Roy and Jacqueline Foster of Roy Foster’s Automotive are proud and grateful to have been named the 2023 NAPA Auto Care Center of the Year!

Roy shares a name with his thriving Auto Care Center, but he firmly maintains that he works on – and sometimes in – his father’s business. The Reno mainstay known as Roy Foster’s Automotive was founded by and named for Roy’s father 75 years ago, and Roy has expertly kept that powerful legacy of family and fairness alive for decades – and counting.

When he took over the auto repair business, one of Roy’s first major decisions, in 1994, was to join the NAPA Auto Care program. Almost 20 years later, Roy delivered a trailblazing PROimage-style makeover at his new facility, a rundown former Midas muffler shop, before the PROimage program existed. The warm, inviting space welcomes customers to relax in comfort with the confidence that they are working with true professionals.

And NAPA Auto Care programs? You name them, Roy’s almost surely using them – everything from that pre-PROimage makeover and staff training to the NAPA EasyPay credit card and digital menu board to digital vehicle inspections and more.

In 2018, he became one of the country’s first Gold-certified shops. He’s both a client and a coach through Repair Shop of Tomorrow, NAPA’s in-house coaching and marketing company. Repair Shop of Tomorrow has helped Roy bring together all the NAPA Auto Care-approved vendor programs and optimize them for success. Roy served on the NAPA Auto Care Advisory Council from 2018 to 2019, and both Roy and Jacqueline are now honorary members of the 2023 Council.

He’s also an avid advocate for the NAPA apprentice program, which he views as an industry-wide solution to the nationwide shortage of qualified technicians. In 2022, his first three apprentices – including his sons Zach and Logan, and SkillsUSA Winner Randy Cowles – are completing the rigorous program and working in the shop as “homegrown” technicians. Roy appreciates that the program has set him – and the third generation of his business – up to continue to thrive, as he teaches Zach and Logan to fulfill their dreams of taking over when he retires.

In the Reno-Sparks Nevada NAPA Auto Care Business Development Group (BDG), where he is a past President, Roy has led the group’s support of scholarships and training opportunities for the automotive program at Truckee Meadows Community College, where he serves on the board. At The Discovery children’s museum, the BDG has sponsored the fun, educational, and immensely popular first-ever Super Service Center for kids. In addition, the BDG has donated resources to local high school automotive programs and fixes up and donates vehicles for deserving community members. 

Roy also judges SkillsUSA competitions, speaks on Autovitals Digital Shop Talk Radio and Carm Capriotto’s podcast network, is an advocate for NAPA TRACS Enterprise and serves on the NAPA TRACS Advisory Council, and takes an active role in state legislation relevant to the independent aftermarket. 

And wherever you go in Reno, you’re sure to see some service Roy has provided, and some person he has helped.

Through the Repair Shop for Tomorrow Brakes for Kids program, Roy has helped raise roughly $100,000 in two years for St. Jude Children’s Hospital – with nearly $10,000 of that coming from Roy Foster’s Automotive.

In addition to coaching youth baseball teams, Roy sponsors the Reno American Little League, Procter Hug High School baseball, and Robert McQueen high school baseball – where every run, hit, and error is displayed on the scoreboard featuring the NAPA Auto Care logo. Roy and Jacqueline’s ongoing efforts to donate shoe boxes with toys, school supplies, gloves, and even jackets to local students in need has inspired the BDG to get involved with the program as well – serving more children, and even funding their field trips.

At the Awaken women’s shelter, Roy has teamed up with his local NAPA AUTO PARTS store to donate the parts, and Roy provides the labor to keep residents’ cars running. For the past 27 years, he has held leadership roles in his church including being a young men’s leader, Scout master, and emergency preparedness facilitator.

As he continues to build on his father’s legacy, Roy has also built an indisputable legacy of his own as a thoroughly respected, thoroughly beloved member of his Nevada community, the NAPA Auto Care family, and the entire automotive aftermarket.

Troy Auto Care, with three locations in Troy, Michigan, has been named the NAPA Auto Care Center of the Year. Owner Donnie, Kristi and Frank Hudson have been a proponent of the Auto Care program for over 22 years. Troy Auto Care joined the NAPA Auto Care program in 1999. Donnie and his brother Frank were partners in a full-service Shell gas station that was in the family from the time their father started the business in 1958. In addition to gasoline, the Shell station offered repair and towing service. When Shell got out of the repair side, the brothers decided to concentrate their efforts exclusively on Troy Auto Care. They opened their first standalone NAPA Auto Care center in April 1998 and their second NAPA Auto Care location, a 14-bay facility, in January 2019 that Donnie’s wife Kristi Hudson operates and runs. A third shop, an 18-bay NAPA Truck Service Center, was added last summer. The Hudson’s have been TRACS users from the beginning and at the forefront of NAPA Auto Care Gold Certification.

In addition to being a Gold Certified NAPA Auto Care Center, Troy Auto Care is also a AAA- Approved Auto Repair Center. Troy Auto Care’s dedication to this program was recognized by their AAA Club as they have been chosen as the AAA Service Provider of Excellence Gold Award for their road service operation in 2014 and again in 2018. They have also received the AAA Approved Auto Repair Center of the Year Award in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Troy Auto Care takes advantage of most everything the NAPA Auto Care toolbox has to offer. In addition to NAPA TRACS and Gold certification, Donnie’s a firm believer in PROimage. The two Troy Auto Care locations, as well as the Truck Service Center, are PROimaged inside and out. Digital Vehicle Inspection (DVI) has also been a game changer at Troy Auto Care. DVI has helped increase both sales and the number of customers coming back for recommended services by 26%. The Hudson’s also take advantage of other NAPA programs including AutoNet TV, Optimize Social Media, and NAPA Autotech Training including online classes as well as technician training.

As president of the Northern Detroit Business Development Group (BDG) for nine years, Donnie helped grow the group from nine to 15 members. The BDG is very active in the community and for years has supported the Play-Place Autism and Special Needs Center, the Jenna Kast Believe in Miracles Foundation and National Kidney Foundation. This fall, the BDG group sponsored the Frightful 5K and 1K Pumpkin Family Fun Run, Safety Bash, the City of Troy Christmas Tree Lighting, and Toys for Tots toy drive. The BDG has raised over $106,000 for local charities since the group was organized.

Troy Auto Care also sponsors the city of Troy’s annual Winter Wonderland holiday event, Troy Police Golf outing for Honor Guard, and the Bob Evans Harvest program in support of local food banks.

Donnie not only serves the community through his efforts at Troy Auto Care and the BDG, but he’s also been a member of the Troy Fire Department since 1994 and was named the 2016 Fireman of the Year and the 2017 Fire Instructor of the Year. He joined the fire department as a probationary firefighter in 1994, became Station Lieutenant in 2001, Captain in 2010, and was recently promoted to Assistant fire Chief in 2021. Whether it’s firefighting, volunteering, or running Troy Auto Care, Donnie is passionate about everything he does.

McNeil’s Auto Care operates two shops in Utah, the original location in Sandy, UT and the new location which opened in 2019 in Riverton, Utah. Pete and his team provide the highest quality service to their customers and McNeil’s utilizes many Auto Care programs to drive bay traffic and increase AROs.

Since 1982, McNeil’s Auto Care has built a reputation of providing superior quality work in the automotive industry. This is exemplified by their many achievements and accreditation’s including being ranked #1 in customer satisfaction by AAA. In 2018 McNeil’s expanded their Sandy location to 16 bays to accommodate their partnership with local schools for continued growth of their Apprenticeship program, which served as the foundation for the National Apprentice program launched by NAPA Auto Care in 2019.

McNeil’s Auto Care is heavily involved in the automotive industry. Pete and his team dedicate time to the industry including judging Skills USA Competitions and dedicating bays in the business to training. McNeil’s also won the 2018 Apex Award for Business Partner of the Year from the Canyons Board of Education and Administration for their partnership with local schools to educate and train aspiring technicians. Pete is dedicated to having a well-trained staff, with over 64 ASE Certifications, as well as 4 pending work experience. Pete’s lead technician, Jake Sorenson, was also the 2019 NAPA/ASE Technician of the Year winner.

In addition to heavy involvement in the automotive industry, Pete and his team find time to give back to the local community through Church activities, car wash and Golf fundraisers, multiple charity events and a Van donation to a local deserving couple. They also donate their time and money to community cleanup days and Scholarship Funds. As you can see, McNeil’s Auto Care is not just an asset to the NAPA family, but the aftermarket industry as a whole.