Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Travis Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Travis, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
Selecting a name for a company can be daunting. You want it to sound catchy and unique, but also simple enough for clients to know what you have to offer. I struggled with overthinking this discussion on naming our automotive business and ended up landing back at the beginning with the original idea. Naming Crossroad Autoworks was many years in the making, 36 years to be exact. How can that be you ask, let me explain… 36 year ago I was born into a warm and loving family and giving the name Travis Brown. The day I was born my grandparents had gifted me a framed plaque with my name, Travis written across the top and in the background there was a picture of the Milky Way and the earth with deep blues and purples, below was the Latin root meaning of the name Travis which states “At the CROSSROAD” followed by more history of my name.
This plaque was hung on the wall above by room door in the house I was fortunate to be raised in for 18 year. For 18 years I would see this plaque with my name and the root meaning of my name every time I would leave my room and venture out into this world trying to find my path in life and make a name for myself. I may not have known it then but its crystal clear to me now looking back that as I was finding my path in life I was met with many paths along the way and stood at a CROSSROAD that required a decision. Some paths were easier than others and some led the wrong way, away from my true path and required me to turn around and get back on track. But all CROSSROADS had led me to to opportunity to fulfill my dream and open an automotive shop specializing in the service and repair of the European brand vehicle I know and love. So when it came time to choose the companies name, rather then use a generic automotive term or word, rather then use my personal name… I wanted to go back to the root, the Latin root “At the CROSSROAD”. Thus Crossroad Autoworks LLC was named.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I would like to start off by thanking you for the opportunity to share my story and business here, as it is a honor and a blessing. My name is Travis Brown and my wife, Sarah, and I own Crossroad Autoworks LLC here in Fountain Hills, AZ. At Crossroad Autoworks we specialize in European and Import vehicle brand service and repair with an emphasis on customer experience. We pride ourselves on our expert knowledge, state of the art facility, professionalism and strive to raise clients expectations of the automotive repair industry.
The journey life has taking me on to get to this point has been filled with joy, excitement, pain, setbacks, successes and healing. Starting from a young age I was always hands on and mechanically inclined, from building intricate Lego sets to dismantling toys to learn how they operated. Born and raised in Albuquerque, NM, I was able to seek out the things in life that brought be joy, playing ice hockey was at the top of the list amongst skateboarding, drawing and of course, cars. One of my favorite memories as a child was going with my father to get the oil changed in the family vehicles. I think back to those Saturday mornings pulling up to the shop hearing the sounds of the air tools being used, the hustle and bustle of the technicians, and the smell of oil. Plus I was always able to get a soda from the vending machine in the lobby. Such a simple chore on the to do list that most likely ended up being the pilot light that started my career path at a young age.
Around my junior year of high school the realization of finding my path in life was on the horizon just as I was getting my drivers license and first car. With my childhood room walls filled with car posters, getting the keys to my first car was a feeling of great joy, independence and responsibility. This also fueled my passion for cars, mechanics and design leading me to enroll in the top automotive training school located in Avondale, AZ. After completing the initial training I was accepted into the BMW factory training program and started my career working for a BMW dealership gaining more experience, knowledge and building relationships with mentors I still have to this day. As the years progressed so did other opportunities in the industry at other independent repair shops and allowing me a position as Team Leader for a Lexus dealership where I learn how much I enjoyed the management and operations side of the industry as well. I learned skills to better connect and motivate team members and implement systems for efficiency and boost customer service.
With my newly acquired skills and background I started carving a new path to start my own automotive repair shop using the knowledge and experience I had gained over the years to build a solid foundation. Taking all of the positive systems, ideas and experiences, removing the negative counterparts and implementing feedback from clients and team members I funneled it all into Crossroad Autoworks.
Starting a business requires calculated risk and opportunity… and that is exactly how Sarah and I stepped out in faith and acted on opportunity presented in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world was placed on pause, I received a call that lead us to acquiring a shop space here in Fountain Hills to operate our new business. With clients already lined up we finished the renovation process summer of 2020 and got to work! Starting small Sarah and I did everything ourselves focusing on the attention to details and building meaningful client relationships and trust. Within the first year we were blessed to grow rapidly with the support of the local Fountain Hills community and stretching state wide with clients travel from hours away.
Now, four years later, we are proud of the list of accomplishments earned such as winning the 2022 New Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce, nominated for Business Person of the Year 2022 and Young Professional of the Year for 2022 & 2023, The Marquis Who’s Who’s 2022-2023, NextDoor Neighborhood Fav for 2022 & 2023, and Carfax Top Rated Service Center 3 years running. Sense opening in our original shop we have expanded our facility by 3 times the original square footage, a “county club” style lounge that’s even fitted with a putting green, hired a top notch team of specialists who strive to offer consistent and exceptional automotive service and repair for all your European and Import vehicle needs.
Though I have come a long way on my journey none of it would be possible without the strength and guidance from God, the unconditional love, endless support and understanding from my wife Sarah, the faithfulness and loyal support of friends, family and our clients who go out of their way to refer the people in their circles. There are still many miles left on my road ahead and look forward to the new experiences and lessons that are in store.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I think there are a few things that have helped build our reputation within the automotive industry. First has been changing clients expectations of the industry and service they receive. We have accomplished this by understanding our target cliental by thinking the way they think, addressing their needs before they have to ask, and clear and concise communication. With this approach we can build new client trust quickly from the first point of contact which then streamlines the service experience.
Secondly, cleanliness is key and we have become known for that! Our lounge and office is tastefully decorated with an upscale theme and boasts a putting green area. Inside the shop space has been said to look like a showroom not a vehicle service bay. The luxury vehicle in for service pop against the clean white floors, each technician’s work station is orderly and equipment stowed in its rightful location and a large glass window from the lounge for clients to view and rest assured their vehicle will be well cared for.
Finally, I believe in being in the community. Whether that means volunteering through church, showing up to local events with the family, supporting other local businesses in the area and networking with them, plus sponsoring car shows with our booth and vehicle on display. It’s these types of involvement that have been able to put me face to face with the community and build a positive reputation.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
July 30th, 2023 my life changed forever. I contracted Valley Fever that quickly turned into phenomena and left me suffocating in my sleep, low blood oxygen level sent me into cardiac arrest. By the grace of God, Sarah, my wife and guardian angel, woke up and sprung into action to perform CPR and call the paramedics. I was rushed to the hospital unresponsive and clinging to life, leaving behind my wife and 7 month old daughter. Upon arriving at the hospital doctors placed me in a medically induced coma for 2 days while tests and scans were performed. Surrounded by family and loved ones anxious of my physical and mental well being, I awoke foggy and weak. The remainder of the week spent in the hospital is still a blur with only the highlights of constant support and love from family and friends at my side. As you can imagine the stress and trauma of this alone… Sarah and I still had our daughter, household and the business to run.
You ask about resilience, this is it! As I’m still laying in the coma, Sarah pulls herself together and contacts our team and clients with the news, organizes current projects in the shop to compete to return back to their owners, reschedule the calendar for the coming month, all while caring for our daughter. We ended up having to close the shop for the month of August as we recovered and healed from the nightmare that very easily could had a dark alternative ending. Upon reopening and easing back into the busy routine, Crossroad Autoworks has pick back up where we left off and continuing to grow at record pace. Enduring this experience has reprioritized and refocused my life. Our family and business would not be where it is today, a year later, without resilience and perseverance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://crossroadautoworks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossroadautoworks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crossroadautowork
