The Crisis Man

Greg Marks at Marks Automotive in Jasper is a product of faith- and a teacher who believed in him.

Words and image by Al Blanton

Sometimes, all it takes is one.

One encouraging word. One kind act. One thoughtful affirmation. One person who believes in you.

Greg Marks sits reflectively in the waiting area of his body shop on Highway 69 in Jasper, describing the influence of his high school auto mechanic instructor at Winston County High, Alan Gray. “Great guy,” Marks describes. “He had tons of confidence in me, and at the time I was young and dumb and I had zero confidence in myself.”

Gray’s faith in his star pupil at WCHS eventually led to victories in state auto repair competitions and a college scholarship to Bessemer State Technical College—“…and from that point on, I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to be an auto technician,” Greg says.

Marks took a week off after he graduated high school and never looked back. After finishing at Bessemer State, he completed a Toyota program called TTN and went to work at John Crump Toyota in Jasper. He then served as an auto technician at Scott Crump Toyota for 15 years before forging out on his own in 2014.

Now Greg and his staff at Marks Automotive handle anything from tune-ups to maintenance, oil changes, brake work, transmission work, alignments, tires, heavier repairs, and engine replacements. “All your scheduled maintenance on your vehicles, we can handle all that and we report that to Carfax,” Greg says.

Of course, he cannot run a repair shop all by himself. He relies on capable technicians and his service manager, David Gunter.

Overall, Marks believes integrity, knowledge, longevity, and a commitment to excellence have been keys to the business’s success. “I've got a team that's been with it for a very long time, which kind of says a lot about the business. We're a family-oriented business. We have strong family values. We have strong personal values. And we hold ourselves to a high standard,” he says.

Reflecting on his career and the passion he has for his work, Marks is still applying those skills he learned in high school but says there’s one thing that means most to him when he arrives at the repair shop.

“I used to think I love the actual fixing of cars the most—and I still do love that—but I really love helping people. Because when people come to me, they're in a crisis situation. And if I can fix their crisis, it seems like it makes them super happy—and that makes me happy.”

Perhaps what Alan Gray saw in his student so many years ago was not just a kid who loved to tinker with cars, but one who had the unique ability to care for the people who owned them. 78