“What a great Convention & EXPO”. These are the words of one of my car wash friends describing EXPERIENCE SCWA 2008. I agree it was truly a wonderful combination of workshops, speakers, discussions, EXPO and fun.

As with any successful event, there are many people to recognize and thank.

Thanks to Don Witt and the Convention Committee for their efforts in planning this event. The SCWA Convention & Car Wash EXPO is known for being a superior convention including the “unparalleled hospitality”. EXPERIENCE SCWA 2008 certainly only added to our reputation.

As I mentioned during the closing lunch of the convention, I would like to also express my appreciation and the sincere thanks of the SCWA family to Ron Ingram for his leadership and dedication during this past year as President. Ron, you have left big foot steps for me to follow. Thank you for a great year.

To all the 2007-2008 SCWA Board of Directors, thank you for your dedication and support this year. Our Board members serve SCWA and the car wash industry by giving their time and assuming the financial expenses of their participation. It is an honor to serve on the Board of Directors; however, it is also a sacrifice of time and financial resources.

Of course, special thanks to the exhibitors and sponsors for the 2008 Convention & EXPO. The EXPO broke previous records in terms of number of booths and EXPO attendance. I encourage you to check the names of the exhibitors and sponsors found on page 29 and support these companies during the coming year.

Conventions are always a great time to reflect on the successes of the past year and look to the goals and challenges of the coming year. I want to make sure we continue the outstanding programs we have been developing under Ron’s leadership as well as the previous SCWA Presidents.

One of the things I appreciate about a new year is the fact that we also have the opportunity to set new goals. One of my goals this year (and I know it is for most
car wash owners) is to be a stronger and more effective business person. As I have been working on this goal, I recently came across an article by Robin Sharma, who is the best selling author of The Greatness Guide. The article provided some meaningful insights for me and as we start on a new year for SCWA, I wanted to share this thought with each of you.

“Anyone can be a leader. Leadership is not about the size of your office or the prestige of your title. And it’s not just for the CEO. We all can lead - in all we do. To me, true leadership is more about the depth of your commitment and the strength of your character than about the position you hold.”

My goal this year is to practice these words. In SCWA we want our activities and programs to build on this leadership concept as we all work to be better and more successful in 2008.