Meet The Tuffy Team

Roger W. Hill – President/CEO:

Roger has over 29 years’ experience in franchising, and has been employed by Tuffy since March 1991 holding the following positions; President/CEO; Vice President and General Manager; Vice President of Operations; Director of Operations; and District Manager. Mr. Hill was also President/CEO; Vice President and General Manager; and Vice President of Operations of Car X.

Gary Swartzbeck – Chief Financial Officer & Assistant Secretary:

Gary has over 25 years’ of financial leadership,and has been employed by Tuffy since August 2019. Gary served as CFO for Hickory Farms; held senior financial roles at HJ Heinz Company; and worked in Real Estate Development for the DeBartolo Corporation.

Eric Schmitt – Director of Franchise Development:

Eric has over 37 years’ experience in Franchise Development, and has been employed by Tuffy since April 2017. Prior to that, Mr. Schmitt was President of Kitchen Solvers; Market Development Manager for ServiceMaster; President/CEO for Tossed Franchise Corporation; Senior Director of Franchise Development for Atlanta Bread Company; Director of Franchise Development for Marco’s Pizza; Mr. Hero; and Physicians Weight Loss Centers.

Paul Lyon – Director of Franchise Sales:

Paul has over 30 years’ experience in Marketing and Sales, and has been employed with Tuffy since August 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Lyon’s was a Senior Marketing Consultant for Sinclair Broadcast Group; Principal Owner of Lyon’s Share; Vice President of EXPO Advertising; and Director of Marketing and Media Services for Handleman Company.

Sharon Stone – Director of Real Estate and Construction:

Sharon has over 33 years’ experience in Real Estate, and has been employed by Tuffy since 1994.

Barry Unrast – Director of Marketing:

Barry has over 17 years’ experience in Marketing, all of which at Tuffy and has held the following positions; Director of Marketing; Advertising Executive; and Advertising Account Representative

Duane Mead – Director of Franchise Operations & Training:

Duane has over 33 years’ experience in Operations, and has been employed by Tuffy since August 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Mead was Director of Shop Operations for Honest 1 Auto Care; Senior District Manger for Heartland Automotive Services; and General Manager for Christian Brothers.

Stephen Mars – Director of Company Store Operations:

Stephen has over 17 years’ experience in Operations, and has been employed by Tuffy since September 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Mars was a District Manager for Monro Inc.; Big O Tires; and Firestone.

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Testimonials

  • Kim Kappes, was asked. What has being a Tuffy franchisee meant to you and your family?  Kim said, “It has meant everything. Tuffy helped me and my wife Shelley, who also is involved in the business, achieve financial security for ourselves and for our family. I love you guys.  If you’re willing to work hard and if you enjoy the sales process, and I do, you can make a lot of money in this business.  Anytime you have someone seriously interested in becoming a Tuffy franchisee, I’ll be happy to talk with them and answer any questions they may have.”

    Kim Kappes, Fargo, N.D.

  • As a young 27-year-old entrepreneur who wanted to take a dream and turn it into a reality, Tuffy took me seriously!  Starting from day one with onsite support from District Manager Scott Adams to continued training support empowering my staff to grow. With this support and hard work, I was able to grow into 3 stores in less than 3 years with a plan for more on the horizon. If someone told me five years ago this is where I would be, I would have thought that’s impossible. Thanks for believing in me Tuffy!!

    Aaron Suffoletto, Gahanna, Grove City, and Lewis Center, OH

  • My wife and I have owned a Tuffy® Auto Service Center for over 8 years, and it has been an excellent experience.  My background is engineering and I have led engineering teams, but this is my first experience in a retail auto service business and owning my own business.  The training and support from Tuffy allowed us to take a failing location that had been closed and turn it around to become a top-ten store nationally (2015).   Tuffy provided training at their facilities, at other store locations, and at my store.  In just 8 months we had built a business that was running in excess of $1M/year by following their tenets, procedures, and guidelines.

    My District Manager Warren is a great guy – he helped me with the hiring of my initial team, gives advice on various issues whenever I ask, has been here to help with the training process, and is always available for questions and to help with any issues that arise.  The support staff at Tuffy Corporate is likewise extremely helpful.  Tuffy’s CFO Karen and President Roger have been there for one-on-one meetings, support, and advice whenever I have asked.  The Director of Franchising Bob is a great guy and helped tremendously with the purchase of the franchise.  Barry has helped us at every step with advertising, promotions and our website which has filled our shop with customers.  Once they are there, implementing the training on how to run the shop and deal with our customers has kept them coming back.  In the rare instance, there is a customer complaint or issue, Bridgette and Warren do a fantastic job of resolving it.  Tuffy has a Franchisee Advisory Council which represents our issues, views, and concerns and works with Tuffy for our benefit.

    Overall this has been a very rewarding experience, a lot of hard work, and an opportunity to control our own destiny.

    Jim Heim, Loves Park, IL

  • Tuffy is amazing. Tuffy has successfully combined integrity, efficiency and experience into the franchisee recipe. Their support system is instrumental in creating an environment where anything is possible and success is expected.

    Jeff Denney, Ft. Wayne, IN Destin, Gulf Breeze, and Panama City Beach, Panama City, Mary Esther, FL

Video Testimonial