Tom Morley
About this Executive:
Name:
Tom Morley
Company:
The Lube Stop, Inc.
Interview Topics:
Work: Life Balance
Region:
Region 8 - Northeast Ohio
In 2004, Cleveland-native Tom Morley joined Lube Stop as president. Founded in 1985, The Lube Stop, Inc., is the oldest privately owned quick oil change company in Northeast Ohio. Lube Stop employs 260 people operating 37 locations in Cleveland, Akron and Canton. Every month over 30,000 customers choose Lube Stop to provide quick, confident, complete service with no appointment necessary.
The company is committed to reducing its ecological footprint and improving the communities in which it operates and is revolutionizing the way the industry operates. Lube Stop is the first oil change company in the U.S. to market a re-refined oil change service. Lube Stop received the National Oil & Lube News "Operator of the Year Award" in 2008, an "Environmental Stewardship" award from Governor Ted Strickland and the Ohio EPA in December, and a "NEO Success Award" from Inside Business Magazine in March 2009.
Tom received a bachelor's degree from Hobart College and an MBA from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. He is a trustee at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and closely involved with the museum's GreenCityBlueLake Institute, which promotes sustainability throughout Northeast Ohio. He lives outside Cleveland with his wife and two young children where they raise a small flock of chickens and sell eggs to local restaurants.
Q: What alliances has Lube Stop created with Ohio academic institutions?
A: Perhaps one of the most underutilized, yet valuable assets available to businesses in Northeast Ohio are the colleges and universities. Lube Stop has partnered with the Weatherhead School of Business at Case Western Reserve University on four team projects since 2005. These teams have helped to better define business issues facing Lube Stop and develop relevant, actionable recommendations to address issues that have improved the operational and financial performance of the company.
In addition, Lube Stop is a member of the Corporate Sustainability Network, co-hosted and managed by Cleveland State University's Nance College of Business. And most recently, Lube Stop partnered with Baldwin-Wallace College to perform an environmental audit to further advance the company's sustainability efforts and improve the bottom line. And the cost for all of this value? Zero - except for the nominal mileage and project expenses incurred by the teams. The return for Lube Stop, the academic institutions, the students and Northeast Ohio is meaningful, and Lube Stop will continue to leverage these valuable resources going forward.
Q: The Ohio Promise is that you can achieve professional success within the context of a fulfilling life. Based on your experience, how authentic is the promise?
A: For me, professional achievements are meaningless if they come at the expense of family. Ohio has provided me with a unique, fulfilling career as well as an incredible environment to raise and spend time with my family. I believe the Ohio Promise is very authentic. Professionally, there are many opportunities available, while the state's environment makes raising and spending time with family easy and enjoyable.
Outside of business, living in Ohio allows me to have the time to spend with my wife and two children. In Northeast Ohio, there are countless museums and attractions to attend, professional sporting teams to follow, and amazing access to natural areas that are literally minutes away from where we live. All of this, supported by a strong social network of friends and family, demonstrate the promise of Ohio.
Q: What business benefits do you feel your business realizes from having employees who achieve a positive work:life balance?
A: Enabling employees to find the right balance between work and their personal lives is important to Lube Stop and its employees. As a retail service business, our success depends on our team delivering fast and friendly service to every customer. That can only happen when work and life are balanced. In addition, that balance enables our team to step back from the day-to-day, recharge, and put the company's broader mission and purpose in perspective. It's hard to quantify that value, but given the success Lube Stop has enjoyed over the past five years, it is clear to me that it is important. Ohio's commitment to work:life balance has proved invaluable to me and my employees.
Q: Trailing spouses need to be comfortable that relocating their family to Ohio is a good thing. What should a trailing spouse consider when evaluating Ohio?
A: The operative word for Ohio is 'manageable'. In Northeast Ohio, you have professional sports teams and events that are very accessible. There is an airport with great coverage nationally, and now internationally, yet is also very easy and quick to navigate. Culturally, you have one of the best art museums (The Cleveland Museum of Art) and one of the best natural history museums (The Cleveland Museum of Natural History) in the country, as well as the Cleveland Metropolitan Zoo. All are centrally located and either free or very inexpensive to visit. There are countless options for schools, including, public, charter, and private ensuring a good fit for every kind of student. And commuting is easier, especially when compared to other regions where I have lived, including Boston. Most importantly, the state's environment makes raising and spending time with family easy and enjoyable. Being from Northeast Ohio, it is tough to answer this question objectively, but it is hard to consider living anywhere else once you discover the secrets found here.