Pit Tech to President: Hands-on leadership at Take 5 with Brandon Lemoine
Meet Brandon Lemoine, Regional Director of Operations at Take 5 Oil Change, who started his career as a lube tech.
At 20 years old, Brandon took a job as a lube technician at a Take 5 Oil Change. That one job set in motion a career trajectory that has taken him through several promotions across the Southeast – in less than 10 years.
“I had no idea where this path was going to take me,” Brandon recalled.
At Take 5, he learned quickly about the benefits of working hard and seizing opportunities when they presented themselves. Within a year of starting his shop tech job, Brandon became General Manager at a corporate location in Metairie, Louisiana.
Then, at 22, an even bigger opportunity came to relocate and become District Manager in Atlanta, Georgia.
“I was asked to go to a market that needed support,” Brandon said.
But once again, working hard paid off, and Brandon and his team developed a successful market. To do that, Brandon went back to his roots as a shop technician and rolled up his sleeves. He took a hands-on approach with new managers, from helping them clean up the shop and completing inventory to hiring and training their team.
“I believe it’s important to show people what ‘right’ looks like,” Brandon said. “I really try to make sure every manager in my district gets off on the right foot.”
Professional and personal growth
Brandon looks back on this time as a period of growth, professionally and personally. He learned a lot about himself, about the business on a larger scale, and met his now-wife. His work in Atlanta earned him the opportunity to move to Pensacola, Florida, to be a District Manager for another market that needed support. Once again, he jumped in the trenches, put the right people in the right positions, and was able to drive revenue for the area.
“It was around that time that I realized I could really be something more,” he recalled.
Brandon was then promoted to Regional Training Manner where he helped to develop many District Managers in the company. Then, in April of this year, Brandon was once again promoted to his dream job – Regional Director of Operations.
“In this role, I get to manage my people and develop them while driving revenue,” he explained. “I really want people to shine. In my career, I’ve promoted multiple District Managers who didn’t think they could do it, but they can. They are doing it. It’s super exciting to see them successful.”
Brandon’s job description as Regional Director of Operations might be different from when he was a shop tech, but his approach to work has remained the same – relentless hard work and a willingness to learn how to do it right.
The right attitude
“Having the right attitude when you come into a situation – I think that’s helped me a ton in my career,” Brandon shared.
Today, Brandon is grateful that his career has brought him, his wife, and their two daughters to the northern Kentucky/Cincinnati area, where he manages six district managers. He still spends a significant amount of time in shops every week, working to improve the business and develop people.
As he thinks about the next step in his career, Brandon remains focused on others: “When I look into my future, it's to develop my people to the next level. I've never developed a Regional Director of Operations, and that's something that I want to do. With us growing, it's super achievable.”