Mark Peterson, WNDU, June 11, 2021 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – The Drive & Shine car wash chain says it is committed to employee happiness. 

Friday, the company backed up those words with action. 

Four employees who now have more than 20-years of experience received an additional week of vacation time and a $5,000 check to help them get out of town on Friday. 

“And we want them to take a vacation. We don’t want to just give them an extra pay and because people make money and sometimes they don’t use it, so this is a forced vacation. You’re only going to get this if you go on vacation,” said Drive & Shine CEO Haji Tehrani. 

“I’ve never been to Hawaii so I’m thinking Hawaii sounds really nice, said 20-year Drive and Shine worker Jerry Kretchmer. “Just getting on the beach and I’d be happy, just stay on the beach for the whole, you know, seven days. I would be content with that.” 

Rico Williams has been at Drive and Shine since 1998. “And after a year working here, I felt like fast and furious. This is ride and die because I’m not leaving this place until they take me under.” 

As for Rico’s vacation plans, “The kids been bugging me about going to some big theme park. Going out of town and ride a bunch of rides. That would be great.” 

The one-week vacation comes in addition to any time-off already earned. 

It’s apparently not the company’s first act of kindness toward workers. “About four years ago, you know, had some family members pass away within an eight-month period and Drive & Shine was there as a family,” explained employee Juan Cervantes. 

“They listen to you. You’re not a number on a check or nothing like that, you’re family and a person the know and respect,” said Rico Williams. 

The company is growing. Drive & Shine will open three more stores by the end of this year and will be looking to hire up to 40 additional workers. 

“And every one of these people was a major contributor to who we’ve become. They helped us develop the procedures and processes that we deploy. They helped us with the technologies of automation, how to do it better,” said Tehrani. 

TAGS: Empolyees, Jobs, Employee Appreciation 

Deb Semmler, South Bend Tribune, Oct. 26, 2019 

Haji Tehrani doesn’t operate Drive & Shine to collect awards and recognition. 

But it is nice to get positive feedback from the business’s loyal customers who have voted the car wash and lube services offered by Drive & Shine the best in Michiana since the South Bend Tribune began its Readers’ Choice award program 17 years ago. 

“It’s an affirmation that our entire organization puts forth the effort to be the best we can be every day,” Tehrani said, referring to the 100-plus Drive & Shine employees at seven locations in northern Indiana. 

“We have continuously invested in the best technologies available to wash cars correctly and safely with the best results,” said Tehrani, who gave up a career in the corporate world more than 20 years ago to build the first Drive & Shine location on Main Street in Mishawaka. 

But a successful organization needs more than a great product or service, Tehrani explained. 

“Overall customer satisfaction requires a team that’s working collectively toward the same goal,” he said. “It cannot be accomplished by an individual.” 

Beyond a focus on utilizing the best-available technologies, the success of Drive & Shine rests on attracting, training and retaining associates who are committed to delivering excellent customer service and want to grow with the business. 

In 2015, the business began offering starting wages of $12 per hour for inexperienced people who met its attitude and personality criteria. Those who are hired receive considerable training and feedback so they can grow with the business, earn regular raises and have the opportunity to advance in the organization. 

The need for a strong group of employees is important as the family-owned business seeks to maintain its strong reputation for customer service and continues to look for opportunities to expand by bringing new services to the region and by expanding its geographical footprint. 

“We’re planning to grow at the rate of one or two units a year,” said Tehrani, an admitted car-lover who is constantly on the lookout for new services that could be incorporated into the business. 

In 2019, Drive & Shine opened an indoor self-service cleaning area at its newest location on South Michigan Street in South Bend as well as a new interior detailing operation at its original location in Mishawaka. 

“Some businesses make changes to streamline operations and to make it easier for themselves,” said Tehrani. “Everything we do is focused on our customers.” 

And based on the long string of awards the business has received, its efforts have been noticed by its customers. 

“We’re very passionate about this industry which in the past has been very underserved and overlooked,” said Tehrani, who brought the idea of upscale car wash services to the Michiana area. 

“A vehicle is the second highest investment for most people, and taking good care of it is a portrayal of your image,” he said. “I look at every day as an opportunity to do things better.” 

TAGS: Service, Car Wash, Customer Service 

Deb Semmler, South Bend Tribune, July 27, 2019 

Drive & Shine prides itself on the quality of work it provides to motorists throughout the region. 

Whether it’s a wash, a thorough detailing or an oil change, the locally based business aims to provide the highest level of professional service in a timely manner. 

Those have been the guiding principles of the business since it was founded by Haji Tehrani more than 20 years ago, and that focus has helped the business grow to six locations with more than 100 employees in northern Indiana. 

But while it’s delivering those services, the company also aims to use the most eco-friendly methods and materials available to get the job done while minimizing the impact on vehicles or the environment. 

When a vehicle comes in for lube services at a full-service Drive & Shine location, for example, customers can rest assured that filters, oil and other fluids are being recycled. 

And because Drive & Shines uses processes and chemicals that are far more gentle on vehicles as well as the environment, its wash tunnels have to be considerably longer than most of its competitors to properly get the job done. 

Motorists should be especially hesitant about taking their vehicle to unmanned short-tunnel car washes because they often use cloth wraps that retain dirt and debris as well as harsh chemicals that get the job done quickly, but with long-term consequences to the vehicle and the environment. 

“We do not use hydrofluoric acid, which is known to be a very dangerous yet very effective and economical cleaning agent in the car wash industry,” said Matthew Tehrani, director of equipment and chemistry for the company. “It is extremely corrosive and dangerous to our environment.” 

Instead Drive & Shine uses a wheel cleaner that is just as effective at cleaning brake dust on rims without the damaging effects of harsh acids and a series of high pH and low pH chemicals in the wash that are effective at cleaning organic and inorganic soils on customer vehicles, he explained. 

“The combination of using our foamy soaps with our soft foam spinning wraps allow for very gentle, yet effective cleaning of the outside of the vehicle,” said Tehrani, who graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in chemical engineering before joining the family business. 

Drive & Shine also prides itself on minimizing its water usage by running wash water through a series of underground filtration processes that pull out contaminants so that the water can be reused in the early stages of the wash cycle. 

The process is capable of producing 225 gallons per minute of recycled water and has earned the business a WaterSavers designation from the International Carwash Association. 

“We pride ourselves on the work we perform,” Tehrani said. “But we also want to minimize our impact while getting the job done.” 

TAGS: Eco-Friendly, Green, Clean Earth 

Deb Semmler, South Bend Tribune, June 29, 2019 

The search for good employees never ends at Drive & Shine. 

With a focus on providing upscale wash, detailing and lube services for its customers throughout the region, the business is always in need of people who can help it continue to expand here and beyond, said Armar’rae Hill, human resources and training manager. 

After about 16 years involved in management and training for the retail and hospitality sectors, Hill joined the company about three years ago to help the business find the type of people needed to maintain its success. 

With seven locations and the likelihood of more on the way, Drive & Shine is always looking for people with a good attitude and communication skills as well as an understanding of excellent customer service, said Hill. 

“People come to Drive & Shine for top-quality services, but they also expect a great experience,” said Hill, adding that an employee’s sour attitude can wreck the overall experience for a customer. 

That was the vision of Haji Tehrani some 22 years ago when he left the corporate world to establish a car-care operation in Mishawaka that would reach and exceed the standards he saw at facilities in this country and beyond. 

To accomplish that goal while allowing the company to expand its footprint several years ago, Drive & Shine began offering starting wages of $12 per hour for inexperienced people — who met its attitude and personality criteria — so it could build and maintain a pool of talent. 

Hill said employees are given feedback on a regular basis so they can grow within the company, earn regular raises and be provided with the opportunity to move into management or supervisory positions at Drive & Shine locations. 

Though the company also occasionally recruits people from the outside to meet specific needs, it really focuses on developing its own employees from within the organization to serve as supervisors at its store locations, said Hill. 

Because of that philosophy, Drive & Shine has a considerable number of people who have been with the company through much of its existence and are now serving in top level management positions within the organization. 

“We want to create a culture that is fun and upbeat and where people can grow with the business,” said Hill. “We’d rather develop and retain employees than constantly focus on retraining new people.” 

To do that, Hill said, it’s important to find the right people upfront and then pay attention to things they want in order to consider a career with Drive & Shine — whether it’s pay, training or company culture. 

Hill said those interested in applying for a position should visit the company’s website and look for the employment tab where they also will find videos on what it’s like to work for the business. 

TAGS: Hiring, People, Jobs, Car Wash 

Deb Semmler, South Bend Tribune, June 1, 2019 

Drive & Shine has been working to be a positive influence on the communities it serves since its founding more than 20 years ago. 

The locally based business built its first location in Mishawaka with materials and landscaping to match the upscale feel of the Main Street business district and then found customer-focused employees so that it could provide a higher level experience to its customers. 

Beyond offering speedy and top-quality washes, lubes, detailing services and more, Drive & Shine took it one step further by providing massage chairs, free coffee and other amenities to its customers. The high-quality, customer-driven approach paid off, and the business grew. 

Now with seven locations and about 100 employees, the company has plans for additional growth in the near future. But while it’s expanding, it also aims to leave a lasting impact by providing good wages for its employees — some of whom have been with the business since it was founded — and help for nonprofit organizations. 

Sherry Tehrani, vice president of marketing at Drive & Shine, said the business has a three-prong approach to helping the community. 

It sells 50%-off wash coupons to nonprofits — from amateur athletic programs to schools and other organizations that then resell them as part of their fundraising campaigns. In addition, the business provides a couple of hundred of free wash coupons each month as prizes at smokers and other charitable events throughout the community. 

But the business also provides cash support for two of its favorite organizations — Pet Refuge in South Bend and Elkhart-based Five Star Life — while also contributing to the Logan Center, the History Museum and the annual United Way Campaign. 

Tehrani said Drive & Shine’s involvement with those organizations has developed as relationships have formed and they witnessed the good work the organizations were doing in the community. “We just naturally have an appreciation for animals,” she said with Maggie — a cockapoo — relaxing on her lap. 

Among other things, Pet Refuge provides shelter and fostering services for cats and dogs while they are awaiting adoption, said Tehrani, who serves on the board of the organization that includes 275 volunteers. 

And while Pet Refuge aims to improve the lives of animals, Five Star Life aims to improve the future of middle school students by fostering a healthy mindset for education, peers and society with afterschool programs and more. 

Five Star Life was founded in 2005 by community leaders who sought to get at the core of the high drop-out rate among students in Elkhart Community Schools, said Seth Maust, president and executive director of the organization. “Rather than complaining, we decided to create something that would lead to a solution.” 

With about 600 volunteers, the organization managed to work with about 8,000 students in 15 different schools in the region this school year. “Our focus is changing the face of education by changing the mindsets of students,” said Maust. 

TAGS: Community, Car Care, Service 

Deb Semmler, South Bend Tribune, March 30, 2019 

With the worst of winter’s snow and grime behind us, you might want to visit Drive & Shine to check out the options for interior cleaning and detailing. 

“Everyone knows about an exterior carwash,” said Sherry Tehrani, vice president of marketing for the locally based business. “But we also wash the inside of vehicles — something not too many carwashes offer.” 

Keeping the inside of a vehicle clean is important because a dirty interior can harbor mold and germs, Tehrani explained. 

The locally owned business offers an extensive menu of interior and exterior detailing services at three of its six area locations — 5406 N. Main St. in Mishawaka, 4340 Ironwood Drive in South Bend and 2714 Cassopolis St. in Elkhart. 

Those services can run from interior vacuuming and window cleaning all the way up to full detailing, which includes hand waxing and carpet shampooing as well as interior cleaning and conditioning. But Drive & Shine also offers additional services such as deep cleaning with clay, buffing and the application of paint sealant. 

The price for the company’s detailing services is dependent on the size of a vehicle and come in three levels — silver, gold and platinum, though a la carte items can be added to any of the packages, said Jeff Guess, district manager for Drive & Shine. 

“Our detailing services are especially popular with people who are getting ready to turn in a leased vehicle,” he said. “It ensures that you’re going to get your best value back out of the vehicle from the dealership.” 

The same is true for those who might want to sell or trade in their vehicle for a new one in the coming months, Guess explained. “A well-kept car gives the buyer confidence in the condition of the vehicle,” he said. 

For a full detail, Drive & Shine recommends that customers plan on dropping off their vehicle at one of the three locations in Mishawaka, South Bend or Elkhart in the morning and pick it up on their way home in the evening. No appointments are necessary. 

But for those who can’t be without their vehicle a day, the business also offers appointments for detailing services. 

Guess said Drive & Shine also offers express interior cleaning that can be completed in as little as eight minutes at the full-service Mishawaka, South Bend and Elkhart locations. 

To help area folks beat the worst of winter’s grime, the business currently is offering a variety of specials on cleaning and detailing services. 

Those who want to do the interior cleaning themselves can also check out Drive & Shine’s newest wash at 4035 S. Michigan St. in South Bend. There you can vacuum your car, clean your windows and shake your mats in a bright, temperature-controlled building. 

TAGS: Detail, Car Care, Interior Clean 

Deb Semmler, South Bend Tribune, Feb. 23, 2019 

Drive & Shine might have the answer to all of that winter grime that’s been building up inside and outside your vehicle the past several weeks. 

After months of construction, the local chain has opened a self-service interior cleaning operation adjacent to its newest wash at 4035 S. Michigan St. in South Bend. It offers customers the ability to clean the inside of their vehicles in a climate-controlled environment — that is, away from snow, rain, wind or cold. 

But instead of just offering vacuums, the new facility also provides a mat-cleaning machine at each of the 22 bays as well as an air hose that can be used to dislodge interior dust or blow away water that might be hiding around mirrors and other crevices following a wash. 

“It’s going to allow customers the ability to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer while cleaning their cars,” said Matt Tehrani, vice president of technology and new product development for the locally based business. 

Haji Tehrani, CEO and president of the company, got the idea for the indoor facility during his travels as board chairman of the International Carwash Association. In Germany, he explained, motorists can be pretty particular about their vehicles, and many people like to do the work themselves. 

Though Drive & Shine provides detailing services at most of its area locations, the newest South Bend location offers the self-service option for those want to do the work themselves. 

For an additional $5, any wash customer can use the equipment for 15 minutes, but it’s free for those who are enrolled in the unlimited Ruby program. That’s because Drive & Shine is always looking for ways to expand relationships with customers by offering discounts and other incentives for those enrolled in its unlimited wash programs. 

The new interior cleaning service is connected to Drive & Shine’s newest wash, which opened several weeks ago and uses a belt rather than a conveyor to move vehicles through the 200-foot wash tunnel. After completing a wash, customers can opt to make use of the new indoor facility or outside vacuums that will be operational soon. 

Tehrani said he believes the new wash will ultimately draw customers from a wide circle because of the new indoor facility as well as its proximity to U.S. 31 and the Bypass. “I don’t know of another such facility in Indiana,” he said. 

The South Bend opening is the latest expansion for Drive & Shine, which just recently opened a detailing center at its original location at 5406 N. Main St. and has more ideas in the works. 

“Our goal is to never stop improving,” said Tehrani, who started the business more than 20 years ago. “We’re always looking for new concepts to wow our customers.” 

TAGS: Indoor Vacuum, Car Wash, Car Care 

Deb Semmler, Jan. 26, 2019 

For the second time in just over a month, Drive & Shine is unveiling a new service aimed at helping motorists keep their vehicles clean and tidy, regardless of how nasty it is outside. 

At the end of December, Drive & Shine opened its newest location at 4035 S. Michigan St. in South Bend, which features a 200-foot wash tunnel that can clean cars at a rate of 200 per hour, virtually making wait times a thing of the past. 

The new facility also includes a predominantly glass 20,000-square-foot area where customers can use vacuums, air hoses and mat cleaners to stay on top of the dirt that Michiana weather has to offer. Use of the self-service cleaning area is free for Ruby VIP members, who purchase an unlimited plan through Drive & Shine, and $5 for other wash customers. 

Haji Tehrani, the chain’s CEO and president, got the idea for the new service as a result of his travels as board chairman of the International Carwash Association. His travels also sparked the second big expansion, which just opened at the chain’s first location at 5406 N. Main St., in Mishawaka after months of construction. 

The new building includes a lane focused on express interior cleaning and another lane dedicated to the extensive interior and exterior detailing the business has always performed. “Our detailing can make your car look like it’s new again — inside and out,” said Sherry Tehrani, vice president of marketing. 

But the Interior Clean lane is focused on people who have a tight schedule but cannot stand the dirt that has invaded the interior of their vehicle. 

Though Drive & Shine has always offered to vacuum and clean windows, it’s now expanding services while reducing the time required to complete the work. 

That’s because the Interior Clean lane now is staffed with six to 10 employees who are stationed at various points along a new conveyor line. It used to take about 10 minutes for employees to just vacuum and clean the inside windows, but now they’re also going to clean mats and wipe door jambs and interior services as well in about 7½ minutes. 

“It’s the same concept and technology deployed at car assembly plants in Detroit,” said Matt Tehrani, vice president of technology and product development. 

The new service, which will be available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, will cost $25 for car wash customers but only $15 for those who have purchased the highest-level Ruby wash. 

“I think customers are going to totally love it,” said Juan Cervantes, manager of the Mishawaka location and an 18-year Drive & Shine veteran. “It’s our answer to busy people who want an affordable and expeditious way to keep their vehicle looking new throughout the year.” 

TAGS: Interior Clean, Mishawaka, Car Care 

South Bend Tribune, March 28, 2017 

SOUTH BEND — Drive and Shine has filed a petition for a new car wash on South Michigan Street on the south side. 

The petition seeks a number of variances for the former Sears Hometown and Wallpaper Depot property at 4033 S. Michigan St., between Michigan and Main Street. 

The Building Department could not provide a copy of the petition Monday and Drive and Shine did not respond to a request for comment. 

This would be Drive and Shine’s sixth location in Indiana and second in South Bend. 

The Area Board of Zoning Appeals will rule on the petition April 5. 

TAGS: South Bend, Car Wash, Expansion 

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