John Redmond and his young family came to Traverse City in 1985 on a leap of faith.

Redmond worked with his father and brothers in the auto repair business down in Saginaw, specializing in accessories like cruise control, air conditioning and sound systems in addition to general repairs. Over the years, they noticed that a lot of their customers came from up north.

So why not head up north, plant a stake in the ground and start a shop closer to those customers?

Redmond came up with virtually no connections. Every new customer had to be earned. Every job was a precious gift. But what started small 40 years ago eventually blossomed into one of the region’s most dependable, trusted (and busy) auto repair shops.

It wasn’t some magic formula, special pricing or inside knowledge that built Redmond Automotive into what it is today, John says. It was just a lot of hard work, straight shooting and following through.

“I think in the automotive industry – in any industry, really – honesty is your key. Build that trust. But it really does take time. You can’t just do it overnight,” he said. “Just make sure you do everything right, and the best advertising will be word of mouth.”

In September, Redmond passed the business on to his four children – Mike, Jacob and Dan Redmond and Kate Gallagher – all of whom have worked with him for decades. It was always his dream to hand his business off to his kids, but for a variety of reasons, such things are never guaranteed.

Sitting in his Eighth Street shop, surrounded by those kids, he beamed with pride as he discussed passing the torch.

“They’ve got to be in it and they’ve got to love it. And these guys are both,” he said. “They’ve shown it and they’ve proven it. They’ve worked so hard, and I’m so excited and happy that we can do this.”

The Redmond story is one of several in the October issue of the Traverse City Business News (The Ticker's sister publication).

Other stories in the October edition include a look at the ins and outs of commercial lending from the region's top lenders, a breakdown of the Big Beautiful Bill's individual and business impacts, a look inside the senior housing shortage and much more - plus several columns from local experts. 

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