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  • AI search, digital leads and email ROI with Brian Mattingly | Ep. 272

    AI search, digital leads and email ROI with Brian Mattingly | Ep. 272
    2026/07/16
    In this episode of Wash Talk: The Carwash Podcast, host Kyle Alexander sits down with Brian Mattingly of WelcomeMat to unpack the fast-moving world of carwash digital marketing. Recorded at The Car Wash Show™, the conversation digs into a counterintuitive reality: Despite the rise of AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT and Claude, Google searches hit an all-time high in Q1 2026. Mattingly explains why that makes showing up in local carwash searches more critical than ever and what signals now determine whether an operator appears in results.

    Mattingly breaks down the 12% cost-per-click increase operators are seeing across Google and Meta, the steepest rise since 2021, and shares how top-performing brands are hedging against it. The episode also explores how WelcomeMat's smart traffic system continuously adapts creative to match audience behavior in real time.

    The conversation closes with a strong case for email as the highest-ROI channel in carwash digital marketing today. Mattingly outlines how operators can build first-party data strategies that combine targeted email campaigns with SMS, using each channel for its ideal purpose — email for relationship building and brand affinity, text for timely, weather-aware reminders.
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    14 分
  • Episode 271: Reading the M&A market with Harry Caruso

    Episode 271: Reading the M&A market with Harry Caruso
    2026/07/09
    In this episode of Wash Talk: The Carwash Podcast, host Meagan Kusek sits down with Harry Caruso, founder of Car Wash Advisory, for a candid assessment of where carwash mergers and acquisitions stand heading into the back half of 2026. Recorded live at The Car Wash Show™, the conversation opens with Caruso's frank take on the current deal environment: Transaction counts are on pace to be the lowest in about a decade, not because the industry is less attractive, but because it has matured past the frenzied growth phase of recent years.
    Caruso explains that many of the most active buyers from the last decade are now approaching the end of their investment horizons and pulling back. At the same time, a large share of the best-performing carwashes have already been acquired, and newer sites haven't yet built the track record needed to be acquirable at scale. He notes that for operators with five to 15 sites considering a sale, the message is straightforward: The window is open now and conditions are unlikely to improve over the next two years.
    The episode also covers the significance of Mister Car Wash's return to private ownership. Caruso closes with a reminder that declining transaction volume is not the same as a declining industry and that carwash mergers and acquisitions remain active for operators positioned to move.
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    5 分
  • Episode 270: Prefabricated carwash structures, design trends and faster builds with Tim Hogue

    Episode 270: Prefabricated carwash structures, design trends and faster builds with Tim Hogue
    2026/07/01
    In this episode of Wash Talk: The Carwash Podcast, host Meagan Kusek sits down with Tim Hogue, CEO and founder of Modernwash, to examine the business case for prefabricated carwash building construction and the misconceptions that have long followed it. Hogue opens by addressing that prefabricated structures are plain, limited in customization or somehow less permanent than traditional block builds. His counter is simple — Modernwash's bolt-together steel frame system can produce buildings ranging from standard carwash tunnels to two-story towers, equipment room overbuilds and even high-end residential and commercial structures. The conversation dives into where prefabricated carwash building construction delivers its clearest financial benefit: Speed to open. Hogue walks through how time savings, combined with available tax advantages for pre-engineered structures, changes the financial math on a new build or renovation. He also discusses how Modernwash prepares buildings for future expansion from the start. Hogue closes with a look at current design trends in carwash architecture.
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    16 分
  • Episode 269: The case for remanufactured carwash electronics with Jordan Rowe

    Episode 269: The case for remanufactured carwash electronics with Jordan Rowe
    2026/06/24
    In this episode of Wash Talk: The Carwash Podcast, host Kyle Alexander sits down with Jordan Rowe of RDM to make the case for remanufactured carwash electronics as a cost-effective, reliable alternative to buying new. RDM has served the carwash industry for roughly three decades, building on a broader background in petroleum, medical and laundry equipment repair. Rowe explains what sets RDM apart: Technicians who specialize exclusively in carwash electronics and see the same boards and components every day. The conversation covers RDM's TCS2 product line, which supports DRB's Tunnel Watch system and is tested on a live tunnel simulator in RDM's facility. Rowe notes that remanufactured parts from RDM typically come in at roughly one-third the cost of new, backed by a one-year warranty on all control boards. Rowe also touches on how RDM plans ahead by tracking what equipment operators are buying today, anticipating where remanufactured carwash electronics will be needed as those systems age out of warranty.
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    5 分
  • Episode 268: Inside the ICA: Kendra Johnson on the energy and growth of The Car Wash Show™

    Episode 268: Inside the ICA: Kendra Johnson on the energy and growth of The Car Wash Show™
    2026/06/17
    In this episode of Wash Talk: The Carwash Podcast, host Meagan Kusek sits down with Kendra Johnson, chief experience officer for the International Carwash Association, for a conversation from the floor of The Car Wash Show™ in Nashville. Johnson shares early attendance numbers from the 2026 show, the buzz surrounding a sold-out main floor and a fully booked second level — the first time in show history that exhibition space has spanned two floors of the Music City Center. Johnson reflects on where energy is highest at The Car Wash Show, pointing to the new company pavilion, which hosted more than 100 first-time exhibitors, and expanded maintenance and equipment education tracks that drew standing-room-only crowds. She also discusses the growing demand for pre-show carwash tours and the preview party, designed to give operators early access to new technologies and emerging vendor partners before the main floor opens. The conversation turns to the broader state of the industry, with Johnson noting that while the frenetic growth of recent years has stabilized, deal activity remains steady and operators across the board are prioritizing people, processes and wash experience. She closes with a look ahead to The Car Wash Show™ 2027, set for May 3–5 in Las Vegas, and encourages operators who missed Nashville to stay connected through industry media and publications.
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    11 分
  • Episode 267: Carwash M&A: Deal trends and bold predictions with Jeff Pavone

    Episode 267: Carwash M&A: Deal trends and bold predictions with Jeff Pavone
    2026/06/04
    In this episode of Wash Talk: The Carwash Podcast, Jeff Pavone from Amplify Capital Group joins host Kyle Alexander to break down the forces shaping today's deal environment — and why the second half of the year is poised for a significant rebound. Pavone explains that the slowdown stems less from a lack of buyer interest and more from the pressures upstream. Constraints in private credit markets — driven largely by volatility in software and AI sectors — have slowed the flow of capital to private equity, which in turn has extended timelines for carwash deals. Add geopolitical uncertainty to the mix, and the result is a more cautious, question-heavy underwriting process. Despite the slower pace, carwash key performance indicators are holding up. Pavone notes that year-over-year sales and membership growth remain positive across the country, with some softening on the retail side attributed to weather variability and pricing shifts at the entry level. Looking ahead, Pavone expects a strong close to 2026, with Amplify alone tracking roughly $500 million in transactions expected to close by mid-year. He also points to a meaningful shift in deal dynamics: For the first time, buyer and seller price expectations are coming into alignment, a development he views as a key signal for sustained activity in carwash mergers and acquisitions. He also weighs in on Mister Car Wash's transition back to private ownership and what that means for the broader market. The episode closes with Pavone's boldest prediction yet — that within three years, the industry will see its first carwash chain reach 1,000 or more locations.
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    18 分
  • Episode 266: Keys to getting over 5,000 unlimited wash club members per location with Steve Gaudreau - audio

    Episode 266: Keys to getting over 5,000 unlimited wash club members per location with Steve Gaudreau - audio
    2026/05/28
    In this episode of Wash Talk: The Carwash Podcast, host Kyle Alexander welcomes Steve Gaudreau, founder of Brink Results, for a focused conversation on what it takes to build an unlimited wash club sales matrix that consistently drives 5,000 or more members per location. Gaudreau, whose firm has trained more than 10,000 carwash employees over the past three decades, shares the operational gaps that hold most operators back and the structured framework his team developed to close them.

    Gaudreau outlines several problem areas that typically limit membership growth. He then walks through Brink Results' new Unlimited Wash Club Sales Matrix, a 12-point evaluation tool that benchmarks operator performance across categories including member counts, pricing, sales scripts, churn rates and more. For each category, the matrix defines low, medium and high performance levels based on real industry data, giving operators a way to measure themselves against the field rather than against themselves. The conversation also explores closing-rate benchmarks, the competitive advantage of establishing membership density before new entrants arrive in a submarket and why setting ambitious goals matters.

    The matrix is available free of charge by emailing steve.gaudreau@brinkresults.com.
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    12 分
  • Episode 265: Inside Qual Chem’s new Evergreen carwash chemical line

    Episode 265: Inside Qual Chem’s new Evergreen carwash chemical line
    2026/05/07
    In this episode of Wash Talk: The Carwash Podcast, host Kyle Alexander sits down with Ryan Molinelli, vice president of sales at Qual Chem, and Joseph Moldovan, founder of Qual Chem, to discuss the company’s biggest product launch in years: a 10-product Evergreen carwash chemical line debuting at The Car Wash Show in Nashville. Molinelli and Moldovan share what operator feedback drove the development, why a non-corrosive, biodegradable formulation made sense for today’s tunnels, self-serves and in-bay automatics, and how the line ships in compact 2.5-gallon containers to reduce freight costs and plastic waste. The conversation also covers Luminaura Repel, a new addition to Qual Chem’s premium Luminaura family that targets microbead removal and water release, plus how the Evergreen and premium lines can be combined for tougher cleaning needs. The episode wraps with what visitors can expect at booth 1413 in Nashville and where Qual Chem sees carwash chemistry headed next.
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    29 分