Treat Every Vehicle As Your Own

by Kara Bishop
NOLN Staff Writer

Voted number-one oil change in Ventura County for seven years in a row, Auto Lube Care in Ventura, California has quite the reputation. Of course it is due to the hard work and dedication of National Oil & Lube News' 1991 Operator of the Year, Glenn Morris.

A former army medic, Morris joined his father in the fast lube industry in 1975 and has been there ever since, and served as the president of the six-store operation when his father retired. He sold five of the stores more than two decades ago and now runs the original store based on the advice his dad once gave him.

"My father always said that the most honest way to treat each customer is to service their vehicle as if it was my own," Morris said. "That has been and will always be my motto. We are our customers' family car's best friend."

He learned a lot from his father. "Dad always told me we weren't in the oil change business, we were in the customer service business. He said that I should throw in the oil change as a thank you!"

Auto Lube Care has (for years) been very active in the community. Morris has established a new program, "EcoQuality," a green initiative to better protect the environment and reduce his shop's carbon footprint on the planet.

"The oil industry is perhaps one of the biggest culprits in hurting our environment. Since 1974, Auto Lube Care has made consistent efforts to reduce our carbon footprint on the planet; we just haven't said much about it," he said. "We are now launching the new EcoQuality standard, which doesn't compromise quality, but instead better serves everyone's best interest. We are trying to involve our entire community in the EcoQuality movement, as well."

He decided to give back to the community surrounding him when a good friend and business professor advised him to do as much as he could for his community, saying "If you do this, the community in turn will support you with their business and you'll feel good for doing good deeds."

On a more personal note, Morris was a typical boy growing up and would make mistakes. He said his mother would always look at him and say that he couldn't be the perfect son, but that he should strive to be for the rest of his life.

"I applied this advice to not only my personal life but my business side of things, as well. It has brought me some satisfying success over the years, too," Morris said.

Grandparents tend to be good at giving advice, as well. "I remember when I was 10 years old, my grandfather told me that not everyone wanted to be my friend, but that I should value those who did. This has helped me through life and has propelled me that much further to success," Morris said.

However, Morris' favorite piece of advice came at a time when he needed help the most.

"A close friend observed that I was struggling with life. He told me to stop listening to the world and listen to myself. We can get so caught up in what others think of us that we stop being productive citizens in our communities and in our jobs. I decided to heed his words, and it has truly made the biggest difference in my life. I see the world differently and am confident in my own ability to do what I think is right and best with little regard for what others might think of me. This has greatly improved my way of living and given me a more positive atmosphere in which to live," he said.

Morris has definitely come a long way. From performing EEGs (which measure brain wave activity) in the army to running a six-store company to settling down with the original store and treating customers' cars like they're his own, he has some great advice to share with others, as well.

"One thing that hasn't changed in my 35 years of business is the customers," Morris said. "Our customers are still great, and it's been a pleasure to see whole families grow up. We are now doing oil changes for second and third generations of customers. I think it has to do with our slogan, 'Quality means caring,' along with the fact that they know we won't do anything to their vehicle that we wouldn't do to our own."