Brown Bear upgrades will speed car wash experience

The automated car wash was originally designed to save the time of the person who wants to have their vehicle look nice, but has better things to do than drag out the hose, the suds bucket and sponge - and then spend 30 minutes or more removing the dirt and grime.

In Cheney, the Brown Bear Car Wash is currently undergoing a massive makeover that will help it deliver on that mission.

"We bought those sites, one in Cheney and three in the greater Spokane area in 1997," Lance Odermat, vice president and general counsel for Brown Bear said.

With the last upgrades completed in 2002 it was time to invest more and that's what's being done.

The Cheney location on First Street will receive $1 million in improvements, Odermat said.

His father, Victor Odermat opened the first Brown Bear Car Wash in Seattle in 1957 and that location is still in operation today. According to the company website, there are 44 locations, most all in the immediate Puget Sound area.

"With the way Cheney is growing and the activity on that street, and the size of the lot, we thought Cheney would be the logical first choice," Lance Odermat said. The renovated operation will have a state-of-the-art tunnel washing system.

Originally a do-it-yourself spray and wash facility, those self-serve options will still be available. But for those interested in saving time, the upgrade will be the ticket.

"What we're doing in Cheney is putting in some cutting-edge technology," Odermat said. It's only been done at one other Brown Bear location and features a belt conveyor system. The goal is to have customers in and out in five minutes.

When completed, the new equipment will see drivers be pulled onto a belt that is going to take them through the wash. "It's really the latest and greatest innovation within the carwash industry," Odermat said.

"We're spending some considerable money to pull this project off," he said. "We're optimistic about its future success. Cars will be washed a lot faster and better."

The company has no benchmark in terms of payback time on equipment upgrades such as what is taking place here, Odermat said. "We plan to be there indefinitely, this is not a short-term investment," he added.

"At some point it will pay off," Odermat said of the company who owns all of their tunnel and self-service locations.

Odermat said the goal is to have the wash open in mid-September.

"It could be late September," he added, saying also, "It wouldn't surprise me if it got pushed off into early October because there's a lot of technical complexity."

Car wash construction needs assurance that the concrete is poured correctly. "The electrical component is very complex," Odermat explained. "It's not something that you can just hire off the street to do."

While there are a large number of companies that manufacture components for car washes, Brown Bear uses just a handful, Odermat said. "Then we tweak their equipment to our needs."

The business has significant potential, Odermat said. "We feel there is still a lot of untapped markets in Washington," Odermat said.

He said the only places under any consideration to expand the business would be Southern California. "It's not a front-burner effort at this time," Odermat said.

The company has long taken pride in its efforts to be good environmental stewards in a business that uses significant amounts of water. According to the website, their use of special equipment and techniques enable Brown Bear to remove potentially hazardous substances from the water they use. All wastewater is treated.

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.