
Our Story
The Duke in Duke of Suds is named Erik. He's lived here a few years, but originally he's from Philadelphia. Along the way he lived in Raleigh, NC where he attended Duke University. Duke University was a great experience and inspired the name.
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When he moved to Ripley, he had a dream to own a small business that had to do with one of his passions - customer satifaction and another in cars. As luck would have it, a car wash had recently gone out of business in town, and was available for sale.
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He used car washes alot, but he didn't know much about the car wash business. It took a lot of listening, learning, and hard work. Listening to customers and suppliers, learning from industry trade shows across the country, and hard work in cleaning and maintaining the equipment to make Duke of Suds what it is today. Of course, he didn't do it alone. It took a team!
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Erik's philosophy is to deliver the norm and more. You deserve the basics from any car wash -- a clean location, soaps that get your car clean, a phone number that is clearly displayed and answered, and all major credit cards accepted.
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But that's just the norm. We also think that a car wash is an experience. You want music in the bays, soap that smells good, light shows, etc. We are always trying to innovate and upgrade as we learn more to deliver the best experience possible.
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If you see Erik at the car wash or in town, be sure to say hello!