The Proud History of Sun Auto Service
Owners Since 1972...
Gale & Helen Marler
"Our Story"
In 1972, Edward "Gale" and Helen Marler, moved to the St. Louis area from Iowa, to partner a Full Service carwash in Jennings. Gale and Helen took Sole Proprietorship, and acquired the repair shop that was attached to the carwash. Gale's willingness to take risks, Helen's bookkeeping skills, and the genuine care of our customers, created a great foundation for our future.
Through the years, we worked with fleets such as; Jennings School District, Shenandoah Pie Company, Jartran Truck Rental, American Red Cross, Compton Construction Company, and a whole list of churches and schools within our community. The need to expand, led us to acquire a second location. As cars became more technical, we added more quality people. This strengthened our management staff. Car washing became a friend to the repair shop, and later, was traded for an opportunity to expand to the location we now reside in. The 6819 West Florissant Avenue address was totally remodeled by Gale and Helen Marler, and local laborers' in 1989.
Car washing, built into us, our "Full-Service Attitude," with respect to both, automobiles and customers. We became a barometer for change to the community around us. The business always seemed to be years ahead of others in training and equipment. Gale, contrary to most repair facility owners, never worked on cars. He truly managed decisions to guide us through the many years of GREAT SERVICE and PRIDE.
In the year, 1995, we enjoyed a grand reopening at our 7325 West Florissant address. In the fall of 1994, an oversized, double bay expansion was erected, including a new customer waiting area, and a second story private business office. Both locations, just a few blocks apart, compliment each other, in management, appearance, and equipment. Our personnel have grown to a family of twenty employees. Both facilities are open Monday through Friday, 8am - 5pm, Saturdays at the 7325 location from 8am - 3pm, and we provide towing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We have provided towing for many of the local municipalities, including the City of Jennings for over 30 years. We do all of our towing with the most current towing options available. We also use a 1998 Chevrolet S-10 Pick Up Truck for our light services.
In 1996, we were chosen as CARQUEST Auto Parts, "TOP SHOP IN THE NATION", for the outstanding service, training and community involvement, we have always required of our staff. This lead to Sun Auto Service being involved in a "Round-Table" discussion group that met on a yearly basis, with the leaders of CARQUEST Auto Parts, to help offer answers and solutions to today's automotive market.
We search out and organize our own training, and we provide it for our employees. We are proud to say that all we sell is service and repair, and have exceeded all expectations in providing a Highly-Trained Staff.
Our ability to provide customer follow-up through, AAA reply cards, and service reminders sent monthly to notify them of maintenance due, all help us to remain productive. A clean facility, (notice not a "garage"), helps set the mood for what we now have to charge, to profit, grow and update, to remain a player. We, Sun Auto Service, strive for quality and let cheapness and inferior products and services take care of themselves.
As present becomes past, Gale and Helen still participate daily as their management staff becomes more skillful. We remain current with changing times. Involvement with the public, the news media creates good atmosphere for a business that many times becomes blame for mechanical failure. We were able to help the Senior Citizens of Jennings, with the purchase of a new bus. We donate constantly, to area families and needy individuals. We provide assistance to AAA by attending "Ask the Auto Technician" segments, monthly on a local TV news station. We have provided time for a yearly convention in downtown St. Louis, called "The Working Women's Survival Show," to help bridge the gap between those that do not understand cars, or repairs. We support local sports leagues, area churches, and surrounding businesses. We also aid the Saint Vincent DePaul Society with getting needy individuals with working vehicles, through the Society's "Cars for a Cause" program, by towing and repairing vehicles at a highly discounted rate.
Presently, our employees remain involved by attending monthly technical classes. We continue to build from within, as Gale has always done. Our success shows not only in our business, but also our family - The Sun Auto Service Family.
