Staff Report
The Canadian Carwash Association recently approved its 2025-2026 Board of Directors during its annual general meeting on May 1.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Michael Saunders, Mark VII Equipment
Saunders is an experienced professional who works well with stakeholders at all levels, with a focus on improving processes and aligning systems to support business goals. He takes a thoughtful approach to identifying opportunities for improvement and helping teams work toward shared objectives. Saunders is part of MarkVII Canada team in the Canadian Service Coordinator role. He began his car wash career with Baywatch Doors Canada. He brings with him experience from other board tenures, as well as exposure to non-profits.
Treasurer
Matt Verity, Matt Verity Consulting
After a successful 15-year career as a Real Estate professional in Calgary, AB, Verity has spent the last 10 years as an accomplished founder and entrepreneur in the self-storage and car wash industries. He has been intimately involved in every aspect of acquisition, development, and operations of numerous projects across Canada. From site assessment and facility design, development management, operations and marketing, his diverse experience gained over the past 20-plus years has made him a sought-after consultant within the car wash industry.
Vice President
Jason Hands, Parkland Corp.
Hands has more than five years of experience in the convenience and gas industry, with roles that span across merchandising, digital, and loyalty. He was introduced to the car wash business as part of the digital team that developed Parkland’s mobile car wash feature through the Journie Rewards app. Since then, his passion for car washing has grown, and he is currently the Car Wash Category Manager at Parkland.
Vice President
Rudy Van Woerkom, Belvedere Technical Services Ltd.
Van Woerkom’s introduction to the car wash industry was in the mid-1980s, providing vehicle access control equipment in Calgary. He then went on to spend seven years servicing industrial laundry equipment. In 2000, Rudy started Belvedere Technical Service to get back into access control, which led him into servicing car wash equipment. While Belvedere Technical Service Ltd. is a distributor for D&S Carwash Equipment as well as Airlift Doors, they service all makes of equipment.
Past President
Karen Smith, Valet Car Wash
Smith began her career in the industry in 1993 as a retailer, operating gas bars, convenience and car wash at Shell Canada. She also served on the Shell training team. Smith joined the Valet team in 2012 in a management capacity and her role quickly developed into Training and Compliance Manager. She had previously served on the CCA Board of Directors from 2002 to 2004.
Travis Braithwaite, ClearWater CarWash
Braithwaite began his car wash career in 2017. Since then, he’s been consulting with operators such as Great White Car Wash (Alberta), Waterfly Car Wash (California), ClearWater CarWash (Alberta) and other private investor groups (U.S. and Canada). Braithwaite has been in management consulting since 2007, and his client list includes Enbridge, Direct Energy and Clark Builders.
Jeremy Enns, Enns Wash and Shine
Enns is the relatively new owner-operator of a single site in Ontario, Canada, with three self-serve wash bays, a truck bay, and an in-bay touchless automatic.
Steve Hebb, Kilworth Car Wash
Hebb is the owner of Kilworth Car Wash, which he and his partners opened in 2022 to serve London and the surrounding area. With a strong focus on customer experience and environmental impact, Hebb and his partners have built a business that reflects their passion for washing cars and connecting with people.
Michael Howe, WashLinks
Howe started out as a licensed electrician prior to becoming a seasoned overhead door mechanic almost 30 years ago. During his career he has occupied many senior executive roles spanning a wide variety of industries including credit, call center management and renewable energy. In March of 2019 he was tasked with establishing the Canada Division of BayWatch Enterprises, a car wash door solutions manufacturer and servicer.
Ayaaz Jamal, Express Auto Wash
As the President of Operations & Development at Nationwide Self Storage and Auto Wash LP, Jamal has led multi-site operations, talent development initiatives, and HR transformations that have significantly increased employee engagement and operational efficiency. Jamal has also been a keynote speaker at the International Car Wash Association, where he has shared insights on leadership, talent acquisition, and workforce development.
Katarina Popovic, Suncor
Popovic recently joined the car wash business as Category Manager of Petro-Canada’s national car wash network. She is responsible for developing annual category plans, managing vendor relationships, overseeing cross-functional teams, and leading marketing programs and promotions from concept to execution.
