Stop by Pathway Car Care, Inc. on Princeton Avenue in Lawrence Township, and you’ll find a garage filled with cars and trucks raised in a sea of lifts and dollies. Shawn Cook, owner and manager of the auto repair center, stands behind the front desk, answering phones, directing mechanics and fielding customers’ questions.
The center has been a part of the community since 1968 when original owner Richard Schweizer founded the business. Cook purchased the center nine years ago, having worked there as an auto mechanic for 11 years prior.
Cook’s career began at age 12 when he obtained a job fixing farm machinery. A fan of working on mechanical equipment, he transitioned into automotive work out of practicality.
“My wife told me I needed a job with benefits, so I came here and got a job with benefits,” Cook said, laughing.
When Schweizer chose to sell the business, he approached Cook, who decided that a shift from mechanic to business owner would be an exciting venture he would like to pursue.
For Cook, owning the center is not just about earning a living in a field he has loved since childhood; he also enjoys the camaraderie that exists between his small, family-like staff of five mechanics, several of whom have been working at the center for decades. He proudly noted that senior level employee Mark Head has been with the business for 40 years.
The chance to interact with co-workers and the local community are Cook’s favorite aspects about the job.
“You meet a lot of different people every day,” he said. “That’s the best part.”
The center specializes in a variety of precision services, including tune-ups, wheel alignment, brake work and diagnostic testing. General and major repairs as well as oil changes and other routine maintenance tasks are performed. The center is also a licensed state inspection facility.
Recent shifts in personal automotive care have kept the center’s services competitively priced, and the business often offers monthly and weekly specials to new and returning customers.
“A lot of people right now aren’t getting a lot fixed because of the economy, and a lot of stuff that used to get fixed isn’t getting fixed because only emissions are checked during inspections now,” Cook said.
He is happy to have a loyal clientele and to receive a great deal of work from other automotive centers in the area.
“We do a lot of diagnostic work for shops around here that can’t figure out how to fix their cars. They send them here,” Cook said.
As the owner of a car care center that has been servicing the Lawrence Township community for nearly half a century, Cook is proud of his business’ fine reputation. He strives to provide quality and efficient auto care.
“We try to do things right the first time,” he stressed. “Our motto is ‘Done once, done right.’”
Pathway Car Care, Inc. is located at 1600 Princeton Ave. in Lawrence. Phone: (609) 695-7878.
Pathway Car Care Center owner Shawn Cook works with vehicle engines and car repairs every day. (Photo by Mike Steele.)
