JOSH LYLE

Josh Lyle Creates Successful Life Through Perseverance

Life has not been easy for Josh Lyle. He never met his biological father.

His biological mother died in a homeless shelter a few years ago.

He has little communication with his brother, despite at one point being inseparable.

And he grew up a ward of the state.

Yet, he never gave up.

“It was a pretty traumatic childhood.”

Lyle moved to Rapid City a few years ago in search for a less chaotic, more peaceful lifestyle. He owns Auto Buddy Paintless Dent Repair.

Born in Iowa, Lyle’s father left when he was young. At the age of 2, Lyle and his older brother were taken away from their mother and put into the foster care system. “We went in and out of different foster homes until I was 7. We went to live with our biological grandparents for a year, but they decided they couldn’t raise us, and we went back into foster homes.”

Lyle’s mother moved to California with a boyfriend, and the boys, still in the custody of the government, followed. “That’s why I understand government so well. I was in and out of the courthouse three times a year.”

After a brief time living with their mom, the boys were put back into foster care. They were placed with a family in Santa Ynez Valley where they stayed for the remainder of their childhood. “They were originally going to adopt us.” That changed when his foster dad, the chief probation officer of Los Angeles, was injured and couldn’t work. With no income, his foster mom turned foster care into a business. “We were the first two foster kids, but in 10 years we probably had 65 foster kids come through our home. It was pretty wild.”

The boys settled into their new home and family, finally feeling a sense of stability. They played sports and went to summer camps. “Life got good; we had a very stable home.”

Things were great until Lyle’s brother turned 18. “In foster care, when you turn 18, they just kind of let you go. They don’t help you out.” Lyle’s brother moved down to Arizona where their grandparents lived. He was kicked out of the home on the first day of his senior year in high school.

The family of Lyle’s best friend took him in and are still his support system today. “That’s who I spend every Thanksgiving and Christmas with. Every year I hustle, and they give me a place to spend the holidays. They keep me striving for excellence. They gave me that emotional support and that sense of family.”

Believing he would not live past 18 years old, Lyle did not have plans after graduating high school. “Because my childhood was so wild. I didn’t think past 18.”

With his friend going to college, Lyle decided to do the same. He enrolled at Santa Barbara City College, originally majoring in theatre arts. “I always wanted to be more of an actor or musician.” However, he changed his major to business. He worked part-time jobs while going to school and graduated in 2010. “That was a big sense of accomplishment. College was not about a degree. It was more about learning how I learned, staying on task, committing to one thing, following through, and staying out of trouble.”

Lyle began working for a businessman who taught him the trade of hail catastrophe services. He learned quickly, moved to Denver, and launched his own business. He lived and worked in Denver for six years building up his company. In 2020, when the pandemic hit, Lyle decided to leave Colorado and moved to South Dakota. “Denver was a little too much. I wanted a place to ground myself and start a life. Rapid City seemed like the place to do that.”

Rapid City reminds Lyle of Santa Ynez in the 1990s. “It has that same small-town feel as the city I grew up in.” He likes to explore the Black Hills both on foot and on his HarleyDavidson motorcycle.

“I love Rapid City. There is so much to do here. It is peaceful and it is away from the chaos.”