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This article brought to you by A23 Studios.
Mister Car Wash keeps cars clean in 21 states across the US. The nation’s largest car wash brand stretches from Washington state to Florida, though it was first founded in Houston in 1969. The Mister Car Wash of today has put on a lot of miles over 55 years, but sustainability, DEI, and talent attraction and retention programs are ensuring that the cleanest company in the business stays at the front of the line.
Water Stewardship
The car wash company has partnered with Project WET, an organization dedicated to advancing water education and sustainability. The water stewardship program at Mister Car Wash is in its infancy, but the company has made water conservation a priority.
“We recognize that water is a finite resource, and we are committed to being responsible water users both within the four walls of our locations and as members of our greater communities,” the company’s sustainability website reads. “That’s why we’ve partnered with global nonprofit the Project WET Foundation to educate our customers about the water cycle and where their water comes from and provide action items people can take to protect their watershed and become better water stewards.”
Through freshwater recycling and reduction, Mister Car Wash is focused on finding new and innovative ways to utilize water in its wash tunnels. The company is also purveying new chemical solutions for its cleaning systems that won’t negatively impact local wastewater systems. It’s pledged to invest in new systems that will utilize energy more efficiently, too.
Community Outreach and Inclusion
Inspiring Futures, Mister Car Wash’s community outreach program, has partnered with thousands of organizations across the country to help promote educational and life skills training. The program supports classrooms, teachers, and education.
Mister Car Wash’s fundraising arm has provided more than $2 million to date for nonprofits of all kinds in the communities in which the company operates.
The company’s Diversity and Inclusion committee is also working to promote and amplify minority voices within Mister Car Wash. Metrics on diversity numbers are routinely studied and tools like unconscious bias training are provided to employees to create a more inclusive workplace. The company is also in the early stages of rolling out new employee resource groups that will give minority voices a place to feel valued, seen, and understood by the broader organization.
Opportunities Abound
For current employees, Mister Car Wash has increased its hourly wages by 6 percent each year for the last three years, but the company stresses additional benefits are just, if not more, as impactful as increased wages.
Mothers and fathers are granted six weeks of paid parental leave after adding a new life to their family, whether biological or adopted. Progressive health benefits offer employees the care they need, including mental health programs designed with accessibility in mind.
For employees who may hope to rise inside Mister Car Wash, tuition reimbursements for GED, trade schools, English as a second language, and college courses are available. Additionally, the Mister Cares Foundation honors select employees annually with scholarship opportunities.
Fresh Suds
With that employee focus in mind, Mister Car Wash continues to expand into new neighborhoods across the country. Most recently, Apple Valley, California, residents saw the opening of a new location. Customers were offered a free car wash as well as a promotional first-month membership for just $9.99.
“I’ve been waiting for this car wash to open,” one resident told the Daily Press. “I enjoy what Mister Car Wash has to offer. It’s clean, affordable, and the people are friendly.” The 5,400-square-foot automatic car wash was built out in under a year, utilizing the company’s water filtration and reclamation system and proprietary cleaning technology.
Founded in 2009 by Burak Bekat, a23 Studios is a multidisciplinary architectural design, planning, and delivery firm headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. Leveraging client partnerships, such as Mister Car Wash, a23 has developed key professional relationships to advise on and implement growth strategies for regional and national chains. Over the years, a23 Studios has cultivated a diverse team of professionals and forged valuable partnerships across the US, comprised of agile architects, designers, planners, and business experts with the expertise and professional licensure required to see projects through completion in all 50 states.
Acting as consultants, experts, and advocates, they empower clients to make well-informed decisions throughout every phase of the planning, design, and construction process. Regardless of the concept size or stage of development, a23 Studios has the unique industry understanding to develop scalable commercial and industrial products from concept through execution. Embracing a philosophy of tailoring each project to its unique context, stakeholders, and occupants, the firm prioritizes authentic communication, mutual respect, and excellence.
