Honest-1 featured in Tire Business

Honest-1 Auto Care was featured yesterday in Tire Business discussing the growth of its franchisee base by 50 percent in 2013. Getting prepared for nearly 13 openings before year end, Honest-1 has proven itself to be a critical player in the after-market automotive care industry. Providing a much needed service, sales are up in the first two quarters nearly 35 percent! The franchise system is providing a clean environment, family-friendly services and honest mechanics and technicians to help educate customers on their cars needs.

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PUBLISHED ON AUGUST 5, 2013

Honest-1expects "deluge'

William Schertz

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—Honest-1 Auto Care L.L.C. will grow its franchisee base by 50 percent in 2013.

That tally takes into account locations that the franchisor opened earlier this year in Tacoma, Wash., and Portland, Ore., along with another 13 expected to open before year-end.

It's been four years since Honest-1 completed the rebranding of its now eco-friendly-focused business model, and Chip Baranowski, Honest-1's vice president of franchise development, said he couldn't be more pleased with the program's rate of expansion.

“We opened eight stores last year, and we've had two open this year and now we have a whole tsunami hitting here soon,” said Mr. Baranowski, who co-owns the program along with Jack Keilt and Rissy Sutherland. “We're finishing up financing and construction, and we're going to see a deluge in openings the rest of this year. It's pretty exciting.”

Scheduled to open this year are outlets in Atlanta; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas; Houston; Philadelphia; Portland, Ore.; Minneapolis (three stores); San Antonio; San Diego; and northern Virginia (two stores). The new openings would boost the Scottsdale-based franchisor's store count to 45. 

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Honest-1 Auto Care Continues to Receive Accolades and is Listed on Franchise Business Review’s Top 50 Brand of 2013

Growing Auto Care Company Garners Second Award of the Year from Well-Known Industry Publication

Honest-1 Auto Care, the nation’s only full-service auto care company that is 100 percent ESA® Certified Eco-Friendly, announced a major recognition as an auto care company but also as a top franchisor. Clocking in as one of eight automotive brands, Honest-1 was acknowledged in the “Best of 2013: Guide to Today's Top Franchises,” by FranchiseBusinessReview.com.

The ranking marks the publication’s second award honored to Honest-1 in 2013. Earlier this year, the auto-care company was also featured in their Franchise Satisfaction Awards (FBR50), an awards program that ranks companies based solely on actual franchise satisfaction.

“We are thrilled and honored to be chosen as one of Franchise Business Review’s top automotive brands,” said Rissy Sutherland, COO of Honest-1 Auto Care. “Since we put all of our effort into ensuring our customers and franchisees are happy and successful by providing not only top of the line experiences and service to our retail customers but also to our franchisees as well. We are eager to continue growing and providing top quality service to our customers and growing as a system.”

Looking at industries across several categories, the guide aims to explore emerging trends to determine which franchise concepts are the most popular and those that are working the best in their respective categories, as well as to explore from an investment and financing standpoint.

Based on a survey of more than 26,000 franchisees representing over 350 franchise brands and 125,000 franchise units/locations, Franchise Business Review acknowledged many of Honest-1’s strengths superior training, support and a vast array of franchise offerings to fit most investment levels and situations.

“Coming off a successful Q1 where our actions directly led to these honors from Franchise Business Review, we look forward to continuing the momentum,” said Chip Baranowski, Vice President of Franchise Development for Honest-1 Auto Care.  “There are many exciting things on the horizon for the brand including new territory areas we have never been in before. Our goal remains the same – to expand and prove we are a difference-maker in the industry.”

The brand recently announced a 31 percent revenue increase from quarter one of 2012 to quarter one of 2013. This continued growth comes on the heels of the 33.4 percent system-wide sales increase Honest-1 experienced in 2012 over 2011, the best increase in the company’s history. Marked by two new region developer deals signed in quarter one to further anchor the growing company in the Midwest and East Coast, Honest-1 is slated for significant location expansion this year.

Aiming to fix the auto care customer experience, H-1 also took the time to re-define how the entire experience should look and feel, from the customer service members at the front desk to the waiting areas and top-quality amenities available while customers wait. Plus, Honest-1 utilizes top of the line technology to review repairs with their customers by showing the customer their vehicle and service issues in a 3D interface to visually see their vehicle needs, and not just hear it from their customer service manager. These, in addition to their consistent and trusting social media voice, demonstrate why Honest-1 “gets” their customer more than any other auto care company.

Honest-1 Auto Care plans to expand into additional markets around the country including, Phoenix, Atlanta, Nashville, Indianapolis, Miami, Orlando, Raleigh, Charlotte, Michigan, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Denver, and many others. For more information about Honest-1 franchising, visit www.h1franchise.com.  

Honest-1 Auto Care Revs Up Financial Growth with 31.6 Percent Sales Increase from Q1 2012 to Q1 2013

Pioneering Auto Care Chain Demonstrates Business Model is Dominating with Strong Year-Over-Year Sales

Honest-1 Auto Care (Honest-1), a national full-service auto care company that is 100 percent ESA® Certified Eco-Friendly, announced a 31 percent revenue increase from quarter one of 2012 to quarter one of 2013. This continued growth comes on the heels of the 33.4 percent system-wide sales increase Honest-1 experienced in 2012 over 2011, the best increase in the company’s history.

“Demonstrated through the hard-work of every associate in our network, we are thrilled to see returns this strong from a year-over-year perspective, especially because this is generally an unprecedented type of increase in the automotive or franchising world,” said Rissy Sutherland, COO of Honest-1 Auto Care. “From a strategic growth standpoint, we are just getting started. We have made some strong expansion strides in the past year and are focused on the next phase of our company’s progress.”

Marked by two new region developer deals signed in quarter one to further anchor the growing company in the Midwest and East Coast, Honest-1 is slated for significant location expansion this year.

Chip Baranowski, Vice President of Franchise Development for Honest-1 Auto Care, cites the importance of market diversification to the company’s future sales health.

“We have cornerstone regions where we are very strong such as Arizona, Minnesota and the Pacific Northwest,” Baranowski said. “But growing into Ohio, for example, we hope demonstrates to customers our approach to auto service works  because of the customer-centric values we have in place – honesty, a comfortable experience, and a meaningful car care education for customers. We can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and keep things going.”

Honest-1 prides itself on servicing the customer from all capacities. From an informational standpoint, their technicians have a wide scope of knowledge to impart for general and more advanced transmission-based service work on their website, tips that help preserve the long-term efficiency of one’s vehicle. They provide all scopes of service work, from basic oil changes to full transmission diagnostics and complete auto repair services, to ensure the customer feels comfortable that every single repair job or recommendation will help improve the vehicle and is actually necessary.

Aiming to fix the auto care customer experience, H-1 also took the time to re-define how the entire experience should look and feel, from the customer service members at the front desk to the waiting areas and top-quality amenities available while customers wait. Plus, Honest-1 utilizes technology to review repairs with their customers by showing the customer their vehicle and service issues in a 3D interface to visually see their vehicle needs, and not just hear it from their customer service manager. These, in addition to their consistent and trusting social media voice, demonstrate why Honest-1 “gets” their customer more than any other auto care company.

“We work hard to be not only a company servicing vehicles, but one that is a partner to each customer,” said Sutherland. “That’s why we encourage everyone to come into the shop to receive a FREE safety inspection. We also encourage our customers to ‘like’ us on Facebook to learn additional details about how we plan to work together to grow Honest-1 and our communities to the next level.”

Honest-1 Auto Care plans to expand into additional markets around the country including, Phoenix, Atlanta, Nashville, Indianapolis, Miami, Orlando, Raleigh, Charlotte, Michigan, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Denver, and many others. For more information about Honest-1 franchising, visit www.h1franchise.com.  

Honest-1 Featured in Daytona Beach News-Journal

Honest-1 Auto Care was recently featured in the Daytona Beach News-Journal in an article titled, "Auto parts retailers, repair chains open more Volusia-Flagler locations".

The article discusses how automobile owners are keeping their cars longer than ever and how auto care shops are capitalizing on the trend, specifically in Volusia-Flagler area. Vice President of Franchise Development, Chip Baranowski, discusses how automobile owners are looking for alternatives to the dealerships and their expansion plans for Florida.

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Auto parts retailers, repair chains open more Volusia-Flagler locations

By: Jeffrey Cassady 

Lean economy or no, automobile owners have to keep their vehicles in running order. And now that they're holding on to their vehicles longer, that often requires more than just the occasional oil change.

Auto care shops and parts stores are banking on that and are looking to expand in the Volusia-Flagler area.

"In this part of the country, it's almost a rite of passage to get a car when you're 16 or 17," said Marshall Reddy, president of FranNet Florida, a Jacksonville company that advises entrepreneurs looking to buy franchised businesses. "There are some (industries) that are recession-resistant . . . Auto care is one of them."

Honest-1 Auto Care Becomes Only Auto Care Concept Ranked On Franchise Business Review’s Annual Satisfaction List

Success Fuels Auto Care Company to Open 15 New Units In 2013 As Part Of Expansion Plans

Honest-1 Auto Care (Honest-1), the only national full-service auto care company that is 100 percent ESA® Certified Eco-Friendly, today announced its inclusion in the eighth annual Franchise Business Review's 2013 Franchise Satisfaction Awards (FBR50). The FBR50 is the only awards program to rank companies based solely on actual franchise satisfaction.

The list, which was based on a survey of more than 26,000 franchisees representing over 350 franchise brands, put Honest-1 at number 25 for brands with less than 50 units, making it the only auto care company on that list. The auto care company, backed by system-wide sales growth in 2012 up 35 percent, an unheard of growth rate for the auto care industry, retains a 76.2 percent satisfaction rating amongst its network of franchisees, well above the 2012 industry average of 67.4 percent.

“We are thrilled to be chosen as one of Franchise Business Review’s FBR50 this year as it helps validate the principles that make Honest-1 tick,” said Rissy Sutherland, COO of Honest-1 Auto Care. “The only way to grow as an organization is to provide your staff with the resources and leadership necessary to excel. In 2013, the scope of our growth positions us to take our company to the next level.”

Franchise Business Review’s survey includes 33 benchmark questions relating to the franchisee’s experience and satisfaction as well as market area, business lifestyle and other demographic characteristics. Collectively, these findings put Honest-1 on the list.

Aiming to fix the auto care customer experience, Honest-1 took the time to re-define how the entire experience should look and feel, from the customer service members at the front desk to the waiting areas and top-quality amenities available while customers wait. Honest-1 is not only the best option for all consumer bases who need all scopes of service work, from basic oil changes to full transmission diagnostics and complete auto repair services, but one that any car owner would feel comfortable spending time in. Plus, Honest-1 utilizes technology to review repairs with their customers by showing the customer their vehicle and service issue in 3D interface so that they can visually see their vehicle needs, and not just hear it from their customer service manager.

Over the past year, Honest-1 has signed development deals for 90 units through an aggressive Region Developer (RD) concept. In 2013, the RD’s signed into the system are working to develop a minimum of 15 units in five major markets.

“For us, we see a synergy between franchisee satisfaction and location growth,” said Chip Baranowski, Vice President of Franchise Development for Honest-1 Auto Care.  “Our nationwide footprint is pretty diversified, but we know now is the time to strategize our next growth objective. With locations in the Southwest, Northwest, the Rockies, Midwest and East Coast, we are primed to develop additional locations throughout the country.”

Honest-1 Auto Care plans to expand into markets around the country including, Phoenix, Atlanta, Nashville, Indianapolis, Miami, Orlando, Raleigh, Charlotte, Michigan, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Denver, and many others. For more information about Honest-1 franchising, visit www.h1franchise.com.  

Honest-1 Auto Care Ranks in RedHotFranchises.com’s 2013 “HOT 100 FRANCHISE LIST”

Honest-1 Auto Care(Honest-1), the nation’s only full-service auto repair and maintenance franchise that is 100 percent ESA Certified Eco-Friendly, has been ranked #29 in the 2013 “HOT 100 FRANCHISE LIST” by RedHotFranchises.com. The rankings were determined by the board members of RedHotFranchises.com, who have more than 50 years of combined experience with franchisors, franchisees, franchise suppliers and other leading franchise experts.

“Our experienced leadership team, whose members have all owned and operated their own small businesses, has put tremendous emphasis in keeping Honest-1 profitable, even rolling profits back into the business to spur further growth of the brand,” said Chip Baranowski, Vice President of Franchise Development for Honest-1 Auto Care. “This ranking validates Honest-1 as not only the leader in the auto repair and maintenance segment, but also as an emerging player poised for long-term success throughout the franchise industry.”

Those considered for the “HOT 100 FRANCHISE LIST” are franchises and business opportunities that exhibit superlative performance. Franchises included in the list have been chosen from a crowd of over 3000 different companies, due to their outstanding business models.  Franchises and business opportunities are ranked based on a variety of factors including management, franchisee satisfaction, franchise support, growth rate, financial stability and profitability.

“Franchisee satisfaction and support is paramount to our brand’s longevity and attraction,” said Rick Sage, Director of Marketing of Honest-1 Auto Care. “Our franchisees validate the support we provide as a brand. If they need help directing their business, connecting with accounting firms, or setting up a profitability model, the Honest-1 executive team is always accessible throughout the franchisor and franchisee relationship.”

For more information on Honest-1’s ranking on the 2013 “HOT 100 FRANCHISE LIST” by RedHotFranchises.com, please click HERE.

Honest-1 continues to display outstanding growth, with system sales up over 35 percent in 2012. With plans for 15 new locations in 2013, the brand is well positioned for aggressive growth this year, as it continues to bring unique auto care solutions to additional markets across the country.

“We’re looking forward to a successful and profit driven year in 2013,” said Baranowski. “Our previous growth and achievements will help us push forward and drive Honest-1 toward even higher numbers.”

With territories available in all 50 states with the exception of North Dakota, South Dakota and Hawaii, people with a passion for business and individuals who possess a great entrepreneurial spirit are prime candidates for the Honest-1 franchise system.