Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2014 | Page 36

MULTI-BR A N D 50
specifically was convenience, which
translates into one-stop auto care.” Add
to that a time when the average car is
7 to 7½ years old, the post-recession
consumer conservatism that has people
preferring to live without car payments,
and Mulherin was convinced this was a
good industry to enter.
He signed on with Driven Brands,
choosing three brands for his one-stop
auto care center in Summerville, S.C.,
Car Pros Plaza. He chose Meineke for
mechanical work, Maaco for painting,
and Econo Lube for quick lube. “Putting all our capabilities under one roof
saves people time and allows the business to create lifelong relationships,”
Mulherin says.

NAME: John J. Mulherin
TITLE: Owner
COMPANY: Car Pros Plaza One-

Stop Auto Care
NO. OF UNITS: 1 Meineke, 1

Maaco, 1 Econo Lube
AGE: 62
FAMILY: Spouse (and co-owner)

Lynn, grown children Meghann
and John
YEARS IN FRANCHISING: 15
YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: 3

Three years in, he’s pleased with how
things are going. “We have one of the
highest car counts in the Meineke chain
and high Maaco estimate counts. Our
customers like the idea of a one-stop
auto care center,” he says, and he plans to
open several other centers in the Greater
Charleston area.
Mulherin, a self-described serial entrepreneur, was a Gloria Jean’s Gourmet
Coffee franchisee during the 1980s coffee
craze, and in the 1990s was a co-owner,
with his wife Lynn, of one of the largest
alpaca farms in the Midwest.
He attributes his deep-seated fascination with all aspects of business in part to
his work with Harold Welsch, a DePaul
University Professor who started the na-

PERSONAL
First job: I was a 13-year-old busboy paid 70 cents an hour at the South
Shore Country Club in Chicago.
Formative influences/events: Catholic education; U.S. steel industry
growth and decline on the South Side of Chicago; various business mentors;
athletic competitions and coaches in swimming and water polo; ’60s events
like rock ’n’ roll music, Kennedy assassinations, King assassination and riots,
Vietnam War, Woodstock, musicians such as Pete Seeger, The Kingston Trio,
James Taylor, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Martha and the Vandellas, Temptations,
Smokey Robinson, Linda Ronstadt; classical geniuses like Beethoven, Bach,
Tchaikovsky; Chicago sports scene and heroes like Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio,
Walter Payton, Mike Ditka, Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, and Muhammad
Ali; U.S. economic trends of inflation and downturns; change in big company
relationships with employees from lo ng term to short term; 9/11; regulatory
changes in banks, trends in U.S. capital markets, upheaval on Wall Street;
today’s government gridlock and the need for unity and compromise among
Americans and our political representatives. Also, authors John LeCarre, Martin
Cruz Smith, Tana French; business leader Ned Johnson, owner of Fidelity
Investments; and U.S. leaders George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and
Franklin Roosevelt.
Key accomplishments: 37 years of marriage to the love of my life and two
beautiful, successful children.
Biggest mistake: Too many to count.
Smartest mistake: That’s a bit of an oxymoron.
Decision I wish I could do over: Every decision has consequences, good
or bad. Each is a learning experience and the sum of them all is who you are.
No regrets.
Work week: Monday through Saturday.
How do you spend a typical day? Up early, coffee and quiet time, check
media for news/issues, go to the shop and work with customers and employ-

34

MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S UE II, 2014

ees, return home to spend time with family, perhaps read and relax.
Favorite fun activities: Boating, aviation, scuba, spending time in Charleston, S.C., history and culture, various volunteer activities, and spending time
with daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and new granddaughter.
Exercise/workout: Swim, various aerobic and strength machines.
Favorite tech toys: Nook, iPhone.
What are you reading? Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes
to the Streets by Sudhir Venkatesh. The author has studied life in the notorious
Robert Taylor Homes in the South Side of Chicago. With his primary contact a
young gang leader, the author observed the gang leader’s management and
leadership, as well as the relationship between the gang and the residents of
the projects.
Do you have a favorite quote? “Do or do not—there is no try.” Yoda
said that. It’s all about results and judging people and organizations by deeds,
not words.
Best advice you ever got: I remember watching the Watergate hearings
and observing [White House Counsel] John Dean explain the “cancer on the
Presidency.” Eventually President Nixon resigned in disgrace, all because of
petty deception and dishonesty. It occurred to me that a good life rule would
be to always tell the truth. I have done my best here, and it works pretty well.
What gets you out of bed in the morning? Challenge, sweetness of life,
providing for family, opportunity to make a difference.
What’s your passion in business? Innovation and competitive excellence.
How do you balance life and work? It all seems to work out. I don’t
have any rules here.
Last vacation: Just returned from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico—fun in the sun.
Person I’d most like to have lunch with: Pope Francis.