SafeWay Driving Franchisees Find Success with Community Partnership

Over 40 years ago, SafeWay Driving was founded on a mission that has remained the core focus of the Houston-based drivers’ education franchise: Prevent the phone call nobody wants. In order to fulfill this promise, CEO Ann Littmann has formed a support system with each and every one of the brand’s franchise operators, and the franchise operators have formed an important sense of trust within each of the communities they serve.

SafeWay Driving takes community impact to a level beyond keeping the roads safe for the local residents. With each location, the brand targets community members to become strategic partners, and each franchisee then partners with additional community locals when selecting instructors. Will and Leslie Oliver, husband and wife franchisee duo who opened SafeWay Driving in College Station, Texas at the end of 2016, are the epitome of what makes up SafeWay Driving’s strong foundation of franchisees, primarily based on their level of community involvement.

“Will and Leslie Oliver are great additions to our team of strategic partners,” said Littmann. “Since opening, they have had the fastest ramp up out of any of our franchisees. The fact that they are connected to the community they serve and chose to invest in terms of marketing and brand awareness from the beginning has helped them become a name in the community.”

The Olivers have had a long history with SafeWay Driving, long before they opened their doors in College Station. SafeWay Driving was started and headquartered in Memorial, the Olivers’ hometown. With family members attending the driver’s education facility and seeing the instructor cars driving up and down the block, the bright yellow logo became extremely familiar. When the Olivers began looking into different opportunities for business ownership, the couple did not have to look far.

“The Olivers actually lived next door to the Memorial location. At the point when they realized we were franchising, they came in and met with the team. They made the decision to become an operator on the drive home from the meeting,” said Littmann.

Once the decision was made, the Olivers put their house on the market and relocated their family to College Station. Immediately, the couple began immersing themselves in the community, partnering with local organizations and getting the word out on their new business. While they were surrounded by new neighbors and faces, the Olivers had a sense of familiarity with the neighborhood. Both Will and Leslie went to Texas A&M University, Will spending a full four years in College Station at an earlier time in his life, and both were able to quickly re-familiarize themselves with the town.

“With both of us being A&M alums, we loved going back for sports. However, as new members of the community we wanted to do more than that and give back to the local families and the community,” said Will Oliver. “There are so many different programs out there, but none of them have the same mission and support as SafeWay. Being able to give back to our A&M roots and help the community create safer drivers is something that we were extremely excited about.”

In order to build a strong franchise system, each franchisee needs to show a commitment and trust to the local communities they serve. Littmann recognizes the success the Olivers have seen since their opening because of this local connection, and is focusing this year to make sure all of the brand’s franchisees follow in these footsteps.

“This is what makes us unique – we are driven by community leaders that are out every day in their neighborhoods making the roadways safe,” said Littmann. “This quality has steered our focus this year to be towards supporting existing franchisees and helping them immerse themselves within the communities they serve. Franchisees now have their own location pages on the website where they are able to highlight local activities and the community members that make up their instructor team. Ultimately, whether bringing on new franchise partners or supporting existing ones, we are aiming build a long-term relationship and making sure each franchisee has deep roots in their community.”