First responders get a free car wash at Rising Tide

Rising Tide Car Wash is rising to the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, says co-founder Tom D’eri.

"Everybody is in this together,” D’eri says of the company, whose primary mission is to employ adults with autism. “It’s been amazing to see how supportive the community is.”

Even though business is down by about 50 percent, Rising Tide has been providing free exterior car washes through May to all healthcare professionals and first responders, upon showing ID, at their two locations in Margate and Parkland. Rising Tide workers who have felt safe enough to work outside of their homes also have been sprucing up the locations with improvement projects between visits from drive-through customers.

On average, each shop employs about 40 people, says D’eri, who has been brainstorming ways to get more team members back to work. He’s even reached out to competing car wash companies for ideas. “It’s been more collaborative than ever before,” he says. “The silver lining is that people have come together.”

“It’s been more collaborative than ever before. The silver lining is that people have come together.”","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"inline_comments":[]},"_id":"HOTXVDYH5RDZ5HU5DCPGSXAQE4

Tom D’eri, co-founder of Rising Tide Car Wash

Ramping up business has meant reinvesting in the stores, he says. New signage, cameras, an intercom system and personal protection equipment are part of the operation now.

Rising Tide also launched an Interior Disinfectant Service – a redesigned version of its previous Sanitize and Shine service incorporating COVID-19 cleaning protocols – on May 4. The process includes fogging the interior with PURTABS, a hospital-grade interior disinfectant It includes wiping down high-touch points, too.

“It’s about being responsible to our community and to our customers,” D’eri says.

The process requires more employees, extra work and new training and certification for work crews, D’eri says. “It was awesome to see employees so eager to come back to work. Everyone was pumped.”

As a business owner, D’eri says he’s always learning lessons. “Anything can happen in your business, but during these times, it’s important to have loyal employees. It shows what the team is made of.”

Each location currently is about 75 percent staffed, and D’eri says employees will come back when they feel they are able.

Loyalty is a two-way street, he adds. “For those employees that don’t feel comfortable yet, we have to let them know that their jobs are waiting for them."

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