Sam Meineke, Founder of Meineke Car Care Centers, Dies at Age 93

Sam Meineke, founder of the Meineke brand, has passed away at the age of 93, a recent press release shared.

Having grown up in an Oklahoma sharecropping family, they would later move to Texas where Meineke would begin taking on jobs, and eventually found a mentor in the basics of starting a business.

Before he was 21 years old, Meineke saved up enough money to purchase his own automotive service station in 1951. After six months of struggling, Meineke began to see success when he put extra effort into customer service.

“You’ve got to prime yourself for success, visualize it,” Meineke had told franchise consulting company MSA Worldwide.

Meineke would then take on a business partner who was an old friend from school and fellow shop owner. Together, they made a variety of investments that they didn’t see much return on. After gaining 12 locations together, Meineke decided to part ways with his partner in 1970.

But he wasn’t ready to leave the automotive service field. Meineke noticed that there was a lack of competition specifically between muffler companies, with Midas being the only one at the time.

So, in 1971, he opened the first Meineke location, called Meineke Discount Mufflers. With an emphasis on speed, price, and service, he saw success, and would open his first franchise location just a year later.

Meineke would go on to own 10 of his own stores before passing them on to franchisees. In 1999, the brand transitioned from just mufflers to being a full-service care center, followed by the acquisition of Maaco and formation of parent company Driven Brands.

“By the time I got into franchising, I had enough experience in operating and managing the business that I could really help my franchisees, which is what I really enjoyed,” Meineke had said. “The Meineke concept turned out to be a great business. Particularly the franchising, that was the most exciting thing I have ever done. I don’t think I’ll ever top it.”