Around the Industry: August 2025

July 9, 2025
7 min read

Take 5 Oil Change Appoints Doug Zarkin as First Chief Marketing Officer

Take 5 Oil Change has appointed Doug Zarkin as its first chief marketing officer, according to a report from Adweek.

Zarkin most recently served as the chief brand officer for wellness and fitness services company Modern Performance and Recovery Brands, which he first took on in 2023. This came after working as CMO of Pearle Vision, as well as various marketing leadership roles for fashion and cosmetic companies.

In his role with Take 5, Zarkin will be responsible for the brand’s marketing strategy and execution. He plans to build up the brand’s story, gain deeper insight into the customer experience, and to bolster a data-driven marketing approach. He will report to Mo Khalid, executive vice president and group president for Take 5.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Doug Zarkin to the Take 5 Oil Change leadership team,” said Khalid in a statement. “Doug’s proven ability to build emotionally resonant brands will be instrumental as we continue to grow and deepen our connection with customers nationwide.”

Franchisee Store Manager Achieves Award Milestone at National Jiffy Lube Convention

Eric Hartlen, a store manager for Jiffy Lube franchisee Atlantic Coastal Enterprises, was honored with the 2024 President’s Performance Excellence Award at the recent national Jiffy Lube convention in San Antonio, Texas, according to a press release.

The annual award honors the top-performing store managers on both the East and West Coasts from among over 2,000 locations nationwide.

ACE operates 65 service centers across South Florida, Tampa, South Carolina, and Massachusetts. This marks the sixth consecutive year that one of ACE’s managers has earned the title for the East Coast, and is the third consecutive year that it’s gone to Hartlen—making him the first Jiffy Lube store manager to earn it three times in a row.

The store manager at ACE’s Davie, Florida, location, Hartlen lives in Plantation, Florida, and has been with ACE Jiffy Lube for seven years now. Upon receiving the award at the convention on May 13, Hartlen was recognized for his consistently high performance in key operational areas such as revenue growth, employee retention, inventory management, and customer satisfaction.

“This is more than just an individual achievement—it’s a testament to the kind of culture Eric has cultivated at his store,” said Richard “RJ” Jennings, director of operations for ACE Jiffy Lube. “Thanks to Eric’s leadership, his team consistently delivers top-tier customer experiences, earning remarkable satisfaction scores year after year. He sets the standard and leads by example in every facet of store operations.”

Grease Monkey on Track to Double Franchise Network in Next Three Years

Grease Monkey has expanded by 47 stores in the past nine months as it pursues plans to double in size within the next three years, as shared in a press release.

Currently, new locations are planned for Jerome and Twin Falls, Idaho; Denver, North Carolina; Phoenix, Arizona; and parts of Florida. The stores will be built around its next-generation ‘Store of the Future’ prototype, featuring express service lanes, appointment scheduling, directional signage throughout the parking lot, lounge areas and patio seating, and new technology to enhance the customer experience, such as a newly designed point of sales system.

Looking ahead, Grease Monkey is planning to open stores in several other key markets including Georgia, Idaho, North Carolina, South Dakota, California, and Texas.

“We’re very excited about the explosive growth we’re seeing across the country,” said Ron Stilwell, president of FullSpeed Automotive. “Between new franchise candidates entering our system and our existing franchisees continuing to expand, we have the ability to double our franchise footprint over the next three years, and we’re on pace to reach that target.”

Steer Partners With Market Genie for Shop Performance Tracking

Auto repair marketing and communication platform Steer has partnered with Market Genie, a market intelligence platform, as shared in a recent press release.

With Market Genie offering the capability to track industry trends and benchmark performance, the collaboration will merge customer relationship management with real-time sales and market benchmarking and enable shops to make more data-driven decisions.

As part of the partnership, Steer users will be able to access performance comparisons, market trends, and competitive pricing insights. This includes tracking a shop’s weekly sales, comparing performance with industry peers, and adjusting pricing strategies.

“Many auto shop owners struggle with understanding how their business is performing compared to competitors,” Steer stated. “Steer already helps you manage and retain customers, but, with Market Genie, you can take it a step further by measuring your shop’s success against the local, regional and national market.”

Shopmonkey Partners with Affirm to Offer Payment Installment Plans for Auto Shops

Cloud-based auto shop management platform Shopmonkey will now offer payment installment plans via Affirm as part of its payment processing solution, according to a press release.

Eligible U.S. and Canadian auto shops will now be able to offer Affirm’s pay-over-time plans when invoicing their customers.

Approved customers will have the option to split the total cost of their auto repair bill into budget-friendly biweekly or monthly payment plans, potentially for as low as 0% APR.

“We believe the automotive care experience starts the minute you drive the car off the lot until you turn the keys over to the next owner. Offering flexible payment options like Affirm is a natural extension of that belief—helping empower our customers to deliver a superior automotive care experience,” said Travis Bickham, chief commercial officer at Shopmonkey. “We are excited to partner with Affirm given their commitment to bringing innovative customer-centric solutions to market.”

11 Strickland Brothers 10 Minute Oil Change Properties Sold for $25M

Eleven properties across five states that are tenanted by Strickland Brothers 10 Minute Oil Change have been sold for $25 million, reports Shopping Center Business.

The newly constructed properties have been tenanted by Strickland Brothers 10 Minute Oil Change over the past five months. Each building is occupied on a 15-year absolute triple-net-lease with 10 percent rent increases every five years.

Seller and developer Southlake, Texas-based N3 Real Estate, completed 10 transactions across Alabama, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. Jeff Lefko and Bill Asher of Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors, who represented the seller, also represented another private seller in a separate transaction for the sale of a Strickland Brothers property in the Midwest.

Over the last 48 months, Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has sold $783 million in auto parts and service-related properties over the past 48 months, including 36 single-tenant transactions involving Strickland Brothers, Valvoline, and Jiffy Lube properties.

Report: Underinflated Tires Are Costing Vehicle Owners $18.6B Each Year

A recent report released from Firestone Complete Auto Care showed that many drivers are losing money on fuel costs from underinflated tires.

As shared in a recent press release, the report, “How to Get Money from Thin Air: The Hidden Benefits of Proper Tire Inflation,” is based on data gathered from over 1,800 Firestone stores between June 2024 and March 2025.

It found that 42% of vehicles serviced at Firestone stores had underinflated tires, with the average vehicle’s tire pressure being 13 PSI lower than the recommended pressure—something that would roughly cost drivers an extra $18.6 billion on fuel. The company has estimated that drivers could take an extra 500-mile road trip with the money they may save by properly inflating tires every year.

It was found that the states and districts with the highest rate of cars with underinflated tires were District of Columbia (72%), Hawaii (61%), and California (57%). Northeastern drivers had the lowest rate of cars with underinflated tires of any region in the U.S. (28% overall), with New Hampshire (18%) and Rhode Island (22%) leading the charge.
Additionally, sports cars and minivans were the types of vehicles that most often needed more air in their tires.

Take 5 Oil Change Franchisee Toxaway Automotive Group Continues Expansion in Georgia

Take 5 Oil Change will be building a new store in Dunwoody, Georgia, reports What Now Atlanta.

The new location will be owned by Take 5 franchisee Toxaway Automotive Group, which operates several Take 5 stores across the eastern Greater Atlanta area. The company is also currently planning for another store in Milledgeville, Georgia, as well.

The Dunwoody store is slated to go in place of an abandoned building at 4515 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. It will operate in a one-story, 1,330-square-foot brick building with two drive-thru lanes, each equipped with four stacking spaces.

An opening date has not yet been released, but plans are in motion to begin construction soon.

About the Author

NOLN Staff Reporters

The NOLN staff reporters cover the quick maintenance industry every day, from top to bottom. For news inquiries, please contact [email protected].

The NOLN Newsletter is the Definitive Source for Quick Maintenance Success