Partners Now Have 9 Meineke Locations in Texas

Ben Leffell and Colin Farrell met in business school while at Columbia University. Both were driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and were researching investment opportunities. When they came across Meineke Car Care Center, they liked what they saw.

Though neither of them came from an automotive background, "we identified an opportunity in automotive repair due to a number of attractive industry metrics, and through our due diligence we determined Meineke would be the best partner to execute our investment strategy," said Farrell. Leffell added, "We chose Meineke because, after a meeting with Meineke president Danny Rivera, we were encouraged by his vision and saw Meineke as a strong brand with potential for growth." The two men formed Morningside Texas Holdings and acquired their first seven Meineke locations in March 2018.

Their newest location is in the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch. They also have locations in Dallas, Fort Worth, Garland, Austin, Arlington, Lewisville, Pantego, and Pflugerville, Texas. "Meineke is a data-driven brand," said Leffell.

"They collect data and use it to help owners enhance their business. That's the kind of support multi-store owners need to be successful." Farrell added, "The Meineke corporate team is forward thinking, and we believe the brand is best positioned as the technology and complexity of vehicles increases."

Leffell and Farrell say they plan to continue their growth through the same store sales increases and expansion to new locations.