Honest-1 Auto Care on WESH- Orlando

Honest-1 Auto Care was featured on WESH- Orlando. Eric Sewell, Honest-1 franchisee, provides some tips on what you should keep in your car for a road trip. With record breaking numbers of travelers on the road for the 4th of July, Eric went through what you should have on hand in case of an emergency. The first is jumper cables because battery issues are common on the road. Eric recommends 15-20 ft. long cables. Another problem that road trippers often run into is a deflating or blown out tire. In order to quickly and safely deal with these issues you should keep tire sealant in your vehicle to help get you off the road and to a safe place, you own tire gauge because gas stations can often be inaccurate, and a lug wrench in case you need to change a tire. Along with these items Eric recommends keeping a flashlight and LED flares to keep you safe in the event of nighttime car trouble.

Watch the segment here. 

Honest-1 Auto Care on WVLT- Knoxville

Honest-1 Auto Care was featured on WVLT- Knoxville. Summer is a busy season for road travel, and with a record number of drivers set to be on the road for the 4th of July, Tony Bowman, an Honest-1 franchise, offers some safety tips so you are ready for any situation you meet. Tony lays out the five most important things to keep in your car to be prepared. The first is a tire gauge to check your tire’s pressure. This is a common problem you see on the road and having the right pressure can improve traction when you’re driving. You should also keep in case of emergency items like jumper cables, a first-aid kit and water. In case of a flat or damaged tire keep some tire sealant on hand so you can get to a safe place and a properly-sized lug wrench to change your tire.

Watch the segment here. 

Honest-1 Auto Care on WBTV- Charlotte

Honest-1 Auto Care was featured on WBTV- Charlotte. Gregg Leftwich, and Honest-1 franchisee, will be opening the first Honest-1 Auto Care in Charlotte later this month. Oftentimes customers feel like their auto repair shops are being less than transparent when it comes to their methods, pricing, etc. At Honest-1 Auto Care, opening at 9200 Monroe Road, their philosophy centers on being customer-centric, educational and transparent.

With a record-breaking travel weekend for the 4th of July it is important to be prepared on the road with these five items to ensure safety in case of an emergency or mechanical issue: tire gauge to check air pressure, tire sealant for roadside emergencies, a properly-sized lug wrench to change a tire, jumper cables, and a “Just In Case” kit chalked full of emergency items like a first aid kit, flashlight, water and more.

Watch the segment here. 

Honest-1 Auto Care on WTTE- Good Day Columbus

Honest-1 Auto Care was featured on WTTE- Good Day Columbus. With a record-breaking number of drivers hitting the road for the holiday weekend, Honest-1 Auto Care franchisee Danni Diol came on Good Day Columbus to offer the five most important things to keep in your car for a safe and successful road trip. It is important to be prepared as you hit the road this season with a properly sized lug wrench, jumper cables (which people often forget during the summer months), tire sealant and a tire gauge, a first aid kit and emergency blanket, snacks and water. With severe weather, the holiday and summer road construction you can prepare for your road trips by having your car regularly checked and by keeping these times on hand.

Watch the segment here. 

Honest-1 Auto Care on WFMY News 2 Greensboro

Honest-1 Auto Care was featured on WFMY News 2 Greensboro.  Honest-1 franchisee, Erik Rhyne provides useful reminders for drivers taking road trips for the busy holiday weekend.

In the first segment he spoke about what you need to get checked out on your car to make sure it’s in travel condition. It is easy to overlook getting your brakes, tires, power steering, oil and washer fluid checked, but it is necessary for a safe trip. In the second segment Erik went over what to keep in your car for these trips. He mentioned keeping a kit containing an air compressor, emergency blanket, water, first aid kit, and jumper cables for roadside problems.

Watch the segment here. 

Honest-1 Auto Care on WFMY News 2 Greensboro

Honest-1 Auto Care was featured on WFMY News 2 Greensboro. WFMY did a series of segments featuring Erik Rhyne giving viewers tips on how to properly maintain their cars for the summer driving season. The three segments covered:

1. What fluids to keep maintained and how to tell when they are worn out

2. Tires, brakes, and suspension problems

3. Air conditioning and the importance of getting the coolant levels checked

Read more here. 

Honest-1 Auto Care in Houston Business Journal

Honest-1 Auto Care was featured in the Houston BusinessJournal.  Honest-1 is spreading its message of transparent communication and eco-friendly practices in the auto care industry to the Houston market. “Houston’s the fastest-growing city in the country, I believe,” said Chuck Fasnacht, region developer at Honest-1. “The amount of growth that’s going on there is incredible, and we want to be a part of it.”

Honest-1 is looking to open 30 locations in Houston and looking for the right people to help build the brand in the market. The article discusses the franchise investment and model to educate those looking to become a part of this growing brand and the new way of approaching auto care.

Read more here.

Summer 205 Blockbusters

You don’t want to miss this.

Has it been awhile since you’ve been to the movie theater? The summer movie madness is just around the corner, and we have been talking about our favorites at the shop lately. Are there any movies you are looking forward to this summer?

Here are a few you won’t want to miss!

Minions

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Disney’s Tomorrowland

Jurassic World

Mission Impossible—Rouge Nation

Spring Car Care Tips

Ever heard of the Serpentine Belt?

You know that long belt that snakes around the front of your engine? It’s called the serpentine belt. The best is driven by the engine as it turns. It powers your alternator, air conditioning compressor, and power steering pump. On some vehicles, it also runs the water pump, radiator fan, and power brakes. Sounds like a lot of important stuff doesn’t it?

If your serpentine belt were to break, your battery would die in a few miles. If it runs your fan or water pump, your engine could overheat. And steering and braking could be more difficult. Obviously, the best thing is to replace your serpentine belt before it breaks.

Check your owner’s manual for when it’s recommended to replace your serpentine belt—or just ask your Honest-1 service manager. He can inspect the belt as well to see if it’s in trouble. You may have been told to look for cracks in your belt to see if it needs to be replaced. Of course, cracks are still a concern, but modern belt material doesn’t crack as often as old belts did.

What we look for these days is the thickness of the belt. We have a special little tool that measures the depth of the grooves in the belt to see if it needs replacing. A worn belt can slip or be misaligned, putting undue stress on the accessories it runs.

Now you can imagine it’s important for the belt to be tight, so there’s a tensioner pulley on your engine that puts pressure on the belt to keep it at the right tension. The spring on the tensioner wears out over time so we recommend replacing the tensioner pulley at the same time as the serpentine belt. Replacing your serpentine belt on schedule, or when an inspection warrants it, will keep you from an unexpected breakdown. 

Honest-1 Auto Care in the Cincinnati Enquirer

Honest-1 Auto Care was featured in the Cincinnati Enquirer. Customers of Honest-1 really know that the business lives up to its name. Now, the Loveland community will be able to experience the same type of customer service and expertise with the opening of the newest location this week. Pat Heaton, and her husband Carl recently opened their first Honest-1 Auto Care in Loveland to change the game when it comes to the auto industry.

“Honest-1 employees are trained to focus on customer relationships and to educate customers about their cars using simple language and not jargon,” said Chip Baranowski, Honest-1 vice president of franchise development.

The Loveland community can expect a clean, family-friendly environment and very knowledgeable staff that educates you and lets you make the calls when it comes to repairs on your vehicles.

To read the full story, click here. 

Honest-1 on Live 5 News

Honest-1 was featured on Live 5 News.

April is National Car Care Month, and Honest-1 shared various tips for maintaining your car this season. Car care specialist Angie Hanna mentioned the importance of making sure your brakes, tires, and windshield wipers are all ready for rain this spring.

To read the full story, click here.

Honest-1 in The Leaf-Chronicle

According to a recent report from the Department of Labor, there is a shortage of auto technicians because most of the current crop of baby boomers are retiring. The challenge is getting the younger generation and Millennials interested because auto care has a “grease monkey” stigma.

In an article in The Leaf-Chronicle, Kristi and Tucker Seiber, as well as Rissy Sutherland, counteracted this claim, making sure viewers knew that the blue-collar image is gone and today being a mechanic is a "technical career path and applies engineering principles." Kristi and Tucker are actively recruiting mechanics, and are working with local vocational-technical education institutions to attract the best and the brightest. Tucker also talked more about the brand, what it will offer, and about the new Honest-1 opening in Clarkesville.

View the full story here. 

Honest-1 Auto Care Ends 2014 With Recognition from Franchise Gator

Honest-1 Auto Care, a national full-service auto care company that is 100 percent ESA® Certified Eco-Friendly, is proud to announce that they have been included in the 2015 Franchise Gator Top 100. Franchise Gator studies hundreds of FDD’s when determining the brands that make their annual list and take financial stability and franchisee retention into consideration, in addition to other criteria including conversations with respected industry professionals. You can read more about Honest-1 and the Franchise Gator ranking here.

Honest-1 Auto Care on Entrepreneur

Honest-1 Auto Care on Entrepreneur 

Honest-1 Auto Care Franchisee Sherry Rector was recently featured on Entrepreneur. The article is a feature piece on Sherry Rector, Honest-1 Auto Care franchisee, for Kate Taylor’s Franchise Players column. Sherry talked about her experiences in franchising with Honest-1 and what it’s like to be a female entrepreneur in a typically male dominated industry. 

View the full article here. 

Honest-1 in the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Honest-1 in the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Honest-1’s Rick DuChene and Steve Ahrens were recently featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The reporter began the story by noting that the snow started flying last week, and many drivers were knocking on the doors of Honest-1 before opening time to get new tires. The problem is the winter weather began hitting before most drivers expected. Rick and Steve did a great job discussing the importance of having the tires checked and rotated. Steve also mentioned that drivers should budget $100 a month for routine car maintenance.

View the full story here. 

Honest-1 Auto Care on WBNS-10TV

Honest-1 Auto Care on WBNS-10TV

Danni Diol of Honest-1 Auto Care was recently featured on WBNS-10TV. For the 3 minute segment, Danni was interviewed giving great tips to viewers about fall car care and what they should do to make sure their car is running in top shape over the season. 

View the full segment here. 

Honest-1 in La Mesa Courier

Honest-1 in La Mesa Courier

John Sterne of Honest-1 Auto Care was recently featured in the La Mesa Courier. The article announces the opening of John’s first Honest-1 in the greater San Diego community and discusses the services that the brand provides as well as John’s plans to partner with community organizations.

View the full article here. 

Honest-1 in The Press and News

Honest-1 in The Press and News

Honest-1 Auto Care was recently featured in The Press and News. The article is a great story about Matt Sederstrom’s Maple Grove Honest-1 shop. In the story, Matt discusses the importance of becoming a part of the community and truly caring for his customers. Matt and his employees focus on being open and available for the customers. This involves being open in the evenings, on Saturdays and Sundays, and having loaner cars for customer use. Rissy Sutherland was also included in the story. She praised Matt and his staff for their outstanding customer-service model. 

View the full article here. 

Franchisee Profile: Brad Neuman and Tim Fiedler

Franchisee Profile: Brad Neuman and Tim Fiedler

Armed with extensive experience in executive roles, Brad Neuman and Tim Fiedler are poised to successfully grow Honest-1 as regional developers for Chicagoland. Neuman, a Chicagoan since high school, came out of retirement to purchase the Chicago region territory for Honest-1. In addition to a managing broker’s real estate license, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a CPA, Neuman has more than 40 years of experience in strategy, systems, finance and planning. Neuman served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President at Homart Development for ten years before selling the company, what was then the largest developer of regional malls. In 2012, Neuman worked with Avaya to improve their performance. Before Avaya, Neuman served on several philanthropic boards; led projects for the Civic Consulting Alliance serving the City of Chicago and started his own management consulting company.

Fiedler, also a native Chicagoan, has a similarly impressive resume and is also coming out of retirement for this venture. Fiedler’s expertise is in sales management and territory development, which is highlighted by the numerous awards and recognitions that he has received throughout his 35-plus years in the field. He started his career as a sales representative with UNISYS, before moving on to a number of managerial and senior executive positions at EMC Corporation, Cisco Systems and finally Avaya.

How did you learn about Honest-1 and why did you choose an opportunity with the brand? 

We were looking for a business to invest in and researched various potential acquisitions. We did some due diligence on a few opportunities, but nothing excited us in terms of quality and scale. Becoming Regional developers with Honest-1 appealed to us because it granted us the opportunity to help talented people achieve their dream of owning their own business. The opportunity to scale the system in Chicago to a significant size played an important role in the decision, as did our desire to own and operate a few locations of our own. Although Brad wasn’t initially enthused by the idea of going into the automotive repair industry, we were drawn to Honest-1’s customer service values and the eco-friendly aspect. The brand has the perfect combination of being a business with a high degree of ethics while also allowing us to grow our personal wealth. 

Why do you think Honest-1 will thrive in your territory? 

We own the territory to five counties, which is home to around 4 million people. Honest-1 is a very attractive concept within a very big market. 

What are your development plans? 

Within a year, we hope to have a few franchisees signed and at least one operating by February 2015. In the next two years we want three Honest-1 locations open. 

What publications would you like us to focus our efforts on?

 

Village trustee magazines; female entrepreneur magazines (we would be willing to take an ad out), and 

real estate developer magazines.

Honest-1 Prior Lake Services 5,000

Honest-1 Prior Lake Services 5,000

Tom Watson’s Honest-1 in Prior Lake has just celebrated a milestone: servicing 5,000 cars. As a result, they celebrated by giving the 5,000^th customer (Lynn Watson) a gift certificate for a free oil change. This Honest-1 shop has worked its way to one of the top shops in the Honest-1 system for revenue and car counts. And they won’t celebrate their 1^st anniversary until November. Way to go Honest-1 Prior Lake, keep up the excellent work!