In order to succeed, a car wash must set itself apart from the local competitors. Eddie and Frankie focus on providing the best customer service at their car wash. Their dedication to making customers happy is the driving force behind the success of Cruizzers!

Meet the Owners of Cruizzers

Before working in the car wash industry, Frankie Duckett owned an egg farm, an insurance agency, and a storage facility. Frankie began dabbling in the car wash industry in 2003. Now he owns six washes, including Cruizzers. Eddie has spent the last 42 years working in local emergency rooms as a registered nurse. He operates the car wash on the side as Frankie’s business partner and co-owner of Cruizzers.

Cruizzers Is Born

Next, the two partners developed plans to build a new wash from the ground up. They constructed the wash in 2005 and opened for business the following year. Eddie said, “I didn’t know how it would go; I was scared to death. It’s been a dream come true. We had a really strong year right off the bat; 2006 was good.” Since opening, Cruizzers Car Wash has been running successfully and generating enough revenue to make all the business partners happy.

Both Eddie and Frankie wanted to open a car wash, but the banks wanted someone with extensive car wash experience to help build the wash. Eddie and Frankie were connected with Chuck, a car wash industry consultant. They formed Mission Wash over a lunch meeting in 2003.

Built on a Foundation of Customer Service

Frankie and Eddie’s goal is to out-service their competitors. When a customer loses money, their policy is to refund double their lost money in tokens. They even post a phone number in each bay so customers can reach someone day or night. Frankie said, “Even if a customer loses 50 cents at 2 a.m., they are welcome to call me.”

Customers call to let them know when a bay is down or if there is another problem. You know you’re doing something right if customers call to inform you of an issue without demanding a refund. Eddie said, “Half the battle is knowing you have a problem.”

Cruizzers Partners With Kleen-Rite

Originally, Frankie purchased supplies from other vendors. Frankie wanted to see what other options were available. Even though he was encouraged not to, he attended a tradeshow and quickly learned two lessons.

Everyone who sells equipment is the best – at least according to them. Additionally, Frankie learned that it is hard to learn valuable knowledge without someone attempting to sell you a product or service.

Kleen-Rite Makes It Easy

Frankie said, “Kleen-Rite makes it easy for me to do business, they carry a wide range of products, they are very competitive on pricing, and they are just customer friendly.” Cruizzers favorite benefit of conducting business with Kleen-Rite is the Texas warehouse. Since Arkansas borders Texas, Eddie and Frankie can order parts and get them the next day. They told us it used to take a week to receive shipments before our Texas warehouse opened.

A Values Match

Both Eddie and Frankie focus on creating happy customers, which is a value they share with Kleen-Rite. Eddie appreciates talking to a person for help with ordering new parts, or when they need recommendations for comparable components after a manufacturer discontinues a product. Frankie told us when he made a mistake placing an order, Kleen-Rite’s customer service team happily helped him correct the order. Eddie and Frankie operate Cruizzers in the same way. When a customer has an issue, they make it right.

Running a car wash is a lucrative if you put yourself in a favorable situation. Frankie said, “The key to success is picking the right spot, in the right town, and working very hard to keep everything working well.”

We want to thank Eddie and Frankie for being loyal Kleen-Rite customers and taking the time to share their story! We wish Cruizzers Car Wash much success in the future as they continue to grow.

Check out our previous operator spotlight with Randy Holladay from Del Norte Car Wash.