Autobell Car Wash Inc., based here, recently awarded 86 employees its 2009 academic scholarships toward the college or university of their choice, with this year's gifts totaling $73,200. Since its inception, the Autobell Scholarship Program has awarded over $240,000 in academic funds to employees.

The Autobell Scholarship is an annual program open to current Autobell employees of at least one year. Employees who are graduating high school seniors or have received a high school diploma within the past three years can complete and submit the short application, along with references, an acceptance letter from an accredited college or university, and a 500-word essay. The Autobell Selection Committee reviews all applications and chooses the scholarship recipients.

This year's Garner recipients are:

Brandon Byars, Garner, NC; North Carolina State University. Brandon also won a 2009 scholarship from the International Carwash Association.

Jeffery Graper, Garner, NC; East Carolina University.

Kevin Light, Garner, NC, East Carolina University

Jonathan Mustian, Garner, NC; Wake Technical Community College.

Jordan Shore, Garner, NC; East Carolina University.

Joshua Shore, Garner, NC; East Carolina University.

Jerry Thompson, Garner, NC; North Carolina State University.



Autobell Car Wash is America's third-largest full-service, conveyor-operated car wash company with 56 units in 26 North Carolina, 1 South Carolina, 3 Georgia, and 4 Virginia cities and towns. The company was founded 40 years ago in Charlotte, NC, by the late Charles Howard, father of Autobell CEO Chuck Howard, and is still privately held and family-operated. Autobell now employs approximately 1,600 people and washes about 2.5 million cars annually.