Midas Celebrates Franchisees at Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida
Midas recently hosted its annual convention in Orlando, Florida, in collaboration with the International Midas Dealers Association, according to a press release.
Over 1,400 franchised and licensed Midas locations worldwide were represented at the three-day event, with more franchisee-led panels than ever, covering topics including training and development, sales growth, emerging vehicle technology, and digital vehicle inspections.
In his opening remarks, Midas President and Chief Operating Officer Lenny Valentino, Jr. noted the investments made by the company in the past year to establish itself as the franchisor of choice, such as improvements to its programs in training, customer experience, sales growth incentive rebates, and marketing campaigns.
Franchisees at the convention also fundraised over $23,000 for the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation.
The convention’s final evening saw the awards ceremony, with recognition for franchisees that earned $2M, $3M, $4M, $5M, and $6M in revenue. The following titles were also awarded during the ceremony:
Franchisees of the Year: This award honors both single- and multi-unit franchise owners, who are ranked based on their store performance on the following five criteria/KPI’s: customer count, tire sales, total sales, total sales growth and total five-star Google reviews. This year’s winners were James Maurer and Gus Herlong.
Maurer, the single-unit honoree, owns a Midas franchise shop in Kalkaska, Michigan. Herlong, president & chief operations officer of Palmetto Garage Works, LLC, owns and operates more than 30 Midas franchise shops, with locations across Florida, South Carolina and Washington, D.C.
Mark Smith Community Involvement Award: This award recognizes a franchise owner who strives to give back to the communities in the markets that they do business. This year’s recipient was Robin Mohns, who owns four Midas franchise shops in Maryland.
Midas Hall of Fame: This title recognizes franchisees with 20 or more years of service, who have been involved with fellow franchisees and the Midas system through service on the IMDA Board of Directors, Franchise Advisory Council, or a committee.
This year’s honorees and ambassadors for the Midas brand were Mark Smith and Joe Stranik. Smith has six Midas shops in Richmond, Virginia, and Stranik, now retired, had several Midas franchise shops across Minnesota, which are now run by his son and current IMDA President, Adam Stranik.
Nate Sherman Honorary Achievement: This award honors current and former Midas corporate support team members for their longstanding support. This year’s winner was Midas Franchise Operations Specialist, Ted Falge.
“The strong relationships and collaboration between the IMDA, franchise committees, and Midas support teams, made this the best convention yet,” said Adam Stranik, president of the IMDA. “At Midas, we make the impossible possible, and we look forward to celebrating our continued success and Midas’ 70th anniversary at our next convention in Savannah, Georgia.”
