Hudson Detailing shows ingenuity and moxie

BLADEN COUNTY – The Elizabethtown – White Lake Chamber of Commerce is headed by Amy Hudson, so it is no big surprise to see her entrepreneurial son bring his business into the community family.

The shocker is that Holden Hudson is running a full-blown mobile vehicle washing and waxing service and he’s got one more year of high school.

“He’s always been a hard worker and an overachiever,” she said. “He’s always wanted to make money and also doing things for the neighbors.”

Hudson not only has invented a job where he can make some good money, but he also has created a workforce and his partner in crime is Dorien Rivera. Holden and Dorien. Kind of sounds as if they should be sailing in a regatta somewhere near Australia.

Instead, they are teenage phenoms in the business industry, creating revenue from a well-planned and in-demand business. Not to mention that they are very good at what they do and have built a faithful return clientele.

So far, they have managed to stay busy seven days a week detailing cars, boats, motorcycles and planes.

“We go to high school in the morning,” Rivera said. “And go to early college at night, and in the afternoons we work.”

With the credits they are amassing in college, they will actually enter college with only 2 or three years left to a degree.

Hudson is homeschooled and Rivera attends West Bladen. At night it’s Bladen Community College where he is in pre-med.

Rivera was born and raised in Bladen County and has lived near Dublin almost all of his life.

Hudson was born and raised as a young child in Fayetteville before he relocated to the Bay Tree Lake area. They had always had the home there as a lake home, but decided to move there permanently five years ago.

He grew up as somewhat a dreamer and an inventor – always hatching new ideas. His passion was “anything with wheels on it” according to him. And anything with speed that would feed his adrenaline craving on the water. From boats to jet skis to wakeboards.

Of course, you cannot do an entrepreneurial story about a high school student without a favorite “mom” story that would slightly embarrass her son.

“It was Christmas, about three years ago,” she said. “He got a new wakeboard and it was 30 degrees outside. And he made us go out on that boat in 30-degree weather. He put on his wetsuit and we had to ride around the lake while he tried out his new wakeboard. On Christmas Day. That’s the persuasive and persevering Holden.”

“Grandma” stepped in 18 months ago and helped him get a 2012 truck with only 40K miles on it, which was perfect for hauling his mobile wash and detail center.

In his spare time he has managed to work toward his pilots license and his aspirations are to be a commercial pilot one day. Up to date, he is about 90% complete and has already soloed.

Getting into the vehicle detailing business was just a transition from what he had been doing.

“I was working for our family business full time,” Hudson said. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to cut back and I knew I had to do something to help the family.”

As for Rivera, he said that he needed to make a little bit more money.

“It was a combination of me needing a job where I made more money and Holden’s business blowing up,” Rivera said. “He asked me to come work for just one day. It then went to three days a week and now it’s every day.”

Not only are the boys detailing and washing, but they have been trained to do ceramic coatings on vehicles that give it a lasting shine for seven years.

“Ceramic is a whole different ballpark than wax,” Rivera said.

“Wax wears off in three months,” Hudson chimed in. “With ceramics, you can get either 3-year, 5-year 7-year or 10-year guarantees. Let’s say you put a 7-year on which is the prettiest one and water does not stick to it, sun can’t fade it – and it’s harder to scratch. It’s a polymer-based product and we apply it by hand. It’s an investment that lasts years.”

Another thing that was mentioned was the resale value of a car that looks like new even though it may be 10 years old.

The two became friends when a group of classmates went out to eat at Dick’s Last Resort – the restaurant where the rude and crude waitstaff serve a home-style menu in a crazy roadhouse environment.

They hit it off and other than Rivera tossing a cherished gift that Hudson’s girlfriend bought for him and landing it on a building hook about 2 stories up, they laugh about it now. The world-traveler, “Squiddy” may not be laughing, but that’s a story for another day.

To have your boat, bike, motorcycle, plane, train or automobile detailed, waxed or buffed, Hudson Detailing has produced some incredible jobs here in Bladen County. You may even want to give the ceramic touch a try. You can call for an appointment at (910) 987-8764.

The nice thing about them being mobile, is that they will bring their service to you.

Mark DeLap is a journalist, photographer and the editor and general manager of the Bladen Journal. To email him, send a message to: mdelap@bladenjournal.com