Executive Spotlight: Who Is Don Smith, Founder & CEO of Henley Enterprises, a Valvoline Instant Oil Change Franchisee? (2027)
Don Smith is the founder and CEO of Henley Enterprises, a Newton, Massachusetts company that Franchise Times (December 2025) describes as the largest franchisee in the Valvoline Instant Oil Change system, with 250-plus locations. Smith opened the first franchised Valvoline Instant Oil Change center in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1989.
Franchise Times reports Henley employs about 4,000 people and, by Smith's own account, generates about $700 million in revenue. This page covers public professional information only, taken from pages read for this page.
Current role and company
Franchise Times says Smith founded and owns Henley Enterprises, which is based in Newton, Massachusetts. The company takes its name from the Henley regatta, the English rowing event Smith competed in twice in the 1980s with the Cambridge Boat Club. A 2014 Franchising.com profile calls him CEO and co-founder.
- CompanyHenley Enterprises, Newton, Massachusetts (Franchise Times, Dec 2025).
- TitleFounder and CEO (Franchise Times describes him as founder and owner; Franchising.com, 2014, as CEO and co-founder).
- BrandValvoline Instant Oil Change, where Franchise Times calls Henley the system's largest franchisee.
- Footprint250-plus locations (Franchise Times, Dec 2025). The article says eight states but names seven: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and California.
Career path
- Education. Franchise Times and Franchising.com both say he studied at the University of Pennsylvania, with a dual major in geology and environmental studies or sciences (the two articles word it slightly differently).
- Oil fields. He worked as a petroleum geologist in Oklahoma and Texas, according to Franchise Times. Franchising.com says his first job was as a well site engineer for Schlumberger in the Oklahoma oil fields. He left the industry after the oil downturn of the 1980s.
- Quick lube beginnings. Back in the Boston area, Franchise Times says he and friends began building Jiffy Lube centers. He then read a Wall Street Journal article about Valvoline franchising and contacted the company, which, per the article, wanted him as its first franchisee and offered financing.
- First Valvoline center (1989). Franchising.com says Smith opened the first franchised Valvoline Instant Oil Change location in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1989. Franchise Times also places his first store in Somerville.
- Southern California (2012). Franchising.com describes Henley's 2012 purchase and rebranding of 72 EZ Lube centers in Southern California as the largest single acquisition in the industry's history. The article also gives the figure as 70 in one place.
- California expansion (2022 on). Franchise Times says Henley entered California in 2022 and now has 155 stores there, mainly in Los Angeles and San Diego.
What Smith is known for
- The first Valvoline franchisee. He opened the brand's first franchised center in 1989, and Henley has been described since as its largest operator.
- Turning around acquired stores. Franchising.com says the 2012 EZ Lube deal included many distressed properties and that Smith spent heavily on flights to send staff to Southern California to help turn the centers around.
- High per-store results. Franchise Times reports single-store revenue above $2.5 million, nearly $1 million above the systemwide average, and an average ticket of $130, nearly $40 above the system average.
- Operating choices. The same article says stores aim for roughly 15-minute visits, service center managers are paid $100,000 salaries, Henley has four area managers, and it was one of the first in the system to give store managers iPads.
Leadership style and philosophy
These are Smith's own words as quoted by Franchise Times and Franchising.com, plus one franchisor comment.
- On teamwork. Franchise Times quotes him on rowing: "Rowing, like all team sports, requires the total integration between people in the boat."
- On luck. "Honestly, I was just in the right place at the right time," he told Franchise Times about getting into Valvoline.
- On performance. "We perform better than virtually every franchise in the Valvoline system," Franchising.com quotes him as saying in 2014.
- On culture. Franchising.com (Feb 2015) describes a transparent culture with open accounting in which employees earn a percentage of store revenue, and an emphasis on honest work and customer retention.
- The franchisor's view. Valvoline Chief Franchising Officer Adam Worsham called Smith "extremely sophisticated and well capitalized" (Franchise Times).
Key numbers
Figures are company-reported (by Smith) or from press, each with its period. They are not audited and unit counts change.
- 2014 (Franchising.com, Dec 2014)197 locations, with 20 more under development; annual revenue of $170 million; goal of 300 to 350 stores within five years.
- Late 2025 (Franchise Times, Dec 2025)250-plus locations; about 4,000 employees; about $700 million in revenue, per Smith; 20 more Valvolines under development in California.
- California (Franchise Times)Entered in 2022; 155 stores, mainly Los Angeles and San Diego.
- Per-store (Franchise Times)Single-store revenue above $2.5 million; average ticket $130.
Questions people ask
Who is Don Smith of Henley Enterprises?
He is the founder and CEO of Henley Enterprises of Newton, Massachusetts, which Franchise Times calls the largest franchisee in the Valvoline Instant Oil Change system. He is not any of the many other people named Don Smith.
How many Valvoline locations does Henley operate?
Franchise Times (December 2025) reports 250-plus locations, up from 197 in a December 2014 Franchising.com profile. Counts change, and the 2025 article's state count is inconsistent.
Why is the company called Henley?
Franchise Times says it is named after the Henley regatta, the English rowing event Smith competed in twice in the 1980s.
When did Smith open his first Valvoline center?
Franchising.com says the first franchised Valvoline Instant Oil Change center he opened was in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1989.
What was the 2012 EZ Lube deal?
Franchising.com says Henley bought and rebranded 72 EZ Lube centers in Southern California, which it calls the largest single acquisition in industry history.
Sources
- Franchise Times: How Valvoline's largest franchisee built a well-oiled business (Joe Halpern, Dec 30, 2025) · Role, units, California, per-store figures, quotes; hero photo (caption names Don Smith)
- Franchising.com: First... and Still the Best: Don Smith Dominates the Oil Change Business (Dec 10, 2014) · 2014 units and revenue, 2012 EZ Lube acquisition, education, early career
- Franchising.com: Don Smith Not Afraid To Take Risks (Feb 10, 2015) · Business culture
Facts were read from the linked pages on November 1, 2026. Titles and counts are as of the dates shown; no 2026 unit total was confirmed, and the 2025 and 2014 figures come from articles several years apart. The hero photo is the portrait published with the Franchise Times article, whose caption names Don Smith as the largest franchisee in the Valvoline Instant Oil Change system. It shows him alone and is centered on a blurred card. Photo: Joe Halpern / Franchise Times. This page covers public professional information only.
Top photo: Joe Halpern / Franchise Times (Dec 2025)