Who is Take 5 Oil Change and what should we know about you?
Take 5 Oil Change is a national stay-in-your-car oil change brand, and our company, Ironside Operations, is the franchisee group that owns and operates six Take 5 locations across Tennessee, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, with a seventh upcoming in Murfreesboro. Three of our shops are right here in Middle Tennessee: Murfreesboro, La Vergne, and Hermitage. My business partner Anderson Jarman and I built Ironside to be operator-led and people focused. We work to ensure that we can create a stable career path for our team to grow with us as we grow in Middle TN.
What is unique about your business that makes you stand out?
The 10 minute, stay-in-your-car oil change is the product, but the real differentiator is the team in the bay. Our techs are trained to walk customers through what is happening under the hood in plain language, no upsell pressure, no waiting room. We compete on speed, transparency, and consistency. If you come to one of our shops on a Tuesday morning and your spouse comes on a Saturday afternoon, the experience should feel identical.
How do you manage and maintain a positive company culture?
Culture in a multi-unit service business is built shop by shop, manager by manager. We invest heavily in our shop managers because they set the tone for everyone else. We begin with training inside one of our other locations, followed by additional training with the Take 5 team in Charlotte, NC. Even after training is complete, our managers are provided with any resource they need to be successful. We encourage internal growth and development to ensure we retain the right people with us as we continue to grow.
Can you share a significant lesson you have learned as a business leader?
Move slower on people decisions and faster on process decisions. Early on, I think I had that backwards. When you hire or promote the wrong person, the cost compounds for months, sometimes longer, and it shows up in your numbers, your team morale, and your customer reviews. When you delay fixing a broken process, you can usually catch up quickly once you act. So now I try to take my time on hires and promotions and force myself to move quickly on operational changes I have been sitting on too long.
Can you share why the Nashville region is a good place to do business?
Nashville gives you the growth of a major metro with the relationships of a smaller city. People here actually pick up the phone, show up to coffee, and follow through. The talent pool is deep, the consumer base is growing, and the business community is genuinely supportive across industries. The traffic and growth pressures are real, but I would rather solve growth problems than the alternative.
How do you stay involved in the community?
We try to show up at the shop level and become a well-known brand in the community. Earlier this year we hosted a Car Care 101 event at our Hermitage location in partnership with Ella’s House and the Phoenix Club of Nashville, walking community members through basic maintenance so they can feel more confident with their vehicles. I am also a member of the Phoenix Club, which keeps me plugged into the broader civic and philanthropic conversations happening in Nashville. The goal is for our shops to feel like part of the neighborhood, not just another national logo on a corner.