Pace Tire and Service Center under new ownership

Tim Spitzack Editor

For the first time in more than six decades, the service station at the corner of South Robert and Moreland in West St. Paul is no longer operated by the Pace family. Brothers Bob and Ken Pace sold the shop in mid-February to BLVD Autoworks. The sale marks the end of an era for the longest family-owned business on South Robert Street, and a new chapter for BLVD.

Dave Pace and his son Chuck founded Pace 66 in 1960 at 1247 S. Robert St., where it exists today. Bob and Ken purchased the station from their father Chuck in 2001 and renamed it Pace Tire and Service Center.

“We’re very happy to have another family-owned business take over and run it like we have,” said Bob, who along with his brother worked with the new owners for a month to ensure a smooth transition. “We’re confident they’ll take good care of our customers. We’ve already witnessed it firsthand.”

The business is now owned by Tom Archambault and Wade Deslauriers, who have worked together for 13 years at BLVD Autoworks in St. Anthony Village. Archambault began working at BLVD at age 14 and continued through the time he earned his bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas. He eventually moved into management. In 2015, he purchased the then-35-yearold business. Deslauriers, who has an auto technician degree from Dunwoody College of Technology, began working at BLVD in 2012 as an auto technician. Shortly after Archambault purchased the shop he promoted Deslauriers to service advisor. It was soon apparent that they worked well together and shared similar career goals.

“Tom is a great guy to work for in that he makes you not want to leave,” said Deslauriers. “We work well together and complement each other.”

Archambault continues to be the sole owner of BLVD and Deslauriers continues his management duties there. It’s a different arrangement on this side of the river. The duo are equal partners in Pace Tire and Service Center, which will eventually be rebranded as Pace Automotive by BLVD Autoworks.

“Wade runs the other shop for us,” said Archambault. “We have mutual trust and respect for each other. We’re each other’s support and sounding board.”

With expansion in mind, the duo began searching for an existing shop to purchase. With the help of a business broker, they landed upon Pace Tire and Service Center.

“We’ve been looking to expand for two to three years and this one checked all the boxes,” said Archambault. Those boxes were: familyowned and operated, longevity, and a history of providing great customer service.

The new owners have retained Pace’s six employees, so customers will see little change there. They plan to spruce up the shop a bit and prove to their customers that they are willing to go the extra mile.

“I’m often asked, ‘What’s your competitive advantage?’” said Archambault. “It’s the little touches with the customer. For example, we clean vehicles with every service. This includes vacuuming, cleaning the floor mats and wiping the windows. The other thing is that when you come here, you’ll see the owners.”

While Pace uses state-ofthe-art automotive technology, it has remained old school in some ways: it still offers full service at the pump. This means that an attendant will pump your gas, check fluids and tire pressure, and wash the windshield. The shop will continue this service under the new ownership. Pace has six service bays and ASE-certified mechanics who provide bumper-tobumper service. For more information, call 651-457-3935.

A farewell message from the Pace family

When our father and grandfather Chuck and Dave Pace founded Pace 66 in 1960, little did they know the road that lay ahead for their fledgling service station. Over the years the shop has faced every economic challenge imaginable, from gas shortages and a recession to a global pandemic. Yet the shop continues to thrive because they built the business on hard work and a deep dedication to providing excellent customer service. It's a model that served them well and remains in place to this day. We've worked hard to honor their legacy and protect Pace 66's long-standing reputation of providing honest, dependable service at a fair price.

We've both worked at the shop since we were old enough to see over a bumper, and now we've decided to follow other career opportunities. It was a difficult decision, but one that is right for our families. We owe a world of debt to our loyal customers who have supported us these many years. It's been an honor to serve you and to get to know you as friends. As we leave, we take great comfort in knowing that the new owners from BLVD Autoworks will serve you well. They, too, are a family-owned business and provide the same high-quality, personalized service that you've always found from the Pace family.