Our History

THE STORY OF THE KID FROM ASHFORD

Ike Hoskinson grew up in the little town of Ashford, Washington, just outside the gates of Mount Rainier. It was here that he found his love for the mechanics of just about everything. Technically, his first repair shop was known as Ike's Bikes. Living in the mountains, dirt bikes, 3 wheelers (if you can remember those) and 4 wheelers were how young men entertained themselves. Ike's dad, Ben, moved to Mount Rainier, reopened his body shop, and quickly became the town’s fix-all. Ben, or as most knew him, Bondo Ben, loved old cars. He collected lots of what Ike thought was just junk. “It was really like an old car junkyard!  Because we had tools, everybody came to us to get stuff fixed. I learned to fix my bikes and everyone else's if we are going to have fun.”

Working with his dad performing auto bodywork, Ike found the dust was very unnerving to him - like fingernails on a chalkboard. “One day, we were working on my dad's old ‘39 Ford truck, and I got the job of removing the driveline. I was about 10 years old. I found oil and grease in the cross member, I liked the feel and, well, dirty hands look like productive hands. So, when I came out from under the truck, you would have thought I rebuilt the whole undercarriage! LOL... I was hooked.” As time went on, Ike became the town mechanic and before he was 16, he was replacing engines, head gaskets, clutches and anything else people in town needed done. “Our yard was a draw to car collectors and all weary travelers who broke down. I patched up many travelers who broke down in the mountains. Having a junkyard was nice since we had no close parts houses. I could generally find or make something work just to get someone home.”

Through his high school years, Ike worked as a cook in a few restaurants around Ashford and Elbe and also worked part-time at a small independent repair shop in Graham, WA. Ike graduated from Eatonville High School and married his high school sweetheart, Stephanie. After high school, Ike went to work for Boeing, working in their assembly plant. There, we built the 757s and, like any other Boeing employee, was eventually laid off. During that time, Ike was asked to come to work at the new Nissan Of Fife Dealership. This is where his automotive career took off.

Ike was found to be worthy of training and, over the next couple of years, quickly became a Nissan Master Technician. After 6 years at Nissan, and 2 children later, he was looking for better benefits and more reliable pay to support his growing family. Ike went to work on heavy equipment for Glacier Northwest and spent 7 years working swing shifts. “2008 came and half the crew was laid off when I came to work that day. As I prepared to start my shift, panic came over me - am I going home today? How will I support my family? Then I felt peace. I felt the Lord’s peace as I realized that I have a skill set. We had moved to Rochester by then, and I had been working side jobs at home so my wife, Stephanie, could be with our 3 children. I was already set up to make a living if needed. This is when the wheels started turning…I have a skill set that could support us on my own!”

Ike did not have a plan to open a repair shop, but as time went on, he prepared his home in case things got worse. By 2010, it was time. The swing shift was just getting too difficult. Ike had been working for a small car dealership from home, just as much as he was at his night job. He left Cal Portland in February 2010 and began working from his shop at home. Working with the car lot gave him the opportunity to buy, fix and sell cars as well. This went on for 6 months until one day, the car lot owner shared interest in a property Ike had brought to their attention. They went in on it together and then, after a series of perfectly timed transitions, covered in God's fingerprints, this property would become the new Ike's Auto Repair and become a thriving business in the community for the next 10 years.