My story starts with my father, Jess Adams, who began his career as a mechanic at Woolco. In 1968, he took his skills home, working under a shade tree to repair vehicles. By 1972, he left Woolco to pursue his passion full-time, officially founding Adams Garage, which stayed in its original location until 1995.
As a kid, I couldn’t wait to get off the school bus and head straight to the garage. I was only 6 or 7, so let’s just say I was more in the way than helpful. Despite my father’s wishes for me to steer clear of the mechanic’s path, I was determined to prove I had what it took. By the time I was 12, I was getting challenges from the crew—things like pulling a water pump off a Tempo or removing an engine from a Bronco II before my dad got back. And when I did, my father had no choice but to let me put it all back together. That’s when my love for auto repair was born.
By 12, I was already performing brake jobs and other repairs on customers’ vehicles in our driveway because the garage was packed with work. It’s wild to think about now—no way would customers today be cool with a 12-year-old working on their cars!
After graduating high school in 1996, I went on to college for automotive repair and became an ASE Master Certified Technician. In 2003, at just 26 years old, I bought the business, carrying forward the same core values: serving with honesty and integrity, providing a top-notch automotive experience, and always fixing the car right the first time.
Over the years, I’ve expanded the business, adding three more ventures, and now own two repair shops and two car lots. Today, I’ve stepped back from the day to day operations to focus on coaching others on their own journeys.