Auto repair shops’ owner calls it ‘hobby,’ not work

He sees it as a way to make a living doing something he loves.

Villagomez currently owns three Mr. Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care shops in the Houston area, and he also has six more shops in Mexico. He will soon be expanding his reach in the city by opening 10 more shops in the next three years. Two of the shops are currently scheduled to open early in this year.

After spending most of his life near his hometown of Monterrey, Mexico, he came to the Houston area three years ago when he realized it was not only a great location to open more shops, but also an excellent place to live with his family, which includes a wife and three children.

"I came to Houston to expand my business," Villagomez said. "And I believe it's more comfortable for my family to be here, and more secure."

Working with cars comes naturally to Villagomez, who has been around the business in some way since he was born. His father owned mechanic shops in Mexico, and he began running them when he was 18 years old. Soon afterward, he would obtain a degree in international business administration.

"This is like my hobby," Villagomez said. "I love it. When you love what you do, time doesn't matter. I could (work) 12 or 20 hours a day, and I just enjoy it so much. I like managing people, I like marketing, I like sales and I like operations. I like everything. I just love to do this."

As ambitious as his current expansion plans are, Villagomez has no plans to stop just yet. He says he hopes to have 20 locations within the next five years. Regardless of how many stores he runs, however, he stressed that his main focus remains on the customers, no matter how big or small their vehicle problems are.

"We go pick your car up, tell you what the problem is, fix it and bring it back," Villagomez said. "It could be a $200 ticket or $2000. I don't care. We give you excellent service and quality."

One thing is certain. The increased workload will not bother Villagomez. It is just more of an opportunity to do what he loves.

 

ABOUT Eduardo Villagomez

AGE: 40

OCCUPATION: Auto mechanic store chain owner

COMMUNITY CONNECTION: Lives in The Woodlands

FAST FACT: Owned first mechanic shop at age 18

 

Chris Marshall is a freelance writer. He can be reached at neighborhoods@chron.com.