What started as a side job cleaning vehicles has grown into a full-time business for Chaseton Calton, and he has plans to keep growing.
Chaseton is the owner of Calton’s Mobile Detailing, located at 317 Commercial Street in Marshfield, across from Marshfield Lumber.
The business offers customers a couple of options. They can bring their vehicle to the shop for detailing, or Chaseton can load up his equipment and take the service directly to them.
For Chaseton, building a business in Marshfield wasn't necessarily part of some long-term plan. It happened a little more naturally than that.
He was born and raised in Hartville and graduated from Hartville High School. His connection to Marshfield began through his relationship with Savannah Mann, who is now his fiancée.
“I just started coming up here to see her and her family,” Chaseton said.
Through Savannah, he got to know her parents, Jeff and Selena Mann, and eventually became more connected to the Marshfield community.
His faith also became an important part of his story. Chaseton began attending CrossBridge, where Jeff Mann serves as pastor.
“I got saved there,” Chaseton said.
Eventually, he made the move to Marshfield. He has now called the community home for about two or three years.
Chaseton wasn't completely new to detailing when he arrived in Marshfield.
While still in high school, he traveled from Hartville to Lebanon to work at Ed Morse, where he detailed vehicles.
At the time, he didn't picture it becoming his career.
“I never really thought anything of it,” Chaseton said. “I just done it for a job.”
A few years later, Jeff Mann asked Chaseton if he could detail his truck.
Chaseton hadn't done much detailing for a couple of years, but he figured he could give it another shot.
“I was like, ‘Well, I haven't detailed in a couple years, but I can try,’” he said.
That one job helped bring back an old interest.
“Ever since then I've been hooked on it again,” Chaseton said.
He started detailing vehicles on the side while continuing to work a regular 8-to-5 job. Before long, that side business wasn't so small anymore.
Mann noticed.
“He told me, ‘Hey, you should open up a mobile detailing. You're busy,’” Chaseton recalled.
Chaseton wasn't convinced.
“I was like, ‘No, you're crazy. There's no way I'm gonna go out on my own.’”
But the idea stuck with him. A couple of months later, he decided to take the chance.
“I was like, ‘Well, okay, let's try it.’”
And Calton’s Mobile Detailing was underway.
The “mobile” part of Calton’s Mobile Detailing is exactly what it sounds like.
Chaseton has a box trailer equipped with the tools and supplies he needs to take his detailing operation directly to customers.
“If you can't bring your car out to me, I have a box trailer that has everything I need where I go to them wherever they're at,” he said.
That's especially useful for someone who can't easily leave a vehicle at the shop or doesn't have another ride available.
But customers can also bring their vehicles directly to Calton’s Mobile Detailing on Commercial Street.
Chaseton does much of his individual detailing work at the shop. Having an indoor location also comes in pretty handy during a hot Missouri summer.
“When it's 100 degrees out, I have air conditioners in the shop,” Chaseton said. “It's just a lot more handy.”
How long each job takes depends largely on the condition of the vehicle. After years of detailing, Chaseton said he can usually take a look at a vehicle and have a pretty good idea of how much time he'll need.
And these days, not every job involves just one vehicle.
Calton’s Mobile Detailing has expanded beyond individual customer vehicles.
On Saturdays, Chaseton takes his mobile equipment to Tipton Hay Farms in Marshfield, where he washes a fleet of more than 50 semi-trucks.
He tries to make sure every truck gets washed at least once a month.
It's a lot of work.
“It'll wear you out,” Chaseton said.
Then there are the car dealerships.
Chaseton also washes vehicles on local dealership lots, sometimes working his way through around 240 vehicles in a single day.
For those jobs, he uses reverse osmosis water. Because minerals have been removed from the water, Chaseton said he can rinse the vehicles without leaving behind the water spots that can develop when regular water dries on the surface.
That becomes especially useful when temperatures are pushing 100 degrees and hundreds of vehicles need to be cleaned.
With a second person helping, Chaseton said they can complete a dealership lot in around six hours.
That's a long way from detailing a truck on the side while still working another full-time job.
Business has grown enough that Chaseton is getting close to the limit of what he can handle on his own.
That has him thinking about the future of Calton’s Mobile Detailing.
His long-term goal is to move into a larger shop and eventually have two or three employees handling customer vehicles while the company continues its mobile and fleet work.
More than anything, Chaseton wants Calton’s Mobile Detailing to become a name Marshfield residents immediately think of when their vehicle needs some attention.
“I would like to be like, ‘Hey, we're in Marshfield. I need a detail. Who do I go to?’” Chaseton said. “And then they just know, ‘Oh, Calton's Detailing. They're over there on Commercial Street.’”
When Chaseton isn't working around vehicles, much of his free time is spent with Savannah.
The two enjoy going on dates and trying different restaurants.
After plenty of experimenting, they've settled on a favorite local steakhouse restaurant in Springfield.
They make the trip about once a month. Chaseton enjoys the steak, while Savannah's favorite is the Hawaiian chicken.
For someone who didn't grow up in Webster County, Marshfield has quickly become home.
It's where Chaseton found his church, built relationships and eventually took the chance of turning something he once did as a side job into his own business.
Now, he's hoping Calton’s Mobile Detailing will continue growing right along with him.
Customers can find Calton’s Mobile Detailing on Facebook, where Chaseton regularly posts before-and-after photos of his work. The business can also be found online by searching Calton’s Mobile Detailing.
The shop is located at 317 Commercial Street in Marshfield, across from Marshfield Lumber.
