business & professional College Financial Aid Meetings Slated JVS will host two parent information meetings about the Jewish Educational Loan Service (JELS) and additional financial aid options for Jewish college students. The meetings will be held 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12, at the Hermelin ORT Resource Center at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield and 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, at JVS, 29699 Southfield Road in Southfield. JELS Coordinator Marvin Berman will discuss how to apply for an interest-free student loan offered through the JELS program. He will also address avail- ability of financial assistance through federal, state, institutional and private sources. The presentation is directed toward parents, though students are welcome to attend. To register for one of the meet- ings or for information, contact Marvin Berman, (248) 233-4209 or mberman@ jvsdet.org. Driving Success Neighborhood garage owner builds business one relationship at a time. Pamela A. Zinkosky Special to the Jewish News j oe Stamell's namesake business boasts 45 years of wrenching and rotating tires, changing oil and other auto services. Stamell, who came to own Joe Stamell's Dynamic Car Care in Farmington Hills "all by acci- dent:' doesn't wrench, rotate or oil, but his everyday presence is paramount to the business's success. Stamell relies on his four mechanics to carry out the automotive work, but he's behind the desk every day answer- ing phones, greeting customers and keeping the business afloat. "I never leave the shop, and if I'm not here, we're in trouble That's because customers expect to talk to Joe, says West Bloomfield resident Tony Targan, who's been going to Stamell for 20 years and says he can't think of too many other business relationships that have lasted that long. "You're buying Joe he says. "You're buying that relationship. "He's a real salt-of-the-earth guy. He conveys a sense that you can trust him. I feel like even if it's bad news, he gives it to me straight:' As one of the only full-service auto shops in the area, Stamell sees his busi- ness as a neighborhood garage. "We just fix broken cars:' Stamell says in his typi- cal down-to-earth manner. "I don't know that I'm all that charming, but I do know that we do good work:' Stamell never intended to run an auto shop. The Huntington Woods resident grew up in Detroit, attended Congregation Shaarey Zedek, went to Mumford High School, obtained a college degree in history and meant to teach. But Stamell's business relationship- building skills were already at work managing Union Tire in Detroit for his then-father-in-law, and taking a teaching job would have meant a 50 percent pay cut. "I was making double the amount:' Stamell says. "I think he was paying me $12,000 (annually), and I could make $6,000 as a teacher:' After a divorce, Stamell in 1967 struck 20 January 24 • 2013 JN $1: Joe Stamell outside his car repair business out on his own, opening Dynamic Tires on Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak. He built the business on the knowledge he garnered at Union Tire, his ability to forge and maintain personal relation- ships, and print advertising in the Detroit Jewish News. "I was a regular advertiser:' Stamell says. In fact, Dynamic Tires appeared as a Jewish News profile in 1967. "You had to be in it. Most Jewish people would rather do business with Jewish people, all other things being the same. The Jewish popu- lation has been very receptive to me:' An eight-year stint living in Oklahoma, managing his in-laws' Western cloth- ing business, could have meant a career change for Stamell, but when he and his wife returned to Detroit in 1989, he fell back on his auto experience. "I didn't want to do this again because it's retail and it's a lot of hours:' Stamell says. "But, we had to eat. I had this real estate thing going, and that came out from under me:' In 1989, Stamell bought an existing auto business on Northwestern Highway in Farmington Hills, renamed it Joe Stamell's Dynamic Car Care — just in case anyone remembered him from the old days — and that's where he's been ever since. "Dynamic" is a good word for Stamell's auto industry career. He's seen plenty of changes — the disappearance of small tire shops in favor of large companies like Discount and Belle, changes in cars, the introduction of the Internet, economic changes — and he's adapted his business at every turn. These days, he says, diagnostics are very important, especially because people are holding on to their cars a little longer, the economy being what it is. Stamell has all the necessary tools to figure out which parts are needed and the right staff to do the job, he says. "The repair business is very good. We're doing more elaborate, extensive repairs than before:' Stamell has also seen a shift in advertis- ing mediums. While "the most important thing is word of mouth:' he says, he's finding that the younger customers he's after are looking to the Internet more, so he maintains a robust website that offers online appointment scheduling. He's also looking into Google advertising. At 70-something, Stamell counts him- self lucky to have his health and family — two sons and a daughter — and has no intention of retiring anytime soon. "I'm gonna drop dead here he says. "We can't think of not working:' Stamell says of he and his wife, Adrienne, who's a real estate agent riding out the tide of the housing crisis. What's more, Stamell enjoys the camaraderie with his close-knit staff — "they're like family:' he says — and with his customers, who expect his personal greeting when they walk in the door. "It's gratifying because people come because I am here Stamell says. ❑ JSL Plans Visit To Florida Snowbirds On Sunday, Feb. 10, Metro Detroit snow- birds, Floridians and their guests will gather at the Florida home of Florine Mark, WW Group president and CEO, to connect with Jewish Senior Life. Florine Mark The brunch event, set for 11 a.m., will show- case JSL's programs, services and residences. For informa- tion, contact Beth Tryon at (248) 661- 1836 or via btryon@jslmi.org . JSL executives Rochelle Upfal (CEO), Carol Rosenberg (director, JSL Foundation) and Barbra Giles (associate director) will provide information on programs, services and residences. In addition, they will feature the Village, a community-based membership program recently launched in Huntington Woods that provides concierge, support and camaraderie for people who wish to age in their homes. "Jewish Senior Life is always focused on maintaining relationships and con- nections with our friends in Florida as many migrate south in the colder months for a splash of sunshine says Upfal. Florine Mark will speak about well- ness and how it impacts everyone's daily life. "Every day is a new day and we all want to look and feel our best so we need to eat right, exercise and keep a positive attitude no matter what our age is:' says Mark.