Tint World currently has 141 open stores, all franchised, in 36 states and Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Tint World Automotive Styling Centers’ newest executive has pursued three primary career passions, but only one of them ended up being his true destiny.
“For me, it has always been about food and beverage, the automotive industry and baseball,” said Mike Lopez, who took over as chief operating officer of Tint World on June 17. “Those three things were all I was focused on since I was kid, but after going in a few different directions, I’m proud to say that I’m all in now with the automotive industry.”
Growing up in Los Angeles, Lopez worked in his grandmother’s restaurant and his father’s automotive body shop. He also devoted all his free time to pursuing his other passion of becoming a Major League Baseball pitcher. But when the Atlanta Braves decided not to offer the left-handed pitcher whose fastball exceeded 90 mph a free agent contract in 2000, he turned his attention to other professional pursuits.
Determined to make it big in franchising, Lopez worked his way up the chain of command at two major food brands, eventually serving as director of operations and training for Tio Juan’s Margaritas Mexican Restaurant from 2011 to 2014 and as the lead for regional training/operations and people development for California Pizza Kitchen from 2014 to 2018.
Mike Lopez, chief operating officer for Tint World
Lopez arrives at Tint World after a five-year stint at Driven Brands, the parent company of Take 5 Oil Change, Take 5 Car Wash, Meineke Car Care Centers, Maaco, 1-800-Radiator & A/C, Auto Glass Now and CARSTAR,where he served in a number of different executive roles that culminated with him being named president of the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company starting in February 2022.
With more than 4,800 locations in 14 countries, and servicing over 70 million vehicles annually, Driven Brands’ network of auto brands generates approximately $2.1 billion in annual revenue from more than $5.8 billion in system-wide sales, according to the company. For his part, Lopez took a hands-on role in growing Take 5 Oil Change to 240 locations in 2019.
“Mike has demonstrated a passion for franchising leadership throughout his career, and his experience in the automotive industry makes him an invaluable addition to our growing team,” said Charles Bonfiglio, founder, president and CEO of Tint World, which currently has 141 open stores, all franchised, in 36 states and Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. “His strategic vision and commitment to developing new leaders will be key as we build on our success and continue growing the Tint World brand.”
Lopez joins Tint World in the middle of one its more productive years. Specializing in window tinting and other automotive services, the brand has opened 22 locations so far this year and, according to Bonfiglio, sold 166 locations for development.
As chief operating officer, Lopez is responsible for Tint World’s franchise operations teams and systems, with a focus on franchisee experience, growth, business operations and training. Jeff Stark, who served as the company’s chief operating officer for the last nine years, is shifting to a new role at Tint World where, Lopez said, he will focus more on the revenue and real estate side of the business.
“The work I did at Driven Brands has prepared me well for my new role” at Tint World, Lopez said. “I’m confident in my ability to grow a franchise-driven model and making sure when scaling the business that we have all the systems, processes and procedures in place along with the service level agreements we have so our franchisees know exactly what they can expect from us and what we expect from them.”
When asked what expectations he has for himself in his new role, Lopez said, “Show compassion and empathy to my team and make sure we are a totally inclusive company. The bottom line is it’s the people in your company that drive the business, so we need to clear all the runways for them and eliminate as many obstacles as we can for them so they can do the best job.
“I take a lot of pride in what I’ve been able to accomplish in franchising,” Lopez said, “but there’s a lot more work to do, and I’m thrilled that I’ve been given this opportunity to do what I do best.”
According to a spokesperson for Tint World, the average sales for a franchise location is $900,000 and the all-in cost to buy a location ranges from $289,000 to $469,000.
Specializing in window tinting and other automotive services, Tint World has opened 22 locations so far this year and, according to the company, sold 166 locations for development.