Dyno-Rod Founder and Serial Entrepreneur, Jim Zockoll, Passes Away at 93
London, United Kingdom- Wednesday 31 January, 2024- The business world mourns the loss of Jim Zockoll, the founder and serial entrepreneur behind the successful company Dyno-Rod. Mr. Zockoll passed away at the age of 93 on January 25, 2024.
Born on February 14, 1930, in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, James Francis Zockoll was the youngest of six children to Fred and Margaret Zockoll. He grew up in a tough steel town and despite his family’s financial struggles, he was able to complete high school and serve in the US Armed Forces in Korea as an aircraft crew chief.
Upon returning to the US, Mr. Zockoll enrolled in the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics to further his mechanical skills. In 1955, he applied to Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) as a flight engineer on the DC6 and DC7 aircraft, based at Idlewild, NY (now JFK).
When Pan Am introduced Boeing 707 jets in the late 1950s, engineers were no longer needed on every flight. Mr. Zockoll took this opportunity to invest in rental properties on Long Island, where he lived with other crew members and started a small drain-cleaning business as a backup plan.
It was during a layover in London that Mr. Zockoll met his future wife, Ann, and decided to make the UK his permanent home. He continued to work for Pan Am, but transferred to their West Berlin base (IGS) to make his commute to London more manageable.
Mr. Zockoll’s entrepreneurial spirit came to light when he was faced with a drain blockage at a hotel in London. The hotel manager was on the verge of canceling their Christmas party due to the cost of unblocking the drain, but Mr. Zockoll offered to do it for a fraction of the price. He returned to the US with his electro-mechanical drain-cleaning machine and completed the job in just fifteen minutes. The manager was so impressed that he paid Mr. Zockoll the equivalent of a pilot’s annual salary. This experience sparked the idea for Dyno-Rod and Mr. Zockoll moved his family to the UK to pursue this business opportunity.
With the help of his father-in-law and a plumber who had worked at the hotel, Mr. Zockoll built a team and started Dyno-Rod. He recognized that franchising would be the most efficient way to expand the business nationally, but this concept was unheard of in the UK at the time. Mr. Zockoll not only had to learn how to franchise, but also had to introduce the concept to a country that was unfamiliar with it. As Dyno-Rod grew, he also introduced other US concepts to the UK, such as Pit-Stop car exhaust service, Autrac mobile engine tuning, Piggy-Back trailers, Texon car paint shops, and ZIF parcel delivery. Pit-Stop and Old San Francisco American-style ice cream parlors were also introduced in West Germany. In 1977, Dyno-Rod became the founding member of the British Franchise Association (BFA), setting the standard for franchising in the UK.
Mr. Zockoll retired from Pan Am in 1981 to focus on his growing empire. He eventually sold Dyno-Rod to Centrica in 2004, but instead of retiring, he continued to bring innovative brands to the marketplace through franchise consulting and licensing brand concepts. In 2017, Mr. Zockoll became a British citizen and worked every day as the chairman of the Zockoll Group, until his passing.
Mr. Zockoll’s legacy as the godfather of modern franchising in the UK will be remembered for years to come. He worked tirelessly to make Dyno-Rod a household name and to develop the UK drain-cleaning and plumbing industry into what it is today. He was a private person, but his entrepreneurial spirit and philanthropy touched many lives on both sides of the Atlantic. Mr. Zockoll is survived by his wife, Ann, and his sons, Steven and Jim.
His legacy will continue to live on in the family business that bears his name.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.