The NOLN Podcast

For the automotive service industry, location is crucial to building a solid customer base, ensuring easy access to the shop, and, notably, community acceptance. All three are critical to any service business. Even as a community will want convenience, there are concerns about increased traffic, noise, parking, market saturation, and cultural considerations. Those are among the many issues quick lube operators face when building ne...

In this installment of the Endeavor to Discover series, Chris Messer and Mike Jones welcome president/founder James Baxter and store manager Hunter Barton of Neighborhood Tire Pros in Atlanta. By 2008, Neighborhood Tire Pros had grown to 14 locations before the nation’s economic downturn put a strain on the business that led to the sale of 10 stores.

Baxter and Barton discuss the climb back, putting a focus on the remaining four co...

As a skilled leader who is known for lifting up those around him, Brian Morrison has thrived as the operator of 19 quick lube facilities. Once an executive in the food service industry, Morrison now oversees a burgeoning network of franchise locations for FullSpeed Automotive’s SpeeDee Oil Change & Automotive Service and Grease Monkey brands. A skilled business leader, a charitable boss, and a proud family man, Morrison is the ...

With iFLEX shifting to AAPEX this year, Jenn Bochnowski, vice president of PAMA’s board of directors, and Mark Bogdansky, vice president of trade shows and community engagement for the Auto Care Association, visit the NOLN Podcast to discuss the move. Bochnowski and Bogdansky explain why the move was made, what will look familiar to past AAPEX and iFLEX attendees, and the ways in which the two parties aim to create a better overall...

This article originally appeared on NOLN.net on April 23, 2025.

After recently celebrating the opening of the company’s 500th franchise location, Take 5 President Tim Austin joins the NOLN Podcast to discuss the fast lube chain’s rapid growth. He also breaks down the factors Take 5 considers when evaluating new markets, the traits the company looks for in ideal franchisees, and the ways in which Take 5 will define success in 2026 and beyond.

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In this episode of the Endeavor to Discover series, Chris Messer and Mike Jones are joined by Chris Jones, editorial director for Endeavor Business Media’s Vehicle Service Repair Group, to discuss the concept of “fighting forward” at the start of a new year. The conversation centers on the idea that people and organizations often focus on what they don’t want, which creates negative mental pictures, emotions, and behaviors. The gro...

With quick lube operators getting settled into the new year, the NOLN Podcast is catching up on industry headlines you may have missed over the past few weeks. Here are the stories discussed in this episode:

• Shop Marketing Pros Reports Google Ads Breach

• Castrol Sold by BP to Stonepeak in $10.1 Billion Deal

• Sayle Oil Company Acquires Car Care Clinic/Jet Lube of Central Mississippi

• Real Estate Investment Firm Acquires...

Steer Senior VP Gregg Rainville returns to the NOLN Podcast to discuss how his company his putting a new spin on an old standby: the oil change reminder sticker placed on windshields. Rainville explains how Steer is enhancing window stickers with QR codes that can help customers check service wait times at their favorite quick lube shop, keep track of services performed on their vehicles, and more.

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Whether it’s a vacation resort or a quick lube shop, a service-oriented business’ ticket to happy guests starts with establishing—and sustaining—a healthy workplace culture. HR expert Chuck Simikian explains why building a healthy workplace culture is vital, and he offers advice on how shop owners can keep their employees engaged.

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NOLN sat down with Anan Bishara, CEO of Premium Guard Inc., at AAPEX last month in Las Vegas to discuss navigating the challenges of global supply chain issues and tariffs. Bishara also explained how PGI’s acquisition of the Ecogard brand five years ago has helped the company expand its presence in the quick lube industry, and he provided insights on the use of machine learning to support inventory management.

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In this Endeavor to Discover series episode, Chris Messer talks with Mike Jones of Discover Leadership at AAPEX. Jones previews his SEMA Show presentation “Mind Your Business,” which focuses on mindset awareness and how individual attitudes shape workplace culture and results. He emphasizes surrounding yourself with positive, growth-minded people and creating—not reacting to—your environment. Jones discusses how resistant team memb...

In the second of three interviews recorded at AAPEX, NOLN catches up with Noel Peña, senior executive director of sales and business development at DRN. Peña explains how the company uses license plate reader technology to help automotive businesses—including quick lubes—target highly qualified customers by collecting data on vehicles passing by their shops.

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Whether they’re working on the shop floor or keeping tabs from afar, quick lube leaders put in the hours guiding their teams to success. This article, written by NOLN Editor Tom Valentino, takes readers through a day on the job for two shop leaders—a manager for a Valvoline Instant Oil Change location in Lexington, Kentucky, and a Costa Oil 10-Minute Oil Change shop in Perry, Ohio.

This article originally appeared on NOLN.net on J...

Victory Lane CEO Justin Cialella stopped by the EndeavorB2B podcast booth at AAPEX 2025 to offer his takeaways from the big industry trade show in Las Vegas and also discuss developments with Victory Lane. The company recently relaunched a location in Farmington Hills, Michigan—formerly its oldest franchise—after acquiring it as a corporate store. To re-introduce the shop to its community, Victory Lane held a massive grand re-openi...