By Jim Utter
Director of Journalism
When Brenda Jane Johnstone attended her first car wash trade show nearly 25 years ago, she noticed few women attendees and almost none working in the booths.
Over the years that changed slowly, but even by 2019 she didn’t feel there was a very good representation of women at the industry’s large annual gatherings.
That prompted her to reach out to colleagues about their interest in organizing a conference for women in the industry. But she didn’t want it to be just another trade show – she was hoping for more of an event with workshops and activities that attendees would find useful and inspiring.
Johnstone, owner Convenience & Carwash Canada magazine, is leading her 11th Women in Carwash Conference this week in Charleston, S.C. This iteration of the bi-annual event features three days of presentations, workshops, social functions and simply a gathering for free expression.
Johnstone was determined to develop something much more impactful than traditional trade show setups which feature many large-scale talks in college classroom-like atmospheres.
“This is what ultimately led me to the decision to create a conference where like-minded women who work within the car washing industry could come together, learn, laugh and come away with a greater sense of belonging,” Johnstone told CW Daily News.
“Following our first event (held in Niagara Falls Ontario, Canada), we had the attendees complete a survey asking them what they liked, what they didn’t like and what they’d like to have at the next,” she said.
“From this survey we learned about the topics that were of interest and that they preferred workshops to a person on a stage speaking to them about ‘something.’ ”
Each of the conferences held so far has included a “Predictive Intelligence” workshop hosted by Diane Stafford of UpTalent Solutions.
“We began with the basics, Predictive Intelligence, Human Resources, Writing Skills, Presentation Skills etc. Now, we’re doing everything from Predictive Intelligence to Personal Finance, Hiring & Training, Stress Management, Time Management, Social Media Marketing and more,” Johnstone said.
“The Women in Carwash Conference is so much more than an industry conference, it is a safe space, it’s a meeting place and a place where women can talk about anything.
“They share experiences, they become friends and allies within an industry that even today has the perception of being a male-dominated industry.”
The bi-annual conference is only part of the effort to involve women in the car wash industry.
There is a quarterly newsletter, “L.E.A.R.N.” where women in the industry submit educational articles for inclusion.
“Going forward, we hope to offer mentorship to new women entering the industry. We have a number of alumni who have offered to be mentors and we’re waiting now on the women to want mentorship,” Johnstone said. “The conference has become very popular and many of the women who attended an earlier conference are now managers of their car washes.
“It’s very exciting to watch these young women attend their first conference and appear to stay in the background, unsure of themselves and then by the last day of the conference, it’s almost as if they’ve blossomed into a better version of the girl from the first day.
“I love watching these transformations.”
