Dec. 2, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Silverstar Car Wash.

Will Bell’s career has taken him into multiple industries, as far as California and Washington, and ultimately back to his native Sioux Falls.

The Washington High School graduate is a regional manager for fast-growing Silverstar Car Wash, after joining the company in 2019.

“I went into the Navy, was in California and Washington and did a lot of aviation work, and went to college for criminal justice,” he said.

When he returned to Sioux Falls, he spent four years working for the Minnehaha County Jail.

Hip surgery made him take a broader look at his future, which led him to Silverstar.

“I was trying to envision my career, and there was an opportunity at Silverstar, so I applied,” Bell said. “I was hired as a single site manager and in six months became a multisite manager and ran two locations and then three. And after that, I started getting into the corporate side and ultimately was promoted to a regional manager.”

Here’s a closer look at his Silverstar career.

What does your job entail?

It really ranges. As a regional manager, I set that expectation for everyone else, but I always feel like I’m at the same level as someone just coming in the door. As a regional manager, I’m responsible for five locations, making sure they’re operating efficiently and that the site manager has what they need.

But I’m there to support the staff too. I wash cars when I can, or I will cashier if needed, but for the most part I’m overseeing the site managers and making sure they have adequate knowledge and help them grow every day. I want my site managers to grow to become regional managers like me, so making sure they have the tools and giving them new tools and helping the stores on the operations side is key.

Financially, I’m overseeing budgets, so we go over that monthly and try to hit goals, as well as hiring and training of site managers. We have two regional managers, me and Andrea Vetos, and her job is very different than mine. She handles a lot behind the scenes, and I’m on the operational side on the front lines, overseeing education and training and growth.

What’s the best part about working at Silverstar?

There’s a lot of moving parts. At Silverstar, we’re rapidly growing, so there’s a lot to learn, including how to project our growth. It’s really fun to see, and at the same time there’s the day-to-day activity. I just thoroughly enjoy being at the sites and helping individuals with whatever they need. My favorite part is the continuous change for the better and also the continuous training and time we try to give to every individual team member.

What would you say to someone else thinking about applying to work at Silverstar or maybe becoming a site manager like you?

Be patient. Learn your job, and learn to do it very well, and at the same time start branching out into other jobs and interests. You have to be able to multitask and do your job and be efficient but also reach out and learn other tasks and fields within the industry. Education is a huge part. It’s rewarding to oversee sites and help the company grow.

What has been your most memorable Silverstar moment?

That’s a great question. You know, I really enjoy opening up new sites. So part of my job, before regional manager, was I would go into these new locations, and one of my favorite parts was to build the store with staff, do the training, get the equipment and then watch it just thrive. So the most memorable is stepping up and watching that store succeed.

What’s the coolest car you’ve ever washed?

There have been a lot of cool cars. I’ve seen one customer who owns seven vehicles – Maserati, a Bugatti – but the coolest cars I like are the older classic cars.

Be honest: What kind of vehicle do you drive, and how clean is it?

I drive a 2020 Nissan Rogue, and, uh, to be honest it’s never clean enough. I have twins who are 4 and a 9-year-old, so I attempt to keep it clean. But believe it or not, before Silverstar I had the cleanest car in Sioux Falls. After Silverstar and all these responsibilities, it’s up there with the rest of the soccer moms.

Want to work with Will Bell or other amazing people like him? Click here to start your Silverstar career.