Gary Churchill: Industry Veteran and Community Humanitarian

Gary Churchill is a longtime speed and performance enthusiast, industry veteran, and Keystone Automotive inside sales associate at the Greensboro, North Carolina call center. But more than that, he is someone with integrity; a man who lives the company values both as an employee and humanitarian.

Do What You Love

From the time Gary Churchill was a boy, he expressed a fascination for anything motorized and was eager to understand how things worked. “I was always attracted to cars, trucks, and boats. You name it and I wanted to be hands on with it. Even if I couldn’t repair what I had taken apart,” he joked. This fascination morphed into a livelihood, as Churchill spent 25 years at Carolina Mustang. There he continued to sharpen his product knowledge and hone his professional skill sets.

Churchill’s attention to detail, relationship building, and customer service are just a few of the qualities that distinguish him as a standout sales associate at Keystone Automotive as well. Having worked on both sides of the counter, he has a unique industry perspective and personal appreciation for the automotive shop business model.

“I want to be the face of Keystone to my customers. For them to know that I’ll ask the right questions and go the extra mile to help them be as successful as they can be,” said Churchill. I want to know everything about my customers: the shop specialty, location, and employee names, as well as how they market themselves, what their storefronts and showrooms look like, and what we can do to help diversify their business opportunities.”

Love What You Do

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” Churchill is worthy of both. His professional experience certainly is noteworthy, but it’s his unwavering commitment to volunteerism that is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Churchill and his family participate in the Appalachia Service Project (ASP) through their local church. ASP is a non-profit organization that has provided assistance to severely poverty-stricken families for more than 40 years. In the counties they serve, poverty is nearly double the national average. Almost half of the families have an annual household income below $20,000 and reside in substandard home conditions that are barely livable.

Churchill and his daughter Christina have taken part in many summer youth programs. Numerous teams of two adults and 6-7 teenagers gather together; each with a family to help and a home to repair. “There are too many people [in the United States] that the federal government is unable to reach and help. That’s where ASP comes in. We repair more homes than any other agency servicing the area. Common projects include the replacement of rotted floors and roofs, the repair or addition of handicap ramps and porches, and ensuring there are at least two safe entrance or exit areas in the home in case of an emergency,” said Churchill.

Give It Your Very Best

The humanitarianism doesn’t end after a week of home repair, though. Churchill and his fellow volunteers continue to organize food, toy, school supply, and book drives to help families throughout the year. Sometimes they drive upwards of 10 hours just to drop off a trailer of donations.

The organization has a huge impact on all those involved. Families in desperate need of home repair receive a helping hand and volunteers, especially the youth, are reminded to practice humility and count their blessings because many of our American neighbors are forced to live in extremely challenging situations every day.

To date, Churchill has completed 18 mission projects, 11 with ASP—and there are more in the works. Churchill has proven time and time again how far leadership, commitment, and a little elbow grease can take you in life. His excellent workplace performance, commendable level of personal and professional integrity, as well as admirable humanitarian efforts have earned him the genuine respect of his peers, customers across the industry, and the communities he serves. One thing is for sure, Keystone is fortunate to have Churchill as part of its family.

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