Briana Pace | Southern Indiana Business Report
In between running cars through the wash, CEO of Thoroughbred Express Trevor Newsome, Mayor of Jasper Ryan Craig and members of the Jasper Chamber of Commerce cut a ribbon, signifying the grand opening of the Jasper Thoroughbred Express.
The location is the seventh in Indiana and second in the Southwest portion of Indiana; the first opened in Bedford a couple years ago.
The business is a standard express auto wash with four different package options ranging from $15 to $30. They also offer a variety of free amenities with the purchase of a wash, including floormat washing, glass cleaner and towels, vacuums, and for members, air fresheners.
Thoroughbred Express also has four different membership packages priced from $35 to $48 a month. Each includes unlimited washes, wash and dry, underbody blast, bug prep, rainbow foam bath, wheel cleaner and triple foam, with more services added to each superior package.
They also offer a 100% rewash guarantee; meaning if you are not satisfied with your wash, they will run you through the carwash as many times as it takes to please you. If you are in a hurry and need to go, they will give you a ticket to come back within 48 hours for another wash.
“What I hear from the community is that we’re footing the bill of building trust back with people that might have lost it with previous ownership,” Newsome said.
Thoroughbred Express soft-opened in April, after being closed for about a month as they made over $500,000 worth of repairs and renovations to the location. Some of those improvements include a belt that takes cars through the wash; allowing customers to be in park or neutral; sonar technology and the development of their own chemical line.
The car wash also now features a water reclamation system; a process that collects water, filters it and reuses it.
“We bought a site that was known for, I think, kind of struggling in the past. So, we took that on knowing that that was going to be a challenge,” Newsome said, “but just looking at the road count and the town, and the demographics, we were just thinking this could be a homerun for us if we can make sure that we do right by the people and take of them and make sure they get their money’s worth.”
The Jasper location is the 12th acquisition Thoroughbred Express has made since they started six years ago, according to Newsome. They know what they’re doing.
Of the four employees working at the car wash before it became Thoroughbred Express, three decided to stay. With summer winding down and people switching from full-time to part-time as they go back to school, the car wash is still hiring help across many different positions.
Newsome believes what sets Thoroughbred Express apart from other carwashes is the employees.
“I truly believe that,” Newsome said. “We really focus in on training people the right way, so they can take care of people the right way.”
A few hours before the ribbon cutting, dark storm clouds rolled through the sky, but Newsome said the employees kept a positive attitude, stayed excited and planned what to do if it started storming.
When the festivities kicked off at noon, the sun shone down and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
“I’ve loved the energy here today,” Newsome said. “It’s been a long time coming.”