Kian-Backed PARC Auto Becomes Largest Meineke Franchisee, Expands Executive Team and Enters New Markets
August 15 2024 - 6:00AM
Business Wire
Kian Capital-backed PARC Auto, a leading Meineke Car Care
Center franchisee, is proud to announce the expansion of its
executive team with the addition of Chief Operating Officer Russ
Bowling, along with its rapid growth to become the largest Meineke
franchisee in just over one year since the formation of the Kian
platform.
The PARC Auto platform was established in July 2023 and has
since grown from 15 to 35 locations through a combination of new
store openings and four strategic acquisitions. In addition to
continuing operations in Louisville, KY, where the platform was
established, the company now has locations in the highly attractive
geographic markets of Florida, Indiana, Texas and the Portland,
Oregon metropolitan area. The company plans to continue growing
throughout the country, focusing on building density in target
markets, and remains committed to high-touch service, deep customer
satisfaction and strong operational performance.
As a result of the platform’s expansion, PARC Auto was recently
awarded the Growth Award at the annual Meineke Conference. Meineke
is part of the Driven Brands (NASDAQ: DRVN) portfolio of leading
automotive services businesses, including Take 5 Oil Change, Maaco,
Fix Auto USA and CARSTAR.
In addition to these exciting milestones, PARC Auto is pleased
to announce that Russ Bowling has joined the team as Chief
Operating Officer. The addition complements the company’s executive
team following the January 2024 announcement that Don Hill and Tara
Simecek joined as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer, respectively. Russ has a deep background in the general
automotive repair space, having previously served as the Vice
President of Operations for a large Jiffy Lube franchisee, managing
the business operations of 187 retail oil change, preventative
maintenance and general automotive repair locations. He began his
career with Pro Oil Shop Inc. Havoline Xpress Lube.
“What a year it has been — I am excited about the progress we
have made in a short period of time,” shared PARC Auto CEO Don
Hill. “We could not have achieved these milestones without Kian’s
strategic guidance and the strong relationship we have established
with Driven Brands. We’re excited to have added stores in Florida
and Texas, two of the top four automotive markets in the U.S., and
opened locations in Oregon, where we plan to soon pilot Meineke’s
electric vehicle concept. Planting new flags in target markets
across the nation has created significant momentum for the
platform, and we look forward to further growth and change over the
next year and beyond.”
“We established the platform with a specific vision,” commented
Kian Principal Caldwell Zimmerman. “Implementing Kian’s
buy-and-build strategy coupled with the hiring of three immensely
talented executives has rapidly transformed PARC Auto into the
clear leader in the Meineke system. With an increasing amount of
attention and investment in the sector, this is only the beginning
for PARC Auto. We will continue to focus on scaling the business
and providing strategic support to the team in the months
ahead.”
“I am excited to be joining an established team of professionals
that have created a significant amount of value in a short amount
of time,” said PARC Auto COO Russ Bowling. “I look forward to
bringing my expertise to better optimize company operations as we
continue ahead with our goal of furthering our leadership through
strategic M&A and new store openings.”
PARC Auto is actively seeking partnerships with Meineke
franchisees and independent general automotive repair companies.
Business owners interested in learning more should contact David
Duke, Partner, Business Development at Kian, at
dduke@kiancapital.com.
About PARC Auto
PARC Auto is a franchisee of Meineke Car Care Centers that
provides general automotive repair and maintenance with services
including oil changes, brake and suspension repair, exhaust
services, tire replacement, fluid changes and more. PARC Auto
currently owns and operates 35 high-performing locations across
Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Oregon, Texas and Washington, and it
has a reputation of strong customer satisfaction driven by its
comprehensive, transparent and high-quality inspection and repair
process. To learn more, visit www.parcautogroup.com.
About Kian Capital Partners
At Kian, we forge partnerships to ignite growth and build
enduring value. Our goal is to provide flexible financial resources
and additional operational horsepower to scale lower-middle-market
businesses, realize aspirations and deliver long-term investment
returns through genuine partnership. Proud to be recognized on
Inc.’s Founder-Friendly Investors list for three consecutive years,
Kian is a private investment firm with $1 billion of capital under
management and a focus on four core industry sectors: consumer,
services, value-added distribution and specialty manufacturing. Our
team of seasoned investors has over 100 years of collective
experience providing transformational capital solutions and
board-level strategic and operational guidance to founder/owner
operated businesses. To learn more, visit www.kiancapital.com.
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Business Inquiries David Duke Partner, Business
Development dduke@kiancapital.com T 470.823.3008 Media
Inquiries Allie Gamble MiddleM Creative (on behalf of Kian
Capital) allie@middlemcreative.com T 704.280.1432