STRATEGIZING FRANCHISE OPERATIONS

Next Article

Don’t Get Stuck on Repeat

Carmen Strickland sees avenues of opportunity for Mighty Auto Parts franchisees.

BY HANNA BUBSER

THERE IS A LOT TO BE SAID FOR A commitment to a company that has lasted for three decades. Over those years, navigating inevitable change becomes a necessity and thinking strategically about what comes next becomes second nature.

Carmen Strickland has worked for Mighty Distributing System for 30 years. She joined in 1993, and throughout her journey she has seen firsthand many aspects of the company. Ultimately, all of her experience led her to the franchise operations department that she finds herself in today.

“I started off as a programmer for Mighty and grew within the IT department for about 15 years,” Strickland says. “Then I went into the production information department, which is our catalog and buying guide … all our data that is housed for the franchisees, for about 10 years. Then [I] started in the franchise operations department about five years ago.”

In 2018, she became Mighty’s director of franchise operations, and in November 2022 she was promoted to vice president of franchise operations. This new role allows Strickland to continue with her dedication to the Mighty franchise model, which as she explains, is distinctive within the industry.

“Our model is a stocking business, so our franchisees go out to their customers and stock their shelves,” Strickland says. “So they end up stocking their shelves rather than doing a quick delivery or the guy driving up and delivering the part.”

Mighty Distributing System is a Georgia-based franchisor. It has a franchise distributor and company operations network that spans across 44 states as well as five international markets, according to the Mighty franchise website. Mighty Auto Parts franchisees offer preventive maintenance products as well as services that include inventory management, training and more.

Setting Goals

Strickland’s work as the director of franchise operations involved working with the processes used to onboard franchisees and ensuring standardization across practices. As vice president of franchise operations, she will continue to do some of this same work while also bringing on more franchise consultants.

“My work is very direct, especially for a brand-new franchise,” Strickland says. “I become their main contact on the process of onboarding them, setting them up with inventory, warehouse, shelving [and] every aspect of an operation side of the warehouse.”

As she settles into this new role and into the new year, Strickland has longterm goals on her mind. She wants to ensure that franchisees are supported and set up for success.

“My goal for this department is to set some standards and procedures for onboarding our new franchisees, for audits of our existing franchisees, support from an accounting or operations standpoint for our franchisees and just be more proactive on helping them from a support aspect and helping them grow their business,” Strickland says.

This strategy for success and consistency is especially important because, as Strickland points out, Mighty franchisees come from many different areas within the industry.

“We have franchisees that own Jiffy Lubes, that own tire distributors, that own other quick lubes [and] that own dealerships,” Strickland says.

The Aftermarket Impact

According to Strickland, dealerships are an interesting avenue for Mighty because working with them provides an opportunity to set up an innovative approach to the franchise model.

“Dealerships have become more of our focus for strategic franchises,” Strickland says. “So, we’re trying to set up processes and procedures to help onboard them … teaching them from an aftermarket standpoint because they’re so used to the OE.”

Strickland says the intention behind developing these dealership relationships harkens back to the dealership experience during the 2008 recession. People weren’t interested in buying new cars, which put dealerships in a tricky position. Strickland says the aftermarket model could be a beneficial implementation for these dealerships to avoid another 2008-esque situation in in the future.

“We went into a depression, and nobody bought new cars, so dealerships had to find new ways of going about that,” Strickland says. “One way is working on all makes and models, so right now our goals for the future with the dealerships that we’re bringing on would be to help into the aftermarket because that is an area they’ve never ventured into before.”

Dealerships are not the only category that can benefit from Mighty franchising. Quick lube service providers, tire dealers and entrepreneurs alike can participate within this system as well.

Strickland says individuals interested in learning more about franchising can visit the Mighty Auto Parts website and click on “Own a Franchise.” From there, Mighty can help determine the best strategy and approach, which is something that Strickland looks forward to seeing the impact of within her role.

“We do margin analysis, comparisons of what you’re currently buying, and your cost and we will then cross over the parts and do the cost,” Strickland says. “It’s a great way to look at, ‘Does it make sense?’ and more and more it does, lately.”

Midas Blood Drive Offers Free Oil Changes

A Midas location in South Carolina recently held a blood drive with the Red Cross, according to ABC 25 Columbia.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held in December at the Midas location in Columbia to celebrate the one-year anniversary of its opening. Mayor Daniel Rickenmann and Gus Herlong, a representative with Midas and President of Palmetto Garage Works, were some of the officials in attendance.

The Red Cross was at the ceremony to take blood donations. In exchange, people who donated had the opportunity to receive a voucher for a free oil change. Herlong told ABC 25 Columbia over 20 people chose to donate blood. “Our platform is to give back to the community. We’re going to market that way. We’re going to continue donating and giving back in cities in which we do business. Cars don’t fix themselves and neither do communities. And the only way we change that is we give back,” Herlong said.

Technicians Save Bunny During Oil Change

Car dealership technicians at Germain BMW of Naples in Florida found something surprising during a recent oil change: a rabbit.

According to UPI, Kyle Fridh and Noah Caprisien heard a scratching noise during a routine oil change on a car. After some investigating, they found a bunny trapped in the car’s motor mount area.

They freed the animal and proceeded to chase it around the garage until they were able to safely release it back outside. The dealership posted a video captured by Caprisien of the event on its Instagram page.

announced an expansion to its product portfolio to now include the XLR8 branded line, according to a press release.

The XLR8 branded line is a suite of automotive products developed for the quick lube industry. Some of these products include: fuel treatments, oil system cleaners and treatments, washer fluid concentrate, brake cleaners and stop squeak, transmission and cooling system cleaners, sealants and treatments and more.

“The addition of XLR8 products to our portfolio is significant. The products in the XLR8 line address the unique needs and related services that are critical to a successful quick lube business. The XLR8 line leans into our extensive experience in the automotive installed space and give us an industry-leading solution to help us meet the extremely diverse needs of the quick lube segment,” said Arnold Gacita, Petra Automotive Products, Inc. founder and owner.

Petra was founded in 2010. According to the press release, Petra manufactures and distributes more than 325 products to 40 countries.

Petra Develops Product Line For Quick Lube Industry

Automotive aftermarket firm Petra Automotive Products has

AFTER ACQUISITION, KEVIN DAVIS TO JOIN OIL CHANGERS

Oil Changers announced that Kevin Davis will join the company as director of leadership and training.

Davis sold his network of 19 Fast Change Lube & Oil locations to Oil Changers in late 2022. Davis also operates Quick Lube Expert, a network for quick maintenance professionals.

“If you know Kevin, you know there is no one better for this role than him,” Oil Changers President Eric Frankenberger said in a press release. “The way Kevin can captivate a crowd and motivate for change will be largely beneficial to our workforce and we look forward to seeing what he can do in this new role.”

The release said that Davis will work to improve employee productivity and develop training solutions.

Cold Spell Means More Aaa Battery Installs

The winter arctic temperatures that have affected much of the U.S. has AAA technicians installing more batteries for motorists.

“The cold can get into the batteries, that’s really low on cell capacity; it will affect that battery,” said Evron Brown with AAA. “We’ve been hammered. We’ve been hammered. That’s all it’s been mostly, was batteries.”

Brown told NSB-TV 2 Atlanta that frigid temperatures can hurt vehicles that are not used to brutally cold temperatures. His customers recently learned this the hard way.

“The cold weather gets in and hurts the cells inside the battery. So when the battery is not being recharged enough, the cells inside with the cold weather, they won’t reactivate,” Brown said.

He added that battery change requests have been especially high since the pandemic.

VALVOLINE SEEKS APPROVAL FOR NEW VIOC IN MINN.

A new Valvoline Instant Oil Change location is in the works in St. Cloud, Minn.

According to WJON, it is expected that a request for approval will be asked of the St. Cloud City Council during an upcoming meeting for the “final plat for a new building.” The proposal aims to establish a 0.4-acre parcel for a commercial building in the parking lot of a St. Cloud shopping center.

The plan is to construct a new Valvoline Instant Oil Change location. St. Cloud has one other VIOC in the city.

Car Crashes Into Take 5 Oil Change

A car crashed into a Take 5 Oil Change building in January, according to WKRG News 5.

The store is located in Mobile, Ala.

FORMER BRIDGESTONE EXEC WANTS TO ‘RETHINK’ SHOP EXPERIENCE WITH NEW VENTURE

The Oklahoman has a feature story about Ned Aguilar, a former Hibdon Tire and Bridgestone executive who is launching a new vehicle maintenance operation in Oklahoma City.

In the article, Aguilar says that his business, FastLap, is a “new type of customer-centric model Aguilar hopes will transform the industry.” He hopes to gain efficiencies from streamlined services and digital strategies and simplify the consumer process, the article says.

The company website says the shop offers fluid services, electrical, diagnostic, brake repair, and alignments, among other services. With the help of investors, Aguilar hopes to build out a network of 10 locations in the OKC area, according to The Oklahoman.

on Airport Boulevard. WKRG was on the scene after the crash, and their team reported that no damage was immediately seen to the building itself. The crash occurred on Jan. 8.

The car was towed away and no injuries were reported. Mobile Fire Rescue, EMS and Mobile Police all responded to the incident.

Lucas Oil Gives Free Car Washes To Law Enforcement

Lucas Oil Center recognized Law Enforcement Appreciation Day at the Nitro Car Wash in Evansville, Ill.

According to the press release, Lucas Oil Center hosted an event that included, Lucas Oil Center is hosting an event that includes free car washes for law enforcement officers. Officers must arrive in a marked vehicle or show their official badge if they are in a personal or unmarked vehicle. There will also be free donuts available from Donut Bank and free coffee from Brickyard at the eastside Lucas Oil Center location.

“At Lucas Oil Center, we believe in the important work that law enforcement does to keep our communities safe,” said Bill Floyd, owner of Lucas Oil Center via the press release. “That’s why we are proud to give back to the men and women who serve and protect us every day. Supporting law enforcement is not just about thanking them for their service, but about investing in the safety and well‐being of our neighborhoods. We are honored to be able to do our part in supporting these brave individuals.”

The event ran on Monday, January 9.

AUTOMAKERS SAY SALES FELL 8% LAST YEAR

Vehicle sales dropped 8% from 2021 due to supply chain issues, according to AP News.

“Automakers reported Wednesday that they sold 13.9 million cars, trucks, SUVs and vans last year as the parts shortage limited factory output amid high demand for new vehicles,” According to AP News. “It was the lowest sales number since 2011 when the economy was recovering from the Great Recession.”

Overall, 2022 saw the lowest level of vehicle sales in over a decade. It is predicted by analysts that auto sales will increase by about 1 million to reach 14.8 million in 2023 if demand stays strong.

Chip production has shown improvement for the auto industry, but AP News reports that it hasn’t quite returned to the levels that were seen prior to the pandemic. This means that auto production is not back to full output yet. Something of note is that electric vehicle sales were at over 807,000 in 2022, which is an increase of nearly 65% from 2021.