After a year of business in Stamford, Topside Detailing has expanded, built jobs and found the confidence from major property managers to offer onsite services.
The two young entrepreneurs behind the company, Jonathan Piazza-Harper and Parth Thaker, have opened onsite, mobile detailing centers at Stamford Harbor Park, Stamford Harbor Square, Stamford Landing and are to open several sites that are under construction as part of the Harbor Point development.
“A year ago our company consisted of myself and my business partner,” said Thaker, 23. “Within the last nine months we”™ve helped create 15 new jobs and these new locations will add another four to six.”
The company began as a “come-to-you” wash concept, scheduling appointments to detail cars and boats while people worked. Thaker said the locations will allow occupants at the office buildings to take advantage of Topsides”™ team, which provides everything from weekly washes to full service wax and detail jobs. Services at the locations are offered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., once a week, every one to two weeks.
Thaker said with the weekly model they can be sure to have the volume and return customers.
Speaking of the building owners, Thaker said, “They”™ve been offered the opportunity before, but did not like the way things were run.”
Thaker and Piazza-Harper, 24, proposed the locations to property management companies BLT, RPW Group, and Reckson and SL Green, to secure operating agreements. Topside did not disclose the amount they pay to the properties for the temporary locations.
“These firms represent the Class A of the office buildings in Stamford and they want things done a certain way,” Thaker said. “They want a clean site that”™s a seamlessly run amenity and isn”™t a distraction to their tenants.”
Topside uses their own Topside E-ZWash solution, a waterless, spray-on wash formula that saves more than 100 gallons of water per car wash, according to Thaker. He said waterless exterior hand wash costs $20 to $29, but services for boats can go as high as $259.
“This year we”™re set to save 1.5 (million) to 2 million gallons of water company-wide,” Thaker said. He said with ongoing water shortages nationwide any efforts to conserve water is critical.
“We are making every effort to conserve water and the environment,” he said.
