Rebuilder Reaches Out to Hispanic Community By Traci Matt ASSOCIATE EDITOR Juan Reyes’ late mother used to tell her children: “In order for you to get out of my command, you have to bring me a paper that certifies you as a professional.” Well, with a bachelor’s degree in electri- cal engineering, Delphi national trainer certification, ASE technician certifica- tion, and ownership of three companies, she should be satisfied. You may have noticed Reyes’ bilingual column which was introduced in the Exchange this summer. His career may be in auto electrics, but his passion is increasing professionalism in the Hispanic community. Reyes, a U.S. citizen, was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated in 1977. His first job was at a gas station. One year before graduating from Farleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, N.J. in 1986, he and a partner built a small rebuilding shop behind his parents’ house. “T never bothered looking for work after graduation,” said Reyes. “The busi- ness gave me the opportunity to start yf : Rig “GENERAL AUTO REPAIR » Garden State . something from scratch. The business went well and pretty soon we were known all over town not only for the units we sold but also for the electrical diagnostics we were doing. I felt so proud of the product we were building, every time a customer called complain- ing about our units being defective I would bet them that I was willing to close the shop if the unit was defective. This attitude was what opened the doors to car repairs and diagnostics.” In 1991, Reyes left the partnership and opened Liberty Auto Electric. (He said “Liberty” in this context should be interpreted as freedom.) Liberty Auto Electric did rebuilding as well as repairs. He said starting a business with a baby on the way was “no easy task” and created many sleepless nights. His biggest struggle was establishing credit as a new business. “To get my first alternator I had to send one of my workers from Paterson, N.J. to a town in Florida with cash,’ he said. “Thanks to the Force of the Universe that we have available, I was able to pull it through.” As the rebuilding business began morphing, Liberty Auto Electric started doing more diagnostics and became known as the “Home of the Computerized Diagnostics.” Eventually they separated the rebuilding end of the business from the service end and formed Liberty Rebuilders, Inc. Today both com- panies operate under the same roof with two rebuilders, three technicians, a serv- ice advisor and a delivery person. Although the rebuilding end only supplies 20 percent of their business, they are still “holding on” because of loyal customers. Reyes’ wife, Yohanny, and their three school-aged children all help with the businesses. He said assisting with inven- tory, answering phones and performing other tasks helps develop their children’s sense of responsibility. “My treasure is my family,” he said. The Reyes family recently took on a new venture when they opened the Liberty Training Institute to help increase professionalism within their Hispanic community. “There is a big need for technicians in the automotive field and this is a big labor opportunity for many people who want to get into the business,” he said. “I want to increase the status of our techs through education. I feel that a techni- cian is a professional who cares for his customers and today goes through many challenges.” Liberty Training Institute currently