As a boy, Ron Vinduska would watch his father Francis repair 18-wheelers and other heavy diesel equipment.
As he got older, Ron would help his dad with repairs, learning hands-on from a master mechanic. After graduating from high school, where he studied automotive repairs, he went to work at a local transmission repair shop. He spent four years there and at another local transmission shop before taking a job at a Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care center in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville Owner Understands Vehicle Repair
At Cottman, Ron worked as a mechanic and eventually became the shop’s manager. When the owner of the Cottman of Jacksonville, FL center at 10430 Atlantic Boulevard here decided to sell, Ron made an offer and became the owner. That was 22 years ago, and Ron has steadily and happily been growing the business since then.
His dedication to the business and to the customer is what he credits for his success. “From sun-up to sundown, I’m working hard, along with my crew, to give our customers the best,” he says. “I enjoy a challenge, and in this business we are always facing the challenge of diagnosing a problem and then fixing it right the first time.”
When it comes to transmission problems, he says, people automatically assume they are in for a costly repair. “But sometimes,” Ron says, “the fix can be as simple as a tune-up. If that’s all it is, we take care of it and the customer is pleasantly surprised. They appreciate our honesty when we tell them a big repair isn’t needed.”
Expert Auto Repair In East Jacksonville
His center, which has 4 bays and state-of-the-art diagnostic and repair equipment, is about to undergo an upgrade, with renovations to make the waiting area more comfortable and designed for better interaction with the customers.
Ron, 47, competes monthly on the NMRA (National Mustang Racers Association) circuit, locally in Florida and sometimes as far away as Atlanta and tracks in Louisiana, Tennessee and up to Virginia. When he’s not on the track or at his Cottman center, he often can be found working on his two dragsters – a 1989 Mustang and a 2000 model.
If you ask why he spends so much time working with cars, he thinks back to his early days watching and helping his dad and says, “It’s just in my blood.”
Contact Ron and his Cottman of Jacksonville, FL team at www.CottmanofEastJacksonville.com.