Brown Bear Car Wash is an American car wash chain based in Washington state. Founded in Seattle in 1957, it is the 12th largest car wash chain in the United States with 49 locations as of 2021[update].
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | Victor Odermat |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | 49 (2021) |
Area served | Washington |
Key people | Victor Odermat (President) Lance Odermat (General Counsel) |
| Services | Car washes, Filling stations, Convenience stores |
| Website | www |
History
editEarly history
editBrown Bear Car Wash was founded in 1957 by Victor Odermat, a former U.S. Marine, with a single location in Seattle.[1][2][3] Odermat subsequently expanded with the opening of additional locations in Western Washington and Spokane.[4]
Under Odermat's leadership, the company became known for its formal employer–employee relations.[5] Staff were expected to address Odermat with the honorific "Mister", a style which he reciprocated; when waiting on customers, employees were required to assume a position of military parade rest; uniforms consisting of white shirts, black slacks, and black neckties were required.[5] A 2005 newspaper report characterized Brown Bear management as displaying a "clear, concise, authoritarian ethic".[5]
During the 1980s, Brown Bear's major competitor in the Puget Sound region's car wash market was another local chain, Elephant Car Wash, with Brown Bear primarily offering self-service washes and Elephant providing automatic washes.[6] According to a 1984 reader survey by the Seattle Times on the "Best Car Wash" in the region, the "pink elephant and the brown bear fought this one out, but the elephant came out in the wash".[6]
Tosco lease
editIn 1995, Odermat leased the Brown Bear chain to Tosco Corporation.[1] Following disagreements with Tosco over business practices—including its decision to abandon the chain's employee uniforms—Odermat terminated the leases and reassumed control of the company in 2003.[5] Odermat reintroduced military-style practices and uniforms, which caused some staff to quit, though in several cases long-time employees who had left the company during Tosco management returned.[5][1]
2000s
editBy 2007, the company operated 38 car washes, some of which included gas stations and convenience stores.[2] That year, Odermat was inducted into the Car Wash Hall of Fame.[2] In 2018, viewers of Evening Magazine voted the chain the "Best Car Wash in Western Washington".[7] It was ranked as the 12th largest car wash chain in the United States in 2018.[8]
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company briefly shuttered its locations for six weeks.[9] During the pandemic, Odermat was named to a task force to devise Washington state government guidelines for operation of car washes.[10]
Operations
editLocations
editIn 2021 Brown Bear Car Wash had 49 automatic and self-service car washes in Washington state which were located in five of its 39 counties: King County, Pierce County, Snohomish County, Kitsap County, and Spokane County.[11] In 2007, the company said it had no plans to expand outside Washington state.[12]
Some Brown Bear Car Wash locations include filling stations and convenience stores.[2] Filling stations are franchised from Chevron; the company is the largest Chevron retailer in Washington. Its convenience stores operate under the name Hungry Bear Market.[13]
Bear art
editIn 2009, the company began a process of beautifying its physical properties with the installation of life-sized bronze grizzly bear statues at each of its locations.[3] Most sites have a family group consisting of a female bear and three cubs installed, though select locations are adorned with a towering, 4,000-pound (1,800 kg), 12-foot (3.7 m) sculpture of a rearing male grizzly.[3] The sculpture molds were designed by Lorenzo Ghiglieri, whose work has also been installed at the Royal Palace of Madrid and the White House.[3][14][15] According to Odermat, he decided to commission Ghiglieri for the statues after seeing his art during a trip to Oregon.[16]
Management
editAs of 2021, the president of Brown Bear Car Wash is Victor Odermat.[12][17] Odermat's son, Lance Odermat, is the company's vice president and general counsel.[12][17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Richman, Dan (November 12, 2003). "Brown Bear family is back in the car-wash business". Seattle PI. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Brown Bear Celebrates 50". Car Wash Magazine. October 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Smith, Debra (January 22, 2011). "Big grizzly now guards Everett car wash". The Everett Herald. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Brown Bear Car Wash shines up nearly 30,000 vehicles on anniversary". carwash.com. September 8, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Holt, Shirleen (March 13, 2005). "The war at work". Seattle Times. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ a b Beck, Kathrine. "Elephant Car Wash (Seattle)". HistoryLink. HistoryInk. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Erickson, Anne (August 7, 2018). "Smiling bears, blinking lights and clean cars: the secrets behind Western Washington's BEST wash". KING-TV. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "The 2018 Top 50 List of Conveyor Carwashes". carwash.com. November 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Guevara, Natalie (September 22, 2020). "Brown Bear Car Wash is in growth mode even amid pandemic". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Lieb, David (August 23, 2020). "Emails show businesses held sway over state reopening plans". Associated Press. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Find a Brown Bear in your neighborhood!". brownbear.com. Brown Bear Car Wash. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c Ludwig, Sean (July 31, 2007). "Best Father-Son One-Two Punch: Brown Bear Car Wash". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Brown Bear Car Wash". retail-merchandiser.com. Retail Merchandiser. 21 December 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ Briscoe, Charles (2010). "Lorenzo Ghiglieri: Sailor, Veteran, Artist, Patriot". Veritas. United States Army. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ Brogan, Pamela (June 18, 1994). "Aurora Sculptor's Work Given to Al Gore". Statesman Journal. Retrieved June 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hackett, Regina (January 13, 2009). "Bear art! Coming to a car wash near you". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ a b "Meet Our Team". brownbear.com. Brown Bear Car Wash. Retrieved June 3, 2021.