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Long-Term Success
Automotive Excellence Concentrates
on Customers
H
OwdOes a lOcally-Owned
business keep its doors open for
more than a decade, despite the
problems caused by a struggling
economy and competition from
national chain stores? Outstanding
customer service and concentrating
on long-term success rather than focusing on short-term
profit are the keys to longevity, according to Johnny Page,
founder and owner of Automotive Excellence.
Located on Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant
since the business opened its doors in 2001, Automotive
Excellence offers a wide range of
services aimed at keeping cars and
trucks in tiptop condition, including work on brakes;
transmissions; exhaust, cooling and air conditioning
systems; and tires. Expert diagnostics and quick and easy
oil changes also are on the menu.
However, Automotive Excellence’s most important
commodity is its unique brand of customer service.
Page pointed out that he considers his job to be to
fix what’s wrong with a car or truck, not to sell his
customers products and services they
don’t really need.
“We shoot straight from the hip,” he
commented. “We tell them what’s wrong,
and we repair it for a fair price. We’ll beat
anybody’s price in town.”
He added that the people who bring
their vehicles to Automotive Excellence
aren’t simply paying customers; they are
more like friends and family members.
One of his goals is to earn the business of
the generations who follow.
“We know our customers, and we have
a personal relationship with each of them,”
he said. “We know their kids and their
grandkids. And we’re not doing our job
if the next generation isn’t bringing their
vehicles here to be repaired. We’re starting
to see that now.”
Page has spent his entire life in the
Lowcountry and in the world of automotive repair. He
grew up in McClellanville – he still lives there – and his
father also owned a repair business. Before he opened
Automotive Excellence a dozen years ago, he was the
service manager at Aerotire, which was located in Mount
Pleasant. When he decided it was time to make his own
mark in the business community, he brought his former
boss with him. Johnny Britz is still the head mechanic
at Automotive Excellence. The two men have worked
together for 16 years.
Counting Page, Automotive Excellence has six
employees, “ a good group of guys,” according to the boss.
They all realize that if you don’t treat people right, they’ll
find someplace else to take their car or truck when it isn’t
running quite right.
“It’s all about talking to the customer,” Page said. “We
don’t upsell a bunch of stuff or gouge our customers. We
fix the problem at hand.”
Automotive Excellence is located at 415 W. Coleman Blvd.
To learn more about this longtime Mount Pleasant busi-
ness, call (843) 216-1599.
by brian Sherman
Johnny Page started automotive excellence in 2001.
Photo by Brian Sherman.
Longevity
12
Companies that have passed the test of time are the backbone of the Mount Pleasant business community.
56
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