June 11, 2012 Media Contact: Jack Bachinsky, AAMCO jbachinsky@aamco.com AAMCO Total Car Care s new concept store and owner Ismail Latif highlighted by the Small Business Administration A few months after unveiling its new- concept, Center visited by SBA Administrator Mills and Senator Manchin MORGANTOWN, W. Va. In recognition of Ismail Latif s partnership with the SBA to help open AAMCO s new concept center in Morgantown, W. Va., SBA Administrator Karen Mills and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, visited the center last month. Both came away very excited about the future of the AAMCO brand and Latif s center. Our organization specializes in programs for franchisees and the AAMCO center in Morgantown is the ideal opportunity for us to help a small business entrepreneur like Ismail get started, shared Karen G. Mills, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Administrator Karen G. Mills was sworn in April 6, 2009, as the 23rd Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration after being appointed by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. On January 13, 2012, she was elevated to serve in the President s Cabinet. Mills leads a team of 3,000 employees whose mission is to help entrepreneurs and small business owners grow and create jobs by providing greater access to capital, counseling, federal contracting opportunities, disaster assistance and more. Senator Joseph Joe Manchin III previously served as Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010. He won special election to the senate in November 2010 to fill the seat of Robert Byrd, who passed away while in office. Senator Manchin is a proponent for jobs and small business, even stating in his maiden address to the Senate, an agenda that included creating jobs, restoring fiscal responsibility and developing a balanced energy policy that establishes energy independence. Owing to his strong support of veterans, Senator Manchin was particularly interested in AAMCO s affiliation with the Military Order of the Purple Heart and urged AAMCO to leverage that partnership to provide veterans with both employment and franchise opportunities. Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills and I were so proud to visit AAMCO in Morgantown, Senator Manchin said. You never hear enough positive stories about the good ways in which government is able to partner with small businesses to really boost our local economies. AAMCO is a local business that has done extremely well based on a partnership with the federal government they were able to get a loan and support from the SBA. Their story shows that the government can in fact work as a partner with private industry to produce good results and good jobs. The Morgantown AAMCO center is the first new concept center for the AAMCO system. The center features eight service bays including two drive- through quick service lanes for engine checks, oil changes, tire rotation and other quick services. The center offers truly total car care including tires
and alignments. The center is already becoming a fixture in the college town for all area motorists to visit for all things automotive. I am thrilled to be the first to open AAMCO s new concept center, said Ismail Latif. Everyone knows the AAMCO brand and now that we have made it easy to have quick services performed yet have the technical expertise for more complicated repairs, such as transmissions, we are truly a one- stop shop for everyone s total car care needs. ABOUT AAMCO AAMCO is the world's largest chain of transmission specialists and one of the leaders in total car care services. The AAMCO brand has approximately 900 automotive centers throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Established in 1962, AAMCO centers are proud to have served more than 35 million drivers. Today, under the leadership of CEO and President Marc Graham, AAMCO has laid out a comprehensive strategy focused on strengthening current franchisee profitability and implementing targeted growth in areas ripe for expansion of the AAMCO brand. For more information, visit www.aamco.com. AAMCO in Morgantown, WV the new concept center
Jack Bachinsky, AAMCO Vice President of Marketing and Bruce Chidsey, Vice President of Technical and Eastern Operations discuss the AAMCO center in Morgantown with Administrator Mills
The Morgantown AAMCO team put Administrator Mills to work while visiting the center last month
SBA Administrator Karen Mills, AAMCO of Morgantown owner Ismail Latif, and Senator Joe Manchin