HIGH RIDGE, Mo. -- D&S Car Wash Equipment Co. has announced that David Whitaker has joined the company as vice president of business development. In this newly created position, Whitaker will be responsible for the training and development of existing distributors, as well as the recruitment of new distributors in key markets.
In addition, he will be collaborating with Rick Slott and Larry Qualls to execute a long-term growth strategy for the company.
Whitaker brings more than 30 years of experience from the convenience, petroleum and car wash industries to D&S. Most recently, [image-nocss] he worked for Cleaning Systems Inc., where he served as business development manager. In this role, he was responsible for recruiting and developing new distributors for Lustra Professional Car Care Products in the United States and Canada.
Over the span of his career, Whitaker has held a variety of senior management positions in sales, marketing, capital investment and operations with Amoco Oil Corp. Prior to his retirement in 1998, he was a Division Manager with responsibility for 250 company-operated retail stores in the South and Northeast. After retiring, Whitaker entered the car wash industry, first as a distributor, and then as the national account manager for Lustra. In a national accounts capacity, he was responsible for developing business and negotiating contracts with major oil companies and other large accounts such as big-box marketers.
"We are pleased to have someone with Dave's vast experience join our organization," said Jon Jansky, D&S' president and CEO. "We fully expect that his knowledge of the industry and acquired leadership skills will have an immediate and positive effect on our distributors—old and new. On the business development front, we are already seeing a synergy between Dave, Rick and Larry in their effort to execute a growth strategy."
D&S Car Wash Equipment is a manufacturer of industrial automatic and self-service carwash systems and ancillary equipment, including the Quicksilver and Odyssey automatic machines. The full line of D&S products are sold through an international network of distributors who provide complete factory service and technical support.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.