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LET's see, there's AAMC0, Cottman, Maaco and, of course, Pep Boys -- Manny Moe and Jack.
Detroit might be the automobile capital of the United States, but when it comes to keeping those autos on the road, Philadelphia might be the automotive aftermarket capital.
Joe Robinson, a kid from Northeast Philly who came home from the Navy with 80 bucks in his pocket and the schematic of an internal combustion engine in his head, aims to add another name to that list of local companies that hit the big time in the automobile aftermarket.
Robinson's entry is Motorworks, a franchiser of car motor replacement centers. It's perhaps the best-known, but by no means the latest offshoot of that $80 investment. He's also president of JARCO -- that's for Joseph A. Robinson Co. -- the company based in the Frankford section of Philadelphia that oversees his various business interests.
The common thread through all these businesses is automobile engines: rebuilding them, licensing other manufacturers to rebuild them, franchising replacement centers, arranging financing, telemarketing engine parts. JARCO's 80,000-square-foot building under the Market-Frankford E1 might be a far cry from the garage in the alley behind his parents home where he first set up shop, but Robinson is never far from the same kind of work.
GROWTH INDUSTRY: In the Frankford plant, JARCO rebuilds about 45 engines a day. An 8,000-square-foot addition would add another 35-40 a day to that output, says Robinson. The company is also planning to build another 100,000-square-foot plant in the Northeast Industrial Park.
Motorworks has 22 franchises -- 14 in the Delaware Valley. It recently opened sales offices in Texas and Florida as entries to increase the number of outlets in those states. The company also has licensing agreements with 13 motor rebuilders across the country to supply Motorworks motors to franchises. And it supplies engines to repair shops and warehouses in New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Puerto Rico, Finland and the Middle East.
JARCO's telemarketing department sells motor parts and complete motors to auto repair shops, car dealers, taxi companies and fleet operators in 26 states. Robinson declined to be specific about the volume of business his motor empire produces in a year. "Let's just say it's in the millions," he said.
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