the Leader the Leader Two industry experts share their approach to developing leadership skills and implementing e ective strategies

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Making Time Travel Work

By Hanna Bubser Photos By JJ Photography & Alice Heart Photography

e may have only been 3 years old at the time, but Russ Hotchkiss vividly remembers his first lemonade stand.

“I learned at a very early age I could go out and … buy Country Time lemonade for a dollar that would make 50 glasses of lemonade,” Hotchkiss says. “I could sell each of those for a dime. So that would turn a dollar into five, and that bought a lot of Tootsie Pops.”

For Hotchkiss, this memory represents more than just a childhood venture. It was the start of something bigger. Fast forward to today and Hotchkiss is the president and CEO of All Tune and Lube Total Car Care based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In some ways, that lemonade stand can be seen as the unofficial beginning of his journey as a take-charge leader.

For Victory Lane Quick Oil Change president and CEO Justin Cialella, quick lube leadership took shape thanks in part to a previous career in the insurance field. He learned from other established leaders at his company and formed strategies that went on to make a lasting impact on Victory Lane, which has 36 franchise locations across seven states nationwide.

“I was able to learn and model a lot of my leadership behaviors after what they taught me and (I) emulated them,” Cialella says.

Hotchkiss and Cialella each spoke with NOLN about their own journeys to leadership and how they keep the momentum going.