We’ve hit a new milestone as a company – our first 50-year service anniversary!
Meet Brian Acquard. As Brian jokes, “(he) came with the building at West Seneca”. It was the late sixties and his dad’s two friends owned a small robo-wash. Brian was working there part-time, assisting with various tasks around the location.
When Ron Benderson purchased the car wash, Brian suddenly found himself without a job. Brian was actively job-hunting when he received a call from Ron, asking if he would be willing to come down and help with some of the machinery that they had purchased.
“I said, ‘No!’ And when Ron asked why not, I said I needed a job, that I was trying to buy my first car. So he says, ‘Yeah, okay, well, we’ll hire ya.’”
Brian laughs at the memory. Even then, he didn’t plan on being at the carwash long. He was in medical school at Niagara University. But when life circumstances forced him to change his plans, Brian began viewing his career at Delta Sonic differently. He found satisfaction in working hands-on with various projects at the new company.
“(Back then, there was) no gas, no stores, no details or oil lubes. Just had two car washes to begin with. Kind of like a family-run, mom and pop operation. No computers, just really simple. It’s unbelievable now. We’re one of the top car washes. It’s gotten so big. “
“I had a couple guys who taught me everything I know,” Brian says. “Don DiCarlo, he was the first Head of Maintenance, and Ron Robinson, who passed away. Those guys taught me all about electricity and plumbing, how to weld, how to use a cutting torch, how to do concrete work. The Mechanics used to do everything. We’d do the concrete work, plumbing, everything. We even planted the bushes in front of the car wash! I tried to pass that onto the new guys. I’ve trained a lot of employees over the years. “
Brian learned so much during his career that he was eventually able to build his own cottage. He did all the work himself and enjoys spending time there with his children. Professionally, he advanced to the rank of Mechanic Supervisor for the Western NY market. Today, he assists in the Warehouse with parts purchasing.
For new employees just starting out, Brian says, “You can make a career here. Work hard, show up to work every day. That’s hard for some people nowadays.” Brian laughs. “You just gotta have the right attitude. That and a good work ethic, and you can make a career out of it.”
