09/13/2026
We did it.
Last night, a lifelong mechanic wore white all night and somehow returned home without a single grease mark on it. I'll be accepting nominations for that award next year.
In way more exciting news, also last night, we were named the 2026 Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year. And I'll tell you, there were some damn good businesses in that room. When we found out we'd made the final three, I honestly thought that was already a huge win. To actually be chosen from that group is incredibly humbling.
When I started Walt's Garage, I didn't know how to run a business. I knew how to fix cars. The plan was pretty simple: be honest with people, treat them like family, and do the job right. Somehow, that little idea grew into this.
But this award doesn't have my name on it. It belongs to the incredible team at Walt's Garage who show up every day and take care of our customers. It belongs to Karie and my family, who've been beside me through all of it. And it belongs to every customer who trusted us, came back, told a friend, left us a review, or gave a little repair shop a chance.
Punta Gorda, you built this with us. Your support has allowed us to grow, and more importantly, it's put us in a position where we can give back to the community that gave us our chance in the first place. To the Punta Gorda Chamber, our fellow nominees and finalists, our team, our customers, our friends and our community:
Thank you. This one means a whole lot to us. โค๏ธ
- Walt