Maaco celebrated its 50th anniversary at the 2022 Maaco Convention at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa with an action-packed day of learning, camaraderie and celebration.

Day two of the Maaco Convention included general sessions with messages from Maaco’s senior leadership team, giving insights in the areas of strategy, analytics, marketing, training, operations, a live panel and a message from keynote speaker Mike Anderson of Collision Advice. The recipient of the Tony Martino Hall of Fame Award was also announced.

“What a tremendous day celebrating the success of our franchise family and highlighting the strategy for how we continue to build momentum for the next 50 years,” said Chris Dawson, paint and collision president for Driven Brands. “Mike Anderson delivered an inspirational keynote on growing your business, and our Maaco support team reviewed the resources available to the system to help owners can do just that.”

Tony Martino was the founder of Maaco 50 years ago, and the namesake award given in his honor is one of the most coveted in the Maaco family. Mark Martino took to the stage to help celebrate Maaco’s remarkable 50-year anniversary, looking back at the founding days of the business. Martino also helped present the 2022 Tony Martino Hall of Fame Award winner, Jay Patel. Patel is a multi-store owner, with 11 centers in Florida, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.

“Jay is a true brand ambassador for the business, consistently operating with excellence and always having a positive influence on both the brand and his fellow franchisees,” said Dawson. “Jay has leveraged the Maaco brand at every turn to ultimately build a thriving business that has spanned over three decades and is now multi-generational. He wholeheartedly believes in the Maaco model, bringing unmatched energy to everything he does. Congratulations to Jay and his entire team.”

Added Patel, “I am so grateful for this honor, and I give all the credit to Tony Martino. He taught me so much that I have applied to my business to be successful. The most important thing was taking care of the customer. His saying was, ‘Paint a car, make a friend’, and my goal and my team’s philosophy is to treat them like family, and the goal is always to make a customer for life, whatever it takes.

“I believe in the Maaco system. Maaco has the successful formula, and all I have done is applied it. I don’t try to reinvent the wheel — they already invented it — and it works.”

Mike Anderson, founder of Collision Advice and long-time collision repair facility owner, addressed the various challenges that Maaco franchise owners have faced and provided tips on how to adapt to changes in the industry. He also broke down how to have a successful business into three steps:

1. Grow your team
2. Grow your business
3. Change the way you compete

Anderson’s discussion was followed by presentations from the Maaco leadership team, including:

• Chris Dawson, paint and collision president for Driven Brands, who welcomed everyone to Carlsbad, celebrating how far Maaco has come and congratulating the organization on their record-breaking achievements to date.
• Darryl Hurst, chief operating officer for Maaco, who shared his perspective on the business and how the people of Maaco have helped power the brand to become better than ever. By their focus on profitability, incremental profitable sales, and consistent communication and support, the Maaco family has positioned themselves to be successful for another 50 years.
• Chris Porcelli, senior vice president of strategy and franchise administration for Maaco, who delivered an update on strategies for continued growth, focused on having a strong local presence, serving diversified customer segments and maintaining a consistent focus on profitability
• Dave Gross, vice president of franchise services for Maaco, who provided updates regarding the support, services and opportunities available to all Maaco franchisees. Gross also congratulated the achievements of the Maaco family, as more continue to earn higher levels of certifications, proving this commitment to operational excellence.
• Bryan Jones, vice president of operations for Maaco, who provided an operational update, highlighting the operations team who support the franchise system in the field each day. He covered key areas such as quality, service, cleanliness, KPIs and certifications, which all add to making the Maaco business profitable.
• Hannah Whitesides, senior vice president of marketing for Maaco, who shared an update on the marketing initiatives that took place in 2022 and reviewed their analytics and performance. Whitesides also reviewed the thorough process that goes into marketing campaigns each year to ensure they deliver value to the Maaco family.

Chris Porcelli, joined by Kyle Marshall, executive vice president and president platform services, Phil Hoblet, vice president of category management, Blake Kidwell, vice president of sales marketplace, and Brett Downs, vice president of platform services, conducted a live Q&A session answering questions about procurement and fleet support in 2023 and beyond. The team answered questions submitted from franchisees on topics like procurement and fleet strategy, the biggest changes in the business, what franchise fees go toward and more.

“The opportunity in fleet support is one of the things that makes Maaco unique,” said Porcelli. “Our fleet customers see value in our national footprint, the consistency of our quality and our dedication to getting their vehicle back on the road as quickly as possible.”

The remainder of the week will feature a charity golf tournament, a charity fall festival and the vendor expo, all culminating with the awards gala on Friday evening.