Despite a rainy, overcast, and unseasonably chilly day, a bus full of car wash owners and vendors enjoyed the 24th Annual Car Wash Operators of New Jersey (CWONJ) Tour on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. The event, always held rain or shine, featured two outstanding washes and a stop at the Monmouth Co. Department of Public Works’ truck wash facility.
“I think everyone had a great day and was able to see some really impressive sites while taking home some ideas to their own washes,” said CWONJ President Dino Nicoletta.
First up on the tour was Shrewsbury Car Wash in Shrewsbury. This site boasts a 140-foot Hanna-equipped tunnel, lube and full and express detailing. It features Simoniz chemicals, DRB controls and a robust unlimited wash club and a new International Drying Corp. drying system. It also boasts a custom Vacutech stainless steel vac system.
The second stop on the tour, Express Auto Spa, is a new site in Coltsneck designed to resemble a barn at the request of the town. This state-of-the-art site features a Belanger SpinLite® system, a 120-foot conveyor, Micrologic controls and gates, NCS chemical, 16 Vacutech vac drops, four indoor flex stations, an indoor hand wash bay, and a 100-percent zero-discharge closed-loop Purclean reclamation system.
The way to a car washer’s heart is through his/her stomach, and on this chilly day, the group enjoyed a robust lunch at ViaSposito, a few doors down from Express Auto Spa in Coltsneck. Attendees enjoyed pizza, authentic Italian oven-baked sandwiches, salad, and fresh and warm Zeppoles (Italian doughnut holes tossed in powdered sugar) and coffee before heading out to the last stop. “This place is exceptional and lends itself to be the perfect lunch venue,” said Nicoletta. “Taking the time out to enjoy a really great meal lends itself to lots of networking and idea exchanges.”
During lunch, a drawing to win a Ruko Drone took place with Doug Rieck of Magic Wash winning the Vacutech-sponsored prize.
The Monmouth Co. Department of Public Works in Freehold, the final stop on the tour, is an expansive facility that maintains and develops the public infrastructure of the country, which includes a large truck washing facility. “The facility is impressive, and the truck wash part of it was something a little different for our attendees to see,” noted Nicoletta. “We like to offer a well-rounded event, and since we had the opportunity to tour the site, it just made sense.”
Event sponsors included Bus Tour Sponsor Micrologic, Lunch Sponsor Simoniz USA and Drone Giveaway Sponsor Vacutech, an NCS Company.
The association’s next event is its Fall Membership Meeting, November 5, when Autobell’s Joseph Noel will speak on How to Effectively and Efficiently Grow and Scale Multi-Site Locations. Visit cwonj.com for registration information in the coming weeks.