By Jim Utter
Director of Journalism
Champion Xpress Car Wash’s most recent new site is a reminder of how much the burgeoning express car wash company has grown and where it started.
Champion recently celebrated a grand opening at a greenfield site in Maryville, Missouri, a small city of about 10,000 located about 40 miles north of St. Joseph.
The site makes Champion’s in Missouri, but the company’s expansion into a sixth state isn’t so much about entering more states as it is about expanding an already established footprint.
“We have 11 locations between Iowa and Illinois and our locations that sit in Illinois sit on the border of Iowa. This specific location in Maryville fits that same type of bill; on that border,” Champion CEO Trey Merchant said in an interview with Car Wash Daily News.
“We have a three-hour drive radius from any of our locations and that’s kind of been the standard so far with us in expansion – we want any location within a three-hour drive. So, that is why we really ended up in Missouri. Nothing more specific than that.
“It’s a good town that didn’t have any express washes, so there’s no competition. A nice population, a little hub there. So, that was kind of our decision making on that one.”
With 55 locations across New Mexico, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Texas and now Missouri, Champion continues to expand its footprint but remains committed to its values, innovation and community engagement.
Merchant said the Maryville location has attributes similar to those where the car wash chain first became established, like the original site in Lubbock, Texas.
“The market is kind of like where Champion started. We’ve gone into those size communities before and there’s an educational process that goes along with that,” explained Merchant. “Most of them haven’t been doing express tunnel (washes), at least not frequently.
So, we were confident and comfortable doing that. Outside of that, you know, we look for communities that are going to be appreciative and excited about somebody bringing this type of service to their town.
“That is certainly true for Maryville. We found in Maryville some of the coolest people ever – super-friendly and just grateful to have this service offered in their town. That makes us really excited.”
