MacNeil Featured Customer: Ducky’s Car Wash- Bryan, Texas
How it all Started
David Borski, owner of Ducky’s Car Washes in Bryan, Texas had a simple but effective approach–he built one very reliable self-service wash as a starting point to test his assumptions about the business. Borski was aware that among other things, drivers in this area of Texas deal with two prominent issues: a powerful bug season and numerous dirt roads. “Opening the South Texas Avenue wash was truly a new adventure and within a year it was clear that our location and dedication to customer service led to steady volume increases,” explains Borski. Soon, customer reviews were boasting about Ducky’s being the “cleanest facility around” and how “management makes repairs instantly so there is never a stall down.” Equipped with market knowledge and the operational logistics of starting a wash, Borski was ready for the next phase in his business expansion.
Growth through Automation
With the success of the first wash in motion, a second Ducky’s location was built just seven minutes away. In December of 2015, Ducky’s Express Tunnel Wash was opened for business along the East William J Bryan Parkway, a heavily trafficked section of Bryan, TX. The location is stellar and offers customers the express tunnel services they were looking for in this area. Ducky’s would now be able to keep up with the growing demand for washes in this region.
Scaling Success
Borski’s idea for the automatic Ducky’s wash was to duplicate the same quality customer experience that exists at the self-service wash but with more space and accessibility for patrons. This goal came to fruition when a large piece of land became available just minutes away from the South Texas Avenue location, resulting in a much larger automatic express tunnel wash with grand parking stalls and more than generous space for getting in and out.
Building with Quality in Mind
Conducting proper research and due diligence is an absolute necessity when building an automatic express wash and Borski was dedicated to doing both before launching his second facility. He attended multiple car wash conventions, visited locations to see various equipment pieces in action, and made a point of speaking with customers of different equipment manufacturers.
“All the car wash operators that I spoke with loved MacNeil and compared every other manufacturer to them. MacNeil’s prominence in the market quickly became clear to me and I made the decision to work with them on my second venture. Nearly all the equipment in the new wash is from MacNeil.” When asked what ultimately tipped the scale in the direction of going with MacNeil, Borski explains, “I talked to every car wash operator out there and it was clear that MacNeil was the gold standard of equipment manufacturers. I never gave it another thought after that.”
Advice to Others
Borski advises others who are interested in building a successful automated wash like Ducky’s to be sure they have an edge. “You need to determine what makes your business unique. For Ducky’s, people were looking for a facility that is impressively clean, very well-lit, and provides a very large lot for moving your vehicle around and parking. Ducky’s exceeded these benchmarks and success followed.”
Of course, Borski is quick to point out that his primary success driver was quality of service. “Going with MacNeil meant that we now have the best equipment out there performing the best services to vehicles. Customers tell us about their favorite piece of equipment. I hear the most about the MacNeil Wheel Boss tire shine machine. Patrons rave how powerful it is while also having the precise quality of a personal touch!”
