Business at Ray’s Auto & Truck Service is truly a family affair. Avon residents Ray and Jeanne Gilles launched the business in their garage in 1979 before finally opening an independent shop in 1988. Although the couple’s son, Mike, and his wife, Cathy, are an integral part of the operation, Ray, who celebrated his 80th birthday in November, still puts in more than 60-hour workweeks doing what he loves.
Through the years, the family’s business has blossomed, specializing in providing auto and truck repairs for residential and commercial customers, fixing a range of vehicles that include cars, vans, trucks, semi-trucks, buses, emergency vehicles and generators, as well as heavy equipment.
Longtime Avon residents, the Gilles family enjoys participating in all facets of community life.
“We’ve been able to keep a very strong customer base,” says Cathy Gilles, the company’s corporate treasurer and co-owner. “We have forged relationships with other business owners over the decades, where they count on us for vehicle repairs and we purchase goods and services from them. It’s a support system that goes both ways.”
Cathy is grateful for the connections she’s made through her membership in the North Coast Chamber of Commerce.
“The organization provides great networking opportunities with business owners in surrounding communities,” she says, “which makes businesses grow a little further.”
Ray, a former North Coast Chamber of Commerce president, is a board member and chairs the scholarship committee, and his daughter-in-law is an active participant. The group works with local schools to select students eligible to receive annual awards.
“It’s enjoyable to learn about the students who apply for the scholarships, provide assistance and learn what their chosen profession will be,” Cathy says.
Ray’s Auto & Truck Service
38219 Colorado Ave., Avon
440-934-4318
raysautoandtruck.com
