Winning Combination Auto Mechanic’s Integrity Leads To Small-Business Award
Every Wednesday morning, 72-year-old Marla Narwold drives to C&H Foreign Auto Repair in North Spokane with a batch of freshly baked cookies.
Narwold doesn’t work there, nor is she related to owner Ed Cushman. She’s just one of nearly 4,000 customers thrilled to have found a mechanic she believes is honest.
“When you find one, you appreciate them,” she said.
Narwold isn’t the only one impressed by the integrity of Cushman in an industry that often tops complaint lists at consumer organizations.
C&H - along with four other companies - Thursday received the 1996 Agora Award for small business excellence. Dubbed the “Oscars of small businesses” by Spokane Mayor Jack Geraghty, the awards are among the most prestigious given to some of the county’s 17,000 small businesses.
Named after the public marketplace of ancient Athens, the Agora is sponsored by the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce and Seafirst Bank. Awards were presented before 400 people at the Crescent Court ballroom downtown.
A panel of 21 judges narrowed a field of 70 nominees to select the winners. C&H won for companies with fewer than 16 employees. Other winners were:
Zak Designs Inc. for companies with more than 51 employees. The company calls itself the world’s largest distributor of licensed dinnerware for children and adults. Founded 20 years ago by Irv Zakheim, Zak Designs moved from Los Angeles to Airway Heights in 1992. It employs 132 people and beat out other finalists including McVay Brothers Siding & Windows and United Security Bank.
Walker Construction Inc. for companies with 16-50 employees. Located at 1803 E. Springfield, the general contractor has 40 employees and recently built the new Spokane Area Visitor Information Center downtown. President Steve Walker founded the company in 1983.
Youth Help Association for non-profit organizations. The social service agency, 522 W. Riverside, last year increased its work force by 45 percent to total 73 employees. Youth Help provides education and treatment services for families in crisis, and housing for homeless youth. In winning the Agora, Youth Help edged out non-profit giant, United Way of Spokane County.
ComputorLink Magazine for entrepreneurial companies less than three years old. Founded by publisher Linda Clark, the company’s four employees publish a monthly journal of Inland Northwest home and business computer news.
Agora judge Charlie Keturakat said the panel risked the reputation of the award by choosing an auto mechanic. But after investigating Cushman’s operation, the judges were convinced C&H was deserving.
C&H, which employs eight mechanics and other workers at 620 N. Foothills Drive, guarantees all of its work and has received only one complaint from the Better Business Bureau or state Attorney General’s office in the past decade, Cushman said. Thank-you letters from hundreds of customers line the wall inside his shop, where labor rates are $48 an hour.
Cushman was 22 when he founded the company in 1977. Although increasing business volume by 50 percent in 1995, C&H hasn’t hired a new mechanic in more than two years.
Cushman also is president of the Kennewick, Wash.-based Automotive Service Association of Washington. Under his leadership, the trade group last year launched an internship program for youths to help increase the number of qualified - and honest - mechanics in Eastern Washington.
“People know when they’re dealt with fairly,” Cushman said. “Our customers become our friends.”
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