Skip to Main Content

Jose R. Costa

Jose Costa (IMC04) is known for building global brands. He is currently a member of YPO, board member of Simplicity Car Care, board member of Axum Capital Partners, and chief executive officer at Magnolia Wash Holdings.

Prior to his current role, he was chief development officer at Bojangles' Restaurants, Inc. Before that, he was a managing partner at LVN Capital Group, a role he came to after serving as the North American CEO for optical retailer GrandVision.

Previously, Costa was the vice president of marketing, R&D and supply chain at Burger King where he was in charge of marketing to 32 countries with distinct cultural identities. As president of automotive company Maaco at age 35, Costa overhauled the brand's strategy and business model to address the needs of the largely-female customer base. Costa pushed the company to evolve its advertising from Yellow Pages to digital, social and mobile. He led Maaco to 61 months of growth. And he appeared on CBS's "Undercover Boss," gathering more insights about employees and franchises.

Costa grew up in Venezuela and is the eldest son of Spanish and Italian immigrants. His father’s advertising agency became the No. 1 agency in Venezuela and a local partner to Young & Rubicam in the mid-80s. In 2004, he and his sister Gaby became the first siblings to graduate the IMC program together. Costa also met his future wife, Cindy, in the program.