A successful independent shop owner from Polson, Montana, and an executive from a major national chain offer insights into each path for prospective operators.
A successful independent shop owner from Polson, Montana, and an executive from a major national chain offer insights into each path for prospective operators.
This article originally appeared on NOLN.net on Sep 28, 2026.
Read by Brittany Duncan
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Tom Valentino is the editor of National Oil and Lube News. A graduate of Ohio University, he has more than two decades of experience in newspapers, public relations and trade magazines, covering everything from high school sports to behavioral health care. Tom’s first vehicle was a 1990 Mazda 626, which he used to deliver pizzas in the summer after graduating high school. Today, he drives a 2019 Jeep Compass, which usually has a trunk full of his daughter’s sports gear. In his spare time, Tom is an avid Cleveland sports fan and a volunteer youth sports coach.
