This article is from 2024 Best of the West Shore. 

It was American author and salesperson Jeffrey Gitomer who said, "You don't earn loyalty in a day. You earn loyalty day by day."

It appears this type of attitude has kept Howie Mace and his used car dealership Howie's Car Corral trucking along for 28 years B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ 25 of which have been in the West Shore.

"If you look after people they will look after you and you know, truer words can't be spoken," Mace said in an interview with Black Press. "We have clients that have purchased multiple vehicles, well into the teens as far as buying multiple cars off us. It's great to see how you take that relationship and maintain it and it just grows and grows and grows."

But how did it start? Long before loyal customers, Howie's Car Corral was opened in '96 in Nanaimo by Mace and his parents Bob and Lynn, who are now both retired. Cars were always part of the family.

"I've always loved cars," Mace said. "You could say I was born on a car lot. My dad has been in the business since the '60s and you know, my first job was washing cars. It was just a place that I loved to hang out."

Their mission was to provide good used vehicles for a fair price, guided by the slogan, "The Workin' Folks Car and Truck Store". For the past 25 years, the business has been located at 1658 Island Highway on the Colwood Strip, offering both a sales and service centre where the inventory is inspected, repaired and reconditioned, and a finance department that offers clients credit options with multiple lenders for all credit types.

It's here where another ingredient for customer loyalty comes in, which is "the most amazing staff," according to Mace. That team of 12 includes a parts and service manager who has been with the company for 15 years, a management team for 20+ years, and a shop foreman/mechanic who has been with the company for 25. 

"A person that bought a car 10 years ago is gonna come in here and see a lot of the same faces [today]. You don't see that in any business quite often."

Mace pointed out the benefit of having mechanic Kevin Wells with the company for 25 years.

"Challenge somebody to find me a better mechanic," Mace said. "25 years at our shop and he's been working on all makes and models."

Mace said his success is "a reflection on the quality of people" he has been able to retain. And it seems customers notice it too, indicated by the 10 past customer nominations the company has garnered in the Best of the WestShore Awards and winning three Better Business Bureau Torch Awards. 

"When you have good people and you can keep good people, it's just a recipe for success," he said. "I think our longtime customers, they know it and they feel it."