About Stella Blue Ventures

Michael Alterman is a fourth generation entrepreneur and the founding Principal of Alterman Capital Ventures. As Principal, Michael is responsible for the development and execution of ACV’s strategic plan. Through ACV, Michael works to find interesting and creative investment opportunities for ACV and its partners.

Michael has proudly served on the Board of Directors of several local and national philanthropic causes of both civil and religious interests. Michael lives in Brookhaven, GA with his wife Melissa, son Jacob, daughter Hannah and two dogs Stella Blue and Gracie.

Todd served in the US Army for 20 years (retired) while simultaneously completing his degrees in Human Resource Management and Criminal Justice. On active duty Todd gained a wide range of experience in leadership, team development, vehicle and communication equipment maintenance, construction and project management. Todd has developed, staffed and managed two commercial maintenance companies as the general manager, where he managed facility maintenance for automotive, medical, retail and industrial properties in the southeast. His hands-on leadership style is a true match for Stella Blue Ventures, Take 5 and franchise development. Todd and his family reside in the big city of Social Circle, Georgia.

Sandy Rudin joined Stella Blue Ventures in February 2021 as the controller and human resources manager. Sandy brings with her 39 years of accounting experience to include 11 years in the banking industry, 7 years as a business owner and 17 plus years as an independent accounting and payroll manager. Sandy is also a certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor.

Matthew joined Stella Blue Ventures in 2021 to focus on the day to day management our Take 5 facilities throughout the Southeastern US. Matthew is constantly growing his relationships with vendors and municipalities while providing property management services for multiple asset classes. It is very likely that any issue that may arise for Stella Blue Ventures assets in building maintenance and property services, Matthew has encountered before and is ready to handle.

Matthew brings his experience as an Associate at Alterman Commercial Real Estate (“ACRE”) where he is responsible for the property management of 30+ retail properties as well as assisting in development and investment pursuits through due diligence support, project underwriting and management. His property management experience with ACRE will be a perfect compliment in managing the Take 5 Oil Change facilities for Stella Blue Ventures LLC.

Kyle was the first hire of Stella Blue Ventures as the Shop Manager of Dalton Shop #1233.  Very quickly the Stella Blue Ventures leadership began to rely on Kyle for a lot of the above shop operational support.  Kyle has led the local team for all new shop openings and since May of 2021 he assisted in opening 4 new Take 5 Oil Changes in the Chattanooga market.  As a district manager for the Chattanooga area, Kyle assists with the opening, staffing, and development of new shops while overseeing the day to day operations of the Chattanooga district of Stella Blue Ventures.

Ben started his Take 5 career in 2019 as a lube technician in Fayetteville, NC while serving active duty in the United States Army as a wheeled vehicle mechanic on Airborne status.  Upon medical retirement from the Army, Ben moved back to Hixson, TN and began working as a diesel engine technician. In November of 2021 Ben came on board with Stella Blue Ventures as a Store Manager in training.

Ben quickly shed the “in-training” title, and began to separate himself from his peers while serving as the Store Manager for Shop 1239 in Chattanooga, TN. In November of 2022 Ben transferred to Shop 1238 to serve as the Shop Manager for the Hixson, TN location. Ben again, took his new shop and ran-away from his peers in terms of comparability. Ben was awarded SM of the Quarter 3 times, while leading the company in sales, Big 5%, and ticket average for most of the calendar year. Ben was elevated to the role of Certified Training Store Manager shortly after arriving to Hixson, and through his guidance and leadership improved overall retention and certified tech percentages for the Chattanooga district.

In December of 2023, Ben was named the District Manager for the Knoxville region. Ben currently lives in Hixson, TN with his wife Taylor and their three children.

Matt started his career as part of the operations workforce in the process manufacturing industry. He quickly became a subject matter expert in his field which lead him to training and developing new facilities on processing and distribution of a specialized chemical. The process manufacturing industry was a great way for Matt to get exposed to multiple work processes and exposure to career development early on in his career. Matt left operations and joined the Regional Fire Academy in Beaumont, TX where he was able to serve the manufacturing industry in a different capacity. He was a key player in developing the Fire Protection Program for one of the top industrial safety companies in Texas. Through these different roles, Matt discovered his true passion of leading and developing personnel to their max potential.

He was given the opportunity to bring his experience and skills to a Take 5 Oil Change franchise as a Shop Manager at the franchise’s first location. Then becoming the Director of Operations, Matt was able to cultivate teams that strived for premium customer service without sacrificing speed and efficiency. Now Matt looks forward to his future with Stella Blue Ventures and is beyond ecstatic to be joining such a great team.”  

Stephen Scott is the Business Development Manager for Take 5. Stephen started with Take 5 as a lube technician in 2021 and quickly rose to the ASM position at his store. Stephen showed value in his dedication and efforts. His goals are to reach out to the community and develop relationships with businesses in the area. Stephen also served 4 years with the United States Navy onboard the USS Bataan as a quality assurance lead for the over 120,000 gallons of fuel on board.

Joe joined Stella Blue Ventures as a technician in July of 2021 in Crossville, TN. After only a few days, it was apparent Joe accepted a position well below his true ability. He quickly advanced to shop manager over two shops and continued to share his 20 years of automotive experience. Joe is capable of leading, developing and retaining employees at all levels. Joe currently serves as a District Manager over 6 shops with this quote in mind “If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results”—Jack Dixon.