Auto Care Insider Volume 110 - 8

2017 SHOP OWNER
OF THE YEAR

2017

INDUSTRY
NEWS

CAROLYN COQUILLETTE
WHAT began as a simple pursuit to
fix a pesky dome light in her Dodge
Neon, turned into a love for the auto
care industry that Carolyn Coquillette
has since built her entire career upon.
Coquillette is passionate about the
repair shop profession, and is active in
sharing her ideas and insight throughout
the automotive aftermarket community
today. She is the founder and owner of
two businesses: Luscious Garage repair
shop, and Shop-Ware, a paperless
auto shop management software.
Coquillette was named Women in Auto
Care's 2017 Shop Owner of the Year.
How did you get your start in
the auto care industry?
I signed up for night classes at
Washtenaw Community College
after I had a problem with my Dodge
Neon (the dome light wouldn't
turn off). After spending four years
and countless dollars on a college
degree, I was helpless to fix it, and
I found that totally unacceptable.
One of my instructors at WCC
was this super skilled and articulate
Porsche technician. I ended up going
to work for him, as a porter, at his Euro
shop. I loved the shop environment:
the energy of the work and the ability
to help people every day, and that the
work was non-political and objective.

When I exhausted all the work I
could do there, I left for a job as
a junior technician at a corner
service station, Weaver's Marathon,
and from there I was hooked.
What do you feel are the
rewards for being a part of the
association/auto care industry?
#1 Networking
#2 Collective Advocacy
#3 Market Intelligence

Owner and Master Technician, Luscious
Garage; CEO, Shop-Ware
YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 17
PHONE: 415-875-9030
EMAIL: carolyn@lusciousgarage.com
FAVORITE APPS:

Shop-Ware, PartsTech

WORDS TO LIVE BY:

"Message = Product"

In your opinion, what is/are
the biggest issue(s) facing the
auto care industry today?
The whole aftermarket is guilty of
sandbagging for the last 10-20 years.
Right to Repair was a wake-up call for
sure but we haven't kept pace with
innovation, on cars and beyond.
Shop owners are desperate to find
technicians. I do, however, think this is
a good thing, because it will finally force
us to cut out all the inefficient practices
in the shop and the supporting
services (including the parts supply
chain) and grow up as a profession.
The industry will adapt to solve
this problem, and I look forward
to being a part of the solution, but
those unwilling to adapt will face
the brunt of financial hardship.

Visit autocare.org/awards
for more information.

8

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VOL. 110
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Auto Care Insider Volume 110
