By Bob Sullivan
Morgan County Business Leader
February 13 marks four years since Soft Touch Auto Wash opened for business. “My brother-in-law, Jeff Smith, owned his own car wash in Bloomington, and I learned about the business
when I’d go visit and help him,” recalled owner Mike Harrell.
Mike grew up in Bedford, graduated from Bedford High School, and attended IU for three years. “My sister and I owned a plumbing-heating-cooling wholesale business from 1990 to 2002,” Mike remembered. “We sold it, and I bought an RV and moved to Florida. I got a job at the boat marina, which was next to a golf course. By taking the job, I could golf for free!”
Pro golfer and friend Craig Bowden called Mike and asked if he’d like to caddy for Craig while he prepared for the PGA tour. “I started helping him for a couple weeks, and it turned into two years,” Mike laughed. Mike traveled all over, including Hawaii and Canada. “It was a great time, but I couldn’t make a career of it, so I came back to Bloomington, and because of my brother-in-law, I decided I’d find a place to build a car wash.”
Download the full February 2010 Edition here.
