Adam’s Polishes Factory Tour: The Secret Is Out!

Were you aware the cheeseburger was first invented in Denver, Colorado? It’s true, and the trademark for the name was awarded to Louis Ballast in 1935. Colorado, and especially Denver, have had a lot of firsts. For example, in 1858 a party of prospectors led by William Green Russell first discovered gold in the state about where downtown Denver is now located. In 1869, the World’s First Rodeo was held on July 4th, in Deer Trail, Colorado. We can add to that list Adam’s Polishes, a Colorado business that was incorporated locally in February of 2004.

Collection

Part of Adam Pitale’s Schwinn Collection. His collection of bicycles ranges from 1947 Schwinn’s to the mid 1960’s.

If “firsts” aren’t enough for you, then riddle me this, Batman: What do Schwinn Bicycles, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), Coca Cola, the Orange County Fair, and Batman’s namesake, Adam, have to do with Colorado? They were part of the beginnings of Adam’s Polishes which is one of the best kept secrets in the nation. However, over the past five years, Adam’s Polishes has been growing fast in Louisville and Colorado, and is taking the detailing world by storm.

Left: Not only does Adam collect Schwinn bicycles, he's also collecting Schwinn signs. Right: Adam handling the polisher on his Suburban.

History Lesson
Adam Pitale, President and Founder of Adam’s Polishes was a shine freak at a young age. At nine-years-old, he started cleaning, polishing, and waxing bicycles. He’d remove the chain and soak it in gasoline on a regular basis, so it wouldn’t stain his socks. That led to his first small business: “Adam’s Bicycle Repair and Cleaning.”

By age ten, he’d moved on to washing and waxing cars in the neighborhood, and at age 12, he hired his first employee, a 16 year-old neighborhood boy. That business became “Mobile Detailing,” which specialized in limousine fleets. This carried him through high school and college, with some of his clients including Sly Stallone and other famous celebrities.

Left: Just a small batch ready to be labeled. Right: Adam's Waffle Weave Towels being hand folded.

After college, in March of 2000, Adam approached Coca Cola. At the time, they were having trouble with the red paint on their trucks, as the California sun was bleaching them pink . It cost the company $2,200.00 to repaint each truck. Adam figured there had to be a better alternative. He devised a plan to detail 3,400 vehicles every 24 months, and that did not include repainting them.

Adam Pitale

Founder and President, Adam Pitale sits behind his desk in his second floor office. A clean desk is a sign of a…well, you get the idea!

Combining products, changing the application processes, and dialing in chemical efficiencies helped create a successful, large-fleet detailing business. Adam’s first detailing product, named ‘Scratch-out’ was introduced, and cut Coke’s paint maintenance costs by 90 percent. Adam’s product, and his detailing business kept the trucks red. That experience led to Adam tinkering with chemical compounds, and he designed another product, which was named Der Shiny Stuff. He started selling it at the Orange County Swap Meet in Southern California. As his product business grew, the need for a business name surfaced and the company accidentally became “Adam’s.”

Left: Orders pulled and waiting to be boxed and shipped. Right: Packaged product awaiting orders. Orders are filled and shipped nationally, and internationally, in five days or less.

Today, Adam’s job is chief detailer, product engineer, and a customer service expert at the shop. Adam’s products work well for automotive detailers and his product line has grown dramatically. One of the prominent products Adam’s offers is their signature product line: Premium Car Care . That line includes car wax, sealants, dressings, cleaners, and polishes that are all guaranteed to outshine and outlast any product you’ve used on your vehicle.

Adam’s products are carefully formulated with special blends of high-quality polymers, acrylics, and waxes. The company constantly reevaluates and tests their blends to ensure they are offering the most technologically-advanced and safe products available. That’s where the previous mention of CARB comes in, California was much too restrictive when it came to mixing chemicals and compounds to achieve the high quality of Adam’s products, so a new home needed to be located.

Adam's Polishes

Adam’s Polishes Product stacked in bins. All Adam’s Polishes are packaged by hand at the warehouse.

Nationwide Travelers
Adam was traveling from Redondo Beach, California, to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, six times a year to attend the Spring and Fall swap meets, as well as the Ford, Corvette, Mopar meets, and the truck and import shows held at Carlisle. Traveling with his trailer loaded to the roof with product to demonstrate.

When traveling back to California, those highways trips always included side trips for sight-seeing. Boulder, Colorado, was one of those destinations that called his name, and he decided it might be a great place to live. In May of 2007, Adam and his fiance, Melissa, moved to Boulder, while continuing to do business out of the Redondo Beach headquarters. In December of 2007, they married and continued to run the California business from their Colorado home.

Left: Adam's maintains the product room especially for photography work and their advertising. Some of Adam's collection of bicycles are stored here as well. Right: At the back of the warehouse an area is reserved for product testing.

Two years later, commuting became tiresome and Adam decided to move the company. Adam’s Polishes is currently warehoused in a 20,000 square foot building, has 23 full-time employees and calls Louisville, Colorado, (near Boulder) home. All packaging and bottling are done in-house, and the majority of orders for Adam’s products comes via the internet.

Adam’s maintains a web presence for ordering and all products are shipped nationally and internationally, in five days or less. Adam’s also maintains a web forum for detailers to comment on any new product Adam’s introduces. With dealers in Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, Australia, South Korea, and across the world, the company is expanding into more areas everyday. They currently enjoy partnerships with places like Detailer’s Domain and other high-end detail shops around the country as well.

AGNS the hot rod truck. Formerly a school bus in Arizona, the Suburban completed the Hot Rod Power Tour in 2016. Weaver Customs in Salt Lake City, put in a little more power with the addition of an LS3 engine and a 4L60 trans. Adam has named the Suburban AGNS – which stands for ‘All Go, No Show.’

Genuine Hot Rodder
Last, but certainly not least, just so you don’t misunderstand about Adam being President of his company, he’s a hot rodder – just like the rest of us. His company vehicle is a 1963 Chevy Suburban, which was an old school bus used in Arizona before Adam purchased it and had Weaver Customs in Salt Lake City, slip an LS3 and a 4L60 transmission into the chassis.

He named it AGNS, which stands for All Go, No Show. Adam drove the Suburban on the first part of the 2016 Hot Rod Power Tour, then handed the wheel to the truck’s creators, Randy and Sydney Weaver of Weaver Customs. They drove the balance of Hot Rod Power Tour that summer, despite having the A/C quit about a quarter of the way through the tour. The truck rides on a Ridetech front suspension and Mobsteel wheels that are painted red to match the distinct Adam’s Polishes logo.

As far as product availability nationwide, Adam’s Polishes are not in nationwide automotive chains. However, there are a network of authorized wholesalers and detail shops that both use and offer the products. For more information on Adam’s Polishes, check them out online at www.adamspolishes.com

Adam’s Polishes Five Tech Tips:

1. Wheel And Tire Cleaning

Adam’s Tire & Rubber Cleaner foams as you scrub to effectively remove the brown discoloration on the tire. Next, spray Adam’s Wheel Cleaner onto clean wheels that are cool to the touch. After a minute or two, the cleaner will turn purple as it dissolves brake dust particles. Agitate the cleaner with a soft brush like Adam’s Short Wheel Brush and use a Wheel Woolie or Turbo Stick drill attachment to deep clean the inner rim. Thoroughly rinse.

2. Waterless Washing

Waterless Washing is a great option to clean your vehicle when it is slightly dirty or dusty, or if you have water restrictions in your area. Adam’s Waterless Wash requires a specific technique for it to be a safe and easy way to clean your vehicle. You will need at least 3 or 4 Adam’s Waffle Weave Waterless Wash Towels folded into fourths or sixths. Spray Waterless Wash on the finish, and wipe in straight lines rather than circles. As one ‘side’ of the towel becomes soiled, flip the towel to a clean side and continue. Then wipe the area with a dry Waffle Weave Towel to remove any traces of residue. Once all sides of the towel are dirty, grab a fresh towel and continue.

3. Removing Oxidation

Many single-stage paint jobs can become dull, faded, and oxidized over time due to lack of maintenance, sun exposure, etc.. That can usually be corrected without having to repaint. For light oxidation or to restore color on a slightly faded body, Adam’s Revive Hand Polish is a good way to bring old paint back to life. The hand polish uses micro-abrasives to carefully polish out light imperfections. Revive does not offer any protection, so be sure to follow it up with Adam’s Paint Sealant, Buttery Wax, or Americana Paste Wax for more gloss and great water-beading protection.

4. Removing Swirl Marks

Random orbital polishers are an incredibly effective way to remove swirl marks in finishes. Unlike rotary buffers, they do not generate significant amounts of heat and are far more forgiving, safe, and will not leave buffer trails like a rotary buffer. Long throw orbitals like Adam’s Swirl Killer provide smooth operation, and the large range corrects more quickly than other dual-action machines. Adam’s has a three-step polishing system – blue Heavy Correcting Compound for severe swirls marks and hard clear coats, orange Correcting Polish for most swirls and scratches, and white Finishing Polish to make paint as perfect as possible and put a smile on your face. All three of Adam’s polishes have color-coded foam pads to keeps things easy and efficient.

5. Cleaning And Sealing Glass

Adam’s Glass Cleaner gives excellent results with little effort. It does not contain harmful or harsh chemicals like ammonia that can do damage. It’s safe on window tint and navigation screens –  a small mist and wipe with a microfiber towel will ensure no streaks or smears. Once the exterior glass is clean, add protection with Adam’s Glass Sealant – it reduces surface tension and forces water to roll off at highway speeds, reducing the need of windshield wipers. Clay the windshield with Adam’s Visco Clay Bar, apply a few drops of Glass Sealant to the windshield and into a microfiber applicator pad. Spread the sealant across the windshield up/down and left/right for even coverage. Let it haze, spray a small amount of Glass Cleaner and buff away the residue for a clear, protected surface. Finally, maintain the sealed glass surface with Adam’s Glass Boost,  a light cleaner and sealant designed to extend the life of Adam’s Glass Sealant and make the water repelling action perform even better.

Article Sources

About the author

Roger Jetter

Roger’s interests in cars started at 14 with a ’40 Ford pick-up until he bought his first ’57 Chevy at age 16. That car is featured in the first two books he’s written about the 1960’s and growing up in the Midwest. He’s authored several more books as well and has built several cars over the years that have received major coverage in magazines and won plenty of awards. His current build is a 1948 Cadillac Sedanet, although his current 'driver' is a '55 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.
Read My Articles

Late Model LS Power in your inbox.

Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from LSX Magazine, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE!

Free WordPress Themes
LSX Magazine NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

LSX Magazine - The Late Model GM Magazine for Camaro

lsxmag

We'll send you the most interesting LSX Magazine articles, news, car features, and videos every week.

LSX Magazine - The Late Model GM Magazine for Camaro

LSX Magazine NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

LSX Magazine - The Late Model GM Magazine for Camaro

lsxmag

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...


chevyhardcore
Classic Chevy Magazine
dragzine
Drag Racing
enginelabs
Engine Tech

LSX Magazine - The Late Model GM Magazine for Camaro

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...

  • chevyhardcore Classic Chevy Magazine
  • dragzine Drag Racing
  • enginelabs Engine Tech

LSX Magazine - The Late Model GM Magazine for Camaro

lsxmag

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

LSX Magazine - The Late Model GM Magazine for Camaro

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Loading