ModWash, the Chattanooga-based express car wash operator aiming to become one of the nation's largest, on Thursday opened its first local site in East Ridge.
"The customer is the most important person," said Karen Hutton, who heads owner Hutton Co., as she oversaw the ramp up of ModWash's 20th location, all within the past year. "I want to be the best in the U.S. for sure."
Plans are to have 43 units up and running nationally this year and 100 by the end of 2022, she said. Locally, one is under construction in Lakesite with plans so far for car washes on Main Street in Chattanooga and in Fort Oglethorpe, Hutton said. In all, eight are planned for the Chattanooga area, she said.
At the company's 6303 Ringgold Road site, Hutton pointed out bright "positive colors" which are splashed around the two-acre car wash including mosaic blues adorning a wall and even the dumpster.
Hutton said she'd like the company's multi-colored "mod drop" logo to become "like the Nike symbol."
She quipped that the company used to supply customers with fuchsia-colored towels to wipe down their vehicles at ModWash units but people were taking them home.
Brian Thornton, the company's chief operating officer, said he's hopeful the timing is right with more people getting into their cars to travel than during the height of the coronavirus pandemic when many stayed home.
"People weren't out driving," he said, adding he's hopeful there will be a need by motorists to get out and drive more often.
ModWash units employ about 10 people at each location, and Hutton said the company's leadership and team of workers distinquish it from other express car wash businesses.
"People make the difference," she said.
Hutton said the company's focus on the customer is based on four "ModKeys" - the experience, safety, image and efficiency.
In terms of the environment, she said ModWash's water usage is from 30 to 40 gallons per vehicle, much of which is reclaimed. Contaminants collected during the process are ultimately hauled off, Hutton said.
Around the site, ModWash has planted grasses and places where flowers will grow, or what Hutton termed "Mod meadows," which provide a haven for bees to gather.
In addition to the wash, the units provide vacuums with wide parking spots along with floor mat and bug cleaner all under one price.
Thornton said ModWash also offers three tiers of memberships for frequent users.
"It's something consumers find value in," he said.
Hutton, a longtime Chattanooga businesswoman involved in real estate and development, said each ModWash unit costs about $3.5 million to put up, not counting the price of land which varies from region to region.
She didn't give a yearly revenue figure for the company, but said the car wash sector is a male-dominated industry.
"There's not many women in development," Hutton added.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.