Eagle Wash & Lube has new nest

A new name, a remodeled building and quality products are just a few of the improvements to hit the new Eagle Wash & Lube on San Carlos Boulevard in south Fort Myers.

The shop was purchased by Chris Heidrick last year and has been changed from a rundown garage to a state-of-the-art facility.

"We bought it because we knew that three years ago it was very successful and we wanted to bring it back," said Heidrick, who purchased the business in May and has worked to bring its old customers back. "We have been very successful so far and we are up 20 percent year over year."

The success though hasn't come easy for the shop that had to endure a new paint job, a replaced car-washing system and a change in services.

The company now uses name brand products featuring Castrol GTX, Castrol Syntec, Bosch and Interstate batteries to service cars, trucks and diesels of all sizes.

"We want to deliver the experience for the customer and give them good quality service," Heidrick said about the shop that was named after an eagle because he and some of his employees were Eagle Scouts as children. "We want customers to know us for what an eagle stands for ... it's patriotic and it's about trust and we feel that they can trust us."

Trust is a major factor for Heidrick, who hired Jeremy Smith to run the store and focus on customer satisfaction as well as quality work.

"We are dedicated to quality products, quality service and all at affordable prices," said Smith, the store manager, who moved from Detroit to run the shop.

But the shop staff wants to be known for more than just their work. Heidrick and his five employees hosted their first charity car wash recently.

"We hope it's the first of many and that we are able to offer customers a charity car wash every other weekend," Heidrick said about the car washes that also help the environment by reducing water usage and runoff. "We want to service customers that don't want to wash their cars themselves or just want to help others."

During their recent charity car wash, the shop helped the South Florida Lady Wildcats Basketball Team collect $480.80. Five dollars every oil change was donated by the shop to the cause that has an annual budget of $7,000.

"We were impressed at how much they raised. They washed about 65 cars and it was an ultimate success," said Oak Gregg-Donaldson, who drives the shop's fleet van that provides on-site vehicle maintenance for commercial fleets and motor home parks.

The Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce also participated in the festivities by hosting an official ribbon cutting for the shop's grand opening.