Posted 4:22 pm Sunday, December 27, 2009
Wash Smart Offers Fast Service, High-Tech Equipment
By BRIAN PEARSON
Business Editor
The nearby Huebsch washing machine makes a roar like a jet aircraft taking off as it kicks into its spin cycle.
Business Editor
The nearby Huebsch washing machine makes a roar like a jet aircraft taking off as it kicks into its spin cycle.
The sound takes Scotty Perryman back to his service in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Desert Storm invasion of Kuwait and Iraq.
The Henderson native saw plenty of action while aboard CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters.
Today, about the only thing spinning in Perryman's world are the dryers and washing machines at the Wash Smart laundry business he recently opened near the corner of Shiloh Road and Troup Highway.
Born and raised in Henderson, Perryman graduated from high school there in 1977 and took classes at Kilgore College.
Feeling a bit rudderless in life, he decided to join the U.S. Marine Corps in 1985.
"I just wanted some direction, some focus," he said.
He was stationed in California and then spent time in the Far East before being sent to be part of the Desert Storm invasion force in August 1990.
As an avionics technician, he flew myriad missions aboard mighty CH-53E helicopters, the biggest and baddest in the fleet.
"We were the first heavy lifting squadron in country," said Perryman, who had risen to the rank of sergeant by the time the war broke out. "I saw the whole thing, from empty desert all the way through the buildup."
Missions included carrying heavy equipment to and from the battlefield. His crew also carried supplies to the troops and transported soldiers, include the wounded.
Perryman said his helicopter was fired upon, and fire was returned.
"I wouldn't want to portray it to anybody as heavy action," he said. "It was nothing like these kids (in Iraq and Afghanistan) are going through. It wasn't like Vietnam."
After his time of service was up in the summer of 1991, Perryman returned to East Texas and took classes at the University of Texas at Tyler.
He earned his educator certificate in 1994 and took a job as a history and government teacher at Full Armor Christian Academy in Henderson. The school at the time served kindergarten through eighth grade.
Three years later, he joined the staff of All Saints Episcopal School in Tyler. In 2000, he became dean of students.
He decided to leave education in 2003, taking a job with a local pharmaceutical and nutritional company. However, he got laid off last year and had trouble finding a job.
It was then that Perryman began exploring the idea of opening a laundry business, similar to one his sister and brother-in-law owned in Mexia.
"I just stepped in and borrowed their idea," he said. "I wanted to do something that was worthwhile, and I kept coming back to this."
His research led him to Huebsch, which has been a maker of laundry equipment for more than a century.
He opened Wash Smart at 3101 Shiloh Road, suite 123, on Nov. 20.
Perryman said the proximity to Wal-Mart, the busy Troup intersection and residential areas made it an ideal spot for this business.
There are three mobile-home parks, 16 apartment complexes and myriad single-family rental homes in the area, he said.
"The traffic is tremendous," he added.
Setting up the business came with challenges, he said. Utilities had to be upgraded to accommodate the volume of electricity and water the machines use.
Setting up the business came with challenges, he said. Utilities had to be upgraded to accommodate the volume of electricity and water the machines use.
At Wash Smart, customers feed cash, debit cards or credit cards into a machine that spits out a card that us used for the washers and dryers. Customers can put as much money on the cards as they want.
"The days of quarters are over with," Perryman said.
The machines -- one of which can handle 80 pounds of laundry at once -- are connected to a central computer system that Perryman can adjusted on site or remotely.
With the push of a computer button, he can change the prices during the day to give customers specials.
Customers also can earn reward points.
Wash Smart also offers drop-off laundry service and group discounts. The business, which employs three part-timers, is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Wash Smart also offers drop-off laundry service and group discounts. The business, which employs three part-timers, is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Sherri Duren, 43, has been in the laundry business for years and recently joined the Wash Smart staff.
"I've owned my own laundry business before, but it wasn't like this," Ms. Duren said, referring to the cutting-edge washing machines and dryers. "It was like the Stone Age."
Perryman, 51, who is single and lives in Tyler, said he most enjoys the social aspect of his business, which draws people from various walks of life.
"I enjoy meeting and working with people," he said.
"We have a great variety of people come in here.
"It's been a very enjoyable experience every day. I've always been in the business of trying to meet people's needs."
Send Off Beat Business ideas to Business Editor Brian Pearson at bpearson@tylerpaper.com or 903-596-6280.
