Colorado Springs woman owns women-friendly auto shop

Colorado Springs Business Journal, Oct 22, 2004 by Stephanie Cline

Alicia Jones drives an enormous Dodge Ram pick-up. This is my mommy car, she said. Jones, owner and office manager of the Auto Clinic of the Rockies, knows a thing or two about caring for both kids and cars. Jones, who is 25, opened the auto clinic of the Rockies with her husband, Ron, in June 2002. I learned how to work on cars before I could drive, she said. I learned to change brakes, tires and oil.

Jones' motivation for opening an auto repair shop has a rather personal spin. I know exactly what it's like being a woman in an auto repair shop, Jones said. While she was pregnant with her second daughter, she went into a shop with her first daughter, then about 3 years old. Her experience was not pleasant. She said the staff was rude and that she and her daughter waited for more than two hours.

Her business cards ensure that her shop is women-friendly and she and her staff work hard to uphold that promise.

There are three mechanics on staff at the auto clinic, including Jones' husband. Although she knows how to care for cars, Jones works more on the administrative end of the business. I do everything except but actually work on the vehicles, she said. Jones studied accounting and business management for a few years before moving to Colorado Springs. She handles sales, marketing, budgeting and customer concerns at the auto clinic. If a customer has a complaint, I'm the one who handles it.

And the auto clinic is doing a great job, Jones said. I did a study and I found most auto repair facilities retain 10 percent of their business and 90 percent goes elsewhere, she said. Our shop retains about 90 percent of our business.

She and her husband moved to Colorado Springs from the Chicago area in 2000. The couple had ventured out to Colorado Springs for their honeymoon and decided it was a good place to relocate. While there is plenty going on in Chicago, Colorado Springs presented its own special charm. There's a different kind of thing to do here, Jones said. You don't have to go far to do anything, which makes it nice to live in Colorado Springs. She and her family like to ski, race cars and hike. Jones' 4-year-old daughter has even joined her parents on rappelling excursions. We incorporate the whole family, Jones said.

Working at the auto clinic also is a team effort. When we're busy, everyone kicks in, Jones said. I can't ask for better employees. Jones and her husband made the decision to open the shop at a time when most people were playing it safe. We did really well through the recession, she said. Everyone asked us why we opened a business during the recession. Their hard work has certainly paid off and they've developed a loyal client base. What we offer is good, quality work at a fair price.