Ex-Hog Now Going Strong with A&M

Marshall Foreman laughed at the question, but the answer was spoken like a savvy small-business owner.

How does a former University of Arkansas football player open a new business – any business – under the name A&M?

“Well the ‘M’ is for my name and I put the ‘A’ in front of that just so it would be one of the first ones in the phone book,” Foreman said. “I know they (Texas A&M Aggies) were a big rival for us back in the day, but you’ve got to be thinking business.”

Foreman, who lettered from 1984-1986 and gained more than 1,600 yards as a fullback, opened A&M Mobile Oil Change two years ago, providing on-site vehicle oil changes for customers who are at work. Foreman said his operation isn’t geared to compete against the industry giant in Northwest Arkansas — TNT Mobile Oil Service, established in 1994 by Harvey Taylor.

“I actually went and talked to Harvey before I got started to see if there was enough business for both of us,” Foreman said. “We went to college at the same time and he’s a friend.”

The logistics of A&M are just as one would expect. “I go to the customer if they are at work and change their oil while they are working,” Foreman said.

Foreman has two employees who work for him, whereas Taylor’s outfit utilizes 18 crews to service the entire state and parts of Oklahoma. A&M employees maintain a workload of about 30 oil changes, typically scheduled for next-day service, in an average week.

Foreman determines the rate per oil change when scheduling appointments, depending on vehicle specifications and the type of oil used. A standard oil change, he said, is $27 and that includes oil, filter, and checking and refilling all fluids under the hood.

A&M also has five fleet business accounts and Foreman recently hired a sales representative, hoping to acquire more.

 “There’s a lot of business out there to get,” Foreman said. “Every lawn service, every pest control company, they’ve all got a service people need. Oil changes are the same way.”