Our History
My passion in life has always been to help people and fix things. I believe taking something that is broken and bringing it back to life is one of life’s greatest joys. That eureka moment, I figured it out, I did it, I fixed it! moment is how my passion for auto repair started. Growing up spending time with my grandfather “Pop” in his welding shop was one of the greatest blessings of my life. I leaned so much from him about people, work and life. He loved people, treated everyone with respect, and would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need. He had unbelievable grit and determination that matched his no excuses personality. One of his favorite sayings was “If there is a will, there is a way”. Owning his own welding shop for 55 years he was highly respected in the community for his honesty and integrity. He thought me that you can make mistakes but you have to own them and learn from them. No excuses. Your word and reputation are everything in life and in business.
Before I could even drive, I was spending a lot of time learning from my neighbor, Pat, who restored old Volkswagen Beetles, Buses, and dune buggies. I worked one summer in high school at Danville Engine Rebuilders with my other neighbor, George, who also willing to help me with repairs on my first vehicle, a rusted out 1980 Ford F150 farm truck. I began college at UK as a mechanical engineering major, but quickly learned my preference for hands-on work and love for fixing vehicles. At Bluegrass Technical College, I completed an Automotive Technology Degree and an Associate’s Degree in Applied Sciences.
After graduating college, I had the opportunity to work on Audi, BMW, MINI, Volkswagen and Volvo vehicles at an independent import repair shop for three and a half years before starting Import Auto Specialists in 2010. The initial success of the business was due in large part to my mother, Marian, who assisted with running the office daily for 8 years until she retired. Everyone loved her friendly, caring personality and the way she treated everyone like family. Behind the scenes the business has had the help of my dad, Dan, who has been a constant source of wisdom and encouragement.
Over the last 12 years I have had the blessing of meeting and helping so many people. Having never taken a business class in my life I’ve relied on the Good Lord above, my wonderful family (extra special thanks to my wife Sarah!), great friends, amazing co-workers, and the best customers who have helped Import Auto Specialists Inc. become what it is today. I’m excited to see what the future holds as we try to change the perception of our industry by serving our customers and our community the best way we can.