AUTOMOTIVE :: FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007
Crazy or Brilliant? Auto Repair for Women
Left: Christian & Tonya Porter, owners of Everest AutoWorks & AutoSpa in Newark, the only auto repair shop in Delaware to specifically cater to women.
What kind of people would leave a dream job with a great corporation to start the first auto repair shop that caters to women?
Hi, my name is Christian Porter. My wife, Tonya, and I are the owners of Everest AutoWorks & AutoSpa in Newark. On July 11, 2005, we opened the only auto repair shop in Delaware to specifically cater to women.
Everest may be a relatively young business but the concept has been in development for many years. We are either crazy or brilliant. Read on for our story.
The Big News
I'll never forget that day in January 2005 when an announcement was made that would forever change my life. MBNA America was asking me (and many other people) to accept a voluntary severance package to leave a job and a company that I truly enjoyed. I immediately picked up the phone to call my wife.
Tonya's first response was "You're not thinking about taking the package are you?" …… "Christian, are you really thinking about leaving MBNA???" And the rest as they say is history.
Grandma Is Always Right
Prior to that fateful day I spent many nights after work for several years repairing, maintaining, and detailing cars in the driveway at my house. My jobs came from trusting co-workers, neighbors, and church members. Over the years my customer base grew larger and the strain on my family time became more and more difficult to manage.
I began to think how nice it would be to take care of cars for a living. But that would mean leaving a great job, great money, and a great company. And I wondered if I could feed my hungry family of 6 (yes we have 4 children) by doing what I love for a living.
It would take a strange series of events for something like that to happen. So I did exactly what my grandmother taught me to do… I prayed for guidance.
I Think We're On To Something
Over the next year Tonya and I began to formulate ideas for how we would structure an auto repair business, how we might differentiate ourselves in such a competitive industry, and we tried to define what we really wanted to achieve through such a bold venture.
We eventually came to the realization that about 90% of our car repair customers were women. Essentially my female customers had uncomfortable experiences with car dealerships and auto repair shops and were desperate to find a mechanic that would take good care of them. This realization helped us see that the time was right to open a safe and trusting car care business that would genuinely cater to its female customers.
Over the last year and a half Everest has grown to have over 900 customers. More than 80% of our customers are women. I had no idea we would grow so quickly but our growth just reaffirms that there is a real need for a business like ours.
If you are a woman still searching for a high quality repair shop that promises to take care of you and your vehicle as if you were family, then please give us a call. The people of Everest would love the opportunity to earn your business.
Everest AutoWorks & AutoSpa is located at 690 Kirkwood Highway in Newark next to Perkins Restaurant at the intersection of Kirkwood Highway and Possum Park Road 302-737-8424 or www.everestautoworks.com.
