The automotive field has seen individuals from a variety of different industries enter its ranks. For Corrine Hudson, she would spend several years gaining experience in mechanical engineering, consumer electronics, HVAC, and management before she decided she wanted to establish something that was hers.
Now the owner of Kwik Kar Marsh in Carrollton, Texas, Hudson has come a long way from the little girl that she was years ago, with nothing but a passion for math and physics to guide her.
Finding a Path
At the age of 14, Hudson left her home country of Madagascar, with her pet dog by her side. It’s common in Madagascar for parents to have their children pursue education outside the country, typically in Europe; but Hudson’s father had connections with people in the States, so she joined her two older siblings in Huntsville, Texas.
Going to high school in Huntsville was an adjustment for Hudson. She didn’t initially know any English upon arriving in America–though having already known French, learning new languages wasn’t something new to her.
By the age of 17, Hudson was living independently. On the cusp of graduating from high school, she didn’t have anyone guiding her through the school system and was unsure what her next step in life would be. One thing she knew was that she had an affinity for two subjects: math and physics. It was while she was at a high school career fair that she realized what she wanted to pursue after high school.
“I just kind of went and saw these men that talked about engineering, and I was like, ‘Okay, they do math; I guess that's something that I should do.’ And that’s how it started,” recalls Hudson.
Hudson saw the path she wanted to take. With her older sister living in Arlington, she enrolled in the mechanical engineering program at the University of Texas at Arlington.
A Long and Winding Road
Hudson began an internship with Nokia mobile phones in her senior year and kept on after graduating. She worked for them as a mechanical engineer for nine years before the company went under, leading her to work with BlackBerry, where she took a more managerial role.
Eventually, when that company ran into problems, Hudson hit a wall. Though many of her coworkers moved to California for other opportunities, at this point in her life she had a 14-year-old son and family in Texas that she was not able to leave. For six months, she would apply for jobs, getting every interview she possibly could.
Hudson’s husband, Ryan Mendez, was also working for a company that wasn’t doing well at the time. But rather than investing his time in finding another job, Mendez and Hudson had an idea to create their own business together that could sustain them.
“We just said, ‘Okay, just in case nothing happens with the job industry, maybe we should start our own business and just take care of our destiny,’” says Hudson.
The couple considered several different franchise business options, but it was Mendez’s father who would direct them to the Kwik Kar brand. He owned his own Kwik Kar franchise many years ago and has since sold it and retired, but he was able to put Hudson and Mendez in touch with Kwik Kar's original Founder Ray Ellis.
“When we spoke to Ray, it seemed like a good option. Number one, it was almost down the street from where we lived–maybe 15 minutes without any traffic. And it was the perfect location, he'd been scouting it for two years or so,” tells Hudson. “We had that one meeting, and really, that was all it took, and we decided to go for it.”
After reviewing their finances, Hudson and Mendez finalized the purchase of the business in 2014 and build it from the ground up–but not without complications. An increase in rainy conditions due to El Niño caused construction to be delayed, and the business would not open until two years later in 2016.
Fortunately, following the purchase of their Kwik Kar, Hudson received an offer to work for the company Lennox, which would provide a stable income for the family as Kwik Kar Marsh got up on its feet. It wasn’t until a few years later in 2018 that Hudson would come back on, having to assert herself in a work environment she had been largely absent from.
Earning Trust
Hudson immersed herself in her work, looking to earn the respect of her employees. She was out on the shop floor performing oil changes alongside her technicians, and worked to gain a state inspector license, allowing her to help with state inspections at the shop.
Having extensive training in managing teams and process development, Hudson had insight into many crucial elements of the business. Before taking her place as an owner and enacting changes, she needed to see how her team operated daily and gain their trust.
“I had to kind of prove myself to them, that ‘Hey, yes, I am capable,’” Hudson explains. “It was really imperative for me to do that too, because I needed to really understand how things were working from the bottom up, so that we could definitely see, ‘Hey, this procedure is not working, we need to modify this, we need to modify that.’”
As she integrated herself into the shop, she gradually began implementing different changes to improve workflows, safety, and her staff’s quality of life. The biggest goal she was trying to accomplish with the shop was for it to run on its own; she didn’t want to have to hold its hand for it to function.
That’s a process that started up top, with management. Hudson found that there wasn’t any real responsibility enforced on the managers of the shop, with them acting more as supervisors and passing on any problems to the owners. She needed a shop manager to handle situations without her help so she could focus on the business’ bigger picture.
Part of that bigger picture has revolved around the core values put in place by Hudson, and is a mantra frequently said in the shop: integrity, respect, and legendary customer service. Realizing the negative association some drivers have towards those in the service and repair industry, Hudson has focused on her shop proving itself as one with principles.
From Kwik Kar Marsh’s Hood Raiders maintenance course that teaches young people, adults, and senior citizens about vehicle maintenance, to Hudson releasing her own children’s book that explains the functions of a vehicle, her ability to connect with others and address their needs is what has propelled her to success in this industry.
