Today we’d like to introduce you to Ty Schell.
Ty, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey in the power washing industry started in 2008 when I was 23 years old. At the time, I was working as a bellman and trying to figure out what I wanted to build for myself. One day, I saw someone pressure washing a pool deck, and something about it immediately clicked. I saw an opportunity.
I bought equipment and started a local power washing business part time while continuing to work my regular job. What started as a side business quickly became much more. Over the years, I grew the company into a large operation and learned virtually every side of the industry, from residential and commercial cleaning to sales, marketing, equipment, operations, hiring, and managing large accounts.
About a decade later, I made one of the biggest decisions of my career. I sold my interest in that company to my business partner and decided to start over.
By then, I knew I didn’t just want to own another successful local power washing company. I wanted to build something that could be replicated in markets across the country. That vision became Wash Patrol.
Wash Patrol was created from the beginning with franchising in mind. The goal was to take everything I had learned over more than a decade in the industry and turn it into a brand, system, and business model that other entrepreneurs could use to build successful businesses of their own.
That also meant starting from scratch again. At around 35 years old, I was rebuilding a brand, rebuilding a customer base, developing systems, and proving the concept all over again. There were plenty of long days and nights, but I believed strongly enough in the vision to keep pushing.
One of the most rewarding moments came when a high school friend of mine, Dylan Claybourn, believed in what I was building and became our first franchisee. Dylan wanted an opportunity to change the direction of his life through entrepreneurship, and he took a chance on the vision by purchasing the first-ever Wash Patrol franchise, Wash Patrol Scottsdale.
Watching Dylan take the system and turn it into a successful business has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey. It was bigger than simply opening another location. It proved that the Wash Patrol model could work for someone other than me and, more importantly, that it could create a real opportunity for someone to change their life through business ownership.
From there, I began developing the Gilbert and Chandler area. Within months, that operation was purchased by another entrepreneur and friend of mine, Tony Gonzales, who became our second franchisee and now owns Wash Patrol Gilbert.
I eventually established Wash Patrol Phoenix as our corporate operation, which I continue to own and operate. It serves not only our customers but also as an important testing ground where we can continue improving our processes, marketing, equipment, training, and overall franchise system.
Today, Wash Patrol continues to grow throughout the Phoenix area, and I’m extremely proud that our franchisees are building successful businesses of their own.
What started with a 23-year-old bellman watching someone pressure wash a pool deck has turned into nearly two decades in the industry and a much bigger vision. My goal now isn’t simply to build a successful power washing company. It’s to build Wash Patrol into one of the most recognized service brands in the country and create opportunities for entrepreneurs who want to build something of their own.
In many ways, I feel like we’re still just getting started.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. I think anyone who has been in business for nearly 20 years and tells you otherwise probably isn’t telling the whole story.
One of my biggest challenges was making the decision to walk away from the first company I spent more than a decade building. I had put years of my life into that business, and starting over in my mid-30s meant giving up the comfort of something established to pursue a much bigger vision. I went from having a successful company to rebuilding a brand, customer base, team, systems, and reputation almost from scratch.
There were definitely moments when I questioned whether I was making the right decision. But I knew I wanted to build more than a local power washing company. I wanted to create a franchise system that could eventually operate across the country, and I understood that accomplishing that was going to require sacrifice.
Another major challenge has been learning the difference between building a successful business and building a successful franchise. They are two very different things. When you’re building a franchise, you’re not only responsible for your own success. Other people are investing their money, time, and future into the system you’ve created. I take that responsibility very seriously.
I’ve also learned that entrepreneurship comes with constant adversity. Employees leave, equipment breaks, customers don’t always pay on time, marketing changes, competitors come and go, economies change, and sometimes things happen that are completely outside of your control. There have been plenty of mistakes and expensive lessons along the way.
But those challenges have probably taught me more than the successes have. After almost two decades in this industry, I’ve learned that you don’t need everything to go according to plan. You need to be willing to adapt, solve problems, and keep moving forward when it doesn’t.
I think that’s one of the biggest reasons Wash Patrol is where it is today. We weren’t built overnight, and we weren’t built without adversity. The company is the result of years of experience, failures, lessons, rebuilding, and refusing to give up on the bigger vision.
I’m still learning every day, and there will always be new challenges. But at this point, I don’t look at obstacles as reasons to stop. They’re simply problems that need to be solved.
We’ve been impressed with Wash Patrol LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Wash Patrol LLC is a professional power washing and exterior cleaning company and franchise system headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. We specialize in residential and commercial pressure washing, power washing, soft washing, concrete cleaning, building washing, and other exterior cleaning services.
What I believe separates Wash Patrol from others in our industry is that we’re building something much bigger than a traditional local pressure washing company. From the beginning, Wash Patrol was designed to become a recognizable national service brand. I want people to eventually recognize the Wash Patrol name in exterior cleaning the same way they recognize major household service brands in their respective industries.
A big part of that starts with professionalism. The power washing industry is still extremely fragmented, with thousands of small independent operators. We saw an opportunity to bring stronger branding, standardized procedures, professional equipment, technology, marketing, training, and customer service together under one system.
Our slogan, “Your Property Has the Right to Remain Spotless!”, really captures the personality of the brand. The Wash Patrol name gives us a fun law-enforcement theme, but behind that branding is a serious commitment to providing professional exterior cleaning and protecting our customers’ properties.
Another part of the company that I’m especially proud of is our franchise model. We’re not simply selling territories. We’re trying to give entrepreneurs a proven foundation to build their own businesses. Our franchisees benefit from the experience, systems, branding, marketing strategies, training, and lessons I’ve accumulated through nearly two decades in the power washing industry.
Today, we have Wash Patrol districts operating throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area, including Wash Patrol Phoenix, Wash Patrol Scottsdale, and Wash Patrol Gilbert, and we’re continuing to develop the franchise system with a much larger vision in mind.
I’m proud of how far the brand has come, but I’m even more excited about where it’s going. Our long-term goal is to make Wash Patrol one of the largest and most recognizable power washing and exterior cleaning brands in the country.
We’re not just trying to build another power washing company. We’re trying to build the power washing brand.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I think the power washing industry is going to change dramatically over the next 5–10 years. It has traditionally been a very fragmented industry made up primarily of small independent operators, but I believe we’re entering a period where professionalization, technology, consolidation, franchising, and even blockchain technology will become increasingly important.
Customers are already expecting more. They want to schedule services online, receive immediate communication, know exactly who is coming to their property, and work with companies that are insured, professionally branded, and accountable. The days of simply owning a pressure washer and putting a phone number on the side of a truck are becoming less competitive.
Technology and AI will also change how these businesses operate. Everything from estimating and customer communication to route optimization, marketing, training, and quality control will become increasingly automated. I believe the companies that combine technology with excellent local service will have a major advantage.
I also think we’ll see continued growth in soft washing and more specialized cleaning methods. The industry is becoming more educated about using the correct combination of water pressure, temperature, cleaning solutions, and processes rather than simply relying on maximum pressure. Protecting the surface you’re cleaning is just as important as getting it clean.
One project I’m particularly excited about is the Pressure Washers of America (PWOA), an organization we founded with a much larger vision for the industry. I believe PWOA can help lead the next generation of professional washing by bringing contractors, education, technology, manufacturers, suppliers, and new business opportunities together under one ecosystem.
Part of that future is something we’re developing called the $WASH Token. It’s a blockchain-based digital asset created specifically around the power washing industry. My vision is to explore ways it can eventually connect contractors, customers, suppliers, equipment, rewards, payments, and other services within the industry.
To me, blockchain isn’t about adding cryptocurrency to power washing just because it’s new technology. It’s about asking whether we can create better ways for an entire industry to transact, reward participation, build trust, and connect businesses with customers and suppliers. I believe we’re still very early in understanding what that can ultimately become.
Most importantly, I believe we’re going to see national brands emerge in an industry that historically hasn’t had many household names. That’s where I see one of the biggest opportunities.
With Wash Patrol, we’re working to build one of those national service brands. With PWOA and the $WASH Token, I’m looking at the industry from an even broader perspective: How can we help move the entire professional washing industry forward?
I’ve spent nearly two decades watching this industry evolve, and I believe the next decade could bring more change than the previous twenty years combined. I don’t just want Wash Patrol to participate in that next generation of power washing. I want us to help lead it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://washpatrol.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/washpatrolaz
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/washpatrolusa
- Twitter: https://x.com/washpatrolusa
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@washpatrol
