Zips Car Wash (www.zipscarwash.com), one of the largest express tunnel car wash operators in the U.S. and a portfolio company of Atlantic Street Capital, announced today the promotion of Gene Dinkens to Chief Executive Officer. Brett Overman, Founder and former CEO of Zips, will continue as Chairman and as majority owner of Zips.
Commenting on Mr. Dinkens’ promotion, Mr. Overman, said, “Finding the right partner to work with us as we move the company forward was a priority and I am very pleased that Gene joined us last year as part of our talented team. He is a skilled business leader who has had a tremendous impact on the business and his promotion to CEO puts us in a stronger position to move Zips forward as we continue the rapid growth of the company.”
Founded in 2004 by Mr. Overman, Zips is the second largest branded express only ride-thru tunnel wash experience at 220 locations across 19 states in the South, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic. Zips has over 1,600 employees and is based in Dallas, Texas. In 2020, Atlantic Street Capital invested in Zips in partnership with Mr. Overman.
Andy Wilkins, Managing Partner of Atlantic Street Capital, commented, “We are very happy with our partnership with Brett who, for nearly 20 years, has built the Zips brand into a leader in the car wash industry. We are pleased that he will continue to provide his extensive industry expertise as Chairman as we continue to build the business. Gene has worked closely with the Atlantic Street team at several portfolio investments and could not be a better Chief Executive to lead this subscription based business model.”
Mr. Dinkens, added, “Brett is a true leader in the industry, and it has been an incredible opportunity to work with him directly over the past 18 months and to collaborate with the Atlantic Street team to accelerate Zips’ growth and surpass the milestone of 200 stores. I couldn’t be more excited to lead the next phase of development of the company with Brett and the team.”
Mr. Dinkens, an experienced executive in consumer-focused industries, joined Zips last year as President. Prior to joining Zips in 2020, Mr. Dinkens most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of Lori’s Gifts, the nation’s largest provider of hospital gift shop outsourcing solutions, with over 400 locations across the country. Prior to his tenure at Lori’s, he served nearly four years as Chief Operating Officer of Z Wireless, a Verizon Premium Wireless Retailer in which he helped scale from 200 locations into Verizon’s largest agent with over 1,100 locations by 2018. Mr. Dinkens is a graduate of the University of Toledo.
About Zips Car Wash
Zips Car Wash (www.zipscarwash.com), headquartered in Dallas, Texas, operates 220 locations in 19 states, including Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Zips Car Wash offers multiple levels of car wash packages in the convenient form of a ride-thru car wash experience. Zips Car Wash also offers free self-serve vacuums and Unlimited Wash Club Memberships.
About Atlantic Street Capital
Atlantic Street Capital is a private equity firm that invests in lower middle market companies. The firm invests in fundamentally sound companies that will benefit from capital investment and value-added strategic and operational initiatives. Atlantic Street Capital’s approach are hands-on investors who work closely with management to unlock their business’ underlying value and help them succeed. The firm is currently making investments in Atlantic Street Capital IV, LP. For more information, visit www.atlanticstreetcapital.com.
