The Story of Tommy’s Express: MDA Golf Scramble

The story of Tommy’s Express begins when the Essenburg family established Quality Car Wash in 1969 and expanded to seven locations across West Michigan. Years of innovation and operations experience propelled the Essenburgs to offer their car wash parts and equipment through Tommy Car Wash Systems. In 2016, the Tommy’s Express franchise was born with a vision to establish a recognized national car wash brand and expand globally.

Passionate about car washes and the communities they served, Sonny and Jun, the founders of Quality Car Wash and Tommy’s Express, found ways to show their communities how much they appreciate them.

MDA Golf Scramble

In 2002, Quality Car Wash teamed up with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) to run the 1st Annual MDA Golf Scramble for the community of Holland, Michigan, to raise money and awareness for muscular dystrophy.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) describes muscular dystrophies as “a group of muscle diseases caused by mutations in a person’s genes.” There are several primary types of muscular dystrophies, many of which are on the MDA website. However, MDA’s focus spreads beyond just muscular dystrophies, as they also support research and treatments for all neuromuscular diseases. 

Hosted at Clearbrook Golf Club, both beginners, and professionals participated in 18 holes, including carts, dinner, t-shirts, games on courses, and prizes.

Community Impact

Many businesses in the community helped by sponsoring the event and games, their logos appearing on the backs of the t-shirts given to volunteers and golfers.

The event’s proceeds went to MDA-funded programs, including summer camps for kids, free clinics, support groups, and ongoing research.

Tradition of Giving

The MDA Golf Scramble was held annually by Quality Car Wash for the next five to six years, raising a significant amount for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. 

Quality Car Wash’s vision was always to be more than just a car wash. While giving their community access to affordable and professional car washing, they also wanted to support the communities they encompassed by holding events and fundraisers. 

This same vision of giving highlighted by the MDA Golf Scramble inspires the culture and actions of Quality Car Wash and Tommy’s Express today. 

To learn more, read our blog covering the history between Quality Car Wash and Tommy’s Express!