In mathematics, a field is any set of elements that satisfies the axioms for both addition and multiplication. It is only fitting to relate this definition to the Fields family, an entrepreneurial group that has consistently added to and multiplied the south central Kentucky economy since the 1940s. While they have achieved sustained success, their journey has included its fair share of challenges, a natural byproduct for any family focused on exceeding the status quo.
In the 1940s, Great Grandparents Gillian and Ida Fields left the rural countryside of Columbia in Adair County Kentucky, moving their children, Grace and Glen, to the booming town of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Gillian initially worked for Bowling Green Laundry, where he learned the trade. Driven by a strong self-sustaining spirit, he eventually left his position to pursue his dream, establishing Fields Laundry.
Growing up under his parents' guidance, Glenn quickly developed his own vision. Having served as an Army Ranger in WWII, he returned to the states with a disciplined work ethic that fueled his career as a developer. Glen went on to build much of the area between Broadway and Covington in Bowling Green. Notably, he owned the current Cheetah Clean location on the 31-W Bypass. Originally called Magic Tunnel Car Wash, he renamed it Red Carpet after purchasing the property, which also operated as a gas station.
Glen had eight children, including Geoff Fields. Geoff grew up working for his father at Broadway Gas N Wash and Red Carpet Full Service Wash, learning the business from the ground up. Working with family can introduce difficult dynamics, and Geoff eventually branched out on his own to install and engineer car wash equipment. In 1988, he launched Bowling Green’s famous Tender Touch Auto Wash. Having built a successful enterprise and earned mutual respect, Geoff and Glen reconciled their differences and moved forward together.
While Geoff was expanding his business, his son, Jeff, was born. Growing up in a family with a legacy of success came with high expectations. Jeff initially chose a different path, after a couple years of college in BG GO TOPS and College of Charleston then moving out west for a few years. After facing his own setbacks, he returned to assist Geoff with the car wash business. Mirroring the generation before them, family dynamics proved challenging, leading Jeff to leave and launch his own detailing business near Hobby Lobby, which quickly grew beyond expectations.
Jeff then began laying the groundwork for a new car wash in the Bowling Green area by purchasing property, which generated significant local speculation. This caused tension with Geoff, who was attempting to sell his own wash at the time. However, After Jeffrey proving to his father and his community he was too destined for success mutual respect was established once again. Jeff resolved to fully capitalize on the opportunities ahead of him.
Geoff encouraged Jeff to utilize a property in Owensboro, Kentucky, to build a new wash, which became the original Cheetah Clean location in 2007. This venture provided Jeff with early lessons in partnership agreements and minority ownership. Although he achieved initial success, the partnership proved unsustainable. However, what seemed like a failure initially provided the capital and opportunity to buy the first Bowling Green Cheetah Clean location on the 31-W Bypass, where Jeffery was in full control of the company—the same ground where his grandfather, aunts, and uncle grew up. After two grueling years of constant work, Jeff established a brand that expanded to a second location on Veterans Memorial and a third in Franklin, Kentucky.
Locations four, five, and six followed without external seed capital, driven entirely by customer focus and the standards of excellence demanded by his upbringing.
Despite the challenges brought by 2020, Jeff persevered through the adversity. In 2021, Geoff and Jeff announced a new partnership with Kentucky's largest, most sophisticated, and highest-grossing revenue store, located at 2311 Cave Mill Station Blvd.
Later that year, local KY investors Jonathan Blue and Edward Harrison with Blue Equity made a substantial investment in Cheetah Clean. Over the next four years, the company expanded to 16 locations, becoming a major regional presence.
The Fields family story is a testament to the belief that hard work and dedication create opportunity. It is about proving yourself, earning respect, building relationships, and fostering an environment of transparency; values that separate the good from the great which is still instilled in the company today with Jeffrey as still the majority owner/CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors.
