Successes In Car Washing

Vector®

Trackside Gas & Convenience

Vector® Helps Revive Gas Station / C-Store for New Owner

Trackside's Vector® attracts a loyal customer base

SEYMOUR, WI – When Kevin Clarksen purchased Trackside Gas & Convenience, the site included an automatic car wash that wasn’t so ‘super.’ “It was an unwieldy tank of a touchless in-bay,” Clarksen says. “In fact, it was no longer functional,” he adds. “The previous owner had stopped using the wash, and there it sat, taking up valuable space in the bay.”

Since Clarksen bought the property planning to leverage all three profit centers – car wash, gas and convenience store – he resolved to replace the wash with a better unit right away. “There was a lot of pressure to use the local equipment manufacturer,” Clarksen says. “Although they’re 15 minutes away in DePere, I wasn’t sure their wash was the best choice for our site.”

Clarksen says that nearby manufacturer seems to feel they ‘own’ the local market. “Unfortunately, that means they’re not very competitive on equipment or service,” he notes. “Their distributor quoted a machine price 50 percent higher than my budget,” he remarks. “And I’ve seen their washes out of service at other sites.” He adds “Owners I’ve talked to complain of expensive service and costly downtime.”

Seeking a better option, Clarksen contacted Cal Stankey of Belanger distributor Extreme Car Wash Supply. “I already knew Cal by acquaintance,” Clarksen says. “I trusted he would have the right answer for our needs.” He notes “When Cal recommended a Vector,

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I saw he had more than an answer – he had a solution.” Clarksen adds “The Vector fit our budget and our business. You can’t beat that.”

Once he green-lighted the Vector®, Clarksen says the wash was installed in no time. “With the Vector, we were washing cars, pretty darn quick,” he laughs. Clarksen notes that the Vector® wasn’t just installed on time, it was ‘on the money,’ price-wise. “Our Vector saved us a lot of money before we even turned it on,” he says. “And it’s kept saving us money for seven years now, with reliable and economical performance.”

Of course, Clarksen didn’t buy his Vector® just to save money – he bought it to add revenue. “Our Vector is a strong profit center,” he says. “It creates loyal wash customers who also buy gas and shop inside.” Clarksen adds “Its impact goes beyond the wash bay, to boost sales site-wide.”

As Clarksen observes, the Vector’s high uptime has helped establish the wash as a local fixture. “Folks know the wash always works, so they’ve come to rely on it,” he says. “Its service needs are negligible, and consist mostly of routine maintenance and chemical refills.” He continues “With Extreme Car Wash Supply and our Vector, it’s simple. Cal takes care of our Vector, and our Vector takes care of us.”

According to Clarksen, the Vector® is more than a reliable wash – it’s also an effective promotional tool. “We give the wash highly visible billing on our street sign,” he notes. “We also publish coupons for $2 off the wash.” Clarksen explains “To redeem the coupons, customers must come inside – and they do.” He concludes “Anything that brings foot traffic into the store is a keeper. And our Vector is here to stay.”

© 2010 Belanger, Inc. — For more info, call Al Huntington at: (920)-496-6004 — www.Belangerinc.com