Today we’d like to introduce you to brothers Andy & Stuart Andrews. These Jacksonville natives share their story with us below:
After his service in the Army Air Corps, John “Andy” Andrews Sr moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and founded Andy’s Auto Shop in the early 1960s. The original shop was located on Hendricks Ave in the heart of San Marco. After many decades of success and a few moves around town, Andy’s had to close its doors in 2014.
Fast forward a few years and two of Andy’s grandsons, Stuart and Stefan “Andy” decided to relaunch their grandfathers business. Stuart grew up around “the shop” working on cars before he was legally allowed to drive them. Stefan joined the Army where he also picked up the nickname “Andy”.
When Stefan returned to Florida in 2021, the brothers knew it was time to pick up where their father & grandfather left off. In the Summer of 2021, Andy’s Automotive & Truck Services was opened. “Andy’s ATS” for short specializes in commercial fleet maintenance which is delivered to customers via mobile mechanic.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
What business doesn’t have its ups and downs? Like many new businesses, one struggle is helping the world learn about what we have to offer. Not many mechanic businesses specialize in fleet vehicles, not many offer the convenience of mobile maintenance and after-hours service, and most employees in charge of their fleets don’t know an organization like ours exists. We know we can help companies better support their customers and directly improve their bottom line. As a new business, we’re working to help more people learn about who we are and how we can help.
Another challenge has been our time and distance apart. Stuart resides in Jacksonville leading field operations and day-to-day management. Stefan “Andy” lives in Naples, FL working as a Certified Financial Planner®. Running a business from separate ends of Florida has presented challenges, but since Stefan “Andy” hasn’t lived in Florida for over 13 years, the brothers view this challenge as an opportunity to be together more than ever before.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What sets us apart is that we partner with our customers. We are so much more than the typical auto repair business. It is common for a vehicle owner to be reactive to vehicle repairs. They take the vehicle to a mechanic who diagnoses the problem, provides a cost estimate, and if approved, makes the repair. When we work with our customers, we truly view their trucks as our trucks.
We provide a complimentary inspection of every vehicle in the fleet and work with the customer to create a priority of work. We typically start with the largest safety concerns, followed by items if left ignored may turn into sizable expenses/downtime for that vehicle. Basically, we understand that if you have a fleet, you need it on the road to serve your customers.
We want to do everything possible to keep your vehicles on the road during your business hours. Your standard auto mechanic might not do bodywork, paint warning stripes on your van steps, or conduct maintenance on forklifts. However, At Andy’s, we aim for partnership. We’ve always found magical things happen when both parties do everything they can for each other. We all have a different way of looking at and defining success.
How do you define success?
Walt Disney used to say, “When your values are clear, your decisions are easy”. Everything is built on and comes down to our values: safety, transparency, & partnership. We cannot have success without meeting our foundation of safety; for you, your employees, your vehicles, and all those that share the roadway. We also pride ourselves on operating differently than many others in the automotive industry. We don’t want to be just another mechanic, running a “summer pricing special”, in existence to generate a profit. We partner with our customers. When we see that client’s truck rolling down the freeway, we think “there goes OUR truck”.
Our passion is to empower the business owner to focus on their end client and not let the maintenance be a distraction from that. Simply put, If we can safely, and transparently keep your vehicle on the road during your business hours to better serve your customers, we’ve hit success.
Contact Info:
• Email: Service@AndysATS.com
• Website: https://AndysATS.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/AndysATS
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/AndysATS
• Other: vimeo.com/AndysATS
This post is originally found at https://voyagejacksonville.com/interview/meet-andy-stuart-andrews/, you can find more of their stories at https://voyagejacksonville.com/.