Carz R Us cuts the ribbon on its second location in Machesney Park
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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MACHESNEY PARK — A locally owned automotive repair company celebrated the ribbon-cutting of its second location on Tuesday with the Parks Chamber of Commerce.
Carz R Us, which has been in business since 2009 in the village, has opened its new five-bay repair shop at 7800 N. Second St. It’s a red and blue building just south of Harlem Road. The company’s other location is at 10208 Smythe Ave., just south of Ralston Road.
“It allows us to hopefully grow into a new market, because we don’t really market to south of Harlem Road currently,” said Matt Aukes, the owner of Carz R Us.
Aukes, who spent six years as a high school band teacher in the south Chicago suburbs, returned to the region to do business in the area where he grew up. He’s a Rockford native who moved into the Machesney Park area at a young age and graduated from Harlem High School in 1996.
He said during the ceremony that he’s passionate about supporting local restaurants and other businesses, and he hopes others will do the same with Carz R Us.
“I really think supporting local is huge for the growth of the community, supporting the schools, the bowling team, the music program,” said Aukes, who now lives in Marengo. “We try to give back to the schools a lot.”
Carz R Us offers an array of vehicle repair and maintenance services for individuals and fleet vehicles. The second location opened Nov. 10 before holding the official ribbon-cutting on Tuesday.
“Truly a great service company,” Julie Altenbernd, chairwoman of the Parks Chamber board, said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “I’m so glad that you are investing locally in our community and creating great service options for our residents.”
Aukes said his company takes pride in its customer service.
“We’ve got a staff that I think really cares about our customers. We don’t just hire anybody. We hire people that really want to take care of our customers,” he said. “You shouldn’t have to know cars to know that you’re getting treated fairly.”
Carz R Us | info
Where:
- 7800 N. Second St., Machesney Park
- 10208 Smythe Ave., Machesney Park
Online: carzrus.net
Phone: 815-877-4277
Facebook: @carzrusauto
Instagram: @_carzrus_
TikTok: @carzrusteam
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
