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John Shullman has heard all the "washed up" jokes about being in the car wash business. And the idea that people don't take it seriously as a career bugs him in his quest to recruit those exiting the real estate and mortgage industries.
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"For sales and management people exiting the real estate and mortgage business, car wash management is a great career choice, and I am actively recruiting them," he said. "Consider: They are used to dealing with a diversity of people, have sales skills, are good negotiators, plan their work carefully and are used to keeping good records."

He has tried college recruiting - and even funded a scholarship at Florida Atlantic University to ease entry to potential candidates. So far, the results have been spotty.

"Many people just don't get it that the car wash business is a fast-paced, well-paying field that produces solid rewards very quickly to talented people," Shullman said. "Many people are putting themselves deep in debt for advanced college degrees that are sometimes questionable in their benefit."

Others have come to a similar conclusion. A January survey conducted by Glenview, Ill.-based SurePayroll found most entrepreneurs - more than 70 percent - did not believe an MBA is essential to entrepreneurial success.

"Anybody can go into business, regardless of their education .... [It] isn't a big determinant of success," SurePayroll President Michael Alter said.

Most entrepreneurs felt an undergraduate degree was more important for success than an MBA.

"The things that matter are having a good business plan, finding a niche, being passionate about what you do, and working very hard and smart to achieve your business goals," Alter said.

Franklin Goldberg is a veteran business broker at Re/Max Services in Boca Raton.

"After the day trading burnout in 2000 and the dot-com bust in 2001, there was a flood of brokers and tech industry workers looking to go out on their own," he said.

The cycles repeat. Now, Goldberg is getting inquiries to buy businesses from people formerly in the construction, real estate and related fields.

Tom Jones, director in the Fort Lauderdale office of recruiting firm Aerotek, said his firm is seeing a large influx of former real estate, construction and mortgage industry applicants.

"I've talked to four or five of them alone for possible recruiter positions for Aerotek, as the sales and people skills are the same ones that make a good job recruiter," he said.

Most of the former construction employees have been office staff, laid off as offices close or downsize. The trades people frequently move on to other jobs in other locales.

"It's too new of a phenomenon to have extensive hard data, but anecdotally, we are seeing many from both real estate - and especially the mortgage origination side," Jones said.

Jorge Roca, senior direct hire recruiter at Fort Lauderdale-based Spherion (NYSE: SFN), said the exodus of workers from the real estate, mortgage and construction industries is a good news/bad news story.

"It's good news for us to have so many qualified people to place - five to 10 each day - but it is bad news for them in that there is so much competition for the available jobs and depressing for salaries," he said.

Roca estimates that 50 percent of all his referrals are now coming from the real estate and mortgage industries.

"Realtors are a relatively easier placement than mortgage people because they have strong sales skills and can be placed in both inside and outside sales jobs, while the mortgage processors and operational managers are a tougher placement because of their very specialized skills," he explained.

The exodus trend shows no sign of abating.

Car wash empire to add 25 to 30 jobs

Shullman has been in the car wash business for 20 years. He and his brother own two South Florida car wash facilities, plus others in Jacksonville; Omaha, Neb.; Toledo, Ohio; and Connecticut. The group has more than 250 employees and plans to hire an additional 25 to 30 this year to staff its expansion plans.

Express Car Wash in western Boca Raton and Rub-a-Dub Car Wash in Delray Beach are part of the group's holdings.

The responsible car wash management jobs to be filled at these businesses exercise substantial control over a lucrative trade. A typical full-service car wash will gross $800,000 to $1.5 million a year, while some generate much more.

"We want people who are used to working outside and on weekends," Shullman said. "The management opportunity is exceptional - paying from $50,000 to $100,000 a year."

"We want people who are used to working outside and on weekends," Shullman said. "The management opportunity is exceptional - paying from $50,000 to $100,000 a year."

Management trainees start in the $30,000s and $40,000s. Benefits include health insurance, two weeks' paid vacation, paid sick days and a structured training program. Promotion to full manager can come in less than a year.

Many of the hourly employees, who do the hands-on work, make $35,000 to $40,000 a year with salary and tips. One exceptional employee, whom the company calls Mr. Wonderful, makes $80,000 a year with tips.

When a manager "catches" an employee doing something right, he can award an on-the-spot cash bonus. People doing a consistently great job might get lunch paid for by the boss. Some employees have received raises their first day on the job because of their great work ethic.
At Thanksgiving, everyone gets a $25 gift card; at Christmas, the bonus is $500 for full-time employees.

"Happy employees make customers happy," Shullman said. "Our annual turnover rate is less than 10 percent, as opposed to car washes in general, where the rate is said to vary between 60 and 70 percent.

From 2001 through 2006, the annual turnover rate for all industry sectors averaged 39.6 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The leisure and hospitality sector averaged an annual turnover of 74.6 percent, similar to the car wash industry.

Shullman admits that if he didn't grow up with the business, he would never have guessed its potential. It all began with his grandfather, who started a car wash in Mt. Kisco, N.Y. - and who, at age 88, still operates it.

Now, that's a career path.

EXPRESS CAR WASH
Co-owner: John Shullman
Web site: www.minutemancarwash.com
Address: 23133 Sandalfoot Plaza Drive, Boca Raton 33428
Phone: (561) 852-7176
E-mail: jshullman@minutemancarwash.com
eduggan@bizjournals.com | (954) 949-7512

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