Mike grew up in a family that was always tinkering with and fixing things from the floor to the ceiling. He thought it was very interesting to see how things worked or didn’t work.

In the back of Mike's grandfather’s house in Rotterdam, there was a gigantic garage full of many mechanical things to work on. Mike learned to repair them from his father, grandfather or uncle. When he got his driver’s license, Mike started to service and repair his own vehicles.

Mike served in the Army from 1966–1968. After the service, he had a variety of jobs, and then in 1969 was hired by one of the auto dealerships in the area. He gathered valuable schooling, knowledge and experience at the dealership.

Mike paid attention while working at the dealership, and noticed that there was a need for personalized, honest, and dependable service. So in 1974, he started his own business in the Belluvue area of Schenectady.  He worked at the dealership during the day, and at his own place during evenings and weekends.

In 1977, Mike made the jump to full time at his Belluvue location. In 1980, he moved the business to 349 Anthony Street, in the north side of Schenectday, where it's been ever since.