Customers have noticed new signage at their favorite Classic Auto Spa locations that mention a new car wash by the name of WhiteWater Express.

So, what's the deal? Some people speculated that Classic Auto Spa was possibly rebranding under a new name. Others have asked us if WhiteWater Express was a new company in town. Even I had questions when I rolled through the Carencro location of Classic Auto Spa but noticed "WhiteWater Express Car Wash" on my receipt.

By the way, I realized after that wash that the confusing menu led me to sign up for a subscription instead of selecting a mid-tier wash to knock the pollen off of my vehicle; but that's another story for another day.

Classic Auto Spa had three locations in Lafayette Parish (Lafayette, Carencro, and Broussard) and it seems like all three have been scooped up by a company by the name of WhiteWater Express Car Wash in an acquisition that took place late last year.

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According to CarWashAdvisory.com, WhiteWater Express acquired Classic Auto Spa back on November 22, 2022.

The website stated that this was WhiteWater’s second major acquisition within the Louisiana market this year. With this most recent acquisition, WhiteWater has now expanded its footprint in the state to "10 locations and counting."

White Water Express Car Wash was founded by David Begin and William Dollarhide. The first White Water Express Car Wash location was opened in 2010 in Louisiana, and the company has since expanded to multiple locations across the United States. The founders had a vision of providing a quick and convenient car wash experience for customers, while also being environmentally conscious by using a water recycling system in their car wash process.

Today, White Water Express Car Wash is a popular franchise, offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to own and operate their own car wash business using the White Water Express brand and system. They also have a number of company-owned locations as they continue to actively pursue their growth strategy in both existing and new markets for greenfield development and acquisitions.

The acquisition of all three Classic Auto Spa locations (Lafayette, Broussard, and Carencro), brings WhiteWater’s growth to 89 washes across six states according to the car wash advisory website.

Like Classic Auto Spa and many other automated car washes, White Water Express Car Wash offers a variety of wash packages to choose from. The basic wash package typically includes a high-pressure wash, soap application, and spot-free rinse. More advanced packages may include additional services such as tire shine, waxing, and interior cleaning.

While we have a lot more insight as to what's going on with WhiteWater's acquisition of Classic Auto Spa, the question for a lot of customers has revolved around how local this new company will be. The owners of Classic Auto Spa hung their hat on being both "locally owned and locally involved which is why many of their customers were loyal to them when there were plenty of other car washes in town to choose from.

It may be a while until we can truly find out the answer to that question as WhiteWater still seems to be onboarding Classic Auto Spa employees and rebranding each location under the WhiteWater Express banner in the wake of the acquisition, along with offering new customer specials and promotions at all three locations.

If there is any signal of what type of company has taken over Classic Auto Spa, co-owner, and founder Mark Veverica had this to say about the company that bought his business.

When it was time to sell our carwashes, we wanted a buyer with a strong reputation in the industry — one that would utilize our dedicated staff and continue to bring new carwash innovations to the Lafayette market. WhiteWater Express Car Wash is known for being a great place to work with unlimited career opportunities. These qualities, combined with the company’s strong operational background, made WhiteWater the obvious choice for us.

So, there you have it. Classic Auto Spa has been a favorite in Lafayette for over a decade; and while it is good news that the owners were able to build up a product that drew interest from a bigger company, we hope that WhiteWater Express is able to maintain the quality product along with the local involvement that made Classic Auto Spa one of the fastest growing popular businesses in Acadiana.

In the meantime, I have to go check on that accidental subscription that I signed up for.

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