Debbie Briggs

What do you get when three guys who also happen to be technicians become friends? A highly successful Santa Barbara, CA-based repair shop.

Having been a car dealership for 90 years has its benefits.
Glenway Auto Center in Cincinnati, OH, opened in 1919 and serviced Chevy vehicles until the doors were shuttered in 2009, in the wake of dealership closings across the country. But, as the saying goes, when one door closes, another often opens – and, in this case, it was as an independent repair facility and body shop less than a year later in June 2010.

In a day and age where Internet presence is often expected, Gross & Stevens, a preeminent brake and wheel service repair shop in Visalia, CA, is bucking the trend and focusing on something else: good, old-fashioned customer service.

Repairing today’s sophisticated cars can be expensive. John Ranney, owner of European Auto Tech, a seven-bay automotive repair garage in Tucson, AZ, understands that. Located near the University of Arizona, he sees how financial pressures affect his business and his customers, many of whom are students and their parents.

In today’s ever-changing digital media landscape, with thousands of tweets per minute and videos going viral every day, it’s becoming more and more important for shop owners to stay on top of marketing technology. Ron Haugen, owner of Westside Auto Pros in Des Moines, IA, has seen first-hand how a well-mastered, intentional social media plan can attract new customers.

What some shop owners might consider a negative has actually been a positive for Weathers Motors, Inc. in Media-Lima, PA. At its current location since 1922, the business started as a repair shop, servicing Model T Fords and Packards, but now repairs any make and model of vehicle. For many years, Weathers Motors was a new car dealership selling and servicing Chrysler vehicles.

While some shop owners may rely on traditional forms of marketing – direct mail, print and on-line advertising, and word of mouth – to bring customers through the doors, John Francis Jr. says his marketing efforts are unique, but also quite successful.

Most people don’t become automotive repair shop owners overnight; they may start out as a technician who agrees to slowly take over a retiring owner’s business, or open their own shop and steadily build a customer base. When the first option fell into Larry Moore’s lap, he jumped at the chance – with some mixed results in the beginning.

Oceanside Transmission has been in business since 1989 and over the years Owner Dean Kuhn has seen a lot of changes in the transmission business. Gone are the transmission-only shops of the past; to survive, a change in the shop’s business model was a must.

Bill’s Quality Auto Care Owner Bill Garcia was “green” before green was even popular. When he opened his shop in Simi Valley, CA, 19 years ago, it was a given that he would promote best practices such as recycling waste oil and metals. And he and his staff are always working to make the shop as energy efficient as possible.

Pam Oakes has always had a love for cars, a passion handed down through the generations of her family. In fact, she’s a fourth-generation technician; her father, grandfather and even great-grandfather came before her and taught her everything they knew.

A little planning goes a long way, or, in the case of Voit Ritch, a lot of planning results in a new landmark building that can’t help but be noticed. To be exact, the all-new Autowerkes Maine in Freeport took two-plus years of planning and the help of staff and current customers to make the project all come together, culminating in a Grand Opening celebration on Aug. 25, 2012.