"I decided to get off my couch and try to make a difference," says Wigley, owner of New Life Automotive, a five-bay Parts Plus Car Care Center located in a southwest suburb of Baltimore.
A fellow member of Wigley's congregation at Calvary Community Church in Columbia, Md., had extended family that was affected by Katrina in Moselle, Miss. After the Calvary congregation rallied to raise money to send food and supplies to the Moselle/Hattiesburg area, the church decided to take a more hands-on approach.
Wigley has led four of the church's seven trips to the ravaged area, joining with other Baptist organizations in the rebuilding of homes destroyed by Katrina.
"We've had a hand in the reconstruction of about 15 homes in Mississippi," he says.
After a recent visit to the area, Mark wrote on his blog in January: "I passed through just about every coastal town between Pascagoula and Pass Christian during my visit, and it was very sobering to realize that in the five days that I was there, I did not see one child on a bike or a skateboard. This in itself makes the area seem lifeless. It has been 15 months since the hurricane and the U.S. government has given billions of dollars of aid to the area, and I see little or no new residential construction. I still can't believe it, even after seeing it with my own eyes. I think, 'This is America — not a third-world country. How can this happen?'"
Mark is leading another church trip to the area in April to further aid in the construction of homes.
The name of Mark's shop — New Life Automotive — has a dual meaning. Not only is it indicative of Mark's commitment to helping provide new life to his customers' cars but it also reflects his faith as a born-again Christian.
The New Life name and mission often interconnect. When Mark heard in January that a homeless woman was enduring the harsh Maryland winter living out of her broken-down Dodge Neon, New Life Automotive answered the call.
"She was sleeping in her car in a Wendy's parking lot," he says. "She was lighting candles to stay warm. We had her car brought in and discovered that her water pump had locked up and had taken out the timing belt. We supplied the labor, installing a new water pump, while another organization took care of the towing and the parts. We got this lady's car running, and it's changed her life. They got her into a shelter and off the streets. And I heard she just got a job.
"I don't do these things because I'm such a nice guy. I feel it's my shop's responsibility, and my responsibility as a Christian."
It's not surprising to learn that Mark's shop relies heavily on word-of-mouth advertising, with most of his clientele referred by other customers. On his Web site, nearly all testimonials mention the words "honesty" or "kindness," a testament to Mark's dedication to establishing a family atmosphere amongst his employees and customers. Members of Mark's own family work at the shop: his son, Nathan, is a technician, while is wife, Pamela, is the secretary. A nephew is also training to become a technician.
To complement his word-of-mouth success, Wigley has expanded his Web site to include online appointment scheduling and an area for Mark to answer questions regarding automotive maintenance.
"I'm aiming for the 30-something/40-something people sitting behind computers all day — the one's communicating with the person in the next cubicle via e-mail or instant messaging," says Wigley, who includes his e-mail and Web-site address on his business cards and on all forms of advertising. "We have a number of Homeland Security personnel in the area and a lot financial institutions, so that's a large number of people sitting at a desk throughout the day."
In 1987, Wigley became the fourth owner of the then 40-year-old shop after working four years at the location as a technician. New Life Automotive joined the Parts Plus family in 1998, shortly after their servicing parts store, Catonsville Auto Parts, became a Parts Plus location.
"In that time, I can say that Catonsville has become a better auto store, and we've become a better shop," he says. "They always get me the part I need quickly."
As far the future, Wigley is committed to improving his shop — not expanding it.
"We're not located off a main drag, and we like it that way," he explains. "I could move my shop to a main road and attract more customers, but then I'd be attracting more problems. I'd like for us to continue to become more efficient and better serve the customers we currently have."
