ST. CHARLES, Ill. — A former Merlin 200,000 Mile Shops employee-turned-franchisee has expanded his five-year-old business with the purchase of Merlin shops in Bolingbrook and Wheaton, Ill.
Mitesh Patel, who started in the auto repair industry in 2000 as an employee of the Merlin 200,000 Mile Shop in Hannover Park, Ill., left that business in 2013 and opened a Merlin's shop in Elk Grove, Ill.
Mr. Patel acquired both of the shops — which are stand-alone, five-bay buildings — from Bob Morvice, who continues to own a Merlin shop in McHenry, Ill.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The Bolingbrook shop is located on the premises of Pheasant Hill Plaza in Bolingbrook, a southwest Chicago suburb of about 73,000 inhabitants. The Wheaton store is located Main Street, a key north-south thoroughfare in Wheaton, a western Chicago suburb with about 53,000 inhabitants.
Frank Adkins is the manager of the Bolingbrook location, while Maulik Patel manages the Wheaton store.
Mitesh Patel earned numerous awards during his tenure as such as general manager of the Hannover Park shop, including the franchise organization's Tenacity, Top Ten Percent, Builder and We Care Service honors.
Since taking over the Elk Grove Village Merlin shop in 2013, Mr. Patel earned several Merlin awards for that location.
Merlin 200,000 Mile Shops is a St. Charles, Ill.-based Driven Brands Inc. franchise program with 31 locations, primarily in the Chicago area.