Ismaila Bangura may not have envisioned one day becoming a store manager in the quick lube industry when he joined WLR Automotive Group as a lube technician nearly a decade ago. But discovering he had found the right organizational fit inspired him to begin climbing the ranks, and WLR has reaped the rewards of Bangura’s progress along the way.
After stints as a supervisor and assistant manager, Bangura was named location manager for The Lube Center in Gambrills, Maryland, in June 2020. Under Bangura’s leadership, the shop has achieved annual average sales of $4 million. In 2024, the shop recorded an average ticket of $150, and customers leave happy, reporting an average satisfaction score of 4.73 out of 5.
Recently, NOLN caught up with Bangura to discuss his ascent with WLR, his advice for rising stars in the quick lube industry who want to follow in his footsteps, and The Lube Center’s keys for driving up car counts and increasing ticket averages.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
NOLN: After starting with WLR as a lube technician in 2016, you worked your way up to become a supervisor and then an assistant manager before becoming a manager. Was it always your goal to make that climb?
Ismaila Bangura: Initially, it was not. I did come from another quick lube—a different business, but a quick lube. When I came to WLR Automotive Group, I saw the drastic change of the business, and honestly, that's what really intrigued me to want to keep going up. I didn’t have aspirations of being a manager, but once I got with this company and I've seen how great and family-oriented it is, and all the support that everybody has, that became my ultimate goal—to run a location one day.
NOLN: If there is someone reading this who now is in the same position you found yourself in 10 years ago, what advice would you have for them if they want to follow in your footsteps and work their way up to a leadership position?
Ismaila Bangura: I would definitely tell them to look, listen, and learn. Always keep your eyes open. Make sure you listen more than you talk, because in this industry, we deal with different changes all the time. Cars change. There may be a new procedure on something, and you always want to make sure that your skill set is always up to date with the new changes that are coming out in the automotive field. Be a student, no matter what. Every day I'm still a student, even at this age. I'm trying to learn new things every day, going on close to 10 years being in the industry. Things aren't the same as they were 10 years ago, so always be a student, always be willing to learn. Always.
NOLN: Let’s talk a little bit about your shop. What services do you offer in addition to basic oil changes? As you talk about things changing over time, have the service offerings that your location offers changed as well?
Ismaila Bangura: Yes, we do preventive maintenance here. Beyond oil changes, we offer fluid flushes, air filter services, wiper blades, pipe services—anything preventive maintenance on the vehicles. A lot of the service that we do, these vehicles will to takes different fluids over the years. A lot of these manufacturers have changed the specifications on a lot of these fluids, so we always have to make sure that we have what we need to service those vehicles so that our customers don't have to go anywhere else. If it's grabbing the fluid from the manufacturer, then that's what we have to do. But we want to make sure that we have all the necessary products to service these vehicles.
NOLN: Your shop has become pretty notable for not only having a high volume of customers, but also a high ticket average and very high customer satisfaction scores. For shop operators in other markets who are hoping to increase their car counts and ticket averages, what should they be focusing on to achieve the kind of success you have?
Ismaila Bangura: What I started doing that really was the turning point for us to start getting better and better was I had to take a step back and look at exactly what changes can be made. The No. 1 thing that I learned is if you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers. … When you come into our shop, you don't see too many different faces. You see those same people who have been there for a while, and they love the environment. I like to tell my employees that these four walls are our safe space. This is our safe space for you to be yourself. Feel safe here, and have a fun, fun day at work. If you take care of your employees, give them the proper training, and guide them throughout the day and everything, it’s only going to reflect on your customer because they will learn to trust you. They will take your advice. It's a good business relationship. A lot of our customers have been coming to us for over 10 years, so they already know exactly a lot of our procedures. Creating a very honest relationship with our customers is what really helps and contributes to our success.
NOLN: Are there any other keys that you have to building those good relationships with your customers?
Ismaila Bangura: Yes, so many different things. Just talk with them. With my customers, of course we offer service, but I've seen their kids grow up. They have seen me grow up as well. Just having those real conversations with them and whatnot, and just taking away the job side of it … It’s just being on a level basis with your customers. That is my No. 1 thing.
About the Author
Tom Valentino
Editor
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.