How Franchisee Gary Fowler Partnered With SafeWay Driving to Make His Community a Safer Place

There’s a reason that parents choose SafeWay Driving for their teens: the brand’s passion for teaching young drivers how to handle themselves behind the wheel is evident in everything they do. The methodical approach SafeWay Driving implements gives parents peace of mind as their kids prepare to drive on their own. So when Gary Fowler, parent to a coming-of-age driver, learned about SafeWay Driving, not only did he want to enroll his daughter in the program, but recognized an opportunity to bring a better driving school into his own community in Sienna Plantation, Texas, as well.

With his family rooted in Sienna Plantation, which is located southwest of Houston, Fowler wasn’t satisfied with the available options for drivers education when his daughter was reaching the age when she’d learn to drive. That’s when Fowler, a partner and certified business transition expert at B2B CFO®, met a SafeWay Driving investor through his consulting work. The SafeWay Driving story struck him as unique and smart, and he sought out more information from there.

“Eventually, I started meeting with the people who run the day-to-day operations, and really appreciated their passion and excitement about everything they do,” Fowler said. “SafeWay Driving stood out to me as a business model and as a driving school for my daughter. The standards and training for both the instructors and the students are stronger than most of the competitors. Obviously, I wanted to feel like my daughter was as prepared as she possibly could be for her license.”

Soon after, Fowler signed on with SafeWay Driving as a franchisee and opened in March of 2015. By March 2016, his business had doubled.

“Gary has been a fantastic addition to the SafeWay Driving team,” said Ann Littman, CEO of SafeWay Driving. “His business experience coupled with his desire to give back to his community makes him an ideal franchisee for the brand. There’s a real demand in the greater Houston area for more quality driving programs, and watching Gary’s business grow has been exciting.”

Just as his business started to take off, Fowler met Renee Woods, a former marketer turned stay-at-home parent who actively volunteered in her community. The two met while volunteering, and they eventually got to talking about Fowler’s recent business venture. Excited about the concept and the career opportunity it presented for her, Woods was brought on to manage the young business’s local marketing efforts.

“I had two teen drivers, and when I learned about SafeWay and considered it as a program for my kids, the consistency of instructor training provided by corporate stood out to me,” Woods said. “My kids had attended another driving school and what they were being taught just wasn’t consistent.”

Once Woods joined the team, the business continued to skyrocket. Becoming involved in the local high school, Woods now works on establishing and growing relationships amongst the different subgroups within the school, like the football team, band and dance team. According to Woods, this type of involvement has partnership at its core. Rather than simply trying to sell a product, Woods and Fowler both agree that the goal is to keep the community’s roads safe and prepare students to be as prepared as possible.

“Renee has done so much for the growth of our business, especially through community involvement,” Fowler said. “We really want the best for these kids, and I think it shows. We talk with the parents and they see that.”