Starting from a two car operation in March 2004, it has become a global success story in nine countries. With more than 50 franchises in Australia and a projection of 80 by the end of 2008, the determination and competitive drive of the racing and rally driving duo has played a key role in the remarkable success.
Stewart Nicholls started motor racing at club events before he had his driver’s license at 15 years old. At 17 he was the youngest person competing in the NSW State Rally championship.
“I rallied at either State, Clubman or ARC level for the next 13 years, with my last official event being the 2003 Australian Safari. I also competed in some club level circuit racing events, but mainly concentrated on rallying.”
He also has an extensive officiating record, being on the NSW Rally advisory panel for seven years with two of those years being chairman.
His partner, Jim Cornish, is a former top level touring car competitor, taking the chequered flag in a race against reigning champion Paul Morris in the 2000/1 Australian Super Touring Championship – the only driver to do so that year. The same race marked him as only the second driver ever to win a race outright as an independent (non-factory) driver, the other being perennial Top Ten V8 Supercar Championship Series star Steven Richards (ironically in the same car – the pro-drive Honda Accord).
In 1997 Jim won the “search for a champion” competition to race with the Hyundai Team in the 1997 Australian Super Touring Championship. The competition involved time and driving trials over a series of weeks to identify the most suitable candidate.
“I have been obsessed with cars for as long as I can remember - apparently my first word was car, to the disappointment of my parents,” Jim laughed.
“So I was always looking for a way to be in a business where I could be around cars, and people who share an interest in cars, everyday.”
Jim met Stewart in mid-2001 while Stewart was running a mechanical workshop on the North Shore of Sydney.
“Jim would bring his car to me and with our related motor sport backgrounds and interest in all things with wheels we developed a great friendship. Jim would often drop past just for a coffee and a chat. This is also how ecowash started, with us always talking about business opportunities, and of course, cars,” Stewart said.
“We decided to start ecowash around the last week of March 2004. I knew of the waterless technology and Jim and I got talking about the concept and its potential as a franchise system, with Jim suggesting we do it mobile, so we came up with the mobile waterless car wash concept. By the first week of May we had two cars ready and I left the workshop to start full time ecowashing in Crows Nest.”
In Australia the franchise is currently saving an estimated 315,000 litres of water a week and over 28 million litres since its inception. After opening their first international franchise in the Middle East in August last year, ecowash mobile is also now in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, France and the USA, with Jim Cornish currently exploring other overseas locations.
According to Jim, further expansion in the USA is a priority in 2008.
“Our franchisee target for Australia by the end 2008 is 80,” he said.
“In terms of overseas, USA is the big focus with two new master franchisees opening in California and Florida in early 2008. In Europe, Switzerland and Greece launch in early 2008 and we are hopeful Germany and Benelux (Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) will be soon after.
“The Middle East continues to grow with Master Franchise operations commencing in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Jordan – we are hopefully not too far away from confirming Sudan, Egypt and Turkey. We are also now in the process of establishing ecowash mobile Central America, starting in El Salvador. We should be operational in the first half of 2008,” he added.
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