From Marine to Market Manager

In 2025, Eric Hartlen received the 2024 President's Performance Excellence Award at the national Jiffy Lube convention. The store manager for Atlantic Coastal Enterprises’ Jiffy Lube store in Davie, Florida, he’s the first Jiffy Lube store manager ever to win the award three years in a row—but he didn’t earn it through happenstance.

After his time in the Marine Corps working as a diesel technician, Hartlen took a chance on his local Jiffy Lube, signing up to work as a technician. After seeing how the business operates and the potential for a rewarding career, he challenged himself to grow as a leader in an entirely different environment, and now has shop management down to a science.

A Team Player

Growing up working on a New Hampshire farm, Hartlen was no stranger to tinkering around with machinery, working on equipment like tractors and small engines. By the time he was around 12 years old, he became interested in taking his skills beyond the local farm and to the local racetrack. His father supported him, working on vintage vehicles he owned alongside his son.

“He had old cars—like a Chevy Nova and things like that—that he would work on. So, it just kind of really stemmed from that,” tells Hartlen. “My background, my whole family's background, is mechanic work, so it's just what I did.”

With the encouragement of his father, Hartlen built up his skills and raced in his hometown. When it came time to graduate high school, he went on to the Marine Corps to work as a diesel technician.

Hartlen hit a fork in the road after leaving the Marine Corps in 2011. Now living in Quantico, Virginia, he took time to ponder the next steps in his career. It was by chance that Hartlen decided to get an oil change during this period, leading him to a role with his local Jiffy Lube.

“Honestly, I was just going in to get an oil change, because I was planning on moving back home,” tells Hartlen. “I was going to get an oil change and head out, but I saw a ‘now hiring’ sign, and I decided to apply that day while I was getting the oil change.”

Before he could leave, Hartlen was pulled aside by the vice president of that franchise, who happened to be on site that day. He went ahead and conducted an interview, and hired Hartlen on the spot, launching him into a new journey in his career.

Entering a New Industry

Hartlen started as a technician, and moved up to a store manager role within six months—but it was only through hard work that he got there. The quick lube is industry is one where many veterans find success, due to the fast-paced, team-oriented environment. But, as with entering any new sector, Hartlen faced new challenges. 

Starting as a technician in the lower bay, Hartlen didn’t think he would be good with customer service tasks. However, after dipping his feet in the water and watching how the business operated, he became motivated to pursue a management role. He reached out to his manager, who took Hartlen under his wing and rigorously trained Hartlen. The more he learned and progressed, the more Hartlen realized this is what felt right for him.

“I was running the store in Massaponax, Virginia, within six months of being employed, and I never looked back,” says Hartlen.

After becoming a store manager, Hartlen also realized that it was important to take the time to understand each employee’s motivations for the work they do. Taking the time to connect with them, understanding their backgrounds and who they are, has gone a long way in helping Hartlen create a structured environment in all the stores he’s managed.

“That was really a challenge for me. Because I want, I want, I want—but I never understood the needs of the employee,” explains Hartlen. “Once I started to understand that, and I started to realize, ‘well, what does this guy need from me in order to succeed for me?’, My job started becoming a lot easier. A lot less turnover, a lot less friction, daily things like that.”

Going from the military to the quick lube industry has its differences. You never know who you’ll be interacting with on any given day, and you will always need to be ready to know how to react in a calm, polite manner. But the similarities quick lube offers veterans often outweigh the differences. For Hartlen, he thrived on the challenge of a new industry, while also realizing he already had many of the traits a strong manager needs.

“Working with a team, building a team, I've always been pretty good at that,” tells Hartlen. “It's second nature, in my opinion. For myself, when I was 16, 17 years old, I was working on a tree farm back home, and I was running a group of guys that were twice my age. So, it’s honestly been what I've done my whole life, with sports and different various jobs. That's really why I wanted to be a store manager.”

Seeing the Results of Your Work

Hartlen’s drive, combined with the humility to reflect and react accordingly, has driven him straight to success in the quick lube field. He’s worked throughout the Jiffy Lube network, serving as a manager for franchisee locations in Utah and Colorado. 

Since joining Atlantic Coast Enterprises in 2017, Hartlen has managed multiple locations and currently serves as a market manager. As store manager of the Davie, Florida, location, his leadership elevated the team to one of the top-performing stores in the Jiffy Lube franchise system, earning him his most recent President’s Performance Excellence Award last year.

In an industry defined by speed, you’re going to feel beat some days. Hartlen is no stranger to that—but he maintains that growth can only be possible after having hard learning experiences. He doesn’t let any missteps or failures be a reason to call it quits. He uses it to become a better leader.

“There's been many times where I've wanted to throw in a towel and say, ‘I'm done’—but then the next day is a better day,” says Hartlen. “The quick lube industry is highly competitive. It's tough, but I promise: If you hang in there, you do it the right way, and you come to work with a great, motivating attitude every day, it gets better. But it's a tough business to be in, so you got to stick with it.”