Alex Bjorke spent his high school years playing varsity basketball, keeping up his grades and building something else entirely: a car detailing business that now serves clients across Tucson, Casas Adobes, Tanque Verde and Green Valley.

Bjorke, 18, started Salvation Mobile Detailing as a way to earn extra money, but the business has since become his passion.

"I didn't always have the entrepreneurial mindset," Bjorke said. "While growing up, I had always wanted to go to college and get a good degree, try to find a good paying job. Maybe I want to be a lawyer, maybe I want to be an engineer."

Living in his grandmother's house in Marana with his mother and sister, Bjorke worked with his friends on odd jobs like painting house numbers on the curbs. The inspiration behind the mobile detailing business came from Bjorke's friend Alex Ho, who suggested they start cleaning cars.

Ho and Bjorke had been best friends since fifth grade and would work together on "side hustles" to earn money. During their sophomore year at Mountain View High School, Ho suggested he and Bjorke go door-to-door and see who was interested in paying them for car detailing services.

Early on, some people were skeptical that anyone would pay, let alone trust, two teenagers to clean the inside and outside of their car.

But with hard work, good customer service and a turn of good luck, they proved their worth and word got around that they were reliable.

"On the first day, we made a couple hundred bucks, which kind of just hooked me," Bjorke said.

Still in high school and with limited responsibilities, Bjorke and Ho treated detailing as an occasional source of spending money. But Bjorke had a change of heart about his career path and began considering pursuing a business degree in college.

His plans changed after a bad leg injury while playing basketball his junior year of high school, which meant he had to stay home over winter break to heal.

At first, Bjorke and Ho maintained an agreement in which Bjorke sourced clients and Ho provided the service, with Bjorke receiving a percentage of the pay. Eventually, their business relationship soured, and the two parted ways as partners.

After he recovered, Bjorke wanted to continue doing the work that he knew, but had also grown to enjoy.

Chatting and getting to know the people he works for is Bjorke's favorite part of the job. Especially during the summer, he said, customers will bring him ice-cold water or other small gifts while he works.

"Yesterday … I had somebody offer me ice cream," Bjorke said.

That kind of appreciation is part of what keeps him going.

Salvation Mobile Detailing operates as a contract business where customers can get quotes for detailing jobs ranging from an interior vacuuming or basic exterior wash to waxing and even mold remediation.

In addition to his customer base in Marana, Bjorke has expanded the business to include Casas Adobes, Tanque Verde and Green Valley.

"What I realized is that if I wasn't serving those places, then I'd be cutting myself off from potential income," he said.

Since Salvation Mobile Detailing is not the only car detailing business in town, Bjorke has subcontracted with other local companies to get more work, often negotiating the contracts himself.

Bjorke is hoping to expand into the Phoenix area in the future.

Quentin Agnello is a University of Arizona alum and freelance journalist in Tucson. Contact him at qsagnello@gmail.com.

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