Some would consider growing up in the Bronx to residing in Phoenix as a quantum leap. And from being a Long Island medical equipment supplier to becoming the owner of an automotive repair facility in the capital of Arizona is also quite a change.

Honest-1 Auto Care has 3,800 square feet of floor space and room to park 18 vehicles outside.

But Robert A. Camarda has done just that.

He's the proud owner of Honest-1 Auto Care in Phoenix, the first Honest-1 Auto Care facility in Arizona.

It just opened in March this year. Already, it has gone from repairing and servicing seven cars a month to 192 vehicles a month. It is open six days a week and has six bays.

Robert A. Camarda

When the franchise opened, it had two employees. Today, four people - including Camarda - work there. Among employees are an ASE master technician with 22 years' experience, another technician who has 17 years' experience and a lube technician. Camarda requires his employees to complete 100 hours a year of continuing education because, he says, "I want my guys to be the best."

Camarda believes Honest-1 will achieve $500,000 in gross sales this year.

Camarda describes his shop as a new business with an old approach to customer service. "We pride ourselves on doing the job right the first time," he says.

Honest-1's lobby/reception area is clean, neat, attractive. It includes a children's play area and an Internet cafe.

Honest-1's marketing strategy is to build relationships one customer at a time. "When I have a repeat customer, I know I have earned their trust and respect and that we have provided them a good service at a fair price," says Camarda.

Camarda has always loved cars. Unfortunately, he wasn't a very good technician but he was good at business. He had a friend in New York who owned an automotive repair facility who was experiencing difficulty. "He was good at diagnosing and repairing cars," says Camarda, "but he was overstaffed and his business was sinking fast. I offered to take a look at how he was running his shop and, to make a long story short, we were able to tweak his business and bring his shop back into the black. In nine months' time, business was booming and customer satisfaction was greatly improved.

Shown is the shop's BG equipment.

"I was hooked. I loved the flow and the immediate customer response when their vehicle was returned to them in tip-top shape. When I moved to Arizona and an opportunity arose for me to be involved in the automotive industry, I leaped into it."

In 2005, Camarda and his wife decided to leave the metro New York area for the clean air and opportunities of Arizona. They felt the climate change would benefit their daughter, who suffered from severe allergies. Also, Camarda and his family had fallen in love with the Southwest while visiting relatives there in recent years.

Honest-1's shop is clean, well-lighted, well-equipped.

After settling his family into their suburban Phoenix home and divesting himself of his New York-based medical supply firms, Camarda was ready for new challenges. For several years, he had wanted to return to the automotive service business. A relative in the automotive industry advised him of the franchise opportunity with Honest-1 Auto Care. Camarda found that the company motto, "Home of Honest Mechanics," and its code of ethics and creed ("to create a new standard of customer service") were a perfect fit for him. And the rest, as they say, is history.

What's ahead for Honest-1 Auto Care in Phoenix? "I'm working to grow this into multiple stores. I intend to own at least five shops," says Camarda. At the rate his first shop is growing, that won't be long.

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