When Lonnie Hinkle, COO, was asked to describe his typical day he said, “Doesn’t everything really seem to boil down to people?” This attention to people so accurately describes Lonnie’s management philosophy, as well as the focus of the Jiffy Lube of Indiana organization as a whole.
With 21 years of experience at Jiffy Lube, Lonnie has plenty of stories to tell. But one of the most important stories he likes to share is how the Growing People Through work program changes peoples lives—for the better. Thank you to Lonnie for sharing his own personal experience with this award-winning initiative!
What’s the most challenging aspect of your job? Keeping your team motivated every day to be excellent. Good enough just simply isn’t good enough.
What does your typical work day entail? I am responsible for the day-to-day operations of 47 Jiffy Lube service centers. My workday typically includes things like working with vendors, guests and our associates. Doesn’t everything really seem to boil down to people?
Do you have any funny, on-the-job stories? I once had a squirrel fall out of a billboard that hung above one of our Fort Wayne stores and it ran into the frame of a car. I tried for 45 minutes to get him out and he wasn’t coming. The guest finally decided to drive away with the squirrel in there. Thankfully, it did manage to get out at the stoplight.
What’s it like working with Steve Sanner [owner of Jiffy Lube of Indiana]? It can certainly be an adventure! Sometimes you never know what will happen next!
Why would you recommend Jiffy Lube? We have the best people and the best training program, period. No one else comes anywhere close…not even the dealerships. I think people would be surprised to learn that our average manager has over 10 years of experience.
What makes the Jiffy Lube training program so good? Growing People Through Work is a philosophy that dates back to the beginning of Jiffy Lube in 1979 and I am a living example. I started at Jiffy Lube in 1994 as a student at Lincoln Tech. I grew through the ranks at work as I progressed through school and by the time I graduated I was a service center manager. I progressed from manager to where I am today over the years since then. I have become a homeowner in that time and raised a great family. Jiffy Lube also paid off my student loans and helped my buy my first house in Indiana.
