THE STORY BEHIND THE SHINE
By: Chase Muro
Everyone has a story.
Sometimes, that story begins with a carefully mapped-out business plan, years of industry experience, and a clear picture of what the future will look like.
Other times, it starts with two friends who really like cars.
For James Lee and Max Gregson, the story of Innowash began with the latter.
The idea came together in the spring of 2023. Both had an appreciation for cars, and Lee had always been the type of person who enjoyed keeping his own vehicles clean. Gregson noticed.
“He always saw me cleaning my own cars,” Lee said.
Gregson’s family had access to a shop with some extra space, and he floated an idea. What if the two friends started cleaning cars there?
They decided to give it a shot.
“We both were down, and then we agreed to it,” Lee said.
There was no guarantee of where it would lead. At first, that was part of the appeal.
From a Shop to the Road
Innowash spent its first summer operating out of the shop. As the business grew, Lee and Gregson began thinking about one of the biggest inconveniences customers faced.
Getting a car detailed often means leaving it somewhere for hours. That creates another problem. How do you get home?
So Innowash went mobile.
At first, “mobile” was about as simple as it gets.
“We were doing it out of the trunks of our cars,” Lee said.
It worked, but the two eventually realized that if they wanted Innowash to grow, their setup needed to grow with it.
They invested roughly $12,000 into a professional mobile system, including a trailer, their own water supply, power, equipment, and other necessities. It was a significant investment for a young company, but Lee and Gregson believed improving the experience for customers was worth it.
The response exceeded their expectations.
“We didn’t project that we’d make it all back with profit this summer,” Lee said. “But two and a half months in, everything just took off.”
According to Lee, it became Innowash’s biggest period of growth yet.
Today, the company primarily serves Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver, while occasionally traveling into Portland for customers and referrals.
When a Side Project Starts Feeling Real
Lee does not remember one first customer suddenly convincing him that Innowash was destined to become something bigger.
The realization happened gradually.
As more cars came through and the business became more profitable, he started looking at the numbers differently.
Somewhere around the company’s second year, a thought began creeping in.
“Maybe this can’t just be a side project or a hustle,” Lee recalled thinking. “Maybe if we get it big enough and consistently, this could be a full-time job.”
That possibility became much more tangible as the business grew.
Lee now works in accounting professionally, experience that has translated naturally to Innowash. He handles much of the company’s bookkeeping while Gregson has taken on more of the day-to-day field operations when Lee is at work.
Their roles have evolved as their lives have changed, but the company remains something they are building together.
Competing on Transparency
In an industry where advertised prices can sometimes look very different from the final bill, Lee said Innowash has tried to keep its approach simple.
Customers should know what they are paying for.
Rather than advertising a low entry price and then adding charges for individual services, Innowash offers different service levels so customers can choose what makes sense for them.
“We try to keep everything transparent for all clients,” Lee said.
That philosophy extends to some of the smaller details.
Lee said services such as pet hair removal can result in additional charges elsewhere. At Innowash, it is incorporated into the company’s pricing structure. When the team notices minor scratches or scuffs that can be quickly corrected, they will often take care of them without adding another charge. The same can apply to headlight restoration when a vehicle needs it.
For Lee, those details are not just about offering a better deal. They are about making sure customers understand the work that goes into their vehicle.
A customer might drop off a car, return later, see that it is shiny, and assume it was simply washed. But a higher-level detail can include claying, polishing, waxing, paint correction, and other steps that are not always obvious unless someone explains them.
Innowash wants customers to understand the difference.
“We try to explain to them what happened to their car so they understand what they actually paid for,” Lee said.
Building a Business With Your Friend
Starting a company with a friend sounds fun.
For Lee and Gregson, much of it has been.
In the early days, detailing cars did not necessarily feel like going to work. They were friends spending time together, working around vehicles they enjoyed, and getting paid to do it.
But running a business together also forced them to learn things about each other that friendship alone had never required.
“You’re learning who your business partner is, even though you’ve been friends with them for years,” Lee said.
The biggest early challenge was communication.
When two friends are accustomed to joking around with each other, it can sometimes be difficult to know when a conversation has shifted from friendship to business.
Lee said there were moments when something was said but perhaps not directly enough, leaving the other person unsure whether it was serious.
Over time, they learned.
“When we talk about business now between friends, we know we’re serious at all times,” Lee said.
Rather than damaging their friendship, Lee believes building Innowash has allowed them to understand one another on a deeper level.
“We see each other’s values and morals way deeper now,” he said.
That experience has also shaped the advice Lee would give anyone thinking about going into business with a friend.
Know who you are building with.
“Really know who your partner is that you’re choosing,” Lee said. “Most importantly, what they believe in and the values they want to bring.”
Integrity Over the Clock
Ask Lee what value sits at the center of Innowash and one word comes first.
Integrity.
Then comes pride in the work.
The company’s jobs are priced around the service, not around how quickly the team can finish them. That creates a choice when a vehicle takes longer than expected.
Rush to the next job, or finish the current one correctly.
For Lee, the answer is straightforward.
“Do we try to cut corners, or maybe the quality drops down because we want to finish in the same time? No,” he said. “We want the job done as best as possible every single time.”
That attitude has helped shape the culture Lee and Gregson want as they bring friends and other young workers onto the team.
Innowash has already provided seasonal work for people they know and trust. Lee sees the possibility of that expanding as the business grows.
Thinking Bigger Than Detailing
Five years from now, Lee hopes Innowash looks considerably different.
The vision is multiple mobile teams operating in the field at the same time, paired with a professional physical location where customers can bring their vehicles.
He imagines a shop with perhaps three bays, allowing several vehicles to be worked on simultaneously.
But when asked where he hopes he and Gregson will be as people five years from now, Lee had to think a little longer.
“I haven’t really asked myself that,” he said.
Then he arrived at an answer.
“I do want to make an impact for the community.”
That impact could come through employment.
Lee and Gregson want to create jobs that pay people well. That could mean opportunities for local high school students looking for summer or part-time work. Lee also hopes a larger Innowash could eventually provide opportunities for people facing greater barriers to employment.
For two young founders who started by cleaning cars in a family shop, the vision has become much larger than simply detailing more vehicles.
It is about building something that can provide opportunities for other people.
Everyone Has a Story
A customer who sees an Innowash trailer pull up might see a couple of young guys coming to clean a car.
What they do not necessarily see is everything behind it.
They do not see the friends who started with some extra shop space and an idea.
They do not see the cars detailed out of trunks, the money reinvested into equipment, the long summer days, the bookkeeping after the work is finished, or the conversations between two friends figuring out how to become business partners.
They do not see the lessons in communication, trust, leadership, and responsibility.
At least, not at first.
When asked what the phrase “everyone has a story” means to Innowash, Lee brought it back to the beginning.
“It’s about your come-up and your story behind why you started,” he said.
For Innowash, that why started with a passion for cars.
But somewhere along the way, it became about something else too.
“We love working,” Lee said. “But we also love the people.”
James Lee and Max Gregson still do not know exactly how far Innowash will go.
That is part of their story.
They started with two friends, a shared interest, and an opportunity to try something.
Then they kept building.
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A Note to James and Max
James and Max, thank you for sharing your story. What started with two friends and a love for cars has turned into something special. I’m excited to see where Innowash goes next.
Keep building, and keep enjoying the ride.
Your friend,
Chase