| CORPUS CHRISTI — Leticia Rodriguez-Garcia
Owner Rodriguez Auto Service Collision Repair Center Address: 5733 Ayers St. Phone: 855-4949 Company description: auto collision repair, professional detailing, small mechanical work, glass replacement, after-market parts and truck accessories Hometown: Corpus Christi Years in business: 12 Tenure in position: 10 years Education: Moody High School, 1979; business management and auto collision certification, 2001 First job: I worked at F.W. Woolworth downtown. I was 16 years old working at the fountain. My mom, Irene Torres, worked there for 40 years and she got me the job. I liked seeing all the customers come in. There were a lot of people coming in on their lunch break or just to have a cup of coffee. I'm a people person, so I loved it. I can't even remember how much I earned, but it was good money for a sophomore in high school. Biggest career break: A handshake I received in 1996 from Malcolm Birdsong, the previous owner of this building. He and his wife, Pamela, were looking to sell the building. At the time, my late husband, Daniel, and I were renting the building next door. I offered him a price, he counter-offered and we sealed the deal with a handshake. We rented the building until Daniel died in 1998. I then had to decide whether to buy the building or move to another location. I bought the building. Business turning point: When I met my banker, Sal Vera, in 1998. He was working for 1st Commerce Bank at the time and I needed a loan to help buy this building. He helped me get the loan because he believed in me. That faith doesn't come easily. When he went to Laredo National Bank, my business followed. It meant jumping through hoops to change accounts, but it was worth it. Sal was there for me when I was starting out. Business philosophy: The best thing you can offer your customer is honesty. When my customers come in, I tell them exactly what their vehicle needs and work with them to make sure they don't get anything they don't want. My customers are allowed to come by every day and see the work that's being done on their vehicle. This is a family business, with my husband, Abel, supporting me, and my son, Daniel Rodriguez Jr., working here part time. Insurance companies have been training their employees to bully the customer. The customers need to know they have the power. My employees, whom I would be no one without, don't hide anything from them. How would you improve Corpus Christi's business climate?: A break from local and state taxes would go a long way. Small businesses don't rely on corporate money or a weekly paycheck from headquarters. The money they're investing is their own. So when taxes increase, the burden is huge and that prevents some businesses from expanding. I think if some of the burden was unloaded, you would see more businesses use that money to grow their operations, opening up more jobs and pumping even more money into the community. |
| Leader in Business story by Fannie Chirinos Corpus Christi Caller Times |
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