectively. Sometimes, this can be accomplished by simply looking at an organization or a situation from a different point of view. Recently, we had the novel idea to assess the management of our business by applying the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. We thought it helped us; maybe you can use it too (at your job, in your family, your life … who knows?). </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b><div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The science part: </b></div>
</b><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Entropy (or the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics) is a mathematically defined law of physics that accounts for the “flow” of energy through a thermodynamic process (I know … What? What?). Put in laymen’s terms, however, it’s pretty simple. Entropy is a cup of hot coffee getting cold: the energy that is concentrated in the hot cup, flows “out” until the cup of coffee reaches room temperature.</div>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In science, the Law of Entropy is actually used in all sorts of applications. Ultimately (and simply), it is a law that states the following: “Order” naturally moves to disorder. To get things back in “order,” you need to put energy “in” to the system. </span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the coffee cup example, the hot cup cools down. To get it hot again, you need to “heat” it (put energy into it). But there are more examples than a coffee cup. In any system, order naturally moves to disorder. A ball at the top of a hill naturally rolls down; you have to use energy to get it back to the top. You clean your house, but it gets messy again; you have to use energy to get it clean. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b><div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The business part: </b></div>
</b><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Okay, you say, cute. But how does this help the car wash? </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, by thinking about our business with this “Law” in mind, here’s what we came up with.</div>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(1) No matter how much effort and money we spend, our busin</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ess will never be perfect. The Law tells us that our business is ALWAYS moving towards disorder. Equipment is always going to wear down, break; employees are always going to forget what was discussed in the last meeting; and no matter how many signs we hang, customers are going to go the wrong way or forget they have their keys in their pockets.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
It is what it is. And it’s not just the car wash. It’s any business, really; or it’s our family, or our marriage. We need to face facts: things are moving from order to disorder, whether we like it or not. </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From a business perspective, we find this really helpful. It tells us that as soon as we fix our equipment, we need to be checking it (because it’s already breaking again). It tells us that the last great meeting we had is already being forgotten. It tells us that the bathroom we just cleaned is probably dirty again. Ultimately, it tells us not to lose our temper and get frustrated (like so many managers do), because you’re actually frustrated with something you’ll never change. You might as well get angry at gravity. And that leads to the second thing we’ve learned. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
(2) We’re not saying to accept a messy business. But what we have to realize, is that to keep a business in order, it takes a tremendous amount of energy. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We see a lot of businesses get a burst of energy, have meetings, fix a problem, solve issues. And that’s great. But those fixes are only going to last for a limited time. The Law of Entropy is at work, chewing up your organization like a wood chipper. Or, put another way: get your feet off your desk; it’s time to get to work again. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It may seem silly, but there really is something important here. Understanding that we are in a constant battle against the force of Entropy helps us to design our systems better. More than this, it reminds us to go back and check on what we think we fixed, or the system we put in place to solve a problem. It teaches us not to get mad when we see things slipping. Instead, it shows us just how much more energy we need to put into something to make it “stick.” </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We’ll never get things perfect. We’ll never stop having to work hard to get things the way we want them. And when we do, it will only be for a little while. The disorder will come again; energy will be required. This is how our world works. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
You can apply this to a business, a relationship, or the cleanliness of your garage. It helped us a little; thought it might help you. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Of course, the one really bright side to this Entropy Equation? No matter how many times you wash your car with us, it’s getting dirty again! </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And for that, Entropy, we love you.</div>
</span><br />
<div>
<!--EndFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--></div>
</div>
DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-29405061146486955852012-07-19T15:48:00.000-07:002012-07-19T15:49:13.210-07:00The Growing Nastiness Behind Online Reviews<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I recently read an article in Newsweek entitled “<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/07/08/is-the-internet-making-us-crazy-what-the-new-research-says.html">Is
the Web Driving Us Mad?</a>”. The
article discusses new research that claims the extended use of tweets, texts,
emails, and the Web can make us lonely and depressed … or worse. It was an interesting read (you can find it,
of course, by Googling the title on the Internet, ha ha), but it really got me
thinking. More specifically, it got me
thinking of a related topic more pertinent to <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/" target="_blank">Metro Car Wash</a> and small business
in general: the growing nastiness and irrationality behind online reviews. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, I want to be clear here: Metro Car Wash LOVES the
Internet. Our Company is a super user of
Google products, we use <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Metro-Car-Wash/73572023751?sk=wall" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, update our <a href="http://metrocarwash.com/" target="_blank">website</a> weekly, even have this
blog. This is not us complaining. But it is us making an observation, and
perhaps even a cautionary warning: think
twice before (1) posting an Internet review or (2) believing the reviews that
you read. Let me explain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First off, let’s be honest.
No one is perfect, and no business is either. We all make mistakes. And on any given day, a business (whether a
manufacturer, a grocery store, or a restaurant) can underperform. Maybe the business is short-staffed, maybe
equipment is malfunctioning, maybe it’s just not somebody’s day. It doesn’t really matter; the end results are
usually similar: longer waits, less than friendly staff, a decrease in quality. And none of this is okay. Especially when you’re shelling out your
hard-earned money to receive professional goods and services. So … what’s a reasonable person supposed to
do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking personally, I can assure you that <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/" target="_blank">Metro Car Wash</a>
wants to hear about any unsatisfactory visit or experience you have. We aren’t perfect and we know it. Getting negative customer feedback may not be
fun, but it’s necessary and welcomed. It
helps us get better. And my guess is,
most other businesses feel this way too.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a matter of fact, most businesses (Metro included) go out
of their way to provide easy access for comments and complaints. The best way, of course, is to do so in
person – grab a manager, ask to speak to an owner, etc. But a lot of us, understandably, like to
avoid conflict. Perhaps “complaining” in
person is just too uncomfortable. And we
get it. Which is why most Companies
provide an easy means to get in touch with them via the Internet (anonymously,
if you prefer). At Metro, for example,
we include our General Manager’s <a href="mailto:manager@metrocarwash.com" target="_blank">email</a>, a list of all managers (and their cell
phone numbers), and if you prefer anonymity, then you can complete a <a href="http://metrocarwash.com/other/secret-shopper-program/" target="_blank">SecretShopper Survey</a> (online) that also comes with a $10 Gift Card. If you prefer social media, there’s always an
open forum on our <a href="https://plus.google.com/109074041353543915758/posts" target="_blank">Google+ Page</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Metro-Car-Wash/73572023751?sk=wall" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/carwash_metro" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. We’re trying to tell you: <i>we want to hear from you</i>. We’re trying to tell you: <i>we want to help resolve any issues</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It seems to me, this is a reasonable first means of dealing
with a problem. At least give us a shot
at fixing things, right? And then, if
after this, we still can’t get it correct (if we ignore you, say we don’t care,
call you a name and kick you in the shin, or hide behind a fichus tree), then
by all means, take to the online review sites!
Go rip us up on Google Places or Yelp or Yahoo. Let us have it on Bing or Angie’s List or the
Better Business Bureau. We totally understand. Go for it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But here’s the thing.
In the last few years, we’ve been noticing more and more negative
reviews based on first time or single time users. And before you say to me: “Hey, Buddy, maybe
your business is going down hill!” let me tell you that we’ve already thought
of that too. I gave a lot of thought to writing
this. I wouldn’t have done it if our
Secret Shopper Scores weren’t actually up significantly, if feedback from
regular customers wasn’t so positive.
Again, we’re not perfect. But
what’s really disappointing, is that none of these negative reviewers ever
tried to contact us first. In almost
every case, someone came in for the first time (a lot of Groupon users, if that
means anything), then took to the Internet to fire a lethal bullet, telling
others “not to come to Metro”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As an owner of a small business, I can assure you: nothing
feels worse than negative online reviews.
The truth is, you feel as if you’ve had your pants pulled down in front
of the cheerleading squad and they’re laughing.
It’s horrible. Especially when
you read the reviews and you think: I could have easily amended this, if only
I’d known. Or: Obviously, they don’t
understand what kind of service they purchased, if only I’d been able to
explain myself. But of course, now it’s
too late.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And for the most part, I think it is really unfair. I often wonder when reading these: Has this
person ever had a bad day? Have they
ever made a mistake at work? Have they
ever not performed perfectly on a given day behind their desk, their counter, their
computer, wherever. And if so, how would
they feel if a scathing criticism was written about them, an email sent
throughout the Company or to a future employer, without even so much as a
warning or a second chance? Wouldn’t
such behavior seem unnecessarily nasty? Unnecessarily
vindictive?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And yet this is exactly what a lot of Internet reviewers are
doing: to restaurants, car washes, hotels, etc.
It’s almost as if the Internet has provided these people a cowardly
place from which to lob bombs, an exaggerated feeling of importance as they
find they have the world as their platform.
Had bad service? <i>I know</i>, they think, <i>I’ll trash them on the Internet.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why so
instantaneously angry? Why the need to
tell people never to go to Metro because we missed the tire shine on one wheel?
(Yup, an actual review. No, not happy
about the fact that we missed the tire shine.
But really? You want to tell the
world not to come here?) It really makes
me wonder if these individuals are actually thinking about what they’re
doing. Giving low marks to a business is
affecting that business negatively.
It’s hurting them. If they
deserve to be punished or “hurt,” I guess I get it. But if you’ve only visited a business once,
and if you’re giving one star out of five because the wait was too long, you
also might be doing damage to a good business in the community, a business
providing jobs, charity donations, etc.
And it’s also quite possible you simply caught them on their one bad day
of the month. How do you know they
wouldn’t have bent over backwards to solve the problem?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It get’s me back to that opening paragraph: Is the Internet
Driving Us Mad?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t know. But I
do know it’s making it too easy to let off steam when there are actual
financial futures at stake. So, before
slamming that next business on Yelp, just remember: there’s a good chance that
you’ll be taken care of if you just give yourself a little time to cool down
and contact the business again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No one’s perfect. But
speaking from Metro’s perspective, we’ll do just about anything to make things
right for you. Please, come to us first
if you have an issue. We value your
feedback: the good, the bad, and yes even the ugly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">DJ DripDry </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-43443673069341914752012-02-03T04:48:00.000-08:002012-02-03T04:48:52.881-08:00Metro's Letter to the Government<br />
<div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.4969900434371084"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Politics, politics, politics. Debates, debates, debates. It’s all the news seems to cover lately (well, that and the Kardashians). So, hey, we’ll sprinkle in a little of our own into the Metro News. Consider this our official letter to Washington, the Governor, or anyone else who cares to listen.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last year, we wrote a <a href="http://metrocarwash.blogspot.com/2010/08/letter-to-president.html" target="_blank">letter</a> to President Obama. We thought it was nice, and we did get a form letter back (I saved it; the stationary is super cool), but in all honesty, we don’t think he really read it. Understandable. He’s a busy guy. And yet, just the same … we do think we have something to say.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You see, we’re not political here at <a href="http://metrocarwash.com/" target="_blank">Metro</a>. We’re just a small, local business trying to make our way. And for all we hear from Washington about “</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">small businesses being the lifeblood of our Country</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,” it sure doesn’t feel like anyone is actually looking out for us. Seriously. That’s why we’re not Republicans or Democrats. From our perspective, everyone in politics</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> seems out of touch. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s just our opinion of course. But as an example, there was a lot of time and effort spent in Washington (last year and earlier this year) on a bill called SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act). There were meetings and expensive dinners, uses of government funds, uses of good air … all aimed at protecting the Hollywood entertainment industry from the loss of a few bucks. Now don’t get me wrong: I’m sure there’s an issue there. But I’m also pretty sure </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">now</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is not the right time. I mean, from what I’ve seen on TMZ, the guys in Hollywood seem to be doing alright (have you seen an awards show lately?).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And OK, sure, that’s just one silly example. I get it. But from where we’re standing (Metro, that is), it’s just awfully frustrating to hear lip service go one way (</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we must help small business!</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) and reality go the other way (</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here’s another tax, Buddy, we’re sure you’ll understand</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t believe me? Well, here’s what we see. While Republicans are arguing for tax breaks to the wealthy and Democrats are arguing for more benefits to the poor, we just got hit with a new, surprise “special assessment” tax on payroll (because Arizona ran out of money) and another increase to Minimum Wage. I don’t know what Wall Street is doing to provide jobs here in Tucson, but <a href="http://metrocarwash.com/" target="_blank">Metro Car Wash</a> employs around 70 people. We’re struggling in a tough economy, trying to keep our prices low for our customers, keeping a lot of Tucsonans employed … and the government (that so desperately wants to help us) decides the best course of action is to keep making it a little harder on us. Maybe they think they’re teaching us perseverance.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Look, I realize that I’m complaining now (which could be annoying), but I also don’t hear our story being told. That bothers me. And when I say “our” story, I really do mean all of Metro Car Wash. Believe me, my employees don’t like it either. They’re not dumb. Increases in payroll taxes and increases in Minimum Wage mean less money in their pockets. The raises that the hard-working, tenured employees were going to get? The new employees we were going to hire? Sorry folks, they were just eaten up by ever-increasing Minimum Wage and a newly invented payroll tax. It is what it is. As a matter of fact, we’ve had to cut jobs … again.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is what I mean when I say Washington is out of touch. I’m not sure why they think a small businessperson is the best to tax if they want to create more jobs. I’m not sure how they think we can overcome these cost increases, when the economy is demanding we keep our prices low. I’m not sure I think its fair (actually, I know it’s not) that these tax increases equate to pay cuts to me and my employees, but I haven’t heard boo about pay cuts on Capital Hill. I’m not sure I understand any of it, to tell the truth, except to say this: we small businesses don’t have a voice in Washington, we won’t be benefited by tax cuts for the Wall Street crowd, no one “up there” seems to grasp the ramifications “down here,” and we think it all sort of stinks.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What I </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">am </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sure of is this: we care about our employees, our community, and our local economy. We care about delivering a quality product, keeping prices low, and keeping our customers happy. We’re going to keep plugging away, Mr. and Mrs. Politician. We’re not giving up. But we’d ask you to at least do us one favor: either truly get behind what you promise, or just stop delivering the lip service. I think it’s called “practice what you preach.” </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, that’s my rant for they year, folks. I feel better already! Our next blog will be more upbeat. I just know it (I’m thinking of bunnies, kittens or rainbows).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until then, stay clean my friends. Hope to see some of you soon at the Wash!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">DJ DripDry</span></b></div>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-40560671920289152252011-11-11T06:52:00.001-08:002011-11-11T06:52:55.591-08:00Veteran's Day<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent;">
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.24769217520952225" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">11/11/11, an auspicious number somehow. And a date that happens to correlate with this year’s Veteran’s Day. Whatever the reasons, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the freedoms we enjoy here in America and thought I might as well share them with you.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This contemplation actually started </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">last</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Friday when I had the privilege of attending an employee’s Naturalization Ceremony here at the Federal Court House in Tucson. Many of you know Juanita from our Speedway location. She’s been the topic of a </span><a href="http://metrocarwash.blogspot.com/2010/09/meet-metro-employee.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">blog</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, an Employee of the Month, a featured story in our newsletter. She came to the U.S. from Equatorial Guinea about six years ago, got a job (at </span><a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Metro</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), learned English, learned to drive, earned her GED, and has now earned American Citizenship. If you can’t tell, we’re super proud of her.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’d never been to a Naturalization Ceremony before, didn’t know what to expect, thought I’d show Juanita some support. That was really about it - wasn’t expecting much - and I’m going to be honest with you: before attending, I’d also been quite a bit down on the ol’ U S of A. I won’t go into details; suffice to say, as a business owner, I’ve been frustrated with politics (both sides of the aisle), taxes, regulations, rising costs, a poor economy, the list goes on and and on. It’s easy enough to let happen (I’m only human, after all), we let things get us down. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And here’s something I’ve learned over the years: whenever you’re down, about the best cure you can hope for, is for something not too tragic to slap you in the face, just enough to give you a good dose of reality. You need something to remind you that things aren’t as bad as they seem; something to remind you that others may not have it as good. For me, the 50+ new American Citizens I got the chance to meet on Friday did just that. It was an amazing thing to see.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After swearing in the new citizens, the Judge gave these same individuals the opportunity to stand up and speak, to tell their stories, to say why American citizenship was so important to them. It was a humbling experience to say the least. People who had come from all over the world stood up, they had tears in their eyes, and they would say how thankful they were to be in a “free” country. It was the theme that was repeated over and over and over: Freedom.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The freedom of speech (to not worry that what you say will get you landed in a jail cell), the freedom of religion (or no religion at all), the freedom to start a business, to take a risk, to do whatever you feel you’re best at. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. One young lady from Cuba looked out over the audience and said: “When you’re born in America, you just have no idea what you have. You have no idea.” And me, in the corner, feeling smaller and smaller.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Freedom.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the truth is, unfortunate as it may seem, it is only available to us by defense. That was the other thing that was brought to light in this ceremony: how much these same freedoms are a result of our military - the military guard we have right now, and the men and women who have served in our history before them. One man in the Ceremony said (and I quote), “I will never mind paying taxes, because I know that I’m paying for the protection of my freedom.” That’s an awesome statement, actually. At least it was to me.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wish you all could have been there. It’s an experience I won’t soon forget. And I can tell you this: I left that court house with a fresh perspective (and certainly in a better mood). I have always tipped my hat to our men and women in the military, but to some extent, I think it has just been good manners. Seeing what it is these individuals are actually protecting - the value that we should be placing on our freedom - makes my “thank you” to them a lot more sincere today.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so here is what I want to say: Thank you. For those of you serving right now. For those of you who served in the past. Thank you. My life isn’t so bad. As a matter of fact, it’s pretty good. And I take it for granted too often. Especially the fact that it wouldn’t be this way if you didn’t/hadn’t sacrificed to serve this country. With all my sincerity, thank you.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s 11/11/11 today, folks. It’s Veteran’s Day. Enjoy the blue sky. Enjoy your freedom. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-DJ DripDry</span></div>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-77284289940919186232011-09-20T09:39:00.000-07:002011-09-20T09:39:47.100-07:00A 52 Week Plan<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent;">
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.030120100593194366" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On September 1, we changed our Service Menu at <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a>. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t worry, that’s not what this blog is about; it’s not a promo. I just want to begin by saying why we did it. We did it because we realized the following: (1) our menu was based on the same “sales presentation” car washes have been using for thirty years and (2) that presentation is confusing for the customer and not user-friendly.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re interested, you can see our new menu at the following link: <a href="http://metrocarwash.com/our-services/menu/">Metro Car Wash Services</a>. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our goal was to make things simple, simple, simple. We listened to customer feedback, did a lot of research, and then made the change. You might think that sounds easy (hey, you only changed a menu, man!), but like most things, it was harder than it looked. We wanted to really streamline things, so in addition to the menu change, we also invested in a new, web-based Point of Sale system. Like any software change, this came with it’s own set of headaches (and additional hours of work). Not only this, but we also had to change all of our signage, update our website, modify our coupons and specials, and re-train an entire staff that was VERY used to doing things the OLD way. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Suffice to say, what looks like a simple update to a service menu was in fact a very large project. It took time, planning, burning the midnight oil, and more boring meetings than I care to recall. Oh, and it was worth it. After a few opening glitches, the employees and sales staff believe it’s helping them deliver better customer service. Most importantly, our customers (you) seem to like it too. I’d like to call this a success. I’d like to say we improved ourselves considerably. Which finally gets me to the point of this blog: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">self-improvement</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Ah-ha! Bet you didn’t see that one coming, did you?</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At some point during this project, my wife paid me a compliment. Not a compliment on how buff I’m looking due to my recent efforts with P90x, nor how impressive my home maintenance skills have become of late (like you, that’s what I would have guessed too), but this was about the business. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You guys never stop trying to improve your car wash,” she said. “Most businesses just sort of stay the same; you guys are always pushing to do something better.”</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nice to hear. And it also got me thinking about some advice I took nine years ago when we got into this business. I had a friend who had built a very successful car wash chain in California. When he heard that I’d gotten into the business, he told me this: </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Just make sure you improve one thing a week. Just one. It doesn’t have to be anything major – it can be as simple as re-organizing a filing cabinet – but improve </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">something</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. At the end of the year … at the end of five years … you’ll be amazed by what your business has become.”</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was probably some of the best advice I ever took (it ranks right up there with some of my favorites from Mom and Dad … don’t lick the monkey bars in winter, pee </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">before</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the movie starts, never play pool with a guy whose first name is also the name of a city). </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And we </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">did</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> take this advice seriously. For the first four years, I actually kept an “Improvement Journal” for the car wash. There were 52 weeks, and we had to have something filled out for each of them. Some of the projects were big (new equipment, new websites, a second car wash); others were small, but when taken as whole, just as effective. Improvements don’t happen over night, they take time. And I think maybe that’s what's best about this advice: rather than looking at an overwhelming project, simply start by eating the elephant one bite at a time.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each week, we check something off. It’s not overwhelming. And there’s always something to improve. Weeks turn into months, months into years, and then (just like my friend predicted): we’re amazed by what our business has become.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ll take one quick paragraph to hit some highlights: We were the first in Tucson to add an express lane, the first (and only) full-service wash to offer free self-serve vacuums, the first to significantly use the internet for communication and marketing (email coupons, website, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Metro-Car-Wash/73572023751">Facebook</a>, Twitter, <a href="http://metrocarwash.com/other/secret-shopper-program/">Secret Shopper</a>), the only car wash to fund a local <a href="http://metrocarwash.com/blog/metroharkin-scholarship/">scholarship</a> (the money for which was raised by turning our facility into a Zombie Car Wash), the first to drug test employees, the first to have a community Honor Roll, Annual Pass Sale, 2-for-Tuesday special, Community Partnership Program, this blog, and more. And all of it was accomplished one week at a time.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In truth, if nine years ago I’d seen a snapshot of what we are today, I’d have had no idea how to get here. I wouldn’t have believed it. And I never would have guessed that 52 improvements a year could do so much.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For what it’s worth, I think this advice works in any business </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in any home. I’m passing it along in the hopes that it helps some of you too. It’s pretty simple. Keep a list. Improve something every week. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It could be reorganizing your garage, holding a weekly customer service meeting, creating a new (realistic) budget, cutting out dessert, taking a walk two nights a week, spending an hour playing video games with your kids … it doesn’t really matter what it is, there are just two rules: (1) you’ve got to make the improvement stick and (2) you’ve got to come up with a new one next week.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t be overwhelmed by it; it’s easier than you think. This is coming from experience. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So long, folks. I’m off to come up with this week’s improvement for <a href="http://metrocarwash.com/">Metro</a>. Keep your eyes open. You might see it the next time you stop by.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until then, stay clean my friends …</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">DJ DripDry</span></div>
DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-82875949390255447262011-08-01T13:45:00.000-07:002011-08-01T15:29:03.844-07:00Reflections on our Birthday<p></p><div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; "><span id="internal-source-marker_0.323420018190518" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">It’s our birthday! Yes it is. Yes it is. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">On August 1, 2002, yours truly and business partner Pee Wee (<a href="http://metrocarwash.blogspot.com/2011/06/meet-metro-owner.html">see earlier blog</a>) purchased the first <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash</a> on Oracle Road. Hard to believe 9 years have already slipped by, but then, it’s odd to think of all that has happened as well. It’s times like these when we just can’t help taking a quick inventory of the past, reflecting on the stories that got us to where we are. And to quote the late, great Jerry Garcia (it’s his birthday too, btw): What a long strange trip it’s been.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">While our hair was getting thinner and our waistlines thicker, we washed cars and watched the world turn. We saw our nation go to war with Iraq (… again); we witnessed a company called Google go public and change our lives forever; we scratched our heads when Martha Stewart went to jail (Martha Stewart?) and sat numb when another Space Shuttle exploded; we braced ourselves for a Swine Flu epidemic, saw the death of the King of Pop and the birth of something called Brangelina; we got sick to our stomachs watching on as oil spilled massively into the Gulf of Mexico and wanted to cry viewing the tragedies of two different tsunamis, an earthquake in Haiti, and the flooding in New Orleans; we had to watch too many teams from Boston win titles and still never saw the Cubs win a single World Series; we witnessed Sadam Hussein hanged for crimes against humanity and witnessed the death of Osama Bin Laden; we saw the election of America’s first black president, became addicted to texting on smart phones, and witnessed the fact that novels and movies about vampires and werewolves took over the globe (who could have seen that one coming?); we got baffled watching the news that our country’s financial system had failed … that Wall Street had crumbled … that the term “bailout” could be used in dinner conversations; we watched in horror at multiple shooting rampages – something you can never come to terms with, especially when one of these incidents is in your own city, injuring one of your favorite customers. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">And all of this only scratches the surface of the stories that unfolded.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">In our own Metro-world, of course, times were also a changin. During the time it took our nation to go from 6 trillion dollars in debt to $13 trillion (numbers we still can’t get our head around), <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash</a> was also growing (though not at the same pace). We added a second location on Speedway, lots of new customers, and began to make a name for ourselves in Tucson.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">In the process, we discovered that owning your own business is a lot like starting a second family. As it grows, you both struggle and celebrate, you fight and you laugh, and you always hang on to each other, because in the end, it’s all you’ve got. And just like a family (especially the colorful ones), having a car wash leaves you with plenty of your own stories. These didn’t make the national news, but I thought it might be appropriate to share a few today. We’ve always said: Metro Car Wash is one entertaining place to be.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">So in case you missed some of these …</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">In the past nine years, my partner Pee Wee has fallen off a 30 foot ladder, been hit by a car, and found himself stuck, upside down, in a waste water reclaim pit. We’ve lost count of how many lives the dude has, but he does have an amazing ability to keep bouncing back.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">As for me, an ex-accountant, I learned that the ability to go to work in shorts and tennis shoes (instead of a suit and tie) is an immeasurable luxury. Such leisure attire keeps you cooler in the summer, sure, but it also does wonders for your speed – something I didn’t realize I needed until I found myself running down the center of Oracle Road, chasing a guy on a bicycle whom I had just witnessed shoplifting from our lobby. The thief got away, but not before I came very close to getting my hand on the seat of his pants. And I’ll tell you this much: seeing a grown man run down the center of Oracle, shouting obscenities that I can’t mention here (suffice to say they’d make a pirate blush), at least sent a message to the would-be criminals around Metro; it said: Hey, we’re all just little crazy here, you might not want to try that again.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Crazy, actually, is something that seems attracted to Metro Car Wash. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Our car wash was once shut down by a police sting operation – they were cracking down on prostitution. And so why was Metro involved? Well, because after picking up a date, one of our customers decided the first thing to do was get a car wash (I wish I was kidding here, I’m not). He pulled in, followed by half of the Tucson Police Force. And his “date” (a working lady who also happened to be wearing a cast on her broken arm … I told you, crazy loves us here) decided that she wasn’t going out without a fight. What ensued at the Metro Vacuums resembled something out of a Woody Allen movie or an old episode of Laugh-In, one of those moments where you can’t do anything by just sit and stare with your mouth open, a little voice somewhere in the back of your head saying: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Really</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">? Owning a car wash is </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">really</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> what you want to do with your life? </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">On the subject of “dates,” I might also mention that we’ve discovered an underground culture that views the car wash tunnel in the same light as the Mile High Club. Not joking here either. Over the last nine years, on several occasions, we’ve had the unfortunate experience of witnessing, first-hand, couples attempting to … well … you get the picture. And let me just say this: (a) while we use a lot of soap here, the foam isn’t </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">that</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> thick, (b) while you may think our wash is thorough, it doesn’t take </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">that</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> long before you get to the rinse cycle, and (3) even if you like what you see in the mirror after your morning shower, it doesn’t mean </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">everyone</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> does. Enough said.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">But of course, it hasn’t all been crazy either. As a matter of fact, I still wake up every morning happy to own Metro Car Wash and happy to go to work. Someone once told me: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">variety is the spice of life</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">, and I think that can’t be truer than at our car wash. We really are a spicy business.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Every day we see hundreds of customers, each one bringing a little of their story into our lives. Sure, some are negative (I’ve had my life threatened because we forgot to put tire shine on all four tires); and sure, some are strange (there was one incident where an individual came back to the wash looking white as a ghost, said: “I left a brown paper bag on the patio. Did anyone turn it in?” When I said no, the individual spent an hour roaming the lot, going through the trash. When pressed, the customer said: “There was $20,000 in the bag. I didn’t want to leave it in the car; then forgot it under the patio chair.” Sad … and strange.); but for the most part, our customers are a fantastic bunch. Many of our customers have become good friends. Some have even ended up working for us. We’ve made customers cry when we’ve found jewelry under their seats that they thought they had lost. We’ve washed the cars of celebrities: professional basketball players, politicians, softball pitchers, golfers and even a movie star.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">And it’s not just the customers, of course. It’s our employees too, who have added to the variety and spice of Metro. We’ve had some interesting characters over the years, for sure: budding rap stars, aspiring writers, a bull rider. But we’ve also been a stop for individuals heading for different careers, employees who have gone on to the Navy, to become nurses, and in one case a model.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The truth is, it’s these people (both customers and employees) who have inspired us to be a better business. Nothing hurts like a valid complaint; nothing feels better than a heart-felt compliment. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Over the last nine years, we’ve worked hard to constantly improve ourselves, to be both a better employer and a better service business. And as I reflect on the friends we’ve made and the stories we’ve created, I can’t help but smile. When I look in the rearview mirror, I’m pretty proud of Metro Car Wash. I don’t think we’ve done too badly. More importantly, I think we’ve only just begun. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Thanks for being a part of our lives these last nine years, folks. We’re looking forward to many more to come. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Stay clean my friends, </span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">-DJ DripDry</span></div><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-5254159518034082012011-06-24T10:05:00.000-07:002011-06-24T10:09:03.247-07:00Why is Everyone So Angry?Is it just me? Or do there seem to be a lot of shorter fuses these days? <br /><br />You know, I’ve always said that being in the car wash business gives us a unique opportunity to keep a pulse on the general public. We see over 600 people a day at <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a>; and while this may not be an official Gallup Poll, it does give us a fairly good sample of Tucson’s population, a gauge on the collective attitudes in the Old Pueblo.<br /><br />So I gotta tell ya, folks: holy bat guano, but have we become a testy bunch!<br /><br />Maybe it’s the heat. Maybe it’s the economy. Maybe it’s just all the bad news we have to read and hear everyday. But one thing’s for certain: at Metro, we’re just seeing a ton of grumpy people these days. And that stinks.<br /><br />Far be it from me to judge. I’m sure there are a lot of people going through some very stressful times. And I’m also glad that, even though angry or depressed, these same individuals still want a car wash. But a recent incident just got me really thinking about these bad attitudes … enough so that my wife thought I should pass it on to you.<br /><br />Let me start by saying the following: I understand completely that <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash</a> isn’t perfect. We make mistakes every day. We let customers down every day. I don’t like this, but it’s the truth about any business. You just have to hope that you catch your mistakes and make them right as quickly as possible. That being said, I also know we’re a good organization. We care about our customers, we work hard to deliver a quality product, and we do more than any of our competition to offer a value price and to help out in the Tucson community. Furthermore, when we do make mistakes, we’re the first to admit them and fix the problems.<br /><br />So … last Saturday … we had a problem. More specifically, the Free Vacuums at our Speedway location blew up. There was a noise similar to car crash, then a mushroom cloud of dust and smoke. The reason? A bolt on the inner-motor housing came off and got sucked through the producer. Long story short, it destroyed our 20hp vacuum. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, just that dirty little bolt’s (and truthfully, it couldn’t have been very pleasant for the bolt either). The bad news: from Saturday afternoon through Monday (when we could get to a supplier), we couldn’t offer the free use of vacuums to our Express customers. That really sucked (I just couldn’t help myself there).<br /><br />Now, there are a few things I’ve mentioned that I think are worth repeating. Let’s start with this: the vacuums are FREE. Several years ago, we thought it would be nice to offer the use of FREE vacuums to our customers who purchased our Exterior-only wash. We didn’t raise the price (we kept it at $3.99); we just thought it would be really cool (and something no one else was doing) to add this value option. We figured it would make people happy to be getting something for nothing. And we were right. We have an army of faithful customers who get their car washed and then prefer to vacuum their own vehicles.<br /><br />So on Father’s Day weekend, I had a feeling we’d have a few complaints about not being able to use the self-serve vacuums. We did. And 90% of those same people understood. A few even said they were sorry for us – that they could imagine how costly it was going to be to fix. These same people said things like: Hey, it’s FREE. I’ll just come back on Monday. No problem. Not that big of a deal. To all of you in this group: a sincere thanks for understanding, it means the world to us.<br /><br />Then there were the other 10%. <br /><br />I won’t go into details. Suffice to say there was considerable shouting, there were accusations of fraud, there were threats of never returning to Metro Car Wash. In all honesty, it was brutal. The fact that it was something free (like our coffee or our wireless service or our travel trash bags), meant nothing. From their anger, you’d have thought we’d just mugged their grandmother. And if this wasn’t enough, on Tuesday we also received a letter. The complaining that one gentleman had done on Sunday wasn’t enough. He took the time to write down a full page of irate dissatisfaction. I should point out: there was never a complaint about bad wash quality, it was all about not getting the FREE vacuums.<br /><br />I wish I were kidding. I’m not. In this letter, I was told that I was a terrible business, that I was misleading consumers, that I should have given everyone free car washes as compensation, or at least upgraded everyone to the Full Service. He ended the letter by reminding me that (1) it was Father’s Day, (2) he was a father, and (3) “it would have been nice to have received a little extra on <i>my</i> day.” That last part was a direct quote. <i>His</i> day. When I put the letter down, I was dumbfounded.<br /><br />Why are people so angry? They purchased a car wash, they received a car wash (an amazing value for something less than $4). From the comfort of their car, their vehicle was cleaned and polished by intricately tuned equipment, rinsed with gallons of specially treated water, and finally hand-dried by employees working in the blazing sun. The staff was polite, waved, said Thank You. We apologized for the free vacuums being down, said we believed they’d be available for use in a few days (free of course) … and for this – for this lack of free suction – people completely lost their cool. My manager said it was one of the worst days he’d ever experienced, so many people yelling at him, so many furious individuals.<br /><br />What’s happening with our country? As I read the gentlemen’s complaint letter I got to thinking. As he was taking the time to write a full-page attack on <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro</a> for not having free vacuums, fires were burning down Sierra Vista, homes were being lost; at the same time he was spending his free moments telling us that we had <i>wrecked his day</i>, some young father had just lost his job, someone had just been informed they had cancer, parents were just told they’d lost a son in Afghanistan. <div> <br />To be truthful, his letter disgusted me.<br /><br />I’m no preacher folks, but here’s what I want to say: if Starbucks is out of cream for your coffee, if the yogurt shop has run out of your favorite flavor, if the restaurant is a little short-staffed, or if there’s an “out of order” sign on the gas pump … please, take a deep breath and think about how much worse things could be.<br /><br />These aren’t issues; they’re minor inconveniences. That’s all. And losing your temper or raising your voice does nothing to fix things. Believe me, if it were so, we would have shouted our vacuum back into working order.<br /><br />And look, I’m guilty of it too. But that customer’s letter got me thinking in a way he never intended. After reading it, I realized how much I didn’t want to be like him. Life’s too short to let the small things eat you up. There’s enough trouble in the world, with or without the vacuums humming at Metro.<br /><br />Hope this gave you food for thought, Tucson. And please, stay clean and CHEER UP!<br /><br />--DJ DripDry<br /></div>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-54361555545988211832011-06-15T11:59:00.000-07:002011-06-15T12:08:33.479-07:00CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FIRST METRO/HARKIN SCHOLARSHIP WINNER<p class="MsoNormal">It was only a year ago that we dreamed up the idea of the <a href="http://www.metroscholarship.com/">Metro-Harkin Scholarship</a>: a unique program that would pay for one complete year of schooling at Pima Community College for one deserving Tucson high school graduate.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Twelve months later, the Scholarship has been established, funds have been raised, a crazy Zombie Wash was let loose in Tucson, and Terrence Peel-Charles has been awarded the first ever Metro-Harkin Scholarship for the 2011-2012 academic year.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For those of you who need a little reminding, the Metro-Harkin Scholarship is open to any graduating Tucson high school student.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The aim of the Scholarship is to provide a higher education for hard-working and hard-studying individuals who might not otherwise have the means to attend college.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Scholarship was created by the owners of <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a> and Jeremy Harkin a high school English teacher.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So … for this blog, we thought we’d share a little from our upcoming press release with you.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’re proud to introduce you to Terrence, Metro’s first-ever Scholarship winner …<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">From the Press Release: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Marana Student Wins Metro/Harkin Scholarship<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Terrence Peel-Charles (18) is a recent graduate of Marana High School.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He earned a 3.4 GPA, was active in Key Club, volunteered for various charity events including Aids Walk and the Special Olympics, and worked part time as an after-school Classified Enrichment Instructor.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Perhaps most notably, Terrence received an opportunity his Junior Year to participate as a foreign exchange student in Germany.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He didn’t know the language, had never taken a German class, and knew no one in the Country.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Still, none of this stopped him from packing his bags, leaving the comforts of his family and friends, and heading to Europe for a year of his life – an intimidating scenario for anyone, but an experience that helped him grow significantly into adulthood.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Living in Germany helped me learn things about myself I didn’t even know,” says Terrence.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“The most difficult task in my life was to grasp the German language.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had to learn German at a very fast pace to survive at school.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I got home from class, took out my homework and my German-to-English dictionary and translated the whole assignment for hours on end until I understood it.”</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In addition to challenging him educationally, Terrence claims the experience has also made him “a more worldly person”, more aware of cultural differences (and how to navigate those barriers), and more understanding of what it means to be alone and have only yourself to depend on.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These, in turn, have now shaped his goals for the future.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“I came back to America with something to prove to myself,” says Terrence.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“I’ve learned there is really no challenge I can’t handle.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I want to become a doctor, hopefully one that can travel abroad.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And I’m not going to let any obstacles get in my way, financial or otherwise.”</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Terrence is now planning to attend Pima Community College for two years before transferring to the University of Arizona.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He is extremely grateful for the Metro-Harkin Scholarship, a program that will pay entirely for his first two semesters at Pima.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In addition to his own education, Terrence also holds a part time job teaching children in an after-school program (holding a part time job during the academic year is a requirement of the Metro Scholarship).</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“We had a lot of great applicants,” said one member of the committee that selected the recipient.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“There were interesting stories, unique backgrounds – a bunch of deserving kids, really.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The selection process was difficult, but in the end, Terrence was the clear winner.”<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Metro-Harkin Scholarship is funded by <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a>, as well as through donations they receive.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Last year, the Company raised the lion’s share of the Fund by hosting Tucson’s first ever “<a href="http://www.zombiewash.com/">Zombie Car Wash</a>.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The charity event turned Metro’s Speedway location into a haunted theme-ride for one week in October and was met with rave reviews.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Company is planning on another Zombie Car Wash this fall; this time around Terrence will be helping.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Terrence’s selection as the Scholarship Winner was based on a committee’s cumulative score that was comprised of his grades, his scholastic attendance record, extracurricular participation, two essays, and a final interview.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Metro-Harkin Scholarship is open to all Tucson graduating high school students.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Information and application instructions can be found at <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">www.metrocarwash.com</a>, <a href="http://www.metroscholarship.com/">www.metroscholarship.com</a>, Pima Community College Foundation, or at either of the Metro Car Wash locations.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkkdcQRVHiuIJc3eRXoH7sYvaS67IuGb1nEv0ozA7Ggih-TeUNN8Zr0IbykpaDbngvYobjvfbwkxuEchTHAKy1TNtoz3lcP-LKyxZoXZJP4U3R8WEqWYcVEmjr_4GtFcCG_EU8Z9QcFh8/s200/Terrence+Peel+picture.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 143px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618523797448962274" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">(Terrence Peel, 2011)</span></p> <!--EndFragment-->DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-7736888671425395052011-06-02T08:36:00.000-07:002011-06-02T08:53:46.701-07:00Meet a Metro OwnerThe 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 <i>real</i> 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.<br /><br />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 <i>where</i> 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.<br /><br />Lucky for Craig, opportunities presented themselves. Craig’s dad was a local entrepreneur. The family first got into the restaurant business, owning the <i>Frost Tops</i> and then <i>Frontier Drive-ins</i> (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.<br /><br />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 <i>was</i> the 70’s.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />Not long after he returned, Craig was introduced to <a href="http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/19/60/">Don Pooly</a> (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 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kostis">Peter Kostis’s</a> Golf Digest School. Craig practiced, became a PGA professional out of <a href="http://crookedtreegolfcourse.net/">Arthur Pack</a>, 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 <i>good enough</i> 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. <br /><br />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 <a href="http://www.bluecoral.com/">Blue Coral</a>, 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 <a href="http://metrocarwash.com/">Metro</a> (and Tucson), Craig wasn’t quite finished.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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<a href="http://metrocarwash.com/"> Metro Car Wash</a> on Oracle Rd. in August of 2002. The rest, as they say, is history.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Until next time, stay clean my friends!<br /><br />-DJ DripDryDJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-60108998871203178122011-05-06T11:36:00.000-07:002011-05-06T11:44:27.461-07:00Why You Really Should Buy Local<meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 14"> <link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/sean/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <link rel="themeData" href="file://localhost/Users/sean/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_themedata.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:enableopentypekerning/> <w:dontflipmirrorindents/> <w:overridetablestylehps/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"> <m:brkbin val="before"> <m:brkbinsub val="--"> <m:smallfrac val="off"> <m:dispdef/> <m:lmargin val="0"> <m:rmargin val="0"> <m:defjc val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent val="1440"> <m:intlim val="subSup"> <m:narylim val="undOvr"> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defunhidewhenused="true" defsemihidden="true" defqformat="false" defpriority="99" latentstylecount="276"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Normal"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="heading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="35" qformat="true" name="caption"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="10" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" name="Default Paragraph Font"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="11" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtitle"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="22" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Strong"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="20" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="59" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Table Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Placeholder Text"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="No Spacing"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Revision"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="34" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="List Paragraph"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="29" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="30" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="19" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"MS ゴシック"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:modern; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"MS ゴシック"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:modern; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} h1 {mso-style-priority:9; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char"; mso-style-next:Normal; margin-top:24.0pt; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan lines-together; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:1; font-size:16.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS ゴシック"; mso-fareast-theme-font:major-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#345A8A; mso-themecolor:accent1; mso-themeshade:181; mso-font-kerning:0pt;} span.Heading1Char {mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char"; mso-style-priority:9; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-locked:yes; mso-style-link:"Heading 1"; mso-ansi-font-size:16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:16.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS ゴシック"; mso-fareast-theme-font:major-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:major-bidi; color:#345A8A; mso-themecolor:accent1; mso-themeshade:181; font-weight:bold;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">You here it all the time these days: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Buy Local</i>!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Support your local businesses</i>!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Locally owned and operated</i>!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s become the mantra of small commerce.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A battle cry.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">But here’s the question: what does “buying local” really do for you?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Does it honestly help your community?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Is it better?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Is it the right thing to do?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">How does supporting your neighborhood business, as opposed to a large company out of Boston, really impact Tucson?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Impact you?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Because when you think about it, job creation is job creation. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Right?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If you go to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">any</i> restaurant, you’re helping to support local jobs.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And that stands true whether it’s a local bistro or a large chain.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Correct?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It all puts money back into Tucson’s economy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">So what’s the big deal?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">buying local</i> just a gimmick?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A sneaky way to guilt you into supporting small shops?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Is it like your mother asking you to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">please be nice</i>, to invite the nerdy kid to your party?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">I think this is a valid question.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And (surprise, surprise), I think I have an answer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">In my opinion, there are three main reasons to buy local: better service, community involvement, and local profits.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m sure there are more, but these were the ones I could easily come up with using <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a> as an example (again, surprise, surprise).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I understand we are probably biased, but just the same, I hope the following helps to validate Tucson’s cry when we shout: “Locally owned and operated!”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We just can’t help ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We love the sound of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <h1><span class="Apple-style-span">Better Service<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">OK, I’ll say it right away: not every local business offers better service than a large chain.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That would be completely unfair to say and a gross generalization.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You can get good service anywhere; you can get bad service anywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My point is, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">overall</i>, I do believe there are a few factors that tend to tip the scales in favor of local businesses when it comes to quality of service.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">First off, I think a local owner has a better understanding of the immediate market.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Every city is different.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Economies are dissimilar.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Some places are hard on their luck, while a few are booming.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Large corporations rely on feedback from outside firms or special divisions within their company to assess the temperature of these markets and to then “fit in” to what the community wants.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The local business owner, on the other hand, lives it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">At our car wash, for example, we knew the right time to simplify our menus, to lower our prices, to improve our value – not because of research, but simply from dialogue with customers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Even our use of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Metro-Car-Wash/73572023751">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/carwash_metro">Twitter</a> is more conversational, a two-way street with local consumers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If we expanded beyond Tucson, this would become significantly more difficult to manage, we would lose the intimacy with our customers and as a result have less of an understanding of the market’s wants.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">But being local can improve service in more subtle ways too.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As an example, I think it can often mean more involved <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">training</i> and enhanced <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">mentoring</i>, each of which can lead to better customer experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro</a>, for instance, the owners have weekly meetings with the staff.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This setting is more like a classroom; service concepts are taught, homework is given.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But even more than this, the owners work <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">with</i> the managers and employees, expectations of how to handle customers are taught by example, by owners on site who know just how important each customer is.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Employees pick up on this (they become our friends, in some cases, they feel like family).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And the business as a whole improves.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Along these same lines, having an owner’s feet on the property also speeds up customer feedback when it comes to complaints, suggestions, or requests.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At Metro, for example, if you want to talk to the owner … you can!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You can usually find one of us walking the site.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And if you email Metro from the website, it’s an owner that will get back to you, usually within 24 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">You just won’t get this from a larger company.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Because the truth is, the local owner has more to lose.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He or she is waking up every morning with their hard-earned, (personal) savings on the line.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That’s real motivation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Pure and simple.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <h1><span class="Apple-style-span">Community Involvement<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">A lot of large corporations donate big sums of money to good causes, which is certainly something to respect.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But just as local ownership means a better understanding of the market, I believe it can also lead to a better understanding of a community’s needs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Donations to large non-profit organizations are wonderful.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But these are also the organizations that have access to large grants and other forms of assistance; these are avenues smaller, local organizations don’t have.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The truth is, in economy like ours, it is the local charities and non-profits that are struggling as much as anybody.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And local businesses have the best understanding of those needs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">At Metro, we have a great fundraising/community partnership program.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I won’t go into details here (they’re available at our <a href="http://metrocarwash.com/blog/community-partnership-program/">website</a>), but suffice to say, we partner with almost twenty local charities, both financially and as volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We award a significant number of Annual Passes every year to local heroes, teachers, and volunteers in Tucson.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’ve established our own scholarship with Pima Community College, sending one local student a year to one full year of schooling at Pima (and we raise money for it by turning our car wash into a haunted theme ride at Halloween).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This isn’t to toot our own horn; there are lots of local businesses doing even more. The point is: local businesses feel the community; they understand the city; and they’re better able to serve and give back (to what is most needed).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In our opinion, that’s one very strong reason to go local.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <h1><span class="Apple-style-span">Profits Stay Local<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">I think this one is important.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Jobs <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">are</i> jobs, but in a big corporation (not from Tucson), profits do NOT stay local.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">When you shop at big box stores, when you eat at chain restaurants, you may be supporting local employment, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">but the profits are going somewhere else</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And profits, dumped back into a local market, can do wonders for our little economy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Not only this, but local businesses are also more apt to use community banks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And because community banks are also local, the interest they earn stays local too.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">At Metro, we not only create jobs for Tucson, but any profits are also kept here. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We believe strongly in keeping it local; we bank local, we buy supplies locally.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Other car washes, like Simonize, are headquartered on the East Coast.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The company Mister Car Wash isn’t even American (it’s Canadian, though their wash offices are in Tucson) and their sources of funding are foreign.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">We’re not saying these companies are bad (they are not).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But it is a good example of the contrast.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; "> </span></p> <h1><span class="Apple-style-span">Conclusion<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">I guess here’s what we’re saying:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When you buy local, there is more than meets eye.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’re not advising you to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">never</i> shop at a big, monster store.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The truth is, it’s getting harder not to (as the little guys disappear).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">But beyond the character of the local bistro, the neighborhood flower shop, your friend’s car wash (me), there are a lot of other things going on too.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Profits are circulated back into Tucson, local charities are identified and helped, employees are cared for on a one-on-one basis, and you, the consumer, begin to receive better personal service in an increasingly bland and generic world.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">OK, I told you we were biased.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But just so you know, we really do care about you (and your car).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And when you think about it, that may be the best reason of all to keep it local.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Thanks for listening folks!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Stay clean my friends.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">-DJ Drip Dry<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-15442518835346173342011-03-11T06:40:00.000-08:002011-03-11T06:42:16.392-08:00Why You Shouldn’t Complain About the Price of A Car Wash (at least not in Tucson)OK, so everyone’s pinching pennies these days … we get it. And OK, so everything seems to cost too much for what you actually get … understood. We’re all in the same boat: we’re tired of increasing prices accompanied by decreasing service and quality. It stinks. It isn’t right. And yet it’s prevalent.<br /><br />Only wait, wait, wait! Let’s not completely jump the gun here. There are some places where your money still purchases real value – where it can go a long way, and where you can really get a bang for your buck. It’s not all doom and gloom out there, really. And while you may find this hard to believe, a professional car wash is one of those purchases (at least in Tucson … and OK, at least at <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a>).<br /><br />First of all, I’d like to point out the results of a little research I did. I took a look at what prices have done for various products since the year 2000 (around the time Metro Car Wash just got rolling in the Old Pueblo). The information is eye opening, but it can also give you stomach cramps too. In just 10 years …<br /><br />The average cost of a movie ticket went from $5.39 to $7.89 (an increase of 46%).<br /><br />The average cost of gas increased by 70% per gallon.<br /><br />The average price of eggs increased by over $1.50 per dozen (who knew chickens had this type of bargaining power?).<br /><br />The price of milk increased by 11%, a US stamp by 33%, and coffee and tea by 100%.<br /><br />What makes matters even worse, is that the Median Household Income only increased by 26% in that same time (making these prices even more expensive on a relative basis).<br /><br />Not news to jump for joy about, obviously. Actually, rather depressing. The kind of thing that might really be a buzz kill … unless, of course, you spend money at <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash</a> (you just knew I’d get back to this).<br /><br />Since 2000, here’s what we’ve done:<br /><br />The price of our Express Wash (exterior only) is still $3.99. In 10 years, it hasn’t changed one single bit. <br /><br />The price of our Uptown Metro Wash (your car cleaned inside and out, tire shine, clear coat protection, etc.) has gone from $17.99 to $12.99, a decrease of 28%.<br /><br />And the average price of a Metro Detail is now $35, down 22% from where it was 10 years ago!<br /><br />And to be fair: most of the other car washes in town have kept their prices low too. As a Tucson service, getting a car wash is cheap. It’s cheap compared to other places in the country and it’s cheap compared to prices of 10 years ago (something that is rather amazing when one considers increases in Minimum Wage, power costs and utility costs).<br /><br />Put simply, a car wash is a great value.<br /><br />OK, you say, But I still need to pinch pennies, and a car wash isn’t necessary.<br /><br />In defense of this, I’ve already written a blog about why washing your car is important (you can link to it here), including protecting the resale value of your auto investment. But assuming you understand that keeping your car clean is actually important (like brushing your teeth and washing your clothes), you might be inclined to say you can still do it yourself (and save money).<br /><br />Here’s what we have to say to that:<br /><br />The average time that it takes for a person to wash their car in their driveway is between 1 to 1 ½ hours. It should also be noted that this task is most often undertaken when you have 1 to 1 ½ hours of free time, like the weekend (which means this is 1 to 1 ½ hours of your precious weekend not spent playing with the kids, watching the game, or golfing).<br /><br />At Metro Car Wash, our Uptown Metro Wash takes 15 to 20 minutes and we offer free coffee and free Wi-Fi while you wait (free coffee, even though its price has increased by 100%!). Not only this, but you’ll be getting specially formulated soap and wax that protects your paint, something you aren’t getting in your driveway (unless you spend more time and money).<br /><br />Additionally, the average driveway washer uses 77 gallons of water to wash a single car (hard to believe, I know. But true). The average professional car wash, on the other hand, uses almost half of that (approximately 45 gallons per car). And at Metro, we actually recycle this water and use it to irrigate landscaping and wash more cars.<br /><br />So, this is good news, right? At least we like to think it is. <br /><br />Sometimes its good to step back and think about the value in the products you buy, to slap yourself on the back for not wasting money and being a savvy buyer. And if you’re a user of a professional car wash, then slap yourself on the back again because:<br /><br />You’re maintaining the resale value of your investment, while looking good at the same time; you’re doing this while spending at levels less than ten years ago; and you’re managing to save time and the environment simultaneously.<br /><br />How can that not be a valuable purchase?<br /><br />Feel good about your purchase, folks. And stay clean my friends!<br /><br />--DJ DripDryDJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-74472495317202695452011-02-16T16:35:00.000-08:002011-02-23T13:26:45.922-08:00Be Aware of Check FraudI’m writing something a little different this week, but I think it’s worth discussing. <br /><br />At the outset of establishing this blog, we said we wanted this to be a place for us to communicate with our customers as well as Tucson in general. We said we wanted to discuss our business honestly (Metro Car Wash), as well as our customers, our community, and the interesting stories that might come from a group of individuals that love to wash cars under the desert sun.<br /><br />Unfortunately, not all those stories are good ones. This is one of the bad ones.<br /><br />This past week, Metro Car Wash had the very unpleasant experience of being a victim of Check Fraud (we got robbed of over $4,000). Ugly as it was, I thought it might be good to share our story. Once you understand what these crooks are doing, you might be shocked to find out just how vulnerable all of us (businesses and individuals) actually are to this form of theft.<br /><br />Our story started off when we got a call from our local bank letting us know that our Petty Cash Account was overdrawn. This was quite a surprise. In addition to being a good car wash, we’re pretty good at keeping our books clean too. You can imagine my shock, then, when I went on-line and saw a negative balance of $3,000 (I’ll let you imagine the words that were spoken/shouted while my heart rate exploded and I pounded my fists on the table).<br /><br />After my eyes rolled back into focus and my breath became manageable again, I noticed that there were four checks debited from my account that I didn’t remember writing. I clicked “view” and discovered why I didn’t remember writing them: I didn’t.<br /> <br />The checks weren’t Metro’s actual checks. They were generic business checks with the name Metro Car Wash on the top, but the wrong address underneath. The banking information on the bottom of the checks (the routing and account numbers) were also ours, but the names of the individuals the checks were written to were no one we knew. Furthermore, the check was signed by Pete Carroll (yup, the same name as the current coach of the Seattle Seahawks … I doubted it was the actual guy); in other words: not an authorized signer. I looked on the back of the check copies; all of the checks had been cashed at approximately the same time.<br /><br />Since then, I’ve spent my time closing bank accounts, reconciling accounts, filing police reports, and generally walking around in a lousy mood. Oh, and I’ve learned how easy it is for someone to do this.<br /><br />Here’s the skinny: <br /><br />All someone needs to rob you is a copy of your check, a computer, and a printer.<br /><br />Do you write payroll checks? Do you write checks to vendors? The pizza delivery guy?<br /><br />Then your account number and routing number are out there. <br /><br />All someone has to do is write these numbers down and take them home. Then, in front of their computer, they can actually download Check Writing Software for free. They place business checks they purchased at an office supply store into their printer, they input their name and the dollar amount they believe they deserve (typically a reasonable paycheck amount so as to not draw attention), and press: PRINT.<br /><br />The check is made out to them, so they don’t have a problem cashing it; they show their real ID, collect their money (your money) and take their sweetie out for a nice dinner courtesy of you (they at least hopefully toast you for your generosity).<br /><br />It’s as simple as that. I wish I was kidding.<br /><br />And here’s the really disturbing thing: my bank didn’t even bother to press charges. They actually told me not waste my time either (I didn’t listen to their advice). They said this happens all the time. It is what it is in the banking world I guess.<br /><br />So, OK … what do you do now? How do you protect yourself?<br /><br />The truth is, depending on your bank, you may not be able to. Larger banks, like Chase, have some interesting on-line Fraud Protection Tools they’ve just rolled out, but smaller banks still rely on the chance of noticing when signatures don’t match (you can see how well that worked for us).<br /><br />My bank told me: you should review your accounts every day.<br /><br />The detective I’m working with gave me this advice: Don’t write checks. He was serious.<br /><br />We’re now looking at switching our payroll to debit cards (rather than cutting checks).<br /><br />I guess I don’t have a happy ending to this story, but I do hope it helps some of you avoid what happened to us. It’s a scary world out there and I’d like to think we can use tools like this blog to help each other out.<br /><br />Until next time, stay clean my friends (and keep an eye on your check balance). Oh, and if you see a suspicious looking thug toasting a glass of Champagne and thanking Metro for his bonus, please let us know!<br /><br />-DJ DripDryDJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-81257497761425504022011-02-03T11:10:00.000-08:002011-02-03T11:23:47.692-08:00Metro Car Wash's Honor Roll<meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 14"> <link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/sean/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <link rel="themeData" href="file://localhost/Users/sean/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_themedata.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:enableopentypekerning/> <w:dontflipmirrorindents/> <w:overridetablestylehps/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"> <m:brkbin val="before"> <m:brkbinsub val="--"> <m:smallfrac val="off"> <m:dispdef/> <m:lmargin val="0"> <m:rmargin val="0"> <m:defjc val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent val="1440"> <m:intlim val="subSup"> <m:narylim val="undOvr"> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defunhidewhenused="true" defsemihidden="true" defqformat="false" defpriority="99" latentstylecount="276"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Normal"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="heading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="35" qformat="true" name="caption"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="10" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" name="Default Paragraph Font"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="11" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtitle"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="22" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Strong"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="20" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="59" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Table Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Placeholder Text"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="No Spacing"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Revision"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="34" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="List Paragraph"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="29" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="30" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="19" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Sorry about the delay in posting, folks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yours truly has been a bit busy wrapping up the year.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now that things have settled down a bit, however, I’m happy to use our <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a> Blog to announce the recipients of our Annual Metro Honor Roll.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Every year, we ask our Community Partners (the organizations we raise money for), as well as our customers, to nominate individuals who are making selfless efforts to positively impact Tucson.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As a local business involved in the community, we really value, not only our city’s charitable establishments, but the people inside of these organizations who donate their time and efforts to assure Tucson is a better place.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">All Metro Honor Roll Recipients receive a Metro Honor Roll Card that entitles them to unlimited FREE Uptown washes for the entire 2011 calendar year.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It may not be as prestigious as a heavy plaque, a picture in the paper, or keys to the city, but it is our way of saying Thank You to a group of people who deserve a little extra recognition.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This year’s Honor Roll Recipients include the following:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Lisa Antkow.</b><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Lisa works with <a href="http://www.tunidito.org/">Tu Nidito</a>, a Tucson agency that provides individual and group support to children and their families as they deal with serious illness and death.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Lisa’s coworkers nominated her because of her maturity, responsibility, and dedication in interacting positively with children who are going through one of the toughest times of their lives. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Sloan Boatman.</b><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sloan has been a volunteer with The <a href="http://www.diabetes.org/">American Diabetes Association</a> in Tucson for years, donating her time in both the back office and fundraising events.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She is passionate in regards to educating the public about how to stop diabetes, as well as how to support those living with the disease.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Terri Smith.</b><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Terri has been involved with the <a href="http://www.lungarizona.org/">American Lung Association</a> for a year and half now.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A lung cancer survivor herself, Terri single-handedly raised over $3000 in last year’s “Fight for Air” Walk, started a Lung Cancer Support Group to emotionally encourage those going through lung cancer treatment, and began speaking to community groups to increase awareness for lung cancer screening, prevention and research. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Jared Ross.</b><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Jared is a faithful TROT volunteer of more than 10 years.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>T.R.O.T. (Therapeutic Riding of Tucson) helps those with special needs by using therapeutic equine programs to improve physical, mental, and social well-being.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Jared volunteers weekly; his commitment is immensely appreciated by both the TROT staff and those receiving the therapy.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Alexandra “Ally” Rae Pesqueira.</b><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Ally is a volunteer with Tucson’s <a href="http://www.soazadvocacy.org/">Children’s Advocacy Center</a>, an organization that works within the community to prevent child victimization and abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Ally began volunteering while she was a student at the University of Arizona and continued to volunteer after she graduated.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Her dedication and compassion are second to none, and she is currently focused on a new project involving the supervision of infant/parent visits in conjunction with CPS. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Mary Garrison-Vincent.</b><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Mary is a volunteer with <a href="http://www.shyannkindness.org/">The Shyann Kindness Project</a>, an organization whose mission it is to pass on kindness by educating, supporting and encouraging children in stressful economic, social and medical situations.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Mary has been an instrumental factor in the charity’s fundraising efforts, donating countless hours of work to assure the success of their events.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Lluvia Creek.</b><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Lluvia<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>is a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Big Sister</i> with <a href="http://www.tucsonbigs.org/">Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson</a>, an organization that pairs adult mentors with children to provide underprivileged youth with better guidance and growth opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Lluvia’s co-workers and co-volunteers believe that she embodies what it means to be a Big Sister, staying actively involved in the life of her Little Sister, Maria, dedicating time to fostering the relationship and assuring that the girl has improved life opportunities.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Danny Simone (and Hooch).</b><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Danny is a volunteer with <a href="http://www.handi-dogs.org/">Handi-Dogs</a>, a service and therapy dog training organization whose mission is to promote independence, freedom, health and dignity for seniors and people with disabilities through the use of trained dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Danny and his dog Hooch are Community Ambassadors and a popular Demonstration Team for Handi-Dog.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As well, Danny donates his time to Delta Society Pet Partners, Gabriel’s Angels, Pets for Vets, and does Animal Assisted Therapy at St. Joseph’s Hospital.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Diana Cordera.</b><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Diana is a Family Support Specialist at <a href="http://www.parentaid.org/">Parent Aid</a>, a child abuse prevention center.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Diana works personally with families in order to strengthen familial bonds and prevent child abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She is always on call and available for the individuals she works with, additionally, she leads the training of all Family Support Specialists.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Lois Weimuth.</b><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Lois has been a volunteer with the <a href="http://www.hssaz.org/">Southern Arizona Humane Society</a> since 2003.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>To date, she has logged over 3,500 hours working as an Adoption Lobby Greeter, a customer support representative in both dog and cat rooms, and an assistant in off-site adoptions.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She is dedicated to improving the lives of animals and alleviating their suffering by helping to rescue, shelter, heal, and adopt animals in need.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">J. Scott McManus.</b> <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Mr. McManus is a long-time volunteer at <a href="http://www.saaf.org/">SAAF</a> (an organization that provides case management and ancillary support services for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families); he volunteers at the food bank, on telephone help lines and with Care Services and Prevention Programs (within SAAF).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His co-workers and co-volunteers claim that his courage and personal strength help to empower those around him and that he has been a tremendous encouragement to others.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a> wants to thank and recognize each of these individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We look forward to meeting them and getting to know them better over the upcoming year.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And who knows, maybe you’ll run into one of them on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">your</i> next visit to Metro.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If you do, hopefully this blog will have given you a little extra insight into just how generous some of our fellow citizens are.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Until next time, stay clean my friends.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">-DJ DripDry<o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-69934359141746721602010-12-16T07:42:00.000-08:002010-12-16T07:46:42.728-08:00Why You Should Fit a Car Wash Into Your ScheduleLet’s face it: washing your car is a chore. And that’s true even if you don’t do it yourself; even if you use a professional car wash like <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro</a>. You still have to pull out of traffic. You still have to get out of your car, worry about collecting valuables, sort through envelopes and receipts that may or may not be garbage, and then lose 20 minutes of your life you’ll never gain back. I get it. Not as fun as a swingin’ costume party. Not as relaxing as watching the big game on your couch.<br /><br />But I’d like to make a case for penciling us into your life anyway. And I think you might find it easier (and more affordable and more relaxing) than you think.<br /><br />First off, then, let’s answer this question: Why should you regularly wash your car?<br /><br />Here’s Metro’s answer to that question:<br /><br />1. Investment protection. Here in Tucson, our vehicles are exposed to heat, acid rain, bugs, bird droppings, baked on break dust, and more than 30 other contaminants – some invisible to the naked eye. Without regular washing, these elements can cause serious, even irreparable, damage to your car’s paint, clear coat, and wheels. For most of us, our vehicles are one of our biggest investments. And washing your car means helping to keep your resale value up. You know those dull, spotted, rough-looking cars you see on the road that look like they’ve been hit by lightning? All non-washers. Every last one of them.<br /><br />2. Personal Well-Being. It may sound strange, but it’s true. Just like a clean home or an organized office, a clean, uncluttered, freshly washed car will make you feel amazingly better (and you’ll probably think your car even runs better). Most of us can’t afford maid service (and it’s awfully hard to keep your office neat and organized), but swinging into a car wash on a regular basis is one cheap and easy way to sprinkle a little mojo back into your life. Since you spend so much time in the car, why not improve the quality of your life by at least having this area clean, maintained and smelling fresh. You’ll be surprised by how much better you’ll feel.<br /><br />3. We’re cool guys. Regularly washing your car at <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash</a> means regularly hanging out with us, the Metro Team, even if it’s only for a few minutes. And let’s face it, we’re about as good for your soul as it gets.<br /><br />Now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to consider washing your car regularly, I’d next like to suggest that you actually schedule us into your week (or your month).<br /><br />Washing your car is like any task you don’t have to do – it’s easy to procrastinate. We all fill up with gas because if we don’t, we’ll be stranded on the side of the road. But tasks like oil changes, car washes, and trips to the dentist are areas we tend to let slide. And the best way to avoid this is to simply put Metro into your regular schedule. Pick a day of the week, for example (perhaps your least hectic), and make it a habit of visiting us on your lunch break or on your way home from work. If it becomes part of what you do, it no longer feels like a chore. Rather, it will become that one little thing you do for yourself that makes you feel good, adds a crisp organization to your life, and also makes you feel very sensible and grown up for being so responsible for taking care of your investment (we’ve studied this extensively and know it to be true).<br /><br />And finally, I’d like to point how little this will actually cost you.<br /><br />Let’s say you decided to visit us weekly (we would really like this). And let’s say you don’t need to get the inside of your car cleaned every week, so you decided to rotate between and Express Wash (just the outside) and a Full Service Wash (inside and outside) every other time. Additionally, let’s say you decide to join our VIP Club (a frequent washer program) that gives you $2 of credit every time you purchase a full service car wash, meaning that a full service wash will only cost you $6.99.<br /><br />Quick math shows the following: Express Wash $3.99. Discounted Full Service Wash $6.99. Average weekly cost of keeping your car clean at <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash</a>: $5.49.<br /><br />Yup. So let’s think about this. For less than $6.00 per week, you can:<br /><br />• Maintain your investment and make your father proud,<br />• Have a shiny car in the parking lot at your place of work (which speaks volumes about how “together” you actually are,<br />• Keep a space in your life (where you spend a lot of time) clean and organized, which accomplishes just as much as visiting a therapist, and<br />• Look good as you drive down Tucson streets, the sun flashing off your shiny paint job and sparkling teeth.<br /><br />I hope I’ve convinced you how important (and easy) it is to fit us into your schedule. So as you start contemplating your New Year’s Resolutions, perhaps you’ll keep Metro Car Wash in mind.<br /><br />Until next time, stay clean my friends!<br /><br />-DJ DripDryDJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-32483872032713258652010-12-01T06:25:00.000-08:002010-12-01T06:27:54.624-08:00Why We Think Our Honor Roll Is Important<meta charset="utf-8"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; background-color: transparent; "><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9822590942494571" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">For the most part, the media is filled with lousy news stories. I’m not saying that many of these reports aren’t important, but let’s face it: 90% of what’s coming at us is covering rather depressing topics (wars, invasive body scans, skidding economies, arrested starlets in Vegas … the list goes on). So you’d think when a good story came along – something maybe a little uplifting – the news might want to grab it. Publish something nice for a change.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">You’d think. </span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">But in the case of </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash’s</a></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> Honor Roll Program, you’d be wrong.</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">If you don’t know about our Honor Roll Program, here’s a quick rundown. </span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">First, our car wash works with over 20 Charities and Not-For-Profit organizations in Tucson. It’s called our Community Partnership Program and we’re fairly proud of it. I won’t go into details here (you can get to them by following this link: </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/Community%20Partnership%20Program.html">Metro CPP</a></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">), but suffice to say it’s a great fundraising opportunity and allows us to discover a lot of exceptional causes, efforts and organizations in the Tucson community.</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Last year, we decided it would be a good thing to recognize some of the individuals that volunteered within these organizations – a way to thank them for their services, a way to give them a nod for their efforts (that so often times go unnoticed). </span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">To do this, we created The Metro Car Wash Honor Roll. We asked our participating community partners to give us nominations for individuals who donated time and effort to good causes in Tucson, and then our Company voted on who would make the Honor Roll List. In 2010, twenty-seven individuals made our Honor Roll. Granted, it’s not like winning a Nobel Peace Prize, but its nice just the same. Each honoree received an Honor Roll Card that entitled them to unlimited free car washes at Metro Car Wash for the entire year and their names were posted on our website for recognition.</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Oh, and an article was written by a journalist who thought the story was … uplifting.</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">And you know what? It was a good story.</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">There were some pretty amazing people we discovered, doing some really great things in Tucson. The story covered individuals like Paula McNellis, who has volunteered at T.R.O.T. (a therapeutic horseback riding program for children and adults with special needs) every Wednesday </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">for 20 years</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">. It told about Missy Weidman, who has worked with over 300 child abuse victims in just the last two years by volunteering at The Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center. It told about Roger Borduin, who provides free plumbing services to low-income families and Jeff Carver, who donated a kidney to a neighbor he hardly knew. The list went on. All Tucson neighbors of ours. All doing things that deserve recognition.</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">And not one news agency in Tucson picked up the story.</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The journalist repeatedly submitted the article to different publications for months. Apparently, there wasn’t ever enough space. Understandable, I guess, since Tiger Woods was catting around, and Taylor Swift was arguing with Kanye West, and Avatar was winning another award, and …</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">So now it’s almost 2011. And we’re taking nominations for next year’s Honor Roll. I have a feeling that we’re going to hear some more great stories. I think we’re going to be meeting some new inspiring people. And this year, I’ll be blogging about them.</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">None of these individuals are seeking this recognition, of course. I think that was what was so amazing about the people we met last year – the length of time so many of these individuals went without </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">any</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> recognition. It’s the kind of thing that makes you feel good about humanity again; it’s the type of thing that can inspire you.</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Which is why </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">we’d</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> like to tell their stories. </span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">So stay tuned, folks. You can look for the 2011 Honor Roll List in January, as well as a few stories about the honorees. And if you know of someone you’d like to nominate, you’re welcome to do so. Simply go to </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">www.metrocarwash.com</a></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> and look under “Metro News” to learn how. We’ll be taking nominations through the end of the year.</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">It may not be as exciting as the front page of MSN, I agree, but it’s also nice to hear a few stories, once in a while, about the good things happening around us.</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. And until next time, stay clean my friends.</span>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">-DJ DripDry</span></span></span></div>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-51191034101945231972010-11-17T07:13:00.000-08:002010-11-17T07:19:58.843-08:00How Google Changed Our Car Wash<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">This week’s blog is a shout-out to Google.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Understandably, Google doesn’t need any help from <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a> (they seem </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">to be doing just fine on their own), but I thought that by mentioning some of the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">ways in which Google has helped our organization, it might also provide some good </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">information for other local Tucson small businesses.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">First of all, let me say that Google has done much more for our car wash than just </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">guiding new customers to our door (though they’ve done a great job with that too). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Here’s a quick list of just a few of the things we do with Google products and how </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">they’ve benefited us:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">(1) We use their FREE office suite (word processing, spreadsheets, powerpoint) </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">and don’t plan on spending money on software upgrades anytime soon. In </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">this economy, the ability to provide all of our employees with this type of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">software (that used to cost us lots of money) is a significant savings. They </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">made it easy to switch, too, as you can convert any Microsoft document to a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Google document with the click of a button.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">(2) We use their FREE Google Sites product to host an internal website for </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">our management team. The simple task of creating this site (I am NO </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">software guru and I created it in an afternoon) changed our business more </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">than we ever imagined. Now all of our policies & procedures, financials, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">HR documents, compliance documents, checklists, and to-do lists are </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">consolidated and accessible simultaneously, by any authorized employee, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">from any place there is Internet access. Information is shared between </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">locations and in real-time. Managers stay in touch with their stores even </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">from home (and yes, it’s so fun to play with, they do it on their days off).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">(3) We use their FREE Blogger product to host this blog you are reading now, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">allowing us another way to communicate with our Tucson customer base. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">(4) We use their FREE Google Analytics product to track how many people visit </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">our website and this blog (a lot more than we thought, btw), as well as what </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">key words were used in their search to find the same (allowing us to refine </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">our marketing efforts).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">(5) We use their FREE Gmail product (email and calendar), so that all of </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">our employees can stay in touch with management, schedules, and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">announcements better.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">(6) We use their FREE Google Places product to enhance our Company Listing </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">when people find us in their Google search. We offer coupons, list hours of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">operation, mention specials, and respond to Customer Reviews (We’ve also </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">petitioned our loyal customers to leave reviews about us on Google, which </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">they have, which has significantly improved our visibility on the web).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">(7) We use their Google Checkout product to now sell gift cards on-line (i.e. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">through Google you can set up e-commerce on your website without </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">breaking sweat).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">(8) Finally, we’ve transitioned all of our managers to Android phones so that all </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">of what I’ve just mentioned above is also available on mobile devices.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">That’s a fairly impressive list, especially since the word FREE was used in just about </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">every other sentence. Sometimes, its a wonder Google actually makes money at all </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">(don’t worry, their earnings are staggeringly healthy).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">But along those lines, there’s one more thing Google helped us with: <i>inspiration</i>.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The more we used free Google products and the more we sang their praises (I’m </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">giving them some pretty good word-of-mouth advertising right now), the more we </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">wanted to model our car wash business after them. Silly, I know, since car washing </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">and the search engine business are a little more than miles apart. But true just the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">same.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">We took our inspiration in three areas: their innovation, the simplicity of their </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">products, and most of all the VALUE in what they were delivering to the consumer. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">In today’s economy, where everyone wants you to spend more, while delivering less, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">Google is the freshest of breezes.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">And so in 2010, we launched Metro 2.0. It was our effort at improving our business </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">and offering a new version of our services to Tucson. We simplified our menus, cut </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">prices to true value levels, created simple services that customers really wanted, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">and assured that all could be delivered in the same timely manner. Our motto </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">became “Simple. Fast. Value.” And the truth is, it really worked. Business is up. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Customers are happier. And our managers and employees are having more fun </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">washing cars. It may not be a high-tech campus with soaring stock options, but I </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">think you get the point.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">So … “Thank You” Google. Thanks for truly being there for small businesses, as well </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">as the big guys. And thanks for being such a great example to this little car wash </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">company. Much appreciated.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">As for you readers, if you haven’t checked out Google as a low cost option for your </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">business, you may want to take a look (everything is accessible to you once you sign </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">up for a Free Gmail account at <a href="http://www.google.com/">www.google.com</a>). And if you have questions, feel </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">free to ask me. Stop by, get a wash, and I’ll be glad to show you first-hand how we’re </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">utilizing all of these tools.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Until next time, stay clean my friends!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">--Dj DripDry</span></span></div>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-5824519202428539362010-11-03T15:31:00.000-07:002010-11-03T17:10:34.326-07:00Zombie Car Wash 2010<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Let me start by telling you how it ended:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span">Metro’s</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"> Zombie Walk 2010 ended on Saturday night at 10:00 PM with about 30 volunteers dancing the Cupid (Cuban) Shuffle on the front drive of the Speedway Car Wash. It was a great (and appropriate) way to close out 5 days of an Event that seemed to have surpassed everyone’s expectations.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">If you didn’t get a chance to stop by, let me say that the reviews we received were exceptional. I don’t think anyone anticipated the effort we put in, turning our car wash into a haunted-house-zombie-themed-ride. Those that did come said things like: “really amazing,” “so much more than I expected,” “too cool,” and “better than other haunted houses in town.” I’m not bragging here. I just want everyone to know that they missed out on something fun and entertaining so that they’ll be sure to come next year. After all, it’s not everyday that you get to combine the classic past-time of washing your car with a classic horror movie like George Romero’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Living_Dead">Night of the Living Dead</a> (it was playing on the side of the building like a drive-in theatre, incidentally).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">But the customers weren’t the only ones who had their expectations exceeded; yours truly did as well. And more than this, I can honestly say that I’m speechless with gratitude and pride at the Metro Car Wash Employees, Sahuaro High School Students, and participating businesses who sacrificed their time and services to make this Event a success. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Like any new project, we really didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. We have a <a href="http://www.metroscholarship.com/">scholarship</a>; we needed to raise money for it; and a Zombie Car Wash for Halloween seemed like a good idea. But once we began planning and designing and constructing, it became apparent just how large of a task we were faced with. We needed 40 volunteers per night for 5 nights; we needed help in getting the word out about the Event; and we needed supplies and props for the sets. And wherever there was a need, people came through in a big way.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">So this week’s blog is more or less a Thank You. It’s a Thank You to all of the Students at Sahauro High School who listened to their teacher, Mr. Harkin, and gave up their plans night upon night to dress up like zombie’s and scare Tucson. It’s a thanks to my employees like Adam Villalobos, Juan Arellano, Melanie Romero, Gwen Valenzuela, Chris Hopper, Steven Hopper, Jacob Bacinski, Gabbi DeJesus, Izzy Lopez, Lorenzo Tambriz, Alex Ortiz-Uribe, and many more who not only worked all day at the car wash, but stayed on into the night to deliver a great show, help clean up, get no sleep, and go back at it again the next day. It’s also a Thanks to the volunteers like Ivan Nieto, Amanda Anyaeji, Josie at the Job Corps, and Les and Sarah Henson who aren’t employees <i>or</i> high school students, but felt that raising money to put a deserving kid through a year of college was a worthy enough cause to give up their personal nights and dress like road kill.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">It’s also a big thanks to the businesses that helped us out. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Thanks to Heat Wave Productions and Joey Velasquez for DJ-ing nightly. You kept the party going, spirits high, and got zombies to dance … not an easy task (Metro Car Wash highly recommends Heat Wave’s services for any occasion, btw; you can contact them directly at 520-519-9379).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Thanks to Gary and Judy Tenen at Alphagraphics CPS for donating the 4,000 flyers that were dropped all over Tucson. Thanks to Sue Callahan at SignAge for donating the posters. And thanks to Julie Rustad at 24-7 Creative Solutions for designing such a great marketing piece to begin with.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Thanks to Tucson Weekly, the Arizona Daily Star, and Tucson Night Out for getting the Event coverage and helping to bring in more customers. And thanks to Jo Ann Mesa for volunteering to help contacting the same (your efforts were much appreciated).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">I’m sure I’ve missed a lot of people deserving of thanks. I apologize in advance.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">Like anything that takes a lot of effort, this was exhausting and I’m glad to say it’s over. But more importantly, I’m glad to know we raised enough money to put our first student through a year at Pima Community College next year. And more than this, I’m glad to know there are so many people in Tucson generous enough with their time and money to make something like this a reality.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">I’m all zombied out folks, so until next time … stay clean my friends.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">--DJ DripDry</span></p>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-74024686890361723392010-10-21T12:34:00.000-07:002010-10-21T12:37:19.260-07:00We’re Doing Something Important<p class="MsoNormal">Next week, Metro Car Wash is heading into unchartered waters.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’re hosting a Zombie Car Wash to raise money for our Scholarship Fund, and we’re a little scared.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We’re not afraid of zombies (they’re not real), but we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">are</i> afraid of a lot of other things: Do we have enough volunteers?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Have we built the sets well enough?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Have we marketed the Event properly? Will people actually show up?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">These are the things that are haunting us.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Even if you don’t like zombies and haunted houses (and I know that some of you don’t), I hope you’ll at least read this blog to get an understanding of what it is we’re trying to do.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">First of all, we’re raising money for our Scholarship.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our Company is sincere when we say that we value education.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And because of the type of work we employee, we too often see talented, smart young people who just aren’t going to get the same career opportunities as others because, simply, they didn’t have the funds or the resources to attend college.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In our opinion, that’s just really sad.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And because we believe that in a free market economy it is a privilege to own a business, and that furthermore there is a responsibility to the community that accompanies that privilege, we have gone about setting up a Scholarship Fund that we hope can significantly and positively impact the lives of kids that might not otherwise have the opportunity to get a higher education.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">You can find out more about our Scholarship through our website <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">www.metrocarwash.com</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But suffice to say that the money we are raising at this Zombie Wash Event will be helping us send a minimum of one high school student through one full year at Pima Community College in 2011; if we can raise enough funds, we will send additional students.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Fundraisers are always difficult things to manage.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Even when the cause is good, you’re ultimately asking people for money.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And in this economy that’s just not an easy thing to do.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You hope that whatever Event you put on, therefore, has enough appeal and value to make parting with that money a little less painful.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’d like believe our Zombie Wash fits that bill.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>First of all, you will be receiving a professional car wash from <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro</a>, Tucson’s favorite and friendliest car wash.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In addition, you’ll be getting your fix on a Halloween scare.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’re coordinating over 40 volunteers (who have been kind enough to spend five nights in zombie attire) to interact with customers and cars as only zombie’s can: by attempting to eat them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We have literally spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours preparing for this.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We had donations of props and sets and gift certificates from countless participating businesses (a big thanks to AlphaGraphics, 24-7 Creative Solutions, Sign-Age, Bob’s Enterprises, and others).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And we’re pretty excited about what we’ve come up with.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A lot of the volunteers are high school students … some of the same high school students who will be applying for the Scholarship they’re raising money for.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There’s a really good spirit among the volunteers; it feels good to be doing something positive in a time when the news, in general, is so negative.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We’re asking for $10 for each car for a trip through The Zombie Wash, but you can of course fit as many people into the car as you please.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We’ve worked hard.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’re hoping for a good turnout.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And this is my personal request that, even if you can’t attend (or don’t agree with zombies in general), that you’ll understand what we’re trying to do and that you’ll tell others about the Event.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We’d love to see you there.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And of course, look for me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>DJ DripDry will be in full zombie regalia.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Until later, stay clean my friends.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">--DJ DripDry</p>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-88435396508841647852010-10-16T04:33:00.000-07:002010-10-16T04:49:41.148-07:00Meet a Metro Customer<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >I mentioned several weeks ago that we were going to begin periodically blogging about a few of our favorite customers.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" > </span><span class="Apple-style-span" >We always said that our</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "> </span><a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a> Blog was not going to be about washing cars, but rather about people, our Tucson community, and the stories we come across. It seems fitting then, that Sherry Elliott would be the first that we write about.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She’s been a loyal customer of Metro’s since 2003 and she’s someone we count lucky to know. <p class="MsoNormal">First of all, Sherry is just a very friendly and fun person.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Most of the time, we don’t get to know our customers on a personal level (we like to remember names and faces, but at the end of the day, we are viewed by most people as simply a car wash).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With Sherry, however, things were different.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Besides the fact that she’s got a smile and a personality that make you feel (almost instantly) as if you’ve been long-time friends, Sherry also made us feel as if she was making us a partner with her in her business venture. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sherry is a personal chef and a custom caterer, and she believes her vehicles (which she uses for deliveries and errands) need to reflect that she’s clean, neat, professional, and efficient.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She uses <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro</a> - <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>for which we’re very proud - but even more impressive to me is how many of our employees have come to know her personally <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>and how much pride these same employees take in making sure she looks good out on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This is impressive because it’s not something our Company did; it’s something Sherry was able to do with a friendly, gracious and open attitude to all of our employees.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When Sherry comes by for a wash, it’s not uncommon to see her receive multiple hugs from our employees while she waits for her car.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sherry started her own business over seven years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She’d been working in communications and sales for large companies and she’d become tired of the corporate life.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She was a self-taught chef with a passion for cooking, teaching and making people smile, and so in 2003 she decided to combine them all into her own business venture and head out on her own.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Today, <a href="http://www.cookingsherry.net/">CookingSherry, LLC</a> is a very interesting business that we hope more people will take the time to learn about and try.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There are three main services that CookingSherry provides: Custom Catering, Chocolate Fountain Rentals, and a Personal Chef Service.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sherry’s goal, when she began her business, was to be able to create an economical cooking service for individuals and families who were too busy to cook great meals at home, but who never considered that they could afford a Personal Chef.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">With CookingSherry, however, the product and service you receive is simply an incredible value.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>First, Sherry will personally sit down with you in your home to review what types of meals your family enjoys (as well as dietary restrictions and taste preferences).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She then goes to the store for you, does your grocery shopping, and returns to your kitchen to prepare 5 different custom meals which are then frozen until you are ready to use them (oh, and she cleans up the kitchen too).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Each meal can be served twice, so one visit from the CookingSherry equates to 10 custom homemade meals for you and your family.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Prices vary upon family size, but the cost is refreshingly inexpensive.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And the food?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Well, it’s healthy, fresh and delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In addition to the Personal Chef Service, CookingSherry also offers custom catering from parties of 2 -200.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For parties of two, she can deliver a romantic dinner to your door, or if you prefer, she can cook one for you in your home (if you’d like to pretend that you actually whipped up something yourself).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Finally, she also offers Chocolate Fountain Rentals.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These fountains of chocolate goodness are pretty amazing and impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They’re perfect for weddings or holiday parties … or car washes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’re actually trying to get one into our lobby this Christmas for our scholarship benefit.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Like most businesses, of course, the economy has been hard on Sherry.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She’s struggled and is working hard to keep her dream going.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Because business is slow, she’s actually taken on a part-time job to help pay the bills and her staff has all been moved to part-time help.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But she’s not giving up.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">When I sat down to interview Sherry, I was struck by how genuine and passionate she was.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She says good food makes people happy, and she is intent on sticking to her vision of providing her products and services at a value price that the Tucson public can afford.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not only this, but she’s dedicated to delivering friendly and responsive customer service every day.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She gets to know her clients, returns calls immediately, and works on her feet 15 hours a day.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She was the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Member of the Year 2006.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And in the long-term, Sherry has the further dream of creating a local Cooking School for children.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Oh, and in her free time she likes riding motorcycles, too.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yup.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She has a 2007 Harley Sportster and belongs to a motorcycle club.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Just in case you thought you had her all figured out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">All of the pricing for CookingSherry’s services can be found on her website at <a href="http://www.cookingsherry.net/">www.cookingsherry.net</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If you’d like to reach her, you can do so at <a href="mailto:sherry@cookingsherry.net">sherry@cookingsherry.net</a> or by calling directly at 520-631-5201. (I've included a picture of one of her chocolate fountains below.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We hope you’ll take the time to check the business out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If nothing else, she’s a great person to meet and know.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At Metro, we’re very glad she stopped in some seven years ago and allowed us to get to know her.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Thanks for staying tuned, folks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And until next time, stay clean my friends.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-DJ DripDry</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4Odh5eSCPXrySSKuM16FO5EdjTzIGTQxE0DoB8ckPTYqLGhoRLgS094IUvPMJ1x5O6lCemWCGZD7QIb6rEgZo1BS3fda1ThPlBsYS1R7b4V7bIJjjz7DZtBOfloEsaReImFEvDpWdo7b/s1600/LogoLLC.gif"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4Odh5eSCPXrySSKuM16FO5EdjTzIGTQxE0DoB8ckPTYqLGhoRLgS094IUvPMJ1x5O6lCemWCGZD7QIb6rEgZo1BS3fda1ThPlBsYS1R7b4V7bIJjjz7DZtBOfloEsaReImFEvDpWdo7b/s320/LogoLLC.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528609093960956738" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 107px; " /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGjhFQ1b25FiotmgLfVIe0W1P4LXj_Jyob35CM1GbaV5-IIwUpNmVpwS0V_f52aWM8bqArKGIntFpoG1eIVWlmEBKHJlbQWEjPKrYR2zMD1SWKPdZwWCJXEyUiCjvvrUCw5oMJYA-EXIQ/s1600/Chocolate+Fountain+Red+Roses.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGjhFQ1b25FiotmgLfVIe0W1P4LXj_Jyob35CM1GbaV5-IIwUpNmVpwS0V_f52aWM8bqArKGIntFpoG1eIVWlmEBKHJlbQWEjPKrYR2zMD1SWKPdZwWCJXEyUiCjvvrUCw5oMJYA-EXIQ/s320/Chocolate+Fountain+Red+Roses.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528609355845749842" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-38341204135983433512010-10-07T13:05:00.000-07:002010-10-07T13:07:00.609-07:00Why We Love the Way the Internet is Changing Our Business<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; ">Over the next few months, you can expect to see a few interviews posted on this blog.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’re sitting down with some of our favorite customers and finding out a little bit more about them personally – about their careers or the businesses they own, about their hobbies, and of course why they like <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a>.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">When we set out to write this blog, we always said we wanted it to be different.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We wanted it to be a local business’s perspective on its customers, its employees, and Tucson in general.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There are actually quite a few people reading this blog now, and so we realized that this might be a good way to help out some of our customers too … to get them a little publicity so to speak.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">It got me thinking about how it’s just one more example of how the Internet is changing our business for the better.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>More specifically, I think it is an example of how technology is actually bringing our business much closer to our customers and our community.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And that’s a little ironic, because I think most people thought that technology and the Internet was actually going to be cold and impersonal.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A lot of credit has to be given to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, of course.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But regardless, the new social aspect to the Internet is fundamentally changing business, customer service, and most importantly customer communication.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">I suppose our own business is a great example of this.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Who would have thought that a car wash in Tucson could benefit significantly from the Internet?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But we are.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">First of all, we love Facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Through Facebook, we’ve been able to begin conversing with our customers in a manner we never dreamed of in the past.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s great to hear the nice comments when a Fan had a good experience.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But it’s also a great place for our good customers to also leave us feedback.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Did we miss something on your car?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Did your service take too long?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These are things we need to know, and we appreciate the remarks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As an example, several months ago we asked our Fans to submit suggestions so that we could make our business better.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And the truth is: we were blown away by all the good ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’ve implemented several of them already and are still working to implement others.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>How cool is it to be building a business where your customers have the capability to provide such input?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">And of course it’s more than just Facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We are continually working to make our website better.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">www.metrocarwash.com</a> you can download coupons, read about our business, and purchase Gift Cards.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But more and more, we’re finding it’s also being used as a tool to communicate our involvement in the community.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>High school students can now apply on-line for the Metro Scholarship, you can volunteer to help us out with our Zombie Wash fundraiser, or you can research what other charities and not-for-profit organizations we’re partnering with.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">If I sound excited, it’s because I am.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m anxious to see where this new interaction with our customers will bring us.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And of course, we’re hoping for your involvement too.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Are you a customer that might want to be interviewed for our blog?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Let us know.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Do you have a suggestion or a comment about our service?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Send us an email or post it on our wall in Facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Know any high school students who could benefit from Metro Car Wash picking up the tab on their first year at Pima?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Direct them to our website and our Scholarship page.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Internet and social media is changing things rapidly.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And at Metro, we just don’t want to be left behind.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>More specifically, we’re hoping that by keeping pace, we’re going to get to know our customers a whole lot better.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And who knows, we may even make some true friends along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Stay clean my friends.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And until next time, this is DJ DripDry signing off.<o:p></o:p></span></p>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-18281552647516875872010-10-01T14:37:00.000-07:002010-10-01T14:40:14.046-07:00Does A Bad Economy = Forgetting How To Work?<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; ">There’s been some good news, of late, coming out about our economy. Nothing earth-shattering, but we’re hearing that the Recession has (officially) ended and that people are starting to spend a little more money. Put another way, experts are saying they may be feeling a pulse.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >And in Tucson, I think we’re beginning to feel that pulse a little as well. The streets are more crowded, restaurants seem busier, and at <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash</a> we’re beginning to see more and more of our customers. That’s all good news and makes me very happy.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Then my wife made the following comment the other day: “Have you noticed how bad the service in Tucson seems to be lately?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >I thought about what she said, and then had to agree with her. We began discussing how our last few restaurant outings had been less than stellar (at places where we normally receive great service); we mentioned the lack of help and assistance we’d received in the last few retail stores we’d been to. My wife scratched her head and then made this suggestion: “Do you think that in this bad economy, people have just forgotten how to work?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >On the surface, it seems like maybe a silly statement. But the truth is: I think she might be right. I know this, because at our car wash, we actually have a real-life example of this phenomenon every year; we call it our Post-Monsoon Slump.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >For most of the year, <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash</a> is a pretty hoppin’ place. Each of our locations washes around 300 to 400 cars each day. And for the most part, we do it without breaking too much of sweat (figuratively speaking of course, because actually, it’s a very sweaty job). We process cars quickly, our systems flow, and the employees do their jobs efficiently and effectively. But then the monsoons come. Every July, August and September our car counts literally get cut in half as customers stop washing their vehicles in anticipation of the next rain storm. It’s understandable, really. And there’s nothing we can do about it. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >But here’s the interesting thing: In the first month of monsoons, our employees go crazy with frustration at the lack of work available. They hustle through their tasks like they’ve been trained to do, but then find that there isn’t another car in line to work on. They get bored. They tell me it feels like the days last longer. They miss all the cars; they miss the fast pace, the high-demand, and the excitement. But that attitude only lasts for a while. By September, their perspectives have changed. Instead of being frustrated, they’ve acclimated to the new (slow) pace of business. They don’t notice that we don’t wash many cars. And they don’t realize that their hustle is gone. They don’t realize, that is, until the sun comes out and all of Tucson decides to get their car washed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >This is literally something we prepare for every year: motivating our employees to find the spring in their step that they may have lost over the summer. We don’t get frustrated, we just remind our managers that they’re going to have an extra challenge in getting everyone back up to speed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >And so I wonder if this bad economy isn’t having the same effect on businesses everywhere. We </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >have</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" > slowed down; there </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >haven’t</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" > been as many customers; restaurants and retail stores </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >are</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" > less crowded. And it’s human nature to adapt to these new environments.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >But if the economy is starting to turn the other way—if we’re going to see people pulling out their wallets again and filling up our stores and eateries—then as managers and business owners we also need to be aware that our employees might have forgotten </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >how</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" > to meet that demand. It doesn’t mean they’re bad employees. It simply means that they’ve grown accustomed to a slower work pace. And it’s our job to identify that. Furthermore, it’s our job to provide the proper motivation to get them back into high-performance mode. Because the truth is: when demand rises, if a business isn’t prepared to catch it with consistent service, they’re in big trouble. Using the excuse “we’re really busy” for poor quality or poor customer service is about the lamest excuse out there. It says you’ve stumbled into success and that you’re surprised by it, because you’re really not that good.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >So let’s hope this economy </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >is</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" > feeling the first pulse of heartbeat. Let’s hope it </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >is</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" > getting back on its feet. And while we’re at it, let’s hope that businesses and their workforce rise to meet the new demand with energy and great customer service. In the end, I suppose, that’s the American Way.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Until next time, stay clean my friends.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" >-DJ DripDry </span></p>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-11870998243639993302010-09-22T11:44:00.000-07:002010-09-22T11:48:17.294-07:00A Guide to Washing Your Car<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Being in this business, I take for granted that everyone understands </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >why</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" > they need to wash their cars (as well as why they should wash them at a professional facility and what services they need to purchase when they stop in). Then I talk to a few customers and realize I’m completely wrong.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >It makes sense, really. The topic of “car washing” is not one of those exciting discussions that seem to generate buzz around the water cooler (like, say, Lindsay Lohan’s latest escapades, government healthcare, the NFL weekend, or Jonathan Franzen’s newest novel). But still, we “car dudes” have feelings too. And since we’re passionate about the importance of our business, I thought I’d take this opportunity to briefly give you some information on (1) why you should wash your car, (2) why you should use a professional car wash, and (3) what services you should select on your next visit. It won’t be too painful, I promise. And you really might learn something.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >First, let’s address </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >why</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" > you should wash your car</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" >. The truth is: it’s more than just about looking good. Aside from the fact that a clean car says a ton about your image (that it greatly enhances your sex appeal and that it will more than likely help you get promoted in your career), it really is a low cost form of auto maintenance that will prolong the life of your car.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >In most basic terms, there are just a lot of things out there, every day, that are degrading your vehicle’s paint. Bird droppings contain acid that burns through your clear coat and causes damage that can’t be repaired; brake dust actually eats into your wheels and then becomes baked-on in the heat; road oils and other pollutants can permanently dull your car’s color if allowed to sit for extended periods of time. It’s all much uglier than most people realize. And by simply regularly washing your car, you can remove these factors and insure that the look of your car will stay bright and protected for a long, long time. And that can mean more money to you at trade-in, or when you decide to sell it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Next, there are also </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >a lot of good reasons why you should wash at a professional car care facility</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" > (we personally believe </span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" > is the best, but any of them are better than washing at home). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Now it’s possible, of course, that you have nothing better to do with your weekend than wash your car in your driveway. You’re someone who hates to go to a barbeque, you dislike sports of any kind, you detest kicking up your feet and drinking iced tea or beer, you shutter at the thought of relaxing in a pool, and you feel that two hours of your time under the beating sun is the perfect way to spend the precious moments away from your boss. But even still … you shouldn’t do it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >There are two basic reasons professional car washes are better than your driveway. First, when you wash in your driveway, the run-off goes into the storm drains, which does not go to a sanitation plant. The soaps you use, as well as the oils, brake dust and pollutants you remove, get washed into the lakes and rivers and the general environment. At a professional car wash, this polluted water runs through a sanitary sewer system and is ultimately processed in a sanitation plant. Second, by using a professional car wash, you’re saving a lot of water. Studies have shown that washing an average car, with a typical garden hose, will use about 116 gallons of water (seriously). An average full-service car wash, however, will only use about 40 – 60 gallons for every car (at Metro in Tucson, we can get lower than this due to our use of reclaim water). So think of it this way: using a professional car wash is actually your duty as a respectable member of society!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Finally, let’s discuss </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >what service you should get </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" >the next time you come in. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Of course, every time you pull onto a car wash lot, a salesperson is going to try to sell you something expensive. But the truth is: there are times you need to spend the extra money, and there are times you don’t.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >The question we get asked the most is: How often should I wax my car? And the answer is: it depends. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >The sun’s UV rays are a major source of damage to your vehicle’s paint. And on newer cars, they’re now using less paint and less clear coat (to save cost), which means less paint protection. In other words, the more your car is out in the sun, the more you need to wax your car.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >If you’re lucky enough to have covered parking throughout the day, then you may only need to wax your car every 4 -5 months. If your car is out in the sun all day, however, we suggest you get a wax at least every 3 months.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >And one more point while we’re on this subject. If you regularly wash your car (2x per month) and regularly upgrade to a package wash with spray-on paint protection (like our <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/Services2007.html">Metro Wash</a>), then you can also prolong the time between spending money on a complete wax.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >So keep track of when you purchase, as well as what you purchase. And don’t get talked into something that you just don’t need.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Hope this information helps. Hope you haven’t been bored to tears.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Until next time, stay clean my friends!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><span class="Apple-style-span" >--DJ DripDry</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-5310903354187270692010-09-15T11:40:00.000-07:002010-09-15T11:47:10.287-07:00Meet a Metro Employee<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; ">When we started this blog, we said we wanted it to be different.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We didn’t want to blog about car care, or something industry related (just a little boring, if you ask us).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We thought we had a unique perspective of Tucson, because of our customers and our employees, and we wanted to share those with our readers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So in keeping with that spirit, I’m going to (every so often) sprinkle in a brief biography of an employee, or a customer, I think you should know about.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Today, I’d like to introduce you to Juanita, one of <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash’s</a> best employees, and one of the nicest, friendliest people you will ever be lucky enough to meet.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And since you are likely a Metro Car Wash customer, you’ll have every opportunity to look for her and say “hi” at your next visit to our <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS243&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=car+wash+tucson&fb=1&gl=us&hq=car+wash&hnear=Tucson,+AZ&cid=915638357399051502&ei=ehORTM3-LIqesQP_w-yxDg&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDYQnQIwBQ">Speedway</a> location.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">I picked Juanita to introduce, because I think her story (and her character) are inspiring and a great example of hope (in a somewhat depressing era).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Juanita applied for a job with <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash</a> three years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At the time, she had just immigrated to Tucson from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equatorial_Guinea">Equatorial Guinea</a>, one of the smallest countries in Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As it so happens, it’s also considered one of the world’s most corrupt governments (we’re talking torture and unlawful killings by security forces, no freedom of speech, and extreme poverty for most of the nation while the government big-wigs collect American oil money … not a great place to be). <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Juanita’s father had actually been a Spanish-educated dignitary for the country, but under the corrupt government he was imprisoned while Juanita was just a child.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After his release, the family moved to Gabon, a neighboring county, because of ensuing death threats against him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The family lived in Gabon for 13 years, but was in constant fear.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Eventually, the US Embassy convinced the family to leave Gabon for the United States for their safety.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When the family arrived, Juanita was pregnant; the father of her child had not been able to come with them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She spoke no English.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She had never driven a car.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And she had never had a job.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Shortly after their arrival, Juanita had her child.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And because she was younger, and more capable of work, she set off to find a job while other members of her family watched her son.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com"> Metro Car Wash</a> was lucky: she came to us first.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">While Juanita didn’t speak English, she did speak Spanish.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We were able to communicate with her, and while we understood that she had no work experience, we were impressed by her great smile, her courage, and her willingness to learn.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When people are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">good people</i> it shows, no matter what the language barriers are.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">And so here is what Juanita did:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She started learning English immediately.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She started going to school and is earning her GED.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She learned everything she could about the car wash business and her job responsibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She learned to drive (standard and automatic).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She began to excel at every position we gave her … began training others, began noticing when there was a problem, began coming to manager meetings (Saturday at 6:00 AM) and began participating with good ideas to make our business better.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She was promoted.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then promoted again.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">I’m proud to know that Metro gave Juanita an opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But most of all, I’m proud of Juanita herself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In a world where too many people make excuses for why they’re having problems, or why they’re in some kind of a jam, Juanita is a great example of what can be accomplished with a positive attitude, hard work, and determination.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">The next time you’re at our Speedway location, look for her.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She’s hard to miss.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She’ll have a huge smile on her face, and she’ll probably shout out “hello” to you.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She is Metro’s shining example of what we want our employees to be: hard working, friendly, and in fact <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">charming</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I once overheard Juanita tell a customer: <span style="color:black">“I don’t care if I’ve only met you once. I’ll treat you as if I’ve known you forever.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">From our perspective, we hope we have her as an employee of <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com">Metro Car Wash</a> forever.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Until next time … stay clean my friends.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black">DJ DripDry signing off.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";color:black"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-35387267420016084522010-09-08T16:21:00.000-07:002010-09-08T16:40:41.834-07:00Metro's New Scholarship ProgramConsider this a follow up to last week's blog. Last week I mentioned that we were going to be launching a Metro Scholarship for at least one graduating Tucson high school student per year. This week, I thought it would be good to follow that up with a post from our upcoming press release on our one-of-a-kind fundraiser for the cause: Metro's Zombie Car Wash.<div><br /></div><div>The press release is below. If you are a graduating high school student, are the parent of one, or just know one, be sure to pass this information along. We're really excited about this.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: center;margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="text-transform:uppercase">Haunted Car Wash promises thrills … and a scholarship<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Haunted Houses are so yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In today’s world of multi-tasking, why not get your car washed while you’re getting your Halloween haunting fix?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At least that’s the idea local business Metro Car Wash has come up with in order raise money for their Metro/Harkin Scholarship Fund.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They’re producing Metro’s Zombie Wash, which will be running on the five evenings leading up to Halloween from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM at the Company’s Speedway location.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Company is utilizing over 40 volunteers to create a zombie-themed thrill ride.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Patrons will remain in their cars, and as they are shuttled through the car wash (their vehicles receiving a professional cleaning), they’ll be treated to a veritable assault of ghastly zombies, the supposed result of a terrible government experiment gone wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Or something like that.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">“A haunted car wash is something we’ve wanted to do for years,” said Sean Storer, co-owner of the Metro Car Washes in Tucson.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Now that we’re raising money for our Scholarship Fund, it seemed like the appropriate time to finally roll up our sleeves and make it happen.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The scholarship is the <a href="http://www.metroscholarship.com/">Metro Car Wash/Harkin Scholarship</a>, founded by the owners of Metro Car Wash, Sean Storer and Craig Celentano, and Jeremy Harkin, a high school English teacher at Sahuaro High School and Tucson’s 40 Under 40 Man of the Year (2009).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Both Metro and Harkin have long been involved in the community and local charities.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When Harkin, a Metro customer, and Storer began discussing their passion for education, they teamed up to form a unique Scholarship Program that will provide a minimum of one graduating high school student per year with the funding for at least one full year of tuition at Pima Community College.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">“The extent to which the scholarship will reach,” said Harkin, “depends on the amount of money we raise.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At a minimum, we will fund one student’s full-time course load for a full year.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If we raise additional funds, then we’ll be looking at additional scholarships.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’ll also be looking at funding a second year of tuition for those scholarship recipients that do well in their first year at Pima.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Application for the Metro Car Wash/Harkin Scholarship is open to all Tucson graduating high school students.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Information and application instructions can be found at <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">www.metrocarwash.com</a>, <a href="http://www.metroscholarship.com/">www.metroscholarship.com</a>, Pima Community College Foundation, or at either of the Metro Car Wash locations.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Information on the Scholarship will also be available at the Zombie Wash.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">“Ultimately, we’re hoping this event is something we can do every year,” said Storer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Our intent is to keep sending students (who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity) to college year after year.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With that being the goal then, we’ve really put a lot of work into making sure this Zombie Wash is a hit.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Zombie Wash opens on Tuesday, October 26 at 7:00 PM at Metro’s Speedway facility (located at 5150 E. Speedway Blvd., between Swan and Craycroft).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It will run nightly until 10:00 PM through Saturday the 30<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The cost to ride through the wash is $10 per car (cash and credit cards accepted).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>From the safety of your vehicle, you’ll then be treated to a car wash, as well as a good-old, hair-raising zombie attack.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In addition, there will be a live DJ, refreshments, costume contest, raffles, and more.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Further information on Metro’s Zombie Wash can be found at <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">www.metrocarwash.com</a>, <a href="http://www.zombiewash.com/">www.zombiewash.com</a>, or by calling Metro Car Wash at 520-795-9600. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Proceeds from the event will go to the Metro Car Wash/Harkin Scholarship Fund, which will begin sending students to Pima Community College in 2011.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">###</p></div>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5761882357849666822.post-58605961331120064632010-08-31T13:10:00.000-07:002010-08-31T13:13:17.834-07:00A Bad Economy, Charities, and A Haunted Car Wash<p class="MsoNormal">The economy stinks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Nothing more really needs to be written on this topic.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If you don’t hear it every day in the news, all you have to do is sit on a <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a> patio and listen to customers mutter about it (often with yours truly joining in).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Just about every business owner I talk to these days is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">still</i> down; it’s a scary time for most of us.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">That being said, I think that in many ways it’s an even scarier time for charitable institutions.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>First, in tough economic times, demand often rises on charitable organizations.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At the same time, funding and charitable giving declines.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Moreover, charitable organizations can’t adapt to a challenging economy as quickly as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">for</i>-profit businesses.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A business can discount prices, or make an effort to offer more service; but charitable organizations, for the most part, are still relegated to waiting for our altruistic impetus to strike us.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And let’s face it: with fewer dollars in our pockets, it’s a lot harder to feel philanthropic.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For any of you who know us well, you know <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">Metro Car Wash</a> has always had a fairly large focus on local charities.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We do this for two reasons: first, we believe that it’s important to be involved in the community and second, it’s also a part of our marketing philosophy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But regardless of our efforts, we’ve noticed a significant decline in the use of our charitable programs … and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">our</i> programs don’t cost a person anything (go to our <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/Community%20Partnership%20Program.html">Fundraising Page</a> at <a href="http://www.metrocarwash.com/">www.metrocarwash.com</a> to learn how charitable organizations can receive 15% of participating Metro Car Wash Sales).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We partner with over 20 Charitable Organizations in Tucson; unfortunately, activity related to almost all of them is down in comparison to our car counts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Since our car counts are down too, this means it’s a double whammy for these not-for-profits.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You don’t need to be a bleeding heart to say this is concerning.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And of course, leave it to us to pick this time to launch a brand new charity—right into the teeth of our tight wallets.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yup, we’re picking <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">now</i> to begin raising money for our Pima Community College Scholarship.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’re going to be sending a minimum of one student per year, who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity, to a full year at Pima Community College.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We’re very excited about this, but we also understand that tough economic times mean we’re going to have to get creative with our fundraising.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Creative we can do.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We've decided to pick this blog to be the official announcement for what we believe will be a very fun fundraiser.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Coming this October, Metro Car Wash will be hosting a Haunted Car Wash at our Speedway location.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That’s correct, folks: Tucson’s first haunted car wash … Metro’s Zombie Wash.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">More information will be coming shortly to our website (and Facebook and Twitter), but I wanted to take this opportunity to let you in on our plans.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For the five evenings before Halloween, Metro Car Wash will be host to zombies, terror, and mayhem (from 7pm to 10pm).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If wallets are tight (and of course they are), then we want to give as much value back to you as we can for helping us raise money for this scholarship.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This Halloween, we figure if we can scare you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">and</i> clean your car at the same time, you won’t even miss those few dollars.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And if you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">do</i> think about them (the missing dollars), then feel good knowing they went to help put a student through one year of college.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Times are tough.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But we’re not ready to give up.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We hope you’re not either.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And you can really help us by giving Metro’s Zombie Wash a little promotion.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As we get closer to the date, Metro would really appreciate your spreading the word.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>More information to come.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And until then, stay clean my friends!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">DJ DripDry</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>DJ Drip Dryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075858225261585754noreply@blogger.com0