A local detailing service recently reached a major milestone with the opening of its first shop at the corner of Byrne Road and Glendale Avenue — just about three miles from where its owner is still a full-time student at The University of Toledo.
“We love it,” said Caden Coy, the finance and management junior who launched Coy’s Detailing in 2019. “We get a lot of walk-ins now, which has been quite a surprise. The business is doing very well, and we’re hoping for continued growth and expansion.”
Caden Coy, a finance and management junior, launched Coy’s Detailing in 2019, and opened his first shop at the corner of Byrne Road and Glendale Avenue in December.
Coy’s Detailing has grown and expanded substantially since its early days, when the then-teenager and his younger brother used flyers and word-of-mouth to advertise their services to boaters in northeast Indiana. Today, Caden and Chance Coy, a freshman at Owens Community College, are two of eight employees who work on watercrafts and vehicles six days a week, offering a bevy of services beyond standard detailing.
Coy’s Detailing has proved an educational experience for Coy, who brought first-hand entrepreneurial insights to his foundational business courses when he enrolled at UToledo in 2022. The business also presented an outlet to immediately apply what he learns from his instructors in the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation.
He credits his coursework with the better-organized business he heads today.
“The Neff College of Business really helped me to better structure my business,” Coy said. “I learned about point-of-sale systems and consumer relationship management, why collecting data on customers is important to help retain your customer base. We weren’t doing that when we started. Now our CRM is the engine for our business.”
Coy, who grew up next door to Main Campus in Ottawa Hills, followed a family legacy to UToledo. His parents are proud alumni, and he spent his childhood cheering for the Rockets in Savage Arena and the Glass Bowl.
His entrepreneurial inclination led him to UToledo’s Neff College of Business. There he found not only support and applicable insights for the business he started at 16, but also introductions to other avenues through which he can utilize his business acumen. As a freshman he landed an inside sales internship at Schindler Elevator and the first of now two internships at Toyota North America.
Caden Coy, a finance and management junior, applies window tint to a vehicle inside Coy’s Detailing in Toledo.
Now a junior, Coy remains open to numerous career paths, but for now is focused on strategically growing Coy’s Detailing. Their new location is a major milestone for the business, with doors opening at 3517 Glendale Ave., Toledo, in December.
“We are delighted and proud of Caden’s business success while still pursuing his degree,” said Dr. Anne Balazs, dean of the Neff College of Business. “And we are not surprised. Caden was in the inaugural class of Neff Scholars, one of four students offered a prestigious scholarship, renewable over four years and sponsored by our benefactors, the Neff family. Caden has demonstrated great talent and drive, and we will be watching this excellent example of entrepreneurship grow and flourish. What a gift to the Toledo community from one of our most promising business students.”
Coy began building his clientele in northeast Indiana, where his family vacations and where he and his brother first learned the detailing ropes through marina jobs. Shortly after the young entrepreneur began to offer his services independently, and amid a pandemic lockdown, he expanded his business model with an additional service targeting weekend arrivals.
“We would uncover their boat, take out any trash,” Coy said. “It was about a 45-minute clean and prep to make it turn-key and ready for the weekend.”
Coy’s Detailing began servicing vehicles in addition to watercrafts in 2021, with Caden and Chance Coy and their growing roster of employees upskilling in the subsequent years to add restyling and cosmetic work to their portfolio. Examples include tinting, ceramic coatings, paint protection film, vinyl wraps, dent removals, paint touchups and similar services.
They’ve also brought on a porter to support a key service offered by the business: They’re fully insured for drop-offs and pick-ups, a service that’s proven particularly attractive to the car dealerships that have become a valuable part of their clientele.
How does a full-time entrepreneur find time to simultaneously be a full-time student?
Online classes this semester allow Coy to prioritize Coy’s Detailing from Monday to Friday, and he logs onto BlackBoard on Saturdays and Sundays.
“My weekends are dedicated to schoolwork,” he said.
For more information on Coy’s Detailing, go to the business’ website at coyscleaning.com.
