The Power of Perspective: Career Switching in Car Washing (Preview)

From running sites to supplying solutions, these professionals prove that experience on both sides can change your perspective — and your path.

In the car wash business, perspective is everything. And that perspective can vary greatly, depending on whether you are an operator or supplier.

Imagine if you could mesh those two perspectives and see the full picture? Suddenly the challenges — and the opportunities — would look very different.

Six seasoned professionals who’ve crossed the operator-supplier divide reveal how the lessons they’ve learned on each side not only shaped their careers but also strengthened the industry as a whole. From scrappy problem-solving on the wash fl oor to scaling solutions for hundreds of sites, their stories show that bridging the gap between the two worlds unlocks deeper insights, greater empathy and smarter strategies for growth.

THE CAR WASH AS TRAINING GROUND
Brett Meinberg, vice president of business systems for National Carwash Solutions, said a car wash is one of the best classrooms you’ll ever find. “It teaches you to adapt, think on your feet and solve hard problems head-on instead of waiting for someone else to fi x them,” he said. Meinberg started in the industry at 17, working at a wash in Colorado, and has since held roles on both the operator and supplier sides.

“As an operator, you just have to get things done,” Meinberg said. “You build these crazy systems on your own to solve problems. The industry has always been modular — grab a part from Home Depot or the local plumbing supply store, make it work and keep moving. You couldn’t rely on anyone else. That mindset still drives me today. At NCS, the scale is bigger, the ship turns slower and we’re serving so many more customers — but the innovation push is still there. The challenge is getting bold ideas across the finish line. It’s about buckling in and figuring out how to make it happen. I learned that scrappiness on the operator side.”

Meinberg said returning to the vendor side with NCS has changed his conversations with industry peers — but not their focus.

“I’m still helping friends and car wash associates I’ve known for years, just in a new way,” he said. “They used to call me about all kinds of systems. Now they call for detailed advice on NCS systems. I help them think through challenges they might not have considered. The conversation has changed, but the goal is the same — solve problems.”

For Jim Waterman, this rings true as well. He worked on the operator side before taking a position as a technician with a supplier, and said he felt immense pressure to fix every machine quickly because he understood from personal experience the impact of losing business due to equipment downtime. “I knew that every hour counted,” said Waterman, who is back on the operator side today as executive vice president of Washville Car Wash.

Working on the operator side first helps vendors better understand the mindset of their customers, too. “Until you’ve operated equipment, I think it’s really diffi cult to successfully sell equipment to folks when you’re just reading it out of a manual or looking at it in a brochure,” Waterman said. “I think that’s been a challenge for suppliers. They’ve grabbed people from the consumable side and put them into a technical sales role, and I think that’s been difficult.”

“I help them think through challenges they might not have considered. The conversation has changed, but the goal is the same — solve problems.” — Brett Meinberg, National Carwash Solutions

WHEN OPERATING WASHES LEADS TO A NEW BUSINESS
Sometimes, those who work on the operator side develop ideas that inspire an entrepreneurial exit. Colton Shea, for instance, is now owner of 6S Coatings, which provides ceramic coating applications for washes, after starting in the industry as the general manager at a car wash. Similarly, Pete Jensen, who is co-owner of Washworld, a manufacturer of car wash systems, worked with his partners to build three wash sites and develop three profi t-share locations before becoming a manufacturer.

This is an excerpt of an article from CAR WASH Magazine.
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