Charles August

Who was Charles August?

Charles "Chuck" J. August was an American businessman who founded Monro Muffler Brake.

August's career in automotive maintenance and repair began as a Midas Muffler franchisee in 1957 in Rochester, New York. In 1966, he discontinued his affiliation with Midas. August launched a new company, Monro Muffler, the same year with two business partners, his brother, Burton S. August, and Sheldon Lane. The company was named for Monroe County, New York, except August dropped the "e" in the name. The company later added brake service several years later and was renamed Monro Muffler Brake, Incorporated.

In 1977, Monro Muffler had twenty stores in New York. By the mid-1980s, August's Monro Mufflers had expanded to 59 stores, which sales of $21 million per year. Most of these stores were located in upstate New York.

August sold his controlling interest in Monro Mufflers in 1984 to an investment group headed by Donald Glickman and Peter J. Solomon. The company later had its initial public offering in 1991. August remained as a member of the Monro Muffler board of directors during the 1990s, when the company rapidly expanded. He resigned and retired from the board in 2002.