Originally published on Coloradoan.com.
Stephen and Kelley Kinsland had a nice life in Memphis, Tennessee, raising their two kids. But they were working too many nights and weekends and commuting too far from home.
They began to wonder what else was out there.
"We had always wanted to own our own business," Stephen said. The couple began looking at franchise opportunities and found Christian Brothers Automotive, the national, faith-based auto repair shop they opened this week at 1500 Academy Court, west of Timberline and Prospect roads in Fort Collins.
"We always liked the franchise concept," he said. "You have sort of a big brother to help you set up everything and give you the tools to be successful." And since Stephen had been president of an armored car manufacturer, auto repair made sense.
They could have opened a franchise anywhere in the U.S., but after visiting Fort Collins, "it was Fort Collins or bust," he said. "What a cool place to raise our kids."
Kinsland said the family's faith has grown stronger in the last couple years and the connection between faith and business started to align. Opening Christian Brothers Automotive allows them to continue the connection.
Customers should see owners and employees who treat customers as they would their own family. "If someone wants to talk about faith, I would love to do that, but if there's someone who is indifferent or who doesn't want that, we're not pushing it," Stephen said. "Our goal is to not Bible-beat people ... it's just to live out our faith."
Christian Brothers Automotive is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. It will also be open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays for the first three months, after which it will be closed on weekends.
Christian Brothers also has locations in Loveland and Windsor.
For more information, call 970-294-7949 or visit cbac.com/fort-collins/.
