3 Questions with Ralph Yarusso, CDO of Grease Monkey

Grease Monkey, a sister company of SpeeDee, was founded in 1978 by two entrepreneurs who noticed that it was becoming increasingly inconvenient for consumers to get their oil changed. Now, the automotive franchise operates over 300 centers internationally, with locations in Mexico, China, Colombia and Saudi Arabia.

The brand sets itself apart from the competition with its Certified Pit Crew Program, wherein all of its technicians are rigorously trained using proprietary systems developed by executives with decades of experience in the automotive industry. The brand also offers 200 other education courses available online at FullSpeed University. This exceptional offering led Grease Monkey to be recognized on Franchise Times’ Top 200+ List for 2019 and Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list for 2020.

1851 Franchise talked to the brand’s Chief Development Officer, Ralph Yarusso, on why franchisees should take advantage of Grease Monkey’s industry-leading franchise opportunity.

1851: Why should franchisees choose Grease Monkey?

RY: Grease Monkey is an exceptional franchise offering thanks to our expert training department, our four decades of experience, and our brand recognition as the largest independent franchisor of automotive oil change centers in the U.S. During the onboarding process, franchise candidates come to our Denver headquarters, visit existing Grease Monkey stores and meet with established franchisees and staff. We want our candidates to ask any questions they have and get a real feel for what day-to-day operations look like at Grease Monkey.

Later in the validation process, the leadership team leaves the room and we bring local franchisees in to speak one-on-one with candidates. Back in the boardroom, each member of the leadership team presents information on their department and makes sure the candidate is comfortable with the expertise of the corporate team.

After a candidate acquires a franchise license, it usually takes around 18 months to solidify real estate, plan the construction and successfully open their first Grease Monkey location. We provide each franchisee with a real estate expert to help find the best site for their location.

1851: Why is now a good time to join the franchise?

RY: More than ever, we are very confident about the trajectory of the automotive space, as it’s seen a lot of growth in the past few years. While a lot of candidates are intimidated by the influx of electric vehicles, we don’t see them as disrupting our industry or business model. In fact, the future looks incredibly bright for the automotive maintenance segment. Although hybrid vehicles are growing in popularity, they still need oil changes and many of the usual services. The statistics continue to improve—the more miles that are driven, the more automotive maintenance is needed.

This increasing demand for automotive services makes Grease Monkey a recession-resistant business. Today, people tend to maintain their vehicles and hold on to them longer, which increases the need for maintenance. Lastly, 2019 marked a record year for new franchise licenses sold and our franchising fee is set to increase to $40,000—so now is truly the best time to jump on board.

1851: Why do you love the Grease Monkey brand?

RY: The Grease Monkey team provides franchisees with a real, personalized touch to business ownership, which leads to “one big happy family.” Whether it be the executive leadership team or the network of franchisees, we have strong relationships throughout the entire system. The Grease Monkey team truly values the franchisee’s input on moving the brand forward.