AUTOINC. ONLINE - Shop Profile

Entrance to Greg's Automotive

After completing three years of college course work, Greg Kelly began his automotive repair career as a mechanic's helper. Then in June 1979, Kelly started his own business. He rented the service bays of a local gas station. “It was toward the end of the second gas crunch, and the pumps were closed by 9 a.m. every day. My part of the station only included the two service bays, about 575 square feet,” said Kelly.

This was the beginning of Greg's Automotive in El Cajon, Calif. It wasn't long before Kelly needed to expand his business. When Kelly started the business he was the only employee. However, in January 1982, he hired a helper to keep up with the ever-increasing business. Then, in December 1982, Kelly moved Greg's Automotive to a larger building, increasing the square footage to 3,000 and hiring a journeyman technician. The business continued to prosper and in 1992, Greg's Automotive incorporated and became Kelly Autoworks, Inc. Over the years, Greg's Automotive has increased in size to its more than 6,000 square feet.

Opening a second business

Entrance to Greg's Brake & Alignment

The opportunity presented itself for Kelly to purchase the alignment shop next to Greg's Automotive in December 1998. Greg's Brake and Alignment has approximately 3,000 square feet. “When I bought the assets of one shop and the alignment shop, all in three months, I added five new employees. This is the biggest jump in our history,” said Kelly.

The two shops have their own identities but are incorporated under the Kelly Autoworks, Inc. umbrella. “Between the two shops, we encompass the phrase, 'general repair and maintenance,'” said Kelly. The businesses average 160 repairs per week. Currently, the two shops have 15 employees, including Kelly's wife, Sheri, who runs the office. “She has been working with me for more than 12 years and we both love it,” said Kelly. “Early on, it was the only way she got to see much of me.” According to Kelly, the only disadvantage of Sheri working with him is when it comes to vacations, because it leaves the business short of two key employees.

The advantages have far outweighed the disadvantages though. With Sheri overseeing the office, Kelly is free to manage and plan the businesses. Kelly believes that the businesses' positive and cutting edge attitudes are what make them unique. “I can have the time to plan for the future, and with my 'partner' being so involved in the business, we can take full advantage of the 'two heads are better than one' concept,” said Kelly. Steering the business and planning the infrastructure needed to stay up with the ever-changing technology is not a one-person job. It is very important to Kelly that the staff be involved in the business. “We ask for and use employee ideas to help stay ahead of the Joneses,” said Kelly.

In addition to staff input, Kelly also takes advantage of the insight he gains from his community involvement to better his business. “We contribute prizes and cash to several school and community projects for special events,” said Kelly. He has also served on the board of the local Kiwanis Club, as well as having served on several committees for the local Chamber of Commerce. For the past two years, Kelly has held open houses focusing on teaching consumers about their vehicles and what to do when trouble arises. As with most independents, Kelly relies heavily on word-of-mouth advertising. The open houses and the businesses' dedication to quality service have definitely paid off in this area.


Greg Kelly, owner of Greg's Automotive and Greg's Brake & Alignment. Right: Sherri Kelly oversees the office operations.

To encourage customer loyalty and continued growth, Kelly routinely rewards his customers with cash discounts and quarterly prize drawings for referrals. In addition, Kelly recently began advertising in the local newspaper. It is also important to Kelly to have a professional appearance to his businesses. He achieves this through attractive, bright and welcoming signage. The Internet also plays an integral part in the businesses' advertising efforts. Kelly recently introduced a page on the company's Web site that offers an online appointment calendar and maintenance scheduling.

As with any business, education and training play key roles in its success. Kelly and his staff regularly attend industry technical training classes, as well as management courses. Kelly is a National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) master-certified technician with an L-1 certification. He also has a California smog license. In addition to technical knowledge, Kelly earned his Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation in 1995 from the Automotive Management Institute (AMI). “The ongoing educational opportunities supplied by AMI have helped in building my business,” said Kelly.

Industry involvement and commitment have remained a top priority to Kelly. This is apparent through his charter membership in the Service Technicians Society (STS). He has served in all capacities of his local Automotive Service Councils (ASC) chapter board, including two terms as president. He continues to attend and participate in the San Diego chapter meetings.

Kelly has been an ASA member since 1989. He remains a member for several reasons including supporting a national voice for the industry's long-term survival. “Through my years in both ASC-California and ASA, the combined array of benefits available to me, as a shop owner, is what I owe much of my success in business to,” said Kelly. “My account with the ASA Credit Union has been an instrumental tool in growing my business over the years.”

With so much expansion over the past 18 months, Kelly's short-term plans call for combining the two businesses and adding another alignment technician as business increases. Kelly will continue to follow his guiding idea for business, which is: “Business never sits still; it either goes forward or backward.”

Shop Stats

Name: Greg's Automotive, Greg's Brake & Alignment
Location: El Cajon, Calif.
No. of Employees: 15
Square Footage: 9,000 (combined)
On working in the industry:“ What I like best about my job is the never-ending variety of things to do. From the planning to the implementation of new ideas to the day-to-day hustle and bustle, there is seldom a boring moment. I think most people in our industry are like that. There is always a new challenge to deal with today and tomorrow.” - Greg Kelly, AAM, Owner

Two Heads and Two Shops Are Better Than One

Shop Stats