The auto repair shop owned by Jerry Kezhaya encompasses 35,222 square feet of a 68,000-square-foot shopping center. The shopping center was only 11 percent occupied when he bought it; now it is 100 percent occupied.

On Sept. 14, Jerry Kezhaya will be called to the podium at a luncheon-meeting of the Plano (Texas) Chamber of Commerce and presented an award.

Then, on Oct. 7, the owner of The Auto Shop in Plano will be honored again at a reception sponsored by that city's Chamber of Commerce and the Harris Financial Group.

Why all the fuss? Because Kezhaya's business has won the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Blue Chip Enterprise Award for the State of Texas - a prestigious award cosponsored by The MassMutual Financial Group and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Kezhaya is one of only eight winners in Texas and the only auto repair facility among the honorees. Nationwide, six national and approximately 200 state honorees are receiving the coveted award.

According to a press release from The MassMutual Financial Group and the Harris Financial Group, a local MassMutual firm, “the award recognizes small businesses that have demonstrated the ability to withstand the cyclical nature of business by overcoming adversity, seizing opportunities and achieving inspirational success.”

One might say Kezhaya epitomizes criteria for the award. Because he has certainly “overcome adversity and seized opportunities” to get to where he is today. And therein lies a story...a story that should be an inspiration to anyone.

Kezhaya had grown up in the auto repair business. His father, a native of Lebanon, opened a transmission rebuilding shop in Detroit in the mid-'40s.

By 1974, young Kezhaya had graduated from every major training school in the country, including those sponsored by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, and had become one of the first National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)-certified technicians in the nation. His dream was to take over the family business. But that was not to be. His father wanted to continue running the shop. So Jerry decided to move on.

Since Detroit had more than its share of auto repair shops, he decided to seek his fortune elsewhere. Stories in national magazines convinced him that Plano, a densely populated suburb of Dallas, would be one of the best. He decided to take a look at it.

“I came to Plano for a weekend, two weeks later I came back, and two weeks later, I moved to Plano,” said Kezhaya. “It was a crazy time. I didn't even have a job, but I bought a house.”

He began repairing cars in the driveway of his home, but it wasn't long before the city threatened him with a zoning violation for operating a business in a residential area.

Master technicians Gary Medley, left, and Alan Davis check an in-dash electrical assembly.

So, in 1983, Kezhaya stretched his finances to lease a 3,500-square-foot building and officially open The Auto Shop. After a successful five-year run, he was ready to expand. No sooner had he moved to a 12,000-square-foot location and increased his rent to $11,000 a month, when the road exit to his shop was closed for major highway construction. There were days when the frontage road was blocked and customers couldn't reach him.

Kezhaya negotiated a move to a 15,400-square-foot building. In 1992, his accountant recommended that he erect his own building. So, he bought a piece of land and got a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan so he could start construction of the building. He went to 32 local banks asking for additional funding, but they all turned him down.

Meanwhile, he was still in the 15,400-square-foot building he was leasing. But his lease was coming to an end and the landlord tried to raise the rent. They had a dispute and Kezhaya sued him.

He tried to rent the space across the street and he was ready to sign the contract, but the owners decided not to lease. They wanted to sell it.

The space he was interested in was part of a shopping center. He decided to buy the whole shopping center. “The broker laughed in my face,” said Kezhaya. “He laughed at the thought of me buying the shopping center.” But Kezhaya was determined to buy it, so he plunked down 10 percent, only to find out that the bank he was dealing with had changed its policy.

Suddenly, he faced a lot of challenges: no loan, 45 days to close on his purchase, and the fact that his current space had been leased out.

The comfortable lounge provides a place where customers can wait while thier cars are being repaired. A play area for youngsters is included, as well as a coffee bar and television for the adults. Customers can look out a window info the service area.

One big problem was the fact that the shopping center was zoned retail and the Plano city planner notified him that he couldn't locate an automotive repair shop in a retail space. Kezhaya asked, “How do I get my business into this retail center?” “Never in my lifetime,” he was told. “There's nothing we can do.”

Kezhaya wouldn't take “no” for an answer. He got on the phone and called members of the city council and the mayor pro tem. “I asked a council member: 'Isn't it your pet project to get vacant shopping centers occupied? I want to buy a shopping center that's only 11 percent occupied. If I buy it, it will be 70 percent occupied and locally owned and managed. Isn't that a win, win for everybody concerned, including Plano?”

Two days later, the city planner called him back, saying, “We need to reassess your proposal.”

As a colleague said, “Jerry is living proof that you CAN fight city hall and win!”

Kezhaya remembers that at the time, there was almost no building going on in the east side of Plano. Now his center, Jupiter Parkway Village, is in the middle of a thriving area.

The center is 100 percent occupied with The Auto Shop taking up only 53 percent of the space.

The Auto Shop is a full-service facility providing a wide range of automotive repairs. It is a 35,222-square-foot facility with 63 work bays, an in-house parts department, a customer lounge, a research room, a break room with a kitchen, an accounting office and the latest equipment. It has 21 employees, including eight technicians, all ASE certified.

In 1996 and 1998, The Auto Shop was selected by AAA Texas for its Top Shop award. The award recognized The Auto Shop's 99 percent customer satisfaction rating, which ranked it the highest among the more than 20 Dallas/Fort Worth participants in the AAA Texas Approved Auto Repair program. The Auto Shop also has received the ASE Award as a “Blue Seal of Excellence Shop,” one of the top 100 blue seal shops in the country.

Even his web site, www.theautoshop.com, has been chosen as one of the top 10 in the nation by AutoInc., the official publication of the Automotive Service Association (ASA).

So Kezhaya has been successful. He has persevered. But along with all the trials and tribulations he encountered in building a business, he also went through a personal family crisis in 1999 that took him out of the day-to-day running of his business. He had to be home for his children.

But while he was away, Kezhaya said, his shop continued to run smoothly because his employees take pride and ownership in what they do. He has treated them well and they in turn repaid him in kind.

Jerry Kezhaya holds his two children, Alice and Nicholas.

His employees are one of Kezhaya's passions in life. Another: his family. He is now a single dad with two children: Nicholas, 10, and Alice, almost 7.

As for his employees, they had long ago recognized that their employer was tenacious about protecting their jobs. But Kezhaya didn't stop there. The professional standards that he set up and exhibited is a source of pride for the employees and their work. The Auto Shop hires only ASE-certified technicians, and retrains and recertifies them annually.

Employees participate in a full benefits package, which includes a 401(K) and insurance. Technicians' tools are also insured. One Saturday a month, employees can bring their own automobiles in for any kind of work. Special occasions are recognized, and spouses and children are remembered and recognized at events (for example, family miniature golf tournaments and group dinners at a local steak house). There are flowers for the spouses at some events, and casual pizza parties are sometimes sponsored by The Auto Shop.

Having good people has enabled him to be a better manager, Kezhaya said. “Until a few years ago,” he pointed out, “I was the owner/operator/manager/the buck-stops here type of owner. Today, I allow others to take care of the day-to-day operations and I manage the company.”

Shown are some of the holding vats in The Auto Shop's waste products recycling area, of which Jerry Kezhaya is particulary proud.

Another of Kezhaya's passions is industry environmental concerns. A complete recycling center is located on site. The Auto Shop has equipment that can process all engine oils and fluids, including refrigerants and antifreeze. They even clean and reuse the water that is used to mop up the floors. Large vats hold the used fluids while they are allowed to settle and separate. Contaminants are removed. In some cases, the fluid is heated as well. Kezhaya believes his shop's recycling program is second to none in its industry. He said it not only meets, but exceeds, city, state and federal guidelines and regulations for recycling waste products.

Kezhaya said there are a number of things that make The Auto Shop unique. “You can begin with the size of the company,” he said, “then the cleanliness of it and round it all up with our recycling systems. Best of all, I think, is the way that we all work together and have fun. Moreover, we always take care of the client as if we were the client.”

What about The Auto Shop's future? “We're going to continue to grow our company,” said Kezhaya. “I have an idea that may change the way that car repairs are done. I will be working on a pilot program this winter with hopes of implementing it by March 2001.”

When you consider Kezhaya's history of tenaciousness and passion for success, you just know that The Auto Shop will keep on growing and, may revolutionize the way cars are repaired.

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