ATLANTA — Mighty Distributing System of America, an aftermarket auto parts franchisor, has been selected at one of the Wall Street Journal‘s top 25 franchises. The parts distributor was selected from the nation’s more than 2500 franchise brands and was picked along with household names like Domino’s Pizza and Subway.
In the article entitled, “The 25 Franchises that Made the Cut,” Lauren Kim, senior editor at WSJ StartupJournal.com said, “[the businesses] must be well-established, have expert leadership, exhibit overall financial health and have a proven record of the franchise’s success.” Mighty Distributing System of America was the only automotive-related franchise listed in the survey that disclosed some 35 qualifying facts and financial figures.
Ken Voelker, Mighty’s president, suggests that its leadership as a model service business is “due to the fact that we stay in sync with the current trends and needs of the automotive industry. Perhaps the most significant trend today is a pronounced service shift from repair to preventive maintenance. Mighty,” according to Voelker, ”is well-positioned to benefit from this trend.”
“Mighty’s vertical integration strategy has been one of the most compelling attractions for tire dealers, quick lubes, car dealerships and oil distributors,” added VP of Franchising, Barry Teagle, “Our newer franchisees include successful operators that have overlaid their core business with a Mighty franchise and as a result, have become their own supplier of OEM quality parts and professional grade fluid maintenance products.”
As to the thousands of repair shops serviced by Mighty distributors that have not grafted a franchise into their existing business, Teagle claims that the “silver bullet” of the franchisor is the technical, business and sales expertise of the local franchises, especially trained in inventory management.
“There’s a major trend with dealerships,” said Teagle. “Dealerships have become more focused on promoting maintenance services and changing the common perception that dealerships are primarily warranty centers. They want to be recognized as a respected, competitive provider of aftermarket services and, hey, that’s been our mission since the 60’s. We’ve been the go-to-guys in the aftermarket parts business for underhood and undercar repair and preventive maintenance. We’re right in step… and the industry has responded.”
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