Rowland: Carwash business sparkles 11 times

Manteca location will bring it to 12

By Marijke Rowland
mrowland@modbee.com

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Prime Shine Express is making it easier than ever to wash your car only to have it rain the very same day.

The Modesto-based company has opened a shop on Oakdale Road, expanding to 11 locations in the Central Valley with a 12th on the way in Manteca later this year.

The expansions make Prime Shine Express the 30th-largest conveyor-ride carwash company in the country and the largest in California, according to the trade journal Professional Carwashing & Detailing.

Prime Shine Express General Manager Evan Porges said the expansion to Oakdale Road is its first location on the east side of Modesto. It has three other locations around town.

The carwash is the company's first remodel instead of from-the- ground-up construction. The shop sits on the spot of the old Plaza Express Car Wash, 1736 Oakdale Road.

"Prime Shine has been trying to find the right location on the east side of town almost from day one," Porges said. "We know we have a strong presence in Modesto. But the fact that we can take our product and company to a whole new part of town is really exciting."

The company, which celebrated its 18th anniversary this month, took ownership of the old carwash in February. After a complete remodel inside (including equipment and power supply) and refurbishment outside (including landscaping and color scheme), the wash began running at the beginning of the month.

Next month, Prime Shine will break ground at Union Road and Lathrop Avenue in Manteca. The carwash is expected to open in September.

The Oakdale Road store is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 8 a.m. to

7 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call 551-7799 or go to www.primeshine.com.

Elsewhere around the Business Beat:

The Golden Bowl, which is owned by Kim Ma, opened a new location two weeks ago in Salida. Ma's original Golden Bowl in Ripon has been serving Chinese food for 11 years.

The Salida Golden Bowl, 4925 Sisk Road, serves lunch and dinner for dine-in or takeout customers six days a week. Manager Anthony Ma, Kim Ma's son, is running the new location.

He said loyal customers are happy to have a new restaurant in Salida where they can get their fill of house specialties such as orange chicken, broccoli beef and teriyaki chicken.

"We have customers who live in Salida who are happy we opened the location here," Ma said. "It's a good location to do business."

For more information, call 543-1892.

Have an item for Business Beat? Contact Marijke Rowland at The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352; 578-2284 or mrowland@modbee.com.