🠈 Driven Brands 🠊

Driven Brands

Established in 2006, Driven Brands is the holding company for top international auto service brands. The company is currently held by Roark Capital. Driven Brands is headquartered in Charlotte, NC

The Driven Brands site has information on the brands and franchise opportunities including additional services for veteran owned franchises. The Driven Brands Charitable Foundation supports Cystic Fibrosis research and veterans.

Corporate History

As this is a conglomerate, I will present a section for each subsidiary as it is pulled into the conglomerate starting with Meineke which is the foundation stone of the company.

Meineke Car Care Centers (meineke.com) was established in 1972 by Sam Meineke and Harold Nedell. It grew dramatically after the acquisition by the British conglomerate GNK which was established in the 1700s.

Private equity firms acquired Meineke and made it the cornerstone of Driven Brands..

Corporate History

1971 Sam Meineke and Harold Nedellfounded Meineke Discount Mufflers in Houston, Tx.
1983: The British firm GKN acquired Meineke.
History of GKN

GKN is a multinational firm that traces its history to steelworks the industrial age. The steel operations were nationalized and the multinational firm left steel and diversified into automotive and aerospace.
- 1759: Dowlais Iron Works was founded in the town of Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.
- 1900: Dowlais Iron Company merged with Patent Nut & Bolt Company to create Guest, Keen and Co. Limited, named after the owners.
- 1902: The company acquired Nettlefolds and changed its name to Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds Limited..
- 1920: GKN acquired John Lysaght which owned steel maker Joseph Sankey and entered the automotive industry.
- 1951: The U.K. government nationalized the steel industry.
- 1955: GKN reacquired its steel industry after denationalization.
- 1967: the UK Government renationalized the steel industry.
- After the second nationalization, GNK appears to have started diversifying in international investments that could not easily be nationalized.
1986 Meineke moved its headquarters to Charlotte, NC.
2003: Company changed its name to Meineke Car Care Centers, Inc..
2005: Allied Capital recapitalized Meineke with a $127 million investment.
2006: Meineke's holding company changed its name to Driven Brands.
2006: Driven acquired Econo Lube of Newport Beach which it has since renamed Econo Lube 'N Tune Inc.
Econo Lube N' Tune & Brakes

Econo Lube N' Tune & Brakes bills itself as a one stop shop for basic auto service. The company had about 200 stores at the time of acquisition. Some stores rebranded as Meineke.
- 1973: The company was founded.
2008: Driven acquired Maaco.
History of MAACO

MAACO Collision Repair & Auto Painting was founded in 1972 by Anthony A. Martino and Daniel I. Rhode. A decade earlier, Mr. Martino was a founding partner of AAMCO Transmissions, which he sold to his partner Robert Morgan in 1967.
- 1972: MAACO was founded in 1972 with the first location in Wilmington, De.
200?: Driven acquired Aerocolours. Aerocolours.com points to Drive N Style.
2008: Driven acquired AutoQual which is a process for reconditioning used cars. AutoQual.com points to Drive N Style.
2008: Driven acquired Drive N Style.
History of Drive N Style

Drive N Style is a mobile automotive reconditioning services that is used by used car dealers, body shops, rental agencies, auto auctions and related businesses.
2008: Carousel Capital acquired Driven Brands.
2011: TruckPro, a division of Harvest Capital, acquired Driven Brands.
2014: Driven acquired Merlin-200,000 Miles
Merlin's 200,000 Mile

Merlin's 200,000 Mile is a chain of auto shops which bills itself at longevity experts. They have locations in Illinois, Georgia and Wisconsin.
- 1975: The company was founded in St. Charles at a time when cars rarely reached 100,000.
2015: Roark Capital acquired Driven Brands.
Driven Brands and Roark acquired St. Charles-based Merlin 200,000 Mile which offers auto service plans
2015: Roark and Driven Brands acquired i-800 Radiator which had 206 locations.
History of 1-800 Radiators

1 800 Radiator (radiator.com and 1800radiator.com), based in Benicia, Ca, is a franchise offering service for radiators and HVAC systems for cars.
- 1982: Company was founded as Radiator Express Warehouse.
- 1999: appears that they acquired the domain radiator.com in 1999.
2015: Driven Brands acquired Kansas-based CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts
History of CARSTAR Auto Body

CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts is a Kansas based chain offering auto body repair services.
- 1985: CARSTAR was founded in Leawood, Kansas
- 2008: Champlain Capital Partners acquired CARSTAR from Equity South Advisors (reference).
2016: Driven Brands and Roark acquired Lousiana based Take 5 which had 65 stores offering oil changes.
History of Take 5

Take 5 Oil Change offers quick oil changes from locations throughout the American Southeast.
- 1984: The company was founded in Metairie, Louisiana.
- 2011: Trivest Partners acquired Take 5 from its founders.
2016: Driven and Roark acquired the 51 store Lube Stop chain which had 51 locations in the midwest. The company was based in Berea, Oh. Roark appears to be rebranding the stores.
Lube Stop History
- 1985: Lube Stop was founded in Ohio.
- 2014: Argonne Capital of Atlanta acquired Lube Stop.
- 2015: Argonne acquired The Grease Spot which had 31 shops.
- 2016: Argonne acquired Oil Wizards.
2016: Driven Brands and Roark acquired Texas based Express Lube which had 31 locations.
2019: Driven Brands acquired Super Lube which had 48 total locations in Florida, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and Alabama. It added this to the Take 5 chain.
2019: Driven Brands acquired Advance Kwik Lube (AdvanceKwikLube.com) which was a chain with 25 locations Texas.