21. Car Washes

Why are these sudsy roadside stops one of the fastest growing industries in America? Zachary Crockett takes a look under the hood.

RESOURCES:

"Private Equity Wants to Wash Your Car," by Miriam Gottfried (The Wall Street Journal, 2022)."California Labor Commissioner Recovers $282,000 for Car Wash Wage Citations," State of California Department of Industrial Relations News Release (2022)."Sgt. Clean’s Future Shines Bright Thanks to Subscription Model, Strong Reputation," by Vince Guerrieri (Crain's Cleveland Business, 2018)."One California Drought Winner? The Local Car Wash," by Lauren Sommer (Marketplace, 2015).Sonny's CarWash College.

SOURCES:

Brian Krusz, co-founder and director of growth & development at Sgt. Clean Car Wash.Eric Wulf, C.E.O. of the International Carwash Association.

Who decides which snacks are in your office’s vending machine? How much is a suburban elm tree worth, and to whom? How did Girl Scout Cookies become a billion-dollar business? In bite-sized episodes, journalist Zachary Crockett looks at quotidian things and finds amazing stories.

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• No. of episodes: 119
• Latest episode: 2025-07-28
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