Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2014 | Page 39

2014 MVP AWARDS
BY DEBBIE SELINSKY

He Likes To Teach
U.S. Army vet prefers a hands-on approach

J

im Lager doesn’t talk about himself a
lot, but will allow that he’s “pretty good
at taking lousy businesses and turning
them into something.” Also, he says, “I’m
not a ‘maintain’ kind of guy—I hire people to
maintain. But helping people succeed is something I want to be remembered for.”
Lager, a U.S. Army veteran and natural entrepreneur, knew he wanted to start his own
business and work in a hands-on environment
after his military stint in Germany. Back home,
he earned an MBA from the University of
Minnesota through the GI Bill, then signed
on as Snap-On Tools franchisee in Plano, Tex.
As he grew his Snap-On business, Lager
noticed the similarities between Snap-On and
Pirtek USA, a mobile hydraulic and pneumatic hose repair brand. “I was looking for a
business-to-business opportunity in Texas and
was struck by the similarities in set-up, sales,
and mobile service vans between the two franchises,” he says. He was also impressed by the
individual support Pirtek offers franchisees.
Lager took over a corporate Pirtek location
at Dallas’s Love Field. The 4,800-s.f. center
surrounded by manufacturing and industrial
customers was a solid choice in the growing
NAME: Jim Lager
TITLE: Owner/President, JBL Hose

Service, Dallas
NO. OF UNITS: 3 Pirtek USA, 3 Snap-

On Tools
AGE: 49
FAMILY: Wife Sheryl and two children,

son Chris, 21, and daughter Keri, 18
YEARS IN FRANCHISING: 22
YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: 4

MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S U E III, 2014



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