What happens when a father looks at a 90% unemployment rate and refuses to accept it for his son? In Parkland, Florida, the answer wasn’t a protest—it was a car wash. Today, Rising Tide Car Wash isn’t just cleaning vehicles; it’s scrubbing away the world’s misconceptions about autism.

A Solution Born from a Father’s Fear 🏚️❤️

Like many parents of children with autism, John D’Eri spent years losing sleep over one question: What will happen to my son, Andrew, when I’m no longer here to support him? When Andrew reached 21, the “cliff” of adulthood loomed. Opportunities were scarce, and the traditional workforce wasn’t designed for his unique way of processing the world. Instead of waiting for a door to open, John and his other son, Tom D’Eri, decided to build the door themselves. They bought a struggling car wash in 2011 and transformed it into a mission-driven powerhouse.

The “Competitive Advantage” of Autism 🧼💪

Rising Tide operates on a philosophy that challenges the charity-based model of disability employment. They don’t hire people with autism because they “pity” them; they hire them because they are the best people for the job.

• Attention to Detail: The car wash uses a rigorous 46-step cleaning process. For many neurodivergent individuals, this level of structure and repetition isn’t a chore—it’s a strength.

• Radical Efficiency: Some employees at Rising Tide can load over 100 cars in a single hour with “off the charts” efficiency rates.

• Loyalty & Pride: In an industry where employee turnover often exceeds 100%, Rising Tide boasts a retention rate that is five times better than its competitors. These team members aren’t just working; they are building a community.

Scaling the Movement 📈🌟

What began as a single location has grown into a multi-unit success story:

• Three Locations: Now serving Parkland, Margate, and Coral Springs, with a fourth location in Pompano Beach currently in the works.

• Hundreds of Lives: The company has hired over 400 neurodivergent individuals to date and maintains a workforce that is consistently 80–90% autistic.

• The “Rising Tide U”: To ensure this model doesn’t stay local, the D’Eris launched an online platform to help other entrepreneurs worldwide build inclusive businesses.

Inclusion is Good Business ⚖️💼

Rising Tide proves that when you design a workplace around the “extreme needs” of your employees, you end up with a system that works better for everyone. By providing visual checklists, clear “if/then” scenarios, and objective hiring auditions, they’ve created a “well-oiled machine” that washes over 170,000 cars a year.

As John D’Eri often says, every happy customer is a testament to the value that individuals with autism bring to the global workforce. The “cliff” for Andrew has been replaced by a bridge to independence, dignity, and a paycheck he earned with his own hands.