Clark’s Car Care, a family-owned Naperville auto repair business, says it now has 20,000 more affirmations that its way of doing business is the right way.
Synchrony Financial, the East Coast-based financial services company, has awarded Clark’s Car Care with its 2018 “Working Forward” Small Business Award. This award grants $20,000 in total to Clark’s – $10,000 for Clark’s to use for its stated business growth, and $10,000 for Clark’s to pass on to a local charity that aligns with its own mission and values.
Synchrony’s tagline, “What are you working forward to?” provided the impetus for this award, now in its second year. Clark’s Car Care is one of 10 winners of the 2018 Working Forward Small Business Awards, each receiving $10,000 to grow their businesses and $10,000 to grow their communities.
Synchrony Financial’s website states, “…we understand the impact that strong, healthy small businesses can have on the communities they serve. We also understand that your community depends on you to support its growth just as much as you depend on it to support yours,” and that it strives to help small businesses positively impact their local communities. “As the cornerstone of the communities they serve, small businesses are often asked to support numerous local organizations, schools, groups, civic initiatives and community projects through sponsorships, product or cash donations and volunteerism – all at an expense to the business. The ‘better the community’ portion of the prize gives the award winners the unique opportunity to fund or invest in local initiatives that are close to their heart.”
With that in mind, Clark’s Car Care plans to utilize its $10,000 portion of the award to further its technicians’ training, as Clark’s now services European and Japanese models in addition to domestics, and grant the other $10,000 portion of the award to CARE for CARS, a DuPage-based organization founded in 2012 by John Tartaglione. Tartaglione hand-selected four independent car repair shops that are NAPA Auto Parts suppliers and have a history of community service, and invited them into a partnership with Care For Cars. Care For Cars is a resource for individuals who are struggling to get to their jobs or job interviews due to transportation issues.
“What could be a better match?” said Matt Weber, co-owner of Clark’s Car Care. “A small, independent, community-supporting business helping a small, independent community charity. The program is successful because of John’s effort, NAPA supplying parts at their cost, and Clark’s doing the labor at cost. Every car gets a full digital inspection, and Care For Cars trusts Clark’s expert opinion on how to handle every repair. It’s an honor to support this organization, and to now be able to do so even more.”