Gallo Car Wash expansion showcases family’s resilience and community service 

In 2018, University of Florida sophomore Nick Gallo sat in a business class, admittedly not paying full attention. But his mind was occupied with something far from being unproductive. 

As the lecture carried on, the ADHD entrepreneur scribbled, scratched, doodled and dreamed until 60 pages of car wash designs and layouts—all outlined in blue, orange and green ink—filled his notebook. 

Eight years later, those ideas have grown into Gallo Car Wash, one of the largest family-owned car washes in Alachua County, with three locations and a fourth on the way.

Gallo washes are synonymous with free fresheners, free vacuums and signature menu selections like Mia’s Wonderful Wax, Sophia’s Super Ceramic and the Maggie’s Marvelous Value Wash, all named for the Gallo family’s Maltipoo puppies in the company’s logo. Bloomberg TV show “World’s Greatest” voted Gallo the best car wash in the world last year. 

With the Jonesville location open as of July, Gallo said the expansion and goal for more is a symbol of his family’s faith, perseverance through adversity and heart to serve the community they call home.  

“It’s the small things that I think have gotten us here,” he said. “It’s keeping the lot clean and the equipment maintained and being friendly with the guests. It’s such a personal thing to accept money from people that I know. It’s our community, and it’s making sure we’re giving them a service that’s hopefully worth their money.”  

Although the Jonesville location is the latest to open, Gallo intended it to be the first. 

He started negotiating deals for the property while still in school with the help of his parents, uncle and sister. But years-long permitting processes and saving enough money, on top of a traumatic physical injury, delayed the project. 

One day while playing intramural sports, Gallo’s whole world went black as he suffered his fourth concussion.  

Recovery required months of therapy, with nearly six hours a day spent relearning how to talk and perform basic coordination tasks. Soon after that, Gallo’s dad and uncle were diagnosed with cancer and his mom developed an abnormal heart condition. 

But through it all, Gallo said he was determined not to let the injury define his life. He prayed to God that if given a chance to get better, he wouldn’t waste it and would build something good for others.  

“I felt like the doctors maybe had given up on the full recovery,” he said. “I remember the doctor told my dad like, ‘Oh, [he’s] just gonna bag groceries.’ I remember being like, ‘Oh, that’s what they think.'” 

The same drive and determination it took for Gallo to make a full recovery carried into opening the car washes. The 13th Street location (3020 NW 13th St.) came first in 2023, followed by Williston Road (3307 SW Williston Rd.) and Jonesville (13923 SW 1st Pl., Newberry), next door to the new Hack Shack indoor batting cages. 

Mia, Gallo’s therapy dog who helped expedite his concussion recovery, has been the company’s logo since day one. Sophia and Maggie have also joined the Gallo’s Maltipoo squad. 

“People see the dogs, and they’ll stop, and they’ll be like, ‘Are these the Gallo dogs?’ They get all the attention, and I’m very introverted, so that was actually a goal,” he said. “Everybody just wants to pet the dogs.” 

In the early years of getting the business up and running, Gallo spent many nights sleeping in Mia’s bed on the office floor at the wash as he worked around the clock on operations and repairs. 

The hard work paid off, as Gallo estimates the washes have served thousands of cars daily, enough to have washed every car in the entire city of Gainesville. 

Each location runs on a computer system designed specifically for Gallo by the Gallos and fills a 15-foot-by-15-foot room. It creates a customized wash along with sensors and a couple dozen cameras angled around the cars. All the technology means maintenance alone can average around $10,000 a month per store. 

On top of the pups occasionally being on-site to greet customers, Gallo said the equipment, high-quality soaps and products, and friendly team members set the family’s washes apart from competitors.  

Since people aren’t willing to drive a long way to wash their car, Gallo said their service to the immediate area must be stellar, as 80% of the customer base comes from within three miles of a store. 

Even at 32 years old, Gallo said he’s still learning how to improve, be it the right towel brand or how to increase vacuum strength, often the top complaint. Gallo’s goal is to keep wash prices below the hourly minimum wage no matter what upgrades are made.  

“People shouldn’t have to work more than an hour to pay for a car wash,” he said. “We’ll just get more efficient on our end, which we have.” 

Being in North Central Florida, with the highest concentration of natural springs in the world, Gallo said his family makes an effort to be environmentally conscious. 

He said hand-detailing wastes more water than a Gallo wash, dumping an average of 120 gallons into the street. Gallo said the only water lost at his washes is whatever evaporates from the car. Everything else gets recycled through a reverse osmosis system. 

“I love the springs. We love going to Ginnie and Ichetucknee, and that kind of led to this obsession with how do we get clean water? How do we protect the water in Alachua County and city of Gainesville?” Gallo said. “We really just threw ourselves into that path.” 

While some families might find owning and operating a business divisive, Gallo said it has only strengthened his family. 

His first hire at the wash was his mom, who helps answer the phone and run the accounting side of things, even when splitting time between Gainesville and Orlando.  

He said they’ve often received advice to prioritize profit over quality, but that’s never been the Gallo’s model. 

“It’s kind of like a combination of a faith and a family philosophy of, like, we just believe in trying to do what we consider the right thing, which is to help other people and help the environment and help our community,” Gallo said. “Thankfully, that has also been a successful business [model].” 

Along with donating washes to local charities, Gallo, who grew up wearing UF gear, said earning the title of the official car wash of the Florida Gators is one of the business’s greatest achievements. He said the company has given away over $50,000 of free washes every year just to student athletes, coaches and UF Police Department vehicles. 

Tears come to the alumnus’s eyes thinking about giving back to the school that gave him a second chance during his concussion recovery, when the odds were seemingly against him. 

“Hopefully we’re making a positive impact on Gainesville and UF,” Gallo said. “You want to prove that they made the right decision on not giving up on you.” 

Even a few months after the Jonesville location opened, Gallo said he’s already working on opening a fourth wash soon. The goal is at least five in Alachua County. 

Gallo said he’s also not opposed to branching out into new markets beyond car washes and he even put in a bid to buy Gainesville’s Ironwood Golf Course. 

“If I can dream it, maybe we can do it. Then you just keep dreaming,” he said. “Maybe keep going with a couple more car washes, and who knows, maybe a hotel, because I think we just love customer service-based businesses as a family. It’s just very cool to see people love the product or service and get to interact with them.”