Kirk Umphrey

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On the farm, Umphrey’s father and his uncle instilled a rock-solid work ethic into the young muscle car fan—an asset that has served him well to the present day as he looks back over a long and distinguished career.

Professional Snapshot

except for the oil, he notes, due to his stores’ contract with Pennzoil. Fast-forward to recent years, however, and he says, “we ended up doing some of the oil too because of the shortage.”

When you grow up pulling cows out of a river, becoming a successful owner, top franchiser, and industry leader in the quick lube industry isn’t actually such a tough feat.

“One of the things that helped my career the most, overall, was growing up on a farm,” confirms Kirk Umphrey, CEO of Lube Management Corp. in Sandy, Utah. “My uncle had a ranch in Idaho, and I’d spend each summer there, working from the day school let out until it started back up.”

Today, Umphrey owns 63 Jiffy Lube stores, having grown his portfolio from 35 a er an initial purchase in May 1999.

In 2007, he took controlling interest in a title company to help facilitate all the real estate acquisitions for his Jiffy Lube and other real estate investments.

Then in 2008, Umphrey purchased what would become the first of his Mighty Auto Parts franchises, its initial location ultimately becoming the highest volume franchise in the chain. Looking to become his own supplier for the Jiffy Lube stores,

In line with his ability to move where the market leads and to anticipate that movement, Umphrey also opened the first of several successful full-service auto shops in 2012.

“We were turning away too much business in our Jiffy Lube stores, unapproved services we were not allowed to provide, and we knew those customers and wanted to be able to help them,” he says. “So we opened the stores to serve them.”

Not surprisingly, quick lube isn’t the only type of business that Umphrey has excelled at throughout his career. When he started in the business, he was a CPA, a realtor, and a general contractor, as well.

By Carol Badaracco Padgett