Growing Auto Service Company Seeking Franchisees

Express Oil Change, a national chain with three stores in the greater Tampa Bay region, plans to open more stores and is seeking franchisees. The company, which offers customers a one-stop complete automotive service center, opened its first local store in Valrico in 2006. Two others are in South Tampa and Seffner. Now the company is looking to expand.

“We are still looking for additional franchisees in the greater Tampa area,” says Donald Larose, senior VP of franchise development for Express Oil Change. “We are working towards developing another 10 to 15 stores over the next five to eight years. Ultimately we believe we could reach up to 30 stores in the overall Tampa/St. Pete market.”

According to Larose, each new store that opens creates anywhere from six to 10 new jobs, which could have a great impact on the local economy. At each location positions include a store manager, a head certified mechanic, an assistant manager who can also work on the oil change side of business, and support staff.

“We look for people who have a set of characteristics that tends to lead to successful business operations, and those include goal and future growth orientation, strong interpersonal skills for interacting with customers and their store staff, and a strong desire to provide customers with a superior retail experience,” Larose says.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Donald Larose, Express Oil Change