Driven Brands' Costa earns exec of year award

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Aug. 5, 2016) — Driven Brands Inc.'s Group President Jose R. Costa has picked up the Gold Award for executive of the year in the annual Golden Bridge Awards.

The Golden Bridge Awards “are an annual industry and peers recognition program honoring best companies of all types and sizes in North America, Europe, Middle-East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin-America, best products, innovations, management and teams, women in business and the professions, and PR and marketing campaigns from all over the world.”

Mr. Costa was nominated for the business award in the automotive, transportation, storage and logistics category where, according to a press release, “he was recognized for contributing to his company's success in nearly doubling the size of its business in just three years and playing a key role in shaping its strategy for vertical expansion and growth through acquisition.”

Driven Brands is the parent of the Meineke Car Care Centers, Maaco Collision Repair & Auto Painting and Econo Lube & Tune franchise programs.

Organizations from all over the world are eligible to submit nominations including public and private, for-profit and non-profit, largest to smallest and new start-ups.

Award winners will be honored in San Francisco on Monday, Sept. 12 during the annual Red Carpet Golden Bridge Awards Ceremony.

The Golden Bridge Business and Innovations competition is organized by Silicon Valley Communications L.L.C., a San Francisco-based public relations agency.

This is the second time in less than a year that Mr. Costa has been recognized for his leadership role in Driven Brands. In May, he received the executive of the year Bronze Stevie Award in the Automotive and Transport Equipment Industry category in the 14th annual American Business Awards. The Stevie Awards recognize outstanding performance in the workplace worldwide.

Mr. Costa leads Driven Brands' Maaco, Carstar and Drive N Style units which, collectively, operate more than 1,000 body shops across North America and generate more than $1.2 billion in annual system sales.

He has a background in franchising, marketing, unit growth, enhancing customer experience and franchisee profitability, according to Driven Brands, where in October 2015 he became president of Maaco, responsible for managing and developing 500 automotive body shops across the U.S. and Canada.