Corunna’s Pat Bennett started his own auto repair business five months ago and almost immediately his parking lot filled with customers.
Bennett’s promise to “fix it right the first time” has brought a steady stream of business his way, including recent contracts with Lambton OPP and St. Clair Township.
“I was really happy to get those,” said Bennett. “I’m like a squirrel in a wool hat. I like having three or four jobs on the go and keeping really busy.”
That work ethic is also what enabled him to graduate from Grade 12 and find success in the workplace without the ability to read and write.
Bennett suspects an audio processing disorder he suffered as a child left him illiterate. While growing up in Sarnia, he says he was “pushed” through elementary school but was recognized at an early age for his skill at fixing things.
“The principal called my parents and said, ‘Your kid can fix anything and should go to Alexander Mackenzie (high school) to study shop, so we’re going to graduate him from Grade 8.”
At Alexander Mackenzie, he did well in all the skilled trades but excelled in small engine repair. Bennett worked alongside others and learned quickly. There was never any real need to read, he said.
His girlfriend Jolene – now his wife and mom to their three kids – was one of the few who knew his secret and tried to help however she could.
After graduating and working in several shops, Bennett had most of his apprenticeship hours in and wanted to become a licensed mechanic. But the only way to do that was to attend college part-time for three years and pass a two-hour written exam.
“That’s when I started looking up places to help because he couldn’t read,” said Jolene. “We found OLL (Organization for Literacy Lambton) was the only place that was free.”
A year before starting his college studies, Bennett began working with OLL volunteers and instructor Anne Clayton.
“Anne spent a lot of one-on-one time with me working on phonics,” he said. “I think that made the difference. I hadn’t learned phonics before.”
Together they used auto repair manuals to work through words and prepare for the exam.
By 2016, at the age of 35, Bennett had become a competent reader and passed the auto mechanics exam on his first attempt.
Once a full-fledged mechanic, he worked in several shops but always had his eye on being the boss.
Last fall, Bennett leased the property at 401 Lyndoch St. and invested approximately $100,000 to outfit his own shop with hydraulic lifts, a tire machine, tools and storage.
He operates Bennett’s Auto Repair Shop on his own with the help of an accountant and Jolene who assists with some of the book work.
“No way could I have graduated from Fanshawe or started my own business without the help of OLL,” he said. “It takes me a little longer to read but I do fine. Jolene and I make the business work.
“There are still times when I call Anne and say, ‘What’s this word mean?’ She’s like a human dictionary.”
It hasn’t been long since Bennett launched his business but he has ambitious dreams for it.
“I want to grow it and eventually build my own shop at another location, then turn this place into a lube shop,” he said. “I want to have a tow truck and expand on the services I can offer.
“And I want to be able to do more sponsorship than I’m able to do now, and make donations to support my community even more.”
The Business Journal is a regular feature of The Sarnia Journal and highlights new businesses in our community. If you know of a new and interesting business, contact [email protected].