3 minute read
Chasing the Stingray
PHOTO BY KAREN DAY
BY TIM ATWELL
Alicia Go was 14 years old when her friend’s mom gave her the keys to a classic Corvette. It was a Stingray, one of the most sleek and iconic cars ever built, featuring an eye-catching frame and elongated hood. This was a vehicle that first caught the imagination of gearheads when it hit the market in the 1960s, and it has remained a cultural icon ever since, even appearing in the 2017 addition to the Fast and the Furious franchise, The Fate of the Furious.
“It made me fall in love with it. I wanted it to be my first car,” Alicia said. She laughed ruefully. “Instead, I got a 94 Geo Metro.”
Her friend’s mom let her drive the Stingray to convince Alicia’s grandpa to buy it. Her grandpa John owned Go ’s Auto Wrecking in Payette, Idaho, and was a gearhead through and through.
“My grandpa used to be a mechanic,” said Alicia. “So anytime he was working on something, I was always there trying to help him out.”
Alicia spent her younger years shadowing John on the job and learning the ins and outs of the business. Working alongside her great uncle Louie, Alicia gained the practical skills necessary for the complex, and often physically demanding, art of auto mechanics.
She brought those skills with her when she moved to Nampa and found work as a tech at Valvoline. In less than a year, she was promoted to manager. Soon after, she was asked to run a whole shop.
“I was determined. Just doing whatever I needed to to make it clear I was here for the long run,” Alicia said.
Now, Alicia manages a team of five people at a Boise location. She focuses on training her staff and keeping the shop running smoothly, but she also finds joy in helping the customers that enter the shop.
“I love it. There’s just something different every day,” Alicia said. “Just being able to have that knowledge to help somebody else that might not know much.”
It’s been three years since Alicia moved to the Boise area, and in that time she’s worked her way up to managing a franchise location, leading a team of five, and honing the craft that she inherited from her grandpa. However, it’s not all about work and ambition.
She still dreams of one day owning a 1967 Stingray, but Alicia’s gaze has shifted more recently to her passion for two-wheeled vehicles. Her new favorite hobby involves riding and tinkering with motorcycles.
Listening to Alicia’s laid-back tone as she describes her hobby, it’s clear that she handles her motorcycle like she handles her work, keeping an eye on the road in front of her and enjoying the ride.
“I’m pretty content with what I’m doing now,” Alicia said. “On the side, I’d love to work on motorcycles, but it’s not something I want as a career. I’m on a pretty good path where I’m at now.”
