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New Mr. Lube site opens on Riddell Road in Orangeville

April 18, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Baker

Tom Zacharias has always been a big believer in the Mr. Lube business model.

Describing himself as a career retail and operations executive, Mr. Zacharias is one of  three individuals behind the recently opened Mr. Lube franchise in Orangeville, located on Riddell Road. 

Having opened for business  on March 4, Mr. Zacharias and his team has spent the best part of the last six weeks adjusting to new surroundings in a new community. While there have been some challenges along the way, Tom says he couldn’t have asked for a better welcome from the local community.

“It’s been an incredible few weeks for us here. We’ve felt a very, very warm welcome from the people of Orangeville,” Mr. Zacharias said. “We had a very soft opening where we basically didn’t let anyone know we were here. We had a very good response from people just noticing the new building, or coming in after seeing the construction over the winter. We’re very happy with how things have gone.”

The opening of the new Mr. Lube franchise was almost a year in the making, with Mr. Zacharias explaining how he first entertained the idea of going into business for himself last summer.

Having previously spent five years working with Mr. Lube Canada as the organization’s vice-president of operations in training, Tom knew it was a business he would be comfortable investing in. After being introduced to a couple of Alberta-based investors, Tom quickly made the decision to partner up with them on this new venture.

“It was sort of a love-at-first-sight thing,” Mr. Zacharias said of the opportunity to work with outside investors. “It was a bit of a long road. I became enamoured with the Mr. Lube model and brand years ago during my time with the company. I have a lot of respect for the brand, as do my partners. We feel Mr. Lube holds a real leadership position in the industry.”

While the company is renowned for its no-appointment-necessary oil changes and 21-point inspection service, Tom says staff on site are capable of doing much, much more.

“We have a full range of services. We are in the preventative maintenance business. I think a lot of people think of Mr. Lube as the place you go to get your oil changed, but we do a lot more than that,” Tom said. “We do full tire services, tire repair, seasonal swaps, tire rotations and we also sell tires and wheels.”

He added, “We change filters, whether that be an air filter for your vehicle or a cabin filter, fuel filters for both diesel and gas. We do serpentine belts, we do coolant exchanges, transmission fluid exchanges… Basically, we can service any component of your vehicle, with the exception of brakes.”

Tom has hired eight individuals to help bring his vision for Mr. Lube to life in Orangeville, and plans to hire “a few more good people” in the coming weeks. Having lived most of his life in Toronto, Mr. Zacharias is in the process of finding a home  in Orangeville.

“That’s important,” Tom said. “I really want to become a part of this community.”

He has already taken measures to help with that, sponsoring a variety of teams in hockey, soccer and baseball.

“Whatever we can do to become a bigger part of this community if what we want to do,” Tom said.

A grand opening at the site has been scheduled for June 8, when Tom hopes to see members of local Council and the greater community at large come out to celebrate Mr. Lube’s arrival.

Looking to the future, Tom says he’s looking forward to potentially becoming involved in other investment opportunities within the Mr. Lube family. He has identified a site “just south of Barrie” that he, along with his two investors, are hoping to launch in October.

For now though, his primary focus will remain the new Orangeville location.

“I see this as a real opportunity to introduce the community to Mr. Lube and show them what we, as a service, can offer. I feel we offer a level of convenience that nobody else in town does,” Mr. Zacharias said. “You can just show up, no appointment necessary, and we’ll take care of you.”

The new Mr. Lube in Orangeville is located at 515 Riddell Road. The site is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For more, visit www.mrlube.com.

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