Rich Baader decided it was time to wash his hands of the corporate lifestyle. He traded in his business lifestyle to spend more time with his family.

The Kildeer man was a corporate vice president of finance for a division of Kraft Foods before he purchased a soft cloth car wash on Rand Road in Lake Zurich. Rich and his brother, Ron, of Tinley Park, took ownership late last year of Raceway Car Wash at 7 N. Rand Road, just north of Route 22.

"I always wanted to be the small business owner on the corner," Rich said. He added that one of the best aspects of taking over the car wash was involving his entire family in the process.

His four children, ranging in age from 8 to 17 have played an active role in the business while his wife, Sue, runs the lobby area. "It has been fun to have the family involved," he said. When he was at Kraft, he said he traveled often and worked long hours, giving him little time to spend with his family.

"This is consistent with what I want. It's a family affair," he said.

The soft cloth car wash has a new look. The red awnings on the front windows are just the beginning of the changes. The business was closed for the month of December while all the equipment inside was replaced. In addition, all the furniture and fixtures are new inside.

"The place needed to be torn apart and redone," said Rich, 42.

In addition to his own family, many of the 17 employees who work at Raceway are connected through their own family. "Many of these guys are brothers or cousins. It has been a lot of fun mixing in as the father figure," he said.

Rich is also involved with another business that he runs with his sister, Kathleen. The duo operate an international student foreign exchange business.

For the past couple years, they have worked to bring international students here from Latin America and Eastern European countries.

A the new business, the cost for a car wash starts at $6.95 for an exterior wash. A full-service wash is $9.95. The new owners are also working to build the full line of detail services, Rich said.

Hours at Raceway are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (847) 550- 5552.