This was the beginning of an eight year journey with John's other son, Thomas, our Co-Founder and COO. The two have been working alongside each other every step of the way to uncover and address the root causes of the over 90% unemployment rate among individuals with autism. They found that there are a lot of incredibly capable people with autism who rarely get a chance to excel in life because they have been labeled with a disability that society pities instead of a diversity that can be harnessed as a competitive advantage for business. Through a lot of hard work and help from some incredible partners, they've built Rising Tide Car Wash. Now we utilize the strengths many individuals with autism have and leverage those into the highest quality experience on the market.

You might be thinking that we've succeeded in spite of our unusual workforce. The truth is that Rising Tide's success is because of our unique team. Our team members are exceptionally well suited for and enthusiastic about the work we do. They also are what organizational design folks would consider "extreme users," meaning they have the same needs as anyone else, just easier to see. By designing our organization's systems, processes and culture around the needs of our team, we've been able to reach the highest standards in service and quality.

Every time a customer leaves happy, every successful year of business we complete, and every new store we open is a testament of the value individuals with autism bring to the workforce.