Locally based Wizard Wash recently secured its first out-of-state office in Florida, which is expected to open in June and further grow the company’s operations in the state. (Photos courtesy Wizard Wash)
A local power washing company is adding some sparkle to its business in the Sunshine State.
Henrico-based Wizard Wash is establishing a Florida office in early June.
It would be the two-year-old company’s first permanent location outside of Virginia and is expected to help it keep up with its growing business in Florida, which to date has been handled out of the company’s headquarters in Glen Allen, owner Omar Elshami said.
“It’s gotten to a point where it doesn’t make sense for us to drive 14 hours for these projects,” Elshami said.
Wizard Wash’s upcoming Florida office is a five-bedroom home near West Palm Beach, a wealthy part of the state where Elshami hopes to leverage work on the homes of corporate leaders to expand Wizard Wash’s commercial business.
“All the big CEOs live there. There’s a lot of room for connections and they can get us more commercial contracts,” he said.
Elshami said that Wizard Wash intends to purchase its Florida headquarters in a seller-financed deal from Thomas Byrne of Florida, who bought the property for $1 million in late April, per online land records. Byrne is the stepfather of Wizard Wash COO Christian Hancock.
Elshami said buying a home is cheaper than a commercial property in the area, and local laws would allow Wizard Wash to park several vehicles at the residential property and use it as an office.
“It’s extremely expensive. I looked at (commercial real estate) and it’s like $6 million for 2,000 square feet of warehouse,” he said “Getting a house … is kind of a no-brainer and it’s under $2 million.”
The Florida branch is also transitioning into a joint venture co-owned by the 20-year-old Elshami and Hancock, who are fellow Glen Allen High School alums. The friends went into business together after Hancock left Shepherd University in West Virginia due to a football-related injury and came back to the Richmond area. Elshami said that after they reconnected, Hancock became interested in becoming a part of Wizard Wash.
“We just hung out every day, and all I did was work, and he liked that,” Elshami said. “He’s going to be there full time, and I’m going to be moving back and forth.”
Also headed south is Wizard Wash’s CTO Siddu Kaleekkal, who will continue to serve in that role while also working as the company’s COO in Florida.
Wizard Wash is planning to rebrand its operations in Florida under a new name that hasn’t been finalized yet.
Wizard Wash owner Omar Elshami, on left, and Christian Hancock, on right.
Wizard Wash will establish its permanent Florida presence with a dedicated truck and trailer, the latter of which Elshami is transitioning toward as a more cost effective and efficient way to complete jobs compared to using trucks exclusively.
“I started realizing that I can have four guys in one truck. I can have a trailer in the back and I can have the guys meet us at the job site,” he said. “We’re getting a lot of commercial jobs now, and having multiple trucks on site just isn’t feasible.”
Following the Florida expansion, Wizard Wash would likely look to establish an office in New Jersey, which is another state the company operates in, Elshami said. Wizard Wash also works in several other southern and mid-Atlantic states.
Wizard Wash has its headquarters at a residential property in western Henrico. The power washing and exterior cleaning company’s local commercial clients include Richmond-area Chick-fil-A restaurants as well as some Starbucks, Gold’s Gym and ACAC locations, Elshami said.
Elshami officially established the company in early 2024. It has six full-time employees, four cleaning trucks and three trailers.
A serial entrepreneur, Elshami also recently sold Lakeside Barbeque and an ice cream spot he briefly operated in Henrico. He continues to own Carytown ice cream shop NarWhals.
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