How the International Car Wash Association
Expanded Workforce Impact and Strengthened
Member Relationships with LEAD
Organization - International Carwash Association (ICA)
Industry - Trade Association
Solution - LEAD (Powered by Learner Mobile)
Background
The International Car Wash Association (ICA) exists to support both new and existing carwash operators with the resources, standards, and education they need to run strong and growing businesses.
While in-person events and trade shows remain an important part of ICA’s engagement strategy, the organization saw an opportunity to better serve members between events especially as workforce challenges across the industry continued to grow.
ICA members were facing familiar pressures:
- High turnover in frontline roles
- Increasing safety and compliance demands
- Inconsistent onboarding across locations
- Limited internal capacity to train at scale
What members needed most was practical, industry-specific training that worked for frontline employees and could be delivered consistently across locations.
ICA recognized that meeting this need would strengthen member value, deepen relationships, and position the association as an even stronger partner to its customers.
The Challenge
ICA LEAD is a training provider not a learning software platform.
While the organization has deep expertise in carwash operations, safety, and standards, building, maintaining, and evolving a modern learning platform was not where ICA wanted to invest its time or energy.
Internally, the team faced a common challenge:
- Training demand was growing
- Expectations for workforce development from members were rising
- Capacity to build and maintain systems was limited
ICA wanted to focus on what it does best – relationships, relevance, and industry leadership without becoming responsible for inventing or managing an LMS that could scale to match the speed of growth for carwash businesses.
The Approach - LEAD, Powered by Learner Mobile
ICA partnered with Learner Mobile to launch LEAD, ICA’s industry training and development platform.
LEAD is owned and operated by ICA, with Learner Mobile providing a mobile platform designed specifically for frontline and field-based workers.
The partnership allowed ICA to:
- Deliver consistent, role-based training across the industry
- Support certifications, safety, and technical learning
- Increase a new hire’s speed-to-job-readiness
- Scale training quickly without expanding internal teams
- Stay focused on member relationships rather than platform maintenance
Learner Mobile’s strength in frontline learning ensured that training was not only accessible, but practical, relevant, and easy to use for employees working across shifts and locations.
Designed for the Frontline Reality
Carwash operations are fast-paced and hands-on. Training needs to work when and where the job happens.
LEAD – Powered by Learner Mobile was built with that reality in mind, enabling:
- Mobile access directly on the job
- Short, role-specific learning modules
- Consistent onboarding and safety training
- Ongoing development for associates, managers, and leaders
Rather than pulling employees away from work and customers, LEAD supports learning in the flow of daily operations, something traditional training approaches struggled to achieve.
Results
Stronger Customer Relationships
By partnering with Learner Mobile, ICA was able to shift focus away from managing technology and toward serving members more effectively.
“We’re a training provider, not a technology company. Learner Mobile allows us to focus on building stronger customer relationships and delivering relevant training, instead of spending time building and maintaining a learning system. That focus has driven high adoption and satisfaction among our members and created sustainable, recurring value for the association. It’s been a game changer for our team and for our customers.”
With LEAD in place, ICA’s team can respond more quickly to customer needs, update content more easily, and remain nimble as the industry evolves.
High Customer Adoption and Satisfaction
Feedback from carwash operators using LEAD has been consistently strong.
- 95%+ of learner’s rate LEAD as highly relevant to their job
- Customers describe the platform as modern, intuitive, and easy to use
- Many operators view LEAD – Powered by Learner Mobile as a clear upgrade from previous training methods
- Carwash companies are proud to roll LEAD out to their teams as an industry-backed solution
Learners report that the training directly supports the work they do every day, making it more than just a compliance tool.
Sustainable Revenue and Expanded Value
LEAD has also become a meaningful non-dues revenue stream for ICA, generating approximately $600,000 annually while strengthening the association’s value proposition.
Rather than replacing trade shows or events, LEAD – Powered by Learner Mobile complements them, allowing ICA to stay connected to members year-round and deliver continuous workforce support.
Why Learner Mobile Matters in This Model
Learner Mobile plays a critical role in helping make LEAD even more successful.
Its focus on frontline learning enables:
- Fast deployment without heavy internal lift
- A modern user experience that learners want to use
- Training that fits real operational workflows
- Scalability without sacrificing quality or relevance
By handling the platform, delivery, and frontline learning experience, Learner Mobile allows ICA to remain focused on industry leadership and customer relationships.
The Takeaway
LEAD has helped ICA become a better partner to its members.
With Learner Mobile as its platform partner, ICA can:
- Serve customers more effectively
- Respond quickly to workforce needs
- Deliver training that feels relevant and modern
- Stay focused on relationships, thought leadership, best practices, and industry relevance
The result is a stronger association, better-supported members, and a workforce training solution built specifically for how carwashes operate.