Jason and Debbie Johnson spoke at the President’s Forum at BYU-Idaho last Thursday. The Johnsons are the owners of Quick Quack Car Wash, one of the largest car wash franchises in the United States.
While attending BYU, Jason Johnson formed a business plan for a chain of carwashes. Seeing the gap in the market at the time, it was an idea he said he couldn’t get out of his head.
“I just kept thinking about it,” Jason Johnson said in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio. “This is an industry with no brand and no scale. Every car wash was named ‘Car Wash.’ And the biggest chain in the country was like 35 locations. And so, I just thought, there's a space here to disrupt and also a technology with the idea of a conveyor that we thought could really make a difference.”
Eventually the Johnsons found business partners willing to invest in Jason’s idea. The business was able to expand to multiple locations, but with this came hardships. Two locations were broken into and another caught fire, leaving most of their locations inoperable.
“It was hard. It was really hard,” Jason Johnson said. “But we were grateful for some feelings of peace that came when we prayed and a couple of moments where heaven provided some comfort, maybe without instructions on how to fix everything.”
Despite these challenges they faced in the early years of their business, the Johnsons were able to overcome them. Now with over 330 locations spanning 11 states, Quick Quack Car Wash is one of the largest car wash franchises in the United States.
“We just really felt God's hand and I'm super grateful for that,” Debbie Johnson said. “But I know it's been amazing kind of to watch Jason and the resilience that's been there and his will to not give up, but also to really include God in it.”
Their forum address is titled, “Seeing the Lord’s Hand in the Seemingly Impossible.”
Debbie Johnson hopes listeners will remember to include God in all things in their lives.
“The Lord has this incredible ability to take you in your infant stages and to make you more than you are as you include him in the process.” Debbie Johnson said in her address. “And sometimes we have to just let go a little bit of what we think needs to happen or our plan and trust his plan.”