Longtime Moran Family of Brands franchise owner George Kok received the 2021 Franchisee of the Year honor for the impact he is making on the Mr. Transmission brand.   George Kok began his tenure with Moran in 1981, when he started working at the Mr. Transmission in Louisville, Kentucky. He worked as a center manager and in the operations department before purchasing the store in February 1983. Kok expanded his business 15 years ago when he opened a co-branded Mr. Transmission/Milex store in nearby Clarksville, Indiana. The two locations are approximately 15 miles away from each other, which makes the back-office operations of managing two businesses easier for Kok. This 2021 Franchisee of the Year award for Mr. Transmission marks the first time Kok received this top honor.   While his first location had always done simple repair work, adding the co-branded location allowed them to establish themselves as a great presence in the community as a one-stop shop for customers ... read more

Argentinian native Armando Tavani took a leap of faith to achieve his dream of business ownership when he opened his co-branded Milex Complete Auto Care/Mr. Transmission franchise in South Florida in May. Opening a business is never easy, but tackling a new endeavor during a pandemic and as an immigrant proved to be challenging. During his early career in Buenos Aires, Tavani dreamed of opening a business in the United States. Prior to coming to this country, Tavani spent 10 years working in real estate, where he bought, sold, and rented properties. His real estate tenure solidified his resolve to pursue business ownership in America. He believed operating a business in Buenos Aires and facing the possibility of losing all of his money was far too risky. Tavani achieved his dream when he opened his Milex/Mr. Transmission location in Margate, Florida on May 3. The new auto repair shop is located in a refurbished facility. The 3,000 squ ... read more

Seattle transplants Matt and Debra Boily are settling into life in the Midwest as they open their first Mr. Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care store in Columbus, Ohio.   In addition to their new location, the pair signed a franchise agreement with Moran Family of Brands to add two additional units in the area in 2022 and 2024.   Matt Boily spent the first 10 years of his career as an auto mechanic before joining Cessna Aircraft Company. During his more than 18-year tenure at Cessna, Boily held numerous roles in executive management. He also served for nearly five years as director of operations at Aerospace AMT, where he ran a $165 million revenue company. The couple, who made the move to the Midwest to be closer to their family, is committed to establishing a successful business in the Columbus, Ohio, area while creating a family-friendly atmosphere at their locations.   “Columbus is a market we have ta ... read more

Moran Franchisee of the Year: Scott Hester Scott Hester was recently named as one of Moran Family of Brands’ Franchisees of the Year, as selected by his peers from the system.  He has owned the Mr. Transmission in Decatur, Georgia, since 2006. If a Hester from Georgia winning the Mr. Transmission Franchisee of the Year sounds familiar, that would be correct.  Scott’s father, Lowell, owns the Mr. Transmission in nearby Sandy Springs and has won one the award twice. If there is a franchise gene, Lowell apparently passed it onto Scott. In any case, for those franchise owners wondering if they might want to sell or pass on their franchise to their offspring, that’s one way to go. But if you aren’t in the mindset of retiring any time soon, you still might be able to use your franchise to help your kids build their own future. For those people, Scott’s story m ... read more