Honest-1 in the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Honest-1 Auto Care was featured in the Star Tribune where Master Technician Eric Schmittdiel from the Roseville, MN shop discussed the day to day work in the "On the Job" section. The article begins with Eric recalling how the auto care industry has transitioned towards more electrical and computer driven technology. Franchisee in Roseville, Peter Lee, was quoted about how good Eric is at his job, and Eric details his history with cars and background before joining Honest-1.  The article ends with a Q&A with Eric about his job, his future, and cars.

Check out the full feature here! 

Honest-1 in the Daily Local News

Our newest franchisee to the system, Jim Lehman in Malvern, Pennsylvania was recently featured in the Daily Local News! The article begins with information about how Jim decided to open up the first Honest-1 Auto Care in Pennsylvania after working for the Vanguard Group for years.  The article gives details on what Honest-1 is all about, and the focus on the environment, families, and good customer service.  The article ends with information about Jim’s desire to give back to the community that he lives in.

Honest-1 Auto Care featured in the Dallas Business Journal

Honest-1 Auto Care was recently featured in the Dallas Business Journal in an article titled, "Honest-1 Auto Care Plans 10-15 Shops in DFW." The article was built from an interview with Jon Langbert, region developer for Honest-1 in North Texas, who is actively scouting out real estate and looking for franchisees in the market to help grow the franchise. Honest-1 is an environmentally friendly car care shop that provides a clean, upscale waiting room, internet cafe and a child's play area. In the next two to three years, Honest-1 is looking to add an additional 10-15 shops in the area.

Click here for full article.

Honest-1 Auto Care plans 15 to 20 shops in DFW

Honest-1 Auto Care plans 15 to 20 locations in North Texas in the next two or three years. 

Nicholas Sakelaris

Staff Writer- Dallas Business Journal

A new upscale automobile repair shop plans to launch 15 to 20 new locations in Dallas-Fort Worth in the next two or three years.

Phoenix-based Honest-1 Auto Care bills itself as an environmentally friendly shop with a clean, upscale waiting room, an internet café and children’s play area.

Jon Langbert, regional developer for Honest-1, secured his first franchise owner, who is looking for an existing building that could be remodeled.

He estimates it will take about six months to open the first shop once a location is identified.

Langbert, a Dallas native who lives in Addison, paid $150,000 for the Dallas, Denton, Collin and Tarrant County region in July. He will find the franchises, identify locations and work with lenders to secure financing.
He’ll earn 3 percent of revenue from the franchise owner while the other 3 percent will go toward Honest-1.
The first franchises will likely be remodeled from existing auto repair shops but the long-term goal is to build new locations from the ground up, Langbert said. The shops will be between 3,500 to 5,000 square feet.

"Dallas is such a car-oriented market that we’ll be leaning toward the larger end of that scale with eight to 10 bays," he said.

The company is looking for franchise owners with management experience, not necessarily with automobile expertise.

Honest-1 is 100 percent ESA (Environmentally Sustainable Actions) certified by recycling, preventing pollution, conserving resources and offering eco-friendly auto services.

To continue reading article, click here. 

Regional Developer Spotlight: Jon Langbert, North Texas

As of July, Jon Langbert, 48, has become the Region Developer for Honest-1 Auto Care in North Texas. Langbert grew up in Dallas and went to the University of Texas in Austin, where he received his BBA in finance and later received his MBA from Harvard. Langbert has always had the entrepreneurial bug and in 1995 he started his own video poker business.

Franchising has always been something that peaked Langbert’s interests. He bought a Commission Express franchise and became one of their most expansive franchisees ultimately owning seven locations. Commission Express is a small specialty financing franchise that covered the United States with 70 locations. In 2010, Langbert sold all of his units individually and explained, “I had more fun buying and selling the franchises, than I did running them. That’s how I decided to become a developer.”

“I am environmentally conscious and I wanted to be part of a brand that was in tune with my values. I met the folks at Honest-1 and saw that it was an upscale franchise. I liked the fact that they were taking a product that everyone buys and making it better,” said Langbert. “Honest-1 is doing the same thing that Starbucks did for coffee. Before, you had to go to the corner bodega or Dunkin’ Donuts. But, they turned it into an upscale cultural phenomenon. I believe that Honest-1 can do the same thing for auto repair.”

How did you learn about the brand?

I looked at a few different franchise options, but knew I wanted to be a developer which narrowed my focus. I also wanted to go into a business that was early on in its growth curve so I could help reach its potential. I started by talking to other regional developers and since there are no Honest-1’s in Texas, I made arrangements to visit a fellow developer, Steve Grimes, when I went to my brother’s wedding in Seattle. I visited four of the stores with Steve and I began to understand the way they operated within the auto care industry.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or passions?

I am a private pilot, but only have about 200 flying hours so far. I play ice hockey as does my daughter and I also have triplets that take up a lot of my time. They are going into middle school, two girls and a boy. My family is my real passion.