May 6, 2016—Service King is celebrating 40 years in business in 2016 since Eddie Lennox opened the first Service King Collision Repair Center in North Texas in 1976. 

Today, Service King has grown to nearly 300 repair centers across 23 states. 

“Eddie’s passion for building a model business that puts customers first still drives our team today,” Service King president Jeff McFadden said. “It’s our duty to carry out The Service King Way as we continue to evolve into the collision repair operator of choice. That commitment to excellence will ensure our proud heritage of integrity, community and family lives on for years to come.” 

When the first shop opened in Dallas, Lennox served as technician, answered phones and wrote estimates. He introduced a free loaner car program and worked with insurance carriers to streamline the estimate process. Lennox served as CEO from 1976-2010 and chairman of the board until 2012 when the company attracted investment from the Carlyle Group. Since 2014, the majority ownership is managed by Blackstone.

Service King was named the No. 1 Best Place to Work by Dallas and San Antonio Business Journals in 2015.