By Bonnie Mason
What do fair, competent and truthful have in common? These are the words that customers of Christian Brothers (Bros.) Automotive use over and over again to describe the auto repair service at the two local locations (which serve the residents of Land O’Lakes, Lutz, New Tampa and Wesley Chapel) of this nationwide chain. These two franchised locations are quickly making a name for themselves and becoming known as the neighborhood experts for auto repairs and services.
Larry Giannone and his wife Cindy own and operate the Christian Brothers Automotive location in Land O’ Lakes, located just off S.R. 54 near Livingston Rd. The Giannones celebrated their two-year anniversary in business just last month. And, Marty LaBarbera, owner and operator of the Christian Bros. Automotive location in New Tampa, off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., celebrated his first anniversary in business in January. The owners of both franchise locations agree that the Christian Bros. Automotive company delivers on its promise of a car repair service business model unlike any others — based on honesty, integrity and Christian values.
LaBarbera says, “We talk to you straight. Our goal is to treat you like family and your car like our family car.” Both locations offer a free courtesy shuttle for the convenience of their customers every weekday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
From “A to T” — or from air conditioning, air filtration and alignments to transmission service and tire rotations — as well as everything in between, the two local Christian Bros. Automotive service centers continue to impress their customers, with expert, master automotive technicians who provide honest, quality work.
“Our staff is highly trained in all of the technologies of auto repairs,” says Giannone. “We have a dedicated staff who will walk you through every aspect of your car.”
Each Christian Bros. customer is provided with a checklist of items that need to be addressed in order to get their car purring to perfection. The technicians help the car owner to prioritize the list of needed repairs or services. Desiree P., a customer of the Land O’Lakes location, says, “From my first call to make an appointment, I was impressed. It was so nice to feel respected and welcomed in their shop. After they completed the tire rotation, the technicians explained in order of priority the items they uncovered that needed to be fixed and why. They also told me what could wait and how long each of those things could wait. I can always count on the same consistent service each and every time I visit the shop.”
Both Giannone and LaBarbera agree that preventive maintenance is the key to a properly running vehicle. LaBarbera says, “You can get 250,000 miles out of most of today’s cars—with preventive maintenance and making repairs when necessary.”
Reagan and Vince Gandy, customers of the New Tampa location, say that they find Christian Bros. to be “consistent, ethical and efficient. They give you the straight scoop and provide all of the information you need to make repair decisions.”
All Part Of The Plan
The Christian Brothers Automotive Corp. was founded in 1981 in Mission Bend, TX, a suburb of Houston, by two “Brothers in Christ” who were in Sunday Bible school together with a mission to treat their customers both fairly and competently.
Plus, the company’s website, which also has information about all 125+ Christian Bros. locations in 15 southern and midwestern U.S. states, says that the owner of the local business being onsite at each center helps build relationships, and ensures that the owner is able to relate to the customers and serve them the way the owner would want to be served.”
Giannone and LaBarbera both say that they are proud to carry on the Christian Bros. tradition. “Even our warranty is for the benefit of our customers,” says LaBarbera. “All parts and labor come with a two-year or 24,000-mile warranty, based upon your driving habits, to benefit you.”
He explains that while most auto repair warranties expire at the earliest of the two limits (miles or months), the Christian Bros. warranty is just the opposite. “Your warranty will expire after two years or 24,000 miles, whichever benefits you the most,” LaBarbera says. “That means if it takes you three years to put 24,000 miles on your car, your warranty will still be valid during that third year. Or, if you put 40,000 miles on your car in two years, your repair warranty will still be valid until the end of that second year.”
That 2-year/24,000-mile warranty is valid at any Christian Bros. location, nationwide. If you’ve had your car repaired at a location in Florida and that part fails while you’re on vacation in Texas, you’re still covered. At Christian Bros. Auto, this is called the “Nice Difference Warranty.”
In addition to the respect and integrity shown to customers, the shops themselves are immaculate and devoid of spare parts littering the floors or puddles of oil or grease.
Both local franchise owners are living out their dreams by owning their own automotive service shops. Giannone spent many years as a parts manufacturer representative and managed to weather the storm of several corporate acquisitions, before he and his wife decided they wanted their own business.
“The Christian Brothers business model was just what we were looking for,” Giannone says. In the model, each store, no matter the location, is uniform and looks exactly the same. The waiting rooms are spotless (much like the shop area), stocked with comfy, leather couches that usually are empty because of Christian Bros. courtesy car service that will take you to work, the gym, to pick up the kids from school, and just about anything else that you are unable to do while your car is being repaired. The model, founded upon Christian ideals, also is based on honesty.
LaBarbera explains that, “we might not tell you what you want to hear about your vehicle, but we’re going to tell you the truth.”
David Knecht, a customer of the New Tampa location, says, “Here are four reasons why I choose to have my car serviced at Christian Brothers. I do not know which is primary. 1. I trust Marty LaBarbera and his crew. 2. Their location and the ride home for waiting customers are very convenient. 3. They have the technical capability and equipment for anything I need done. 4. The price is always fair.”
The Giannones are originally from Arlington Heights, IL, but moved to the Tampa Bay area nearly 15 years ago to be closer to Larry’s parents, who had retired to Naples.
LaBarbera was born and raised in California, then moved to Austin, TX, in 1991, where he spent 40 years as a criminologist, consulting with various agencies and departments of corrections to redesign prison management systems, before retiring to Florida. His ‘retirement’ has allowed him to pursue two of his passions — his love of cars and his love for sailing.
In 2005, LaBarbera approached Christian Bros. to propose opening a franchise in Florida. The company took his interest to heart, he says, and he accompanied company representatives to Florida to scout out the perfect locations for the brand. Although LaBarbera had the initial interest in opening a Christian Bros. location in Florida, Larry and Cindy opened their Land O’ Lakes location a year earlier.
“Larry’s store is the 98th and mine is the 111th franchise of 124 to open, nationwide” says LaBarbera. “It took me a little longer to choose a location.”
The local Christian Bros. Auto centers serve more than just the automotive needs of Lutz, Land O’Lakes, New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. Giannone and LaBarbera also work to better the community by participating in local charity events. The company also holds its own canned food drives to donate to local food banks and sponsor an annual service day each October, during which the stores partner with local churches to provide free oil changes to single mothers and widows. The service day is an annual Christian Bros. event that was begun in 2010. In 2013, more than 1,800 single mothers received free oil changes across the U.S., nearly 80 of which were served at the two local Christian Bros. locations.
Marty LaBarbera’s New Tampa Christian Brothers Automotive service center is located at 20303 Trout Creek Dr., For more information, call 991-7007. Larry and Cindy Giannone’s Land O’ Lakes Christian Bros. service center is located at 23650 Venezia Dr., just off S.R. 54. For questions or appointments, call 200-8118. Online information is available at CBAC.com.
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