ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Monro Inc. has hired Robert Rajkowski, a former Goodyear, AAMCO and Jiffy Lube executive, to be its chief operating officer, succeeding Evan Naylor, who left Monro in April after just 14 months as COO.
Mr. Rajkowski will oversee the integration of Monro's operations, marketing and merchandising functions as well as be responsible for all aspects of the company's store operations, including the ongoing execution of its Monro.Forward operational excellence initiatives, Monro said.
Mr. Rajkowski brings nearly 15 years of expertise in the automotive industry, including various operational and marketing roles in corporate, franchisee and franchisor business models. Most recently he was COO for five years for AAMCO Transmission & Total Car Care, where he focused on driving profit/loss improvement and enhanced customer satisfaction, Monro said.
Monro President and CEO Brett Ponton lauded Mr. Rajkowski for his leadership skills and a strong track record of execution, which Monro considers valuable assets for helping execute its Monro.Forward strategy.
Messrs Ponton and Rajkowski worked together at AAMCO for three years, from 2014-17, until Mr. Ponton was hired by Monro.
"Importantly," Mr. Ponton said, "he has deep experience in implementing operational excellence programs, which will be critical to driving long-term sustainable growth as we remain steadfast in our commitment to deliver a consistent, 5-star experience for all our customers."
Prior to his time at AAMCO — which was acquired by Icahn Enterprises L.P. in 2017 — Mr. Rajkowski was chief marketing officer at Heartland Automotive Services, a Jiffy Lube franchisee, for four-plus years, and held a number of management roles at Goodyear, including director – marketing and merchandising and general manager of Goodyear's retail store network, from 2007-09.
At both Heartland/Jiffy Lube and Goodyear, Mr. Rajkowski was involved in operational excellence programs, Monro said, including improving customer experience and developing pricing strategies to drive same store sales growth and optimize margins.
Mr. Rajkowski said: "I am very excited to join Monro on its transformational journey. I look forward to leveraging my years of operational and marketing expertise in the automotive industry to build upon the Company's strong foundation and contribute to Monro's future success."
Monro did not comment on Mr. Naylor's departure after his short tenure at the Rochester-based company.