From High School Sweethearts to Business Partners!

We've worked hard over the years to build the culture we have at Quality Plus Automotive Service. We love helping those in our community get from point A to point B safely by taking the time to understand the needs of our customers and ensuring we fix their vehicle right the first time.

Randy grew up in Zebulon, which is very rural community outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. When he wasn't in school, he was helping his dad on their 25-acre farm. While he learned the basics of mechanics from his father, he learned the ins and outs of the car business from his uncle. Whenever Randy's uncle needed help at his shop, Randy and his father we always ready to lend a hand. Jill grew up on the other side of town, but they've known each other since kindergarten and got married right out of high school.

To make ends meat after graduation, Randy got a job at a local Honda motorcycle shop repairing bikes. But on a coworker's recommendation, Randy ended up working as a mechanic at a local Honda dealership for steady work. During that time, the gas crunch was on, so people were looking for fuel-efficient cars, and Hondas fit the bill. The popularity of Honda vehicles skyrocketed in the area, and with every new model, Randy continued to learn more about the vehicles and the industry.

While Randy was working for the dealership, Jill was learning the ropes of the administration side of business. Most notably, she worked for an insurance company, handling their payroll and compiling quarterly reports. This experience set her up perfectly to handle the bookkeeping side of Quality Plus Automotive Service.

After eight years working for the Honda dealership, Randy got his first look at what it's like running an independent company. During this time, Randy took on many responsibilities necessary to make the shop successful. When he wasn't working on the vehicles, he enjoyed answering any questions the customers had.

While Randy had a lot of fun working for his old coworkers, link any entrepreneur, he was restless. He wanted to make sure customers' vehicles were serviced properly the first time and that customers had a pleasant experience throughout the entire process. When Randy services a vehicle, he doesn't necessarily think about the vehicle but rather the family that uses it. He's very meticulous and goes the extra mile to ensure customers' vehicles are ready for anything. When he needs to service an engine, he will check the brakes, tires, and electrical components. Randy wanted to make this level of care the standard, to ensure he could control not only the service but also his own destiny, so he struck out on his own.

When Quality Plus Automotive Service opened their doors, Randy was still mostly a one-man band, but knowing the shop was theirs made all the difference. "We never felt like we had any other choice but to make it work, so the entire family banded together," Randy says. He worked on the vehicles both morning and night and assisted customers during the day. When Jill wasn't bookkeeping for the business, she was keeping the family afloat by taking the kids to school, running them to doctor's appointments and helping them with homework.

Today, they have two locations and a group of well-trained professional automotive technician's and front-end staff. Randy has instilled a high level of care in their entire workforce. He personally knows that his staff helps at least three generations of customers. He knows some customers' kids, grand kids, and even great-grand kids. Their oldest son, Josh chose to join the family business and has worked his way up as general manager, assisting with day-to-day tasks for both shop locations.

When out of the office, Randy is a golf junkie and Jill loves to play the piano, but their favorite thing to do is listen to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and play with their five grand kids. It's refreshing for Randy and Jill to spend time with their grand kids because it reminds them of how important it is to be optimistic and grateful for what they have.

"While we don't live very far from where we grew up, we've come a long way from the people we were when we were high school sweethearts, and we're proud of the life we've built."