Feature Article: A New Jersey Business
The Place to Go When Your Car Can’t:
Frank’s Auto Repair & Auto Body, Inc.
by: vicque fassinger
While some symbols of success in today’s automobile might include trendy gizmos and gadgets that make a glove box transform into a treasure chest with secret compartments, a license plate light up like a holiday tree, a voice-activated GPS system calmly state you’ve just missed your exit, heated leather seats warming winter buns, 10-player CD contraptions seeping Sinatra’s greatest hits from surround sound speakers, car-theatre DVD players capturing the attention of moon-eyed toddlers, or hubcaps that spin so fast they seem to stop storms straightaway, there is but one essential component that every car owner knows he absolutely must have above and beyond all else – the venerable auto mechanic. For the residents of and visitors to Fanwood and its neighboring communities, Frank Constandi of Frank’s Auto Repair & Body Shop, Inc. is that revered and highly-sought-after mechanical mastermind.
Like car dealerships, fast food restaurants, pizza parlors, and convenient stores, auto mechanic shops seem to be on most every corner (or at least telltale signs of one in many private driveways). Finding that one diamond in the rough, that one irreplaceable, down-to-earth, organized, passionate, approachable, knowledgeable, articulate, 21st century auto mechanic with old-fashioned family values and business pride – where a handshake means something – is like finding that one barber that always styles it just the way you like it, that one babysitter that the kids run to instead of from, that one meat cutter that saves the best portions for your Saturday night backyard brouhaha, that one baker from whom you order all your cakes for all your celebrations, and that one, quaint little corner Italian bistro with the chef who prepares fresh Portobello raviolis and gnocchi like no other – once you’ve found that particular professional who gets it right every time, all the time, you never, ever, look elsewhere.
Frank Constandi, owner and operator of Frank’s Auto Repair and Auto Body, Inc. is one such particular professional who has been getting it right for an ever-growing portfolio of clients for nearly 3 decades now. Nestled in the small town of Fanwood, just a stone’s throw from the train station, Frank’s auto shop has been a mainstay in the neighborhood since his father, Domenic, first opened its doors in 1974 under the name Dom’s Fanwood Gulf – where carefree customers chatted with Dom while he pumped their gas, wiped their windshield, and checked under their car’s hood. At 19, after Frank completed the rigorous training program at the Union County Vocational Technical School, he immediately started working alongside his dad; within no time at all Domenic handed the keys over to his son, and, through years of dedication, commitment, and service, Frank transformed his dad’s little local service station into a state-of-the-art, high-tech auto repair and auto body corporation servicing all makes and models of foreign and domestic vehicles. In 1994, as a licensed auto body mechanic and certified in every area of Automotive Service Excellence, Frank officially changed the name to Frank’s Auto Repair and Auto Body, Inc. and did away with the gas pumps.
Today, Frank continues to expand his knowledge of the industry and hone his skills in every facet of mechanical repair and auto body work; his shop now employs a team of 8 cross-trained, highly-skilled mechanics and auto body specialists. Now, as if finding the perfect mechanic and auto body specialist right in their own town wasn’t celebration enough for the folks of Fanwood, Frank’s wife, Tracy, a licensed dental hygienist, has added such a splash of fun, individuality, and passion herself to the business that, together, they truly work in sync like a clutch and a manual transmission ~ one is no good without the other. Tracy not only proudly claims credit for the seamless wall of unique and fun signs sporting the shop’s front waiting area, but also keeps the basket full of warm muffins and the espresso machine percolating! In addition, she runs the front office and publishes an informative and creative quarterly newsletter that she snail mails to all of their customers each season.
Together, Frank and Tracy also give back to the community; they donate their time, money, and even their power boat (for rides!) in the annual SHORE DREAMS FOR KIDS sponsored by the New Jersey Performance Power Boat Club; they participate in the SPECIAL WISHES PROGRAM where they “adopt” a family in need each holiday season and provide all the food and presents possible to make the season joyous for the family; they sponsor a community food drive each year ~ collecting 150 pounds of food at their shop to help feed the hungry; they sponsor a handful of high school seniors for the end-of-the-year Project Graduation ~ a proactive program designed to keep students safe and off other streets during prom weekend; they started a scholarship fund at the Union County Vocational Technical School for students in need who also display the discipline, interest, and skills to pursue a career in technology; and they even sponsor a youth baseball team in town ~ supplying not only the jerseys, but also the water, the snacks, and cheers from the sidelines!
Located at 56 South Marine Avenue in Fanwood, New Jersey, Frank and Tracy always welcome new clients. They can be reached through their website or by phoning their shop at (908) 322-0475. Even if you’ve been to four other auto shops first, and they couldn’t help you, it’s finally time to put your car in neutral, relax, and glide in ~ you’ve finally found Frank’s Auto Repair and Auto Body, Inc.!
