ROXBURY, NJ – Roxbury Mayor Jaki Albrecht took a hands-on approach to welcoming the new Spark Car Wash in Ledgewood on Friday: She became a happy employee.

The mayor climbed into the booth at the entrance of the Ledgewood car wash for a few minutes and, flashing a big smile, greeted customers and explained their vehicle cleansing options. A couple of visitors knew something was up.

“Aren’t you the mayor?” asked one. “Do you own this place?”

It was a fun twist on the usual “ribbon-cutting” ceremony, and somebody on hand – it could have been Roxbury Township Manager John Shepherd, Roxbury Councilman Mark Crowley or Roxbury Rotary Club Member Don Miller – quietly suggested Albrecht might have found herself a second career.

The customary ribbon-cutting did take place, and the mayor told the Spark Car Wash team she was thrilled to see the new business doing well. It opened in early March at the site of the former Legends Car Wash at 1425 Route 46.

“Welcome to Roxbury, Spark Car Wash,” she said. “I am very confident this will be the number one car wash in Roxbury. We are very excited to have you here.”

The ultra-modern facility is the fifth Spark Car Wash opened by the Summit-based company founded by Kyle Van Decker. William Housell, the company’s district manager, said it cost more than $5 million to build, noting the only thing left from Legends is the shell of the building.

In charge of day-to-day operations at the business is General Manager Calvin Alston, a 39-year-old Byram resident and father of three. He said the business is doing well – already reaching about 1,500 memberships despite a frustratingly rainy spring that yielded a few more “maintenance days” than he’d have preferred.

'We Want You to Come Back'

He said he’s determined to give Spark Car Wash customers the best experience possible, explaining he believes going to a car wash should be fun.

 “Our number-one, main objective is customer service,” he said. “We understand the reason why you're coming to the car wash in the first place, which is a major thing because when you do come to the car wash, you're expecting a change of mood. Or maybe you're in a good mood, and you want to sustain that good mood. No one comes to the car wash without expecting that certain change of mood, so we want to make sure that your experience is going to be consistent throughout. We want you to come back.”

Paramount, when it comes to making people happy, is making their vehicles sparkle. During a tour of the behind-the-scenes areas of the Spark Car Wash, Alston and Housell proudly pointed to the proprietary systems including double-osmosis water filters, a variety of cleansing and protection agents and a computer system that takes up a whole wall.

They said the system knows the contours and accessories attached to members’ vehicles and customizes the wash parameters accordingly when they enter. Using sonar and lasers, the system follows each vehicle as it makes its way through the tunnel.

When vehicles reach the end, they are blown dry with high-intensity dryers that cost about $100,000 and eliminate the need for post-wash towling (and potential paint scratching) by employees. The outside of Spark Car Wash is a bank of double-hosed, high-suction vacuums with a variety of nozzles.

Alston said the new car wash has been welcomed warmly by people in Roxbury and beyond.

“We’ve had a really, really positive reaction,” he said. “I think that’s the reason why this will be a sustainable place. One thing I do know about this area is that it’s still a mom-and-pop town and … the community knows about us, everybody raves about us and how great we are, just because we’re giving them good customer service and a quality product.”

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Author : Fred J. Aun

Source Url : https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/sections/business-and-finance/articles/roxbury-welcomes-high-tech-new-spark-car-wash

News Source : https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/sections/business-and-finance/articles/roxbury-welcomes-high-tech-new-spark-car-wash