Mid-West Equipment Sales + D&S Car Wash Supply

It’s been said that the key to operating a successful business is one thing above all else – people.  Whether it be your consumers, employees, benefactors, or even yourself – establishing good relationships with people have always made the business wheels turn in all areas of industry.  This is especially exemplified with the passion and dedication of the folks from Mid-West Equipment Sales based out of Wichita, KS – one of D&S’ longest and strongest distributor partners.

For 38 years, D&S and Mid-West Equipment Sales have continued their joint journey of taking care of the customers’ needs and proving the new industry standard for customer service.  By getting to the root of the customer’s desires – and asking the questions such as why they want to break into the car wash business in the first place – allows the folks at Mid-West to cultivate meaningful relationships with their customers.  Kyle Merz, Regional Sales Manager at Midwest Equipment Sales, spoke to this facet of his family’s company: “Customers turn into family and keep doing business with us.  That’s how we like to treat them – like family – so we know they’re taken care of.”

For Kyle, he’s seen this kind of treatment his entire life – as Mid-West has been his lifelong occupation since he was a young boy traveling with his father and grandfather on road trips to new car wash install locations.  “I remember the first time I went into the field with my dad [Brian Merz] and grandpa [Dick Merz] – it was to Tonganoxie, KS where we laid in-ground floor heat.  That was my first time getting my hands dirty and I was fascinated with the process.”  For the oldest of 4 children in the Merz family, Kyle had a true inside look as to what made his family’s business so successful.

“I remember traveling through different states and my dad was always – always on the phone the whole way talking to people.  He’s always good with technical issues and remote troubleshooting, so he’d provide support to customers as we were driving.  He and the company are extremely customer-centric – and has always been that way.” Along with watching his father connect with people, he also gained more boots-on-the-ground experience with his grandfather.  “He helped me understand the employee point of view of the business – he’d take me for collection days and we’d rinse the coins off to deposit every week.”

This level of customer care isn’t a mere whim either – it’s a characteristic of the whole family.  To date, Kyle as well as his 3 brothers all work for their family business along with friend and colleague Jason Rose.  For Kyle in particular, every project has its own story & lessons rather than just being another install job.  “Making yourself part of the process, finding openings to just sit down and talk to people about their needs [and how you can meet them], things that you pick up on and learn for next time – they all play a role in your overall experience.”

This ingrained ideal in the minds of the Merz family greatly assisted their procurement of successful clients to boot – such as the folks of the Rocky Mountain Car Wash and IQ Car Wash franchises.  At 10 and 8 locations respectively with multiple pieces of D&S equipment (and with both planning more on the way), both entities under the Mid-West umbrella have found unbridled success.  This is undoubtedly due to the way the Merz family does business, and its penchant for placing the customer and their needs at the forefront of their responsibilities.

For D&S, connecting with an organization which holds customer service and support at such high standards is critical – and it visibly sees Mid-West’s support isn’t limited to simply the customer.  The relationship between D&S and Mid-West Equipment Sales dates back to the mid 1980’s, when founding members of both groups worked together in the distribution space.  It was throughout this time and the rest of its history that D&S has felt the “family-focused” mantra that exists within Mid-West, and its critical role in the success of the business.  With a history as rich as these two entities, D&S is proud to consider Mid-West a “longtime family friend” to our organization.

Thank you for all your hard work and dedication Mid-West!