How to Protect Culture During Rapid Growth (Most Companies Fail Here)
In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we speak with Jon Caldwell, SVP & Chief People Officer at Valvoline Inc., about leading people strategy during rapid growth and transformation.
Jon shares how Valvoline, a 160-year-old brand, has doubled its retail footprint and plans to nearly double again by 2030, all while maintaining a strong “family” culture. He explains the company’s grow-from-within model where 95% of managers start as technicians, the importance of scalable HR processes, and how traditions like the “Oil Olympics” reinforce teamwork and pride.
The conversation highlights how culture, leadership, and data-driven HR fuel both business growth and employee success.
🎓 In this episode, Jon discusses:
Maintaining culture and inclusion while doubling store count
How 95% of leaders grow from technician to management roles
Valvoline’s transformation into a pure-play retail growth business
Using training, data, and scalable HR to prepare for 20,000+ employees
Why traditions like the “Oil Olympics” and Family Reunion fuel engagement
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Jon Caldwell 0:00
John, welcome to the show, my friend. How are you? I'm doing very well. Good to see you again. Chris.
Chris Rainey 0:05
It's interesting that we finally speak. I always tell you off camera that I always see Valvoline pop up in the YouTube channels that I follow with some of the automotive creators, and here you are on the show.
Jon Caldwell 0:18
Logo intact. It's the brand is strong. We've been around for 160 years, so we're very so
Chris Rainey 0:27
that's cool to think that you've been around 160 years, and the company is continuously innovated and evolved to the point that you're showing up in influencer marketing on YouTube, of all places, yeah, that seems so in That's fascinating.
Jon Caldwell 0:44
We've come a long way. And, you know, the most notably, so a significant change, maybe just to start, we now Valvoline Inc, which is, I'm the Chief People Officer for we're a pure play retail
Chris Rainey 0:58
organization, so you're split, right? Yeah?
Jon Caldwell 1:00
So, yeah, I joined about nine years ago. I've been in this role about five and a half years. And in 2023 we sold our products business to Aramco. And so now Valvoline Inc, that company, still operates as an independent affiliate company of Aramco, but Valvoline Inc, the Valvoline that that I work for, pure play, high growth retailer,
Chris Rainey 1:24
amazing, but you're still, obviously must be selling novelly in those stores.
Jon Caldwell 1:28
We do. Yes, we now. We the two companies, the two separate companies. We share the brand supplier. We're their largest customer, so we are very much connected at the hip. Yeah?
Chris Rainey 1:40
Love it. Probably should explain to people who Valvoline is because I'm saying it, because I'm and just explain the two sides of what you actually do, just for people that aren't aware of the brand.
Jon Caldwell 1:51
That's right, yeah. So Valvoline Inc, which is the publicly traded company here, based in the US, Lexington, Kentucky, we are a retail organization, so we operate in about two, just a little over 2000 stores across the US and Canada, largely under the the brand Valvoline, instant oil change in Canada, we're great. Canadian oil change is what we use, a pretty even split between company owned and franchise stores. And so what, what we really do is preventative automotive maintenance. So we have this quick, easy, trusted model. We have a process that we put in place that regardless of the vehicle that you pull into one of our stores, one of our bays, we execute the same process. You stay in your car and we change your oil, and can also perform some other preventative maintenance services, generally within 15 minutes or less. And so I've been with the company now for nine years. We went public in 2016 we were a division of Ashland, Ashland oil for a number of years, and in the last nine years, we've doubled in size. We were about, I think, 900 stores total, and I started nine years ago. And the exciting thing is that we're looking to double in size again, really, by the decade. So our plans are to go from the 2000 stores we have today, we believe the market will certainly bear us to get to about 3500 stores by 2030 so growth is always exciting. And then to your to your earlier comment, the products business is, is, is the division that we sold to Aramco. We closed that deal in 2023 and they are a global organization, also headquartered here in Lexington, Kentucky, and we still share the brand, and then we also have a supplier agreement,
Chris Rainey 3:56
yeah, as well. Oh, and couldn't be, couldn't be a better fit, really, in terms of a company acquiring
Jon Caldwell 4:04
That's right, you know, I was the Chief People Officer for the combined organization. And anytime you go through a significant change like that, you know, you're focused on the people. And I'm proud of the outcome, pleased with the outcome, because I do think both companies ended up in a, in a in a in a better position, we have a clear path forward, crisp message to our investors, and continue to grow. And then the Valvoline global operations, Aramco is really able to invest in their growth globally, which has been great and also created even more jobs for that side of the business too.
Chris Rainey 4:42
I love it. Well, I didn't also, I didn't realize there was a franchise part that's that now it makes sense, how to growing, how you're growing so fast? Yes, yes. So during all of this, how is Valvoline maintaining a strong I think you call it family, which, of course, you brand. Brand that how you maintaining a strong company culture during that period of rapid growth, but also the significant change that you just mentioned that?
Jon Caldwell 5:10
Yeah, that's right, it. So our culture is key to our success. We're a services business. There are other companies that perform the same services we do. So it really we use the term. It all starts with our people, because our people make the difference. Yes, we have this, what we call a super pro process, trademark, super pro process that we use to perform services on the vehicles, but it's only as good as the people who are delivering that service this week to your point. It sounds a little cheesy, but it really works here. The family culture that we've that we've built is, I think it's grounded in the fact that in our stores, they are so dependent on one another. It is in a lot of ways that a pit crew that you would see in an f1 or a Nascar Racing Team. They work together to service every vehicle in a quick, easy, trusted way. They grow together. 95% of our store managers and above. So you get into market managers, directors started as a technician, 95% 95% it is very much a grow from within model that we've that we've built. And, you know, I think that the key to our success, because I'd like to think we've been able to not only hang on to the culture as a competitive advantage over the last nine years, since I've been here, and the culture was built by those that came before me, certainly, and continues today by many leaders, but we've been able to hang on to that. And I think our key to hanging on to the culture as a competitive advantage over the next 510, 15 years, even through this growth, is we've got to have great people leaders in every store and every function we have to ensure a consistent employee experience throughout the full life cycle, from hire to onboard, performance, management, development, etc. And then third, we've got to we strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone belongs. We want to reflect the communities we serve and the customer base that we serve. And so to do that, we've got to have an employee population that reflects that community.
Chris Rainey 7:25
Yeah, no, I love that. Let's break that down, because what you're describing, it doesn't just happen or get like, you know, you know, by accident. So what are some of the systems and foundations, perhaps, that you've laid to ensure that this is consistent, because it 95% doesn't happen by accident either. So clearly, there's a process that you've created. Could you walk us through that little bit
Jon Caldwell 7:50
and break it down absolutely? You know the two things that come to mind off offhand? One, we've got an amazing training process, so when you come on board again, we you don't have to have prior experience or education, you know, working on cars. You don't have to be a mechanic again. It's preventative maintenance. We can teach all of that to you. And so I think that a key to that is you come on board and we, we provide all of our technicians with 150 hours of training, where they learn each step of the process and how to do it masterfully. And that is critical in ensuring that consistent employee experience, that then ensures the consistency and in the customer experience that we provide. And so regardless of what store, what market that you're in, you're going to go through the same training process. And I think over time, the strength of that is in the fact that, again, 95% of the store managers who are training the technicians were in their shoes once upon a time, you know, maybe even just a couple of years ago. And so I think that that pay it forward, that, you know, mentality really strengthens the culture as well. The other thing I think that that this organization has done, and again, it started well before my time here, was we've got some really strong traditions in place that reinforce that culture. And that's so critical, because as a typical retail organization, I mean, again, I think our culture is amazing and strong, but we still have high turnover. It's a retail organization. So, you know, we're hiring a lot. We're unfortunately losing, you know, employees each each month, each quarter. So these annual traditions that we have. So a couple examples. One, we have what we call the, you know, again, a little cheeky here. Family reunion is our annual meeting. Of all you know, 1500 of our store managers and above come together once a year, and that's how we kick off the year. And really, it's kind of a rallying cry for, what are the areas of focus, what's changing in the organization? Innovation, and how do we we bring them together to feel the energy of the culture each and every year. And so every year, of course, you've got, you know, probably a good 20% of those are new. That's their first family reunion. So being able to reinforce the power and the energy of our culture and the connection through that is important. We also, as we head into our summer drive season, which in the US and Canada, it's big vacation time. It's when, you know, it's our busiest time of the years. In between Memorial Day, everyone's
Chris Rainey 10:33
checking their cars making sure it's all good for the trip, etc,
Jon Caldwell 10:37
that's right, so they can have a safe trip with their family, and we do what we call the oil Olympics. So obviously, a play on Olympics, and it's a competition where each of our the top teams in every market, you know, come to one, one of our markets each year. This past year was Cincinnati, Ohio, and and they compete, and they all, you know, they're they're scored by a number of judges. Each role, there's a few different roles in the process. And then collectively, as a team, you know, the team that that completes the oil change in the fastest time, you know, with the highest level of quality it, you know, stands in the center of the podium the end.
Chris Rainey 11:19
So please tell me that you've recorded this content and put it on LinkedIn.
Jon Caldwell 11:25
We do. We've got, yeah, you could go out and see the LinkedIn posts.
Chris Rainey 11:28
I've got to say, you have to that's not the best employee brand content ever. Amazing.
Jon Caldwell 11:35
It's, again, it's a great way to not only reinforce the culture our teams. Love the competition, the friendly competition behind it, but it's also, it's a great kind of annual, you know, training of, you know, hey, right before the busy season, lets everybody dust up on
Chris Rainey 11:52
Oh, so you do it also intentionally around that timing, where it's kind of keeping them as sharp as possible, knowing that you're going to be really busy. That's right,
Jon Caldwell 12:00
it's usually kind of an April May timeframe, right before summer drive season hits at the end of May. Yeah.
Chris Rainey 12:08
So in the type of research organization, many these employees that is that their first time job,
Jon Caldwell 12:15
it can be definitely a lot of times. We're you don't have to have any prior experience. For a lot of our team members. You know, we skew, it's a pretty young demographic. The average age in our stores is about 25 Oh, really interesting. And so, and that's inclusive of our store managers as well, even. So, yeah, it could be your first job. And I think what has been powerful, and you know, it's a it's a core tenet of our employment value proposition is, I think a lot of people join Valvoline valve, instant oil change, thinking that it's a job, and then they find their career here again, you don't need prior experience. You don't need a degree. 62% of of US citizens don't have a college degree, and this is a place where you can come in, start as a technician, and, you know, genuinely, within a couple of years, be managing a store and significantly increase your your earnings, have bonus opportunity and and be able to lead, lead a Great team as
Chris Rainey 13:20
well. Yeah, I know. And it's important that they can see it right in their own manager. Because, like, if you have that percentage of of them going through to management, they're like, Wow, you're someone that was where I am only a few years ago. That's right. Like, that's so important for them to
Jon Caldwell 13:38
see that that runs up even our we have two vice presidents of operations who started in the stores, you know, 2530 years ago, so all the way up, not just the store manager, but, you know, like a lot of other retailers, we have, you know, area managers, market managers, directors and then VPS, and pretty much every single one of them started, you know, in the stores, in an hourly role, yeah, once a time. So, to your point, it's an it, it's not a pipe dream. You know, we can, we have a lot of proof points, you know, in each of our stores, each of our markets,
Chris Rainey 14:11
yeah, many companies I'm speaking to, there's a lot of focused on team based culture, like, it's a bit, and that's obviously something, it sounds like. It's embedded. How do you How are you moving from the ME TO THE we, but practically, what are some of the things you're doing to make that happen?
Jon Caldwell 14:29
Yeah, that's, that's a great point. And as I mentioned, it's, it's, I would like to think that even compared to other retail organizations, we're, I mean, we're, our success is based on the team working together. Again, it's that pit crew mentality that they, that they have, you know, I think the practically, how do we, how do we maintain the strength of that? You know, I think it's a fast paced environment. I think the partnership that they see, the cross training. Um. So, you know, I mentioned earlier, there are a few different roles. So there's, if you pulled a vehicle into one of our bays, you're going to have somebody that's in the window, that's in a customer service associate sort of role. There's what we call top side and bottom side. So top side is under the hood, working on the vehicle, and bottom side is is in the pit, you know, literally, kind of changing the oil we do. We cross train all of those roles so somebody is going to be able to perform
Chris Rainey 15:29
all three of those trained on all roles.
Jon Caldwell 15:33
They're changed on all roles. And then you've got a manager and an assistant manager who who, again, came up through our organization, so they know each role as well. So I think that not only that reliance on one another, but the training process and the fact that you do learn you know each each role that we have in the stores, really strengthens kind of that, that team culture, yeah, there's no and then I would like to say too, that that extends into our corporate teams or our support teams. So we know, you know, my team that in human resources and communications, our finance teams, our tech teams, legal teams, we're here to support our store family members in the same way that they're, you know,
Chris Rainey 16:19
supporting it should be mandatory that if you work in the corporate office, you have to be able to know how to change your own oil.
Jon Caldwell 16:25
We well, you laugh, but it's right, that's right. We do have a number of our of our executive team members and corporate team members, you know, present company included, who were in the stores. This is another way to kind of strengthen that, that we, and not me, who have become topside certified. Oh, nice, yeah, so that under the hood role, so you spend a day in the stores and become certified, so that you know, you know what the role is. Now I would tell you I'm not nearly as proficient as our esteemed family members in the stores are, but did spend some time out there to become topside certified earlier this year.
Chris Rainey 17:12
Actually, that's important, like, if, like, if you really need to, like, truly understand what a day in the life looks like. You have to live it. You know, I know. I know you can't always do that. I feel like, in your example, this is pretty accessible and really easy to go and do as well.
Jon Caldwell 17:28
Yeah, and it's quite humbling. I mean, you know what? It was, honestly one of the more enjoyable days I've had a while when I when I did that. But you also, I mean, it's the complexity. Every car is different.
Chris Rainey 17:41
That's what I was thinking. Every single car is in a different place. Like, it's like, so they got a really get to know and and quickly, yes, and do do that? Is it? Is it mainly learning on the job, or do you have any technology or videos like, like, is it just on the job, learning with someone as a mentor? Like, what's the way
Jon Caldwell 18:02
it's, it's both it a lot of it is, is, we do have some classroom training. We do have some, you know, short videos, how to videos, I draw a parallel to, you know, how I, you know, fix things at my home, and it become more proficient than I was, you know, when I was a new homeowner. Of, you know, the refrigerators broken. I'm going to YouTube, you know, do a search and watch a five minute video to figure out, step by step, how to fix it. So we do have that component as well, but there's a heavy apprenticeship model feel to it, yeah, because there is a lot of times you're when you're learning, you know, you have a trainer or a store manager there who's who's able to kind of look over your shoulder and give you some some good instruction, and slowly back away and allow you to take on more and more each day.
Chris Rainey 18:51
So yeah, you mentioned earlier that the aim is to nearly double the store count by the end of the decade, but this is going to require a very different level of Operation sufficiency, etc. Like, how are you empowering and supporting your leaders and managers to support this level of growth?
Jon Caldwell 19:15
Yeah? Yeah. You know, I think the most important thing that we are doing right now, and it's it, it's a big piece of what we're doing in HR. And I think you could, you could, you know, kind of Cascade this focus across all of our functions is we've got to make sure that all of our processes and practices are scalable. So the risk, so I put it through, if I look at it through the people in HR lens, you know, the biggest fear I have as we grow from 2000 to 3500 stores, and we're about, you know, 12,000 employees on the company side. So, you know, we'll be at 20,000 by the end of the decade. You know, how do you not. Not erode the customer experience and less the employee experience as you go through that sort of growth. So the first thing is just making sure that as we enter into new markets, as we build stores, even as we acquire organizations, how do we make sure that we can replicate what we do and how we do it. So again, in HR, that's consistency and scalability in our hiring processes, employee onboarding, training and development. You know, even down to our compensation practices, making sure we're consistent in that same thing, we have a lot of scrutiny in our real estate and development team. So if we're going to, you know, build 1500 new stores by the end of the decade, how do we make sure that we're, you know, building them as efficiently as possible, and making sure that every dollar is spent spent wisely.
Chris Rainey 20:56
It's so interesting. And yeah, so did you? Did you say earlier 1500 store managers?
Jon Caldwell 21:02
We Yes, so we have, and I'm speaking that is for just the company store side, so I understand, yeah, yeah, we've got about 2000 stores overall. Just under 1000 are company owned right now, and you have a number of those that have two store managers. So yeah, it's about 1500 service center
Chris Rainey 21:21
man, and then how many employees?
Jon Caldwell 21:22
About 12,000
Chris Rainey 21:24
Wow, okay. And in terms of Wow, and so you just got me thinking like, and you're looking to double, looking to double.
Jon Caldwell 21:34
The other thing, I would say, and this is what I enjoy. One thing I enjoy about this role, and then retail in particular, or retail HR role. So I, I've always enjoyed both the relationship side of HR and the data and analytics side of HR. And so with this growth, and, you know, with the employee base that we have, and then again, it's retail, so you're you're growing, and you've got turnover. So we do a lot of hiring. We have turnover. We've we we use the data, the hiring data that we get, the development data, the the retention data and turnover data, engagement data, to to understand, you know, where are our opportunities, and help inform the targeted actions that we take. So, you know, even to your earlier question around, how do we how do we make sure that as we grow, that we're scaling and and continuing to be successful? I think a part of it is getting smarter about what we're doing and what's working and what isn't you know. So how can we scale this hiring process where now we're hiring around 12,000 people a year. So how you know, if we've got to get to hiring 20,000 people a year in five years, how do we do that in the most productive and efficient way possible? And so what's the data telling us where our best hires coming from? You know the people that stick around for a year or more, you know, what are the common traits that they have? What are the common experiences that they have?
Chris Rainey 23:08
So, yeah, what are they? That was actually my next question. What are for the for those that progress with the organization, what are some of the common experience, yeah, traits that they had that'd be really interesting
Jon Caldwell 23:17
to know, yeah, you know, the the biggest, I think, commonality that we have, there's the let me, let me pause here for a minute and think about that from a trait perspective, there's not like demographically. There's no you know kind of it's this age or gender or anything like that, as much. I think the common piece is where you've got a manager who is supporting that growth, that's a critical factor. We know that we've got this great culture, but we're only as good
Chris Rainey 23:51
as the person they're interacting with every day, right? Yeah, and market,
Jon Caldwell 23:55
so there's a lot of you know, where you find some markets that do it better than others. They have stronger retention rates. They have they develop better than others. What we found is, if we can provide a great onboarding experience, we have, you know, employees that we do lose a number of our employees, unfortunately, you know, in the first 90 days. So the consistent theme that we found is, if we can, we've got a store and an environment that's got a great manager, and we can provide a strong onboarding and assimilation experience, they're likely to stay, yeah, and I think the other key is delivering on the the the employee value proposition and the promise of career growth for those that want it. So, you know, we have an example of that is we have a benchmark to get to where you become a certified technician in 60 days. So we measure that, you know, and we have a lot better retention rate when we're able to deliver and ensure. That that employee is certified within 60 days. I do think there is, as far as traits for employees, you know, certainly, if they're interested in cars, that helps. And it's from a training perspective, it's, you know, we all want to do things that we're interested in. So you do find that if you're interested in cars, or even someone who from a profile, they don't want to sit behind a desk. It's hands on, it's fast paced. So somebody who is is, you know, you know, engaged, energized by that environment, they're going to generally stick around and really enjoy their
Chris Rainey 25:43
time. Yeah, when I was thinking about it, when you I was thinking like athletes, like people are into sports, will be interested in stuff like, because it's fast paced, you know, you're part of a team. You want to succeed. You got quick, you know, you know, like you're moving around, like, I feel like that. I don't know if you have any former people that love sports and athletes that have
Jon Caldwell 26:07
come in. You do run into that in our stores? Yes, those that, even in high school or college, they played team sports specifically. And I think you're right, Chris. I mean, it's,
Chris Rainey 26:18
it's the pace, the growth mindset.
Jon Caldwell 26:22
There's a growth mindset. And I do think there's a sense of accomplishment. I mean, each and every vehicle, you know, you've you've done something, you've completed something. And I think some people like that sort of work environment, where at the end of the day, you can see it in the results. Hey, we, we had, we service 60 vehicles today in the store, you know? And how does that compare to yesterday? How does that compare
Chris Rainey 26:44
to this? Sound like the mind works like, you know, you want to get shoot the next shot score, right? It's like, I don't know. I feel like, as a young early in my career, if I was part of an organization like yours, I would love that environment, as someone who's playing different sports and want to be in that
Jon Caldwell 27:00
environment. And again, with retail being so data driven, you can also, you know, our teams love the friendly internal competitions as well. I bet door to another,
Chris Rainey 27:11
yeah, oh, man, is anything that we that I missed, that we should have covered? You know, think about that.
Jon Caldwell 27:25
I think that the important thing that one other thing that we're we've really done here recently is, you know, a new employer brand that we've had so we've we've got a great this great culture, but we've done a better job recently of being able to how do we consistently articulate what what you get when you when you join the family, when you join Valvoline. And so we've recently launched, you know, a new employer brand that has the the tagline of all roads lead to Valvoline, and then this theme line of of bring what drives you and so what that's really built on, it kind of ties to that third prong of our people strategy that I mentioned around ensuring that we have an inclusive environment. So the All roads lead to Valvoline, I think, really speaks to regardless of your background, what experience you have, frankly, even what motivates you in a workplace or in a career. You know, your road could lead to Valvoline, and so because of that, we want you to bring what drives you, what makes you tick? Is it? Are you? Do you? Do you join Valvoline, and do you stay at Valvoline because, you know, you, you were really looking for a career, and you, you're excited by the growth. Is it the social slash team aspect? Do you love working as a team? Do you love cars? Do you love helping people, not just the guests, and making sure that their vehicles are safe for that summer drive, for that vacation, but even getting back and investing in, you know, once you become a manager, investing in in your team members, and so being able to provide, you know, those great benefits, you know, and that value proposition, I think, regardless of what drives you, you can, you can come to Valvoline and really enjoy your time here, success.
Chris Rainey 29:11
I'm glad you said that, because I think especially is important in a company around like yours, that you do represent the communities that you serve, and that that's reflected in your employee base as well, right? And I love the tag lines, by the way. Yes, that's so great.
Jon Caldwell 29:29
We know that our customer experience is enhanced. If people pull into the base and they see someone that that looks like them, or they resonate with, they connect with, they're going to have a better experience. So it's, you know, for us, diversity and inclusion is it's good for business.
Chris Rainey 29:46
Yeah, 100% Well, listen, man, I appreciate you coming on. I've got a couple of questions before I let you go, some sort of quick fire questions that I didn't tell you about, that I want to throw in there. What are some of your personal hobbies and passions outside
Jon Caldwell 29:58
of work? You know, I like to play golf.
Chris Rainey 30:02
I knew you was gonna say that. Why you look like you play golf, but you're also your polo today looks like you're sponsored by Valvoline and you're on the golf course.
Jon Caldwell 30:13
Well, if you saw my golf game, you would know that no one's gonna sponsor this guy so but but I do enjoy playing golf. I also stay busy. I have three, I say children in air quotes now, because they're, they're now 2220 and 18 years of age. So, oh, wow, they've, they've, they've kept me busy.
Chris Rainey 30:33
And you still want, you still got some hair left after that,
Jon Caldwell 30:38
a little bit more, more in the front than the back. So you're seeing the good side.
Chris Rainey 30:41
Yeah, like, I'll be calling you for advice. Then I've got one seven or soon to be, seven year old in September, and I'm barely surviving. I know who I'm calling. How do you think your family, your kids, and your and your family would describe what you do for a living?
Jon Caldwell 30:58
How would they describe it? That's a great question.
Chris Rainey 31:03
If you ask them, What do you mean?
Jon Caldwell 31:05
They'd say, Dad goes to work and he attends a lot of meetings and and he does something he, you know, he does the hiring and the firing is kind of the old school, you know, the people. That's what I used to say. At least maybe my my mother, would say that I did, you know, or at work.
Chris Rainey 31:25
So no, that's, by the way, that's the normal response. So even now, after all the work that we've done, it's still that's kind of the perception. I'm working on it. I'm working on changing that the perception. What? On a more serious note, what what legacy Do you want to leave behind, for the for the family, for your kids, and, yeah,
Jon Caldwell 31:46
for my kids. Gosh, that's a, that's a great question. I, you know, I, I want to make sure that I've, I'm providing for them, and I want to make sure that you know when, when they look forward or look up to me that they see somebody that you know they they are proud of, and that they think has provided for them and cared for them in a way that they would want to care for their own children.
Chris Rainey 32:10
Yeah,
Jon Caldwell 32:12
and so I think how that relates to work too. I've tried to, I've got a strong work ethic, you know, I think that's that's helped me be successful. Certainly, there's no substitute for for hard work. So I do think them, them seeing that and and being proud of that in themselves
Chris Rainey 32:29
would be important as well. Yeah. And I mean, you're also demonstrating exactly the same thing for your employees and customers.
Jon Caldwell 32:35
That's right, that's right. Yeah, it, it's um, we use the term here at Valvoline, you know, kind of the attributes of the ideal team player, which is a book that we subscribe to. Patrick Lencioni is the author of hungry, humble, smart. And so the hunger, you know, you're hungry, humble, and then the smartest, the people smart. So again, that ties to our family culture. It all starts with our people. And so I've really subscribed to that model. I think it describes not only who I would hope to be, but who I think noveline is when we're at our best. And so even even that legacy for my children, I think if they could, could kind of subscribe to that, you know, operating, living their lives in a hungry, humble and smart sort of way. I think that that would lead to a lot of not only success, but happiness, personal happiness, too.
Chris Rainey 33:26
I'm so happy I asked you that now, hungry, humble, smart, that's incredible.
Jon Caldwell 33:31
I'd love this and the smartest EQ instead of IQ. I mean, well,
Chris Rainey 33:36
that's why you got the humble there as well. That's right, yeah, I think it also needs to go in that order. I think the order is pretty good as well. I mean, that's one of that's I think. I mean, I've taken away a lot from this conversation, but when I think about myself as a dad, as a CEO, as a husband, that those three things are really going to stick with me, hungry, humble, smart, good. Yeah, well, listen, man, oh, I'm
Jon Caldwell 34:02
sorry, yeah. To your question. I mean, it is, the older I get, the more I realize that that you're this, you know that who you are and how you show up, there's not a work, John and a home, John, it's one in the same and so you know, even, even your question about the legacy you leave for the kids, it would be similar for the legacy I leave here at work.
Chris Rainey 34:26
Hopefully, yeah, no, I agree, man. Well, listen, I appreciate you coming on. Honestly, it's been cool to learn more about a brand that I was already aware of through my my YouTube searches. It's so interesting. I get such a such a fun job that I get to learn about brands like yours, and now I get to have a conversation with you, learn about what, what, what resulted in that right the back end, and incredible what you, you and the team are doing with the culture and the incredible job of your managers and your stores and creating that experience for your for your employees, and how that's filtering down to your customers. And I. I feel it on mind. I don't even drive a car. My wife has a car. But the fact that I am aware of the brand and the employee brand that you've created is amazing, and now I see why after this conversation. So congratulations to you and the team, and let's do another interview when you've doubled that
Jon Caldwell 35:18
would be great. Yeah, I am. I am. I do feel very fortunate and humbled to be in this role that I'm in, and proud of the culture that we have and that has been built on the backs of of so many who've been at this organization for so long. And you know, that's, that's like I said, you know, we're trying to maintain that culture as a competitive advantage as we double again, and you know that, just make sure that we're able to hang on and continue to evolve in the right way, to preserve it
Chris Rainey 35:49
as well. My friend, not many people can say that they have evolved for 160 years. You're doing something right. Many company have come and gone and during that time, and part of that is your not, not just your product evolving, but your culture, yes, you know, yeah, cool man. Well, listen, I wish you all the best until next week. All right, thanks a lot.
Jon Caldwell 36:14
Great. Thanks so much. Chris.
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Jon Caldwell, SVP & CPO at Valvoline Inc.