![]() ![]() “John Michael sent us over some popsicles on a particularly hot summer day,” says John. John Weber laughs, saying that it took some extra effort to bring his shop and KOI/Fisher together. We’re the only one in Dayton that has the new ADAS Hunter alignment equipment – the other closest shop is about 50 miles away in Cincinnati.” “And in the center area of the shop, we have an area that’s 40 x 40 to do the alignment on these cars that have the cameras all the way around. “We have lifts capable of working with low-clearance vehicles, as well as Sprinter vans. Weber says the facility is unique to the area. and has three above ground lifts, a mid-rise lift and a Hunter alignment rack. shop includes eight bays inside with one outside bay, each with a lift the new shop meaures 4,000 sq. ![]() So, it ended up being a complete tear out and re-floor on the floor.” They had three racks in there and they were all unsafe and dangerous. “It was built in 1910, and the concrete was in bad shape. He didn’t know anything about ADAS but he went home and talked to Mom about buying the shop – she said, ‘Well, if Johnny thinks it’s a good idea, you should do it.’”ĭespite it being the perfect size with no windows to affect the calibration targets, the new shop was definitely a fixer-upper. “I told Dad that the building would be perfect for ADAS calibrations. Johnny soon learned that the large automotive repair shop directly across the street was soon going to be available. I didn’t know what I had done wrong but he just said, ‘Hey, I went to go to lunch and my van wouldn’t start. “The basketball coach was waiting for me. “One day during high school, I got a call to the principal’s office,” recalls Johnny. Personal relationships and professional service are hallmarks at Weber’s Automotive I work on my dad’s teachers’ cars from grade school I work on my high school teachers’ cars. Some of our employees who don’t come from the area are floored by the fact that I work on my high school football coach’s cars. “I’d say the best thing about our story is that our business has been built on friends’ cars, and working on friends of friends’ cars. Johnny harkens back to the community aspect of the shop and says that every day he’s reminded again of the legacy his family has built. Likewise, if I’m too busy and somebody needs something done faster than what we can get to, I don’t have a problem giving out recommendations, as well.” “We do a lot of work for other shops if they can’t do it. “We don’t have a problem getting work and that’s probably a lot of why we don’t really have ‘competition,’ even with a lot of the shops around,” says Johnny. Neither of us wanted to pump gas, so we pulled the tanks from the ground and added two more bays right away before we moved in.” “My dad had bought a two-bay Sunoco gas station on a corner on a main street in 1974. Together, father and son built a reputation for quality service and commitment to the industry. This girl bumped into me in the hallway and spilled her books we’ve been married now 50 years.” The plan worked out better than expected, Weber says, because he gained a career and a wife. ![]() I said, ‘I want to transfer to Belmont (public high school) and take their auto shop – it won’t cost you a dime.” However, in October of my sophomore year, I told my dad I knew our business was going to take off. My plans were to go to GM Institute in Detroit, then be an engineer with General Motors. I was going to Chaminade High School, a Catholic boy’s school for college prep. “I’d cut their grass for free and we were good to our neighbors. “There were so many widows in the neighborhood who would let us park in front of their houses,” recalls John Jr. The Webers started building their network by literally being part of the community. ![]()
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