About US

Parham Parastaran

Chief Executive Officer and Founding Partner

Parham is an entrepreneur with extensive experience purchasing and operating automotive repair and tire shops. Parham has been an innovator during his career, notably pioneering the first “Car-X Tire” concept.

Beginning his career as the manager of his father’s automotive repair shop in the early 1990s, Parham became CEO and expanded the business to a 17-store portfolio across the Midwest. During this time, he also served on the Car-X Tire & Auto franchise Board of Directors. In 2017, Parham sold the entire portfolio to Monro, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNRO), the largest publicly traded company in the industry.

Parham’s family came to the U.S. under political asylum to escape the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1980. Parham earned his MBA at the University of Illinois Gies College of Business in 1999, where he was the youngest member of his class.

Parham enjoys tennis, golf, and spending time traveling with his wife and 3 daughters. Parham is also an avid writer, and has published a book titled “Perfect Pain”.

Jeff Beasley

Partner

Before joining Left Lane Auto, Jeff was the President of Clay Dooley Tire and Auto which he purchased in 2018. At that time, Clay Dooley was generating $800,000 in revenue and $40,000 in net profit. When Jeff sold Clay Dooley to Left Lane Auto in 2021, the operation generated over $2 million in sales and approximately $400,000 in net profit.

Jeff’s career included a 12-year stint with Nona, Inc., beginning as a store manager and culminating as vice president. At Nona, Jeff specialized in operations and finance and helped Nona grow from 4 locations to 17 locations throughout the Midwest.

Jeff also worked for Monro, Inc. as a District Manager. His responsibilities included oversight of day-to-day operations for 35+ stores, and implementation of Monro, Inc. policies and procedures.

Jeff is an Automotive Service Excellence Master Technician, a General Motors certified Technician, and holds over 20 other mechanical certifications. Jeff earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Illinois State University.

Jeff enjoys building and racing sprint cars and spending time with his wife and 2 daughters.

Derek Dimke

Partner

Before joining Left Lane Auto, Derek was a Senior Account Director at LinkedIn, where he was a member of LinkedIn’s leadership committee which focused on sales management and employee engagement.

Prior to LinkedIn, Derek worked as an associate at Goldman Sachs, advising business owners and executives on investment strategy and risk mitigation. Additionally, Derek’s career included a three-year stint as a kicker in the National Football League.

Derek earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and his MBA from the University of Illinois Gies College of Business. While attending the University of Illinois, he was a four-year starter, captain, and Distinguished Scholar on the football team.

Derek enjoys golfing and traveling with his wife and daughter.

Kim Price

Partner

Before joining Left Lane Auto, Kim was the Corporate Office Manager of Nona, Inc., and part of the Accounting Team at Green Street Realty. She has extensive experience in management, accounting, and people management.

Kim also held leadership positions at Target and Ameritech, and served as treasurer for the local chapter of the Communication Workers of America.

Kim enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and labradoodle, Milo.

Dwayne Chaney

VP of Sales and Operations

Dwayne has over 30 years of automotive experience. Prior to joining Left Lane Auto, Dwayne was a regional manager at Tire Discounters. Before his time at Tire Discounters, Dwayne spent 22 years at Monro, where he worked his way from store manager to regional manager, supervising 30+ locations.

Dwayne is a GM Certified Technician, and early in his career spent time as a lead technician at various dealerships.

Dwayne enjoys fishing and spending time with his 4 children.

Stephanie Bendlin

Director of Marketing

 Stephanie utilizes market research to create effective marketing strategies and campaigns aimed at boosting sales, fostering growth, and increasing brand awareness. With an extensive background of more than a decade in marketing, working with companies like Northwest Bank and Thunder Creek Equipment, she possesses a wealth of experience and is driven by achieving exceptional results. Her expertise encompasses social media management, search engine optimization (SEO), website development, event coordination, and advertising.

Before dedicating her career to marketing, Stephanie held prominent roles as a brand manager at Victoria’s Secret and Urban Outfitters. In these positions, she focused on achieving sales targets, nurturing talent within the brands, and ensuring customer satisfaction. Stephanie’s journey in the industry began after she earned her bachelor’s degree at Western Illinois University, during which she also gained valuable experience through internships at Marie Claire Magazine and MILK studios in New York City.

Outside of work, Stephanie finds joy in creating moments with her daughter and twin boys.