[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 74 (Thursday, May 14, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1151-E1152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO SCOTT BLACKSTOCK

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LYNN A. WESTMORELAND

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 14, 2009

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Scott 
Blackstock, one of my constituents from Thomaston, Ga. This has been a 
fine spring for Scott. First, he won the Small Business 
Administration's Georgia Small Business Person of the Year award based 
on the success of his chain of car washes. Second, there was a lot of 
pollen. Only car wash owners, I'd think, anxiously anticipate the 
season when a thick yellow film coats our vehicles.

[[Page E1152]]

  Blackstock had owned a tire and auto shop in Thomaston for 20 years 
before he decided to add on a traditional self-serve and drive-thru car 
wash facility. From here his entrepreneurial ideas bubbled up like 
soapy suds. Before he acted, he did his research on the latest type of 
car wash technology, the ``express wash.'' In 2003, S.S. Blackstock 
Inc.'s Tidal Wave Express Wash was on its way, as Scott opened a state-
of-the-art conveyor-style car wash in Riverdale, GA, that was faster, 
more efficient and less expensive than any system used before.
  His business shined and waxed at a rapid rate. Tidal Wave Express 
Wash started with two part-time employees in 2003 and one outlet; 
today, it employs almost 100 full- and part-time employees at 12 
locations spread over three states but centered primarily in metro 
Atlanta. Sales have increased from $271,000 in 2004 to more than $6.5 
million in 2007, while profits have gone from $22,435 to more than $2.7 
million.
  Scott's business model allows customers to tidy up their rides guilt-
free, with a wash that's friendly to the environment and to the wallet. 
Tidal Wave invests $70,000 at each new location for a system that 
treats and recycles the water for reuse and purifies used water before 
returning it to the sewage system.
  Notice of Scott's splash of success isn't limited to Georgia. He's 
answered the call to give presentations to his peers in the industry 
and trade publications have featured him.
  But Scott isn't just special to his community for his entrepreneurial 
spirit and business acumen. His company provides much more than a buff 
and shine. Scott and wife Hope have a child with cerebral palsy and 
they hold a place in their hearts for people with special needs. S.S. 
Blackstock Inc. has donated more than $150,000 to causes that support 
children and adults with special needs, including a program where 
teachers from around the South can come for training to assist the 
wheelchair-bound in gaining physical independence.
  I'm tremendously proud of Scott's contributions to Georgia's business 
community and to our fellow Georgians in need of a helping hand. I ask 
my colleagues in the House to join me in congratulating Scott 
Blackstock, the 2009 Small Business Administration Small Business 
Person honoree.

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