Third-generation family business, Carfix, serves local community with customer-focused auto repair
C
l s w y Carfix in Garner recently celebrated its 15th birthday, but co-owner Mike Allen’s roots in the auto service industry date back much farther. His grandfather, Louis Allen, opened Allen’s Service Station in White Cross in 1927 and operated it for over 50 years. His father, James, owned Auto ProtoCall in Chapel Hill for 30 years. So, one might say that fixing cars is in his DNA. “My father grew up in his dad’s shop,” Allen said. “He went away to college and tried other fields for a short time before coming back to the industry. I grew up in my father’s shop. I went away to college and tried other fields for a short time before coming back to the industry. Now my kids are growing up at Carfix! I guess time will tell if we are a four-generation family business.” It’s impossible to stay in business in a small community without referrals and good customer service. Carfix is no exception, listing a set of core values on its website that include things like, “act with integrity and honesty,” “treat everyone how you want to be treated” and “see a need, take action.”
“Our core values were a collaborative effort,” Allen said. “Several years ago my father and I, along with several of our key staff (members), worked on this over a period of a few weeks. We wanted to speak to our personal core values. “Fixing cars is what we ‘do,’ but it’s not who we are. Ultimately, we enjoy helping people. We want to do right by people — our clients, our community and our team. I think the core values are a good reflection of that commitment.” Doing right by people extends outside the garage walls as well. Carfix is also a community partner, sponsoring sports teams, hosting booster club events and helping sponsor the annual Strawberry Festival. “We’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in many different events in the area over the years,” Allen said. “We’ve had fundraiser events for wounded veterans. We’ve been able to bless several families with refurbished cars through Raleigh’s ‘Wheels 4 Hope’ program.
“My favorite community event by far was last year’s ‘Ryder’s Race’ — a 5K charity fun run that we co-hosted along with Cleveland Family Health and Charlie’s BBQ. We were able to raise a lot of money to help a wonderful little boy in our community and I was able to run my first (and only!) 5K race. If you were there, I was the crazy guy running in a giraffe costume!” Inside the garage, Carfix takes its customerdriven approach a step further. What are the largest obstacles people face when getting a vehicle serviced? Time, convenience and cost. Carfix takes aim at all three. “My wife and I have three small children and work full time, so we know how important time is and how hard it is to juggle busy schedules, especially with kids and work responsibilities,” Allen said. “Plus, we both drive cars with over 300,000 miles on them. “In order for a car to last that long, it needs to get regular maintenance and repairs. That means,
www.Carfixautorepair.com
919-771-0300
“ l r S w c f p l y l ( f y
O a l
H s b c
“ s
