A mere mile east of Kimball lies a one-man enterprise. On an average day, six to eight cars go in and out of the business, serviced and leaving better than they came. The business is Looman Auto Care and it is owned and operated by Greg Looman. “I like working with cars and with people,” Looman said in regards to why he started the business. “The opportunity was right and everything fell together. ” Developing the interest Though originally from South Haven, Looman attended high school at Jackson High in Missouri. He became interested in cars after taking an auto mechanics class. “I liked older cars and that was when I got into it,” Looman said. “I would rebuild engines of older cars.” After high school, Looman pursued his interest through mechanics education courses at the Nashville Auto Diesel College. At school, Looman went through 24 phases of auto education where he learned the tricks of the trade. Looman is also ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified. He took classes for this certification in St. Cloud. Bringing it home While living in Missouri, Looman missed the winters, outdoors and Minnesota recreational activities. He decided to take his auto mechanics expertise back to the state where he was raised. Looman managed Andy’s Auto Service in Annandale for 10 years before venturing out on his own. “I thought that it was time to make it for myself,” Looman said. While driving to work, he noticed the availability of the building he operates out of. He called about it and decided it was a good opportunity. Looman already owned most of the tools he needed to open his own shop. He only had to purchase some of the bigger equipment like a hoist, brake lathes, spin balances and a tire machine. This equipment allows Looman to provide comprehensive services to his clients. Some of the services provided include work on tires, computer diagnostics, brakes, shocks, struts, transmission services, cooling service, oil changes and front-end work. Loaner cars are available with advanced notice when getting services done. The business is open from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and can be reached at (320) 398-5700. Since Looman does all of the work himself, he said there are many demands from the work load. “It gets tough at times with all of the work orders and estimates,” Looman said. “But it is a good feeling to be doing it.”
