Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristie and JulieAnna Howes.
Hi Kristie and JulieAnna, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Southwest Auto’s story begins long before it had a storefront or even a business idea — our dad, Jon, has always had a passion for cars and always been a gearhead at heart. As a kid, he tinkered with anything that had a motor. As a teen, he spent his free time working on his Volvo 242. His parents’ garage was the hang out space where he would also work on his friend’s cars. Our mom was there too, watching him tinker from a stool. He knew cars and was always mechanically inclined — how they worked, what made them safe, and what made them reliable. As an adult, he worked for MOSTEK, but bought and sold cars here and there to help supplement their income. Finally, after leaving his last job working for someone else, our mom encouraged him to take a leap of faith in the auto industry. It was what he loved and what he was good at. In 1988, Southwest Auto was born out of our parents’ home. Inventory was rotated in a grocery store parking lot and business was done at the dining room table. Our mom even went into labor with JulieAnna while a couple was at our house purchasing a vehicle. It was humble beginnings and we don’t think they knew what it would become, but word spread fast. They opened a sales location in 1991 and continued to grow. Their customers trusted them for vehicle purchases, but were having a hard time finding a trustworthy service shop. Many would come in fed up, put the keys on the desk, and ask our parents to help them. Our mom always says Kristie grew up in the backseat of a car because our parents would spend afterhours shuttling customer cars to and from repair shops. She always describes the moment Kristie said “Look at that Jeep, Mommy!” She looked around and eventually found a Jeep Grand Cherokee on the back of a tow truck that was completely smashed, one would think beyond recognition. This was a turning point. Coupled with their customers’ horror stories about shops around DFW, they finally said “That’s it. We’ll take care of it ourselves.”
So in 1994, our parents opened their first service shop and began servicing the vehicles they sold. They were determined to give customers a reliable place to bring their cars. That decision was the beginning of Southwest Auto as we know it today — a family-run auto repair shop built on trust, transparency, and quality work. Our family has grown right alongside the business; Kristie born in 1985, and JulieAnna in 1990. We were raised in and around the shop, and all things business were normal dinner table conversation, even business decisions. Our parents always encouraged us to share our opinions and treated us like part of the team, which shaped how we think and work today. They’ve always said Southwest Auto was ours too. As we grew up, we both found our place in the business. Kristie graduated from Texas A&M University with a business degree and found her niche in accounting. She now manages all of Southwest Auto’s finances. JulieAnna discovered her niche in operations and works closely with our front office staff and technicians to ensure the business runs in a way that honors our parents’ values. Now, 37 years later, our parents are preparing for retirement and officially transitioning ownership to us. They’ve stepped back from daily operations over the past few years and this transition feels like the next step in continuing their legacy. We feel incredibly lucky to have learned from the best — from two of the most knowledgeable, hardworking, and kind-hearted people we know. Our goal is to carry forward everything they built and continue serving Dallas drivers with the same honesty and care that have defined Southwest Auto since day one.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. Some days are incredibly hard. When your name is behind the company, every repair, every handshake, and every customer interaction feels like it reflects you and your family. It’s nearly impossible to not take that to heart. Our customers aren’t just transactions — they’re part of our extended family. Whether it’s a longtime customer or someone visiting for the first time, we want them to feel valued and safe from the second they walk in the door. On the rare occasion when something doesn’t go to plan, it can eat away at you for days. Having employees rely on you for their livelihood is big to carry too. Some of our guys have worked for us for 15+ years. We see it as our responsibility to ensure they get a paycheck every month to feed their families. When the auto industry enters a slow period, it’s scary. Then on top of that, you are juggling trying to be a mom and a wife… We just have to take it one day at a time and remind ourselves why we do this. We do this because we want people to have a safe place to go for car repair. This industry doesn’t have the best reputation and we want to challenge that perception. We live in an area that almost requires you to have a vehicle and they have gotten so complex that the average DIY-mechanic can’t do it all themselves. We don’t want a check engine light to send our customers into a panic, we want them to know who to call and feel confident and comfortable in that decision.
As you know, we’re big fans of Southwest Auto. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are Dallas’ dealership alternative for European vehicle repair and maintenance. We specialize in all European vehicles, with an emphasis on Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, and Sprinter. We strive to be known for being trustworthy, transparent, and doing budget friendly work that doesn’t sacrifice quality. We are most proud of the trustworthy and transparent bit. We have customers that are the second generation of their family coming through our shop and you just don’t build that kind of loyalty without it. We believe that striving day in and day out to take care of our customers like family instead of an account sets us apart from other shops in the area. We know our customers by name. We know their kids’ names, their dog’s name, the name of the car. We celebrate in their successes and mourn in their losses. We want them to feel like family from the second they walk in the door.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Empathy. We like to put ourselves in the customer’s shoes. Vehicles are used to get to and from work, school events, family gatherings, social functions, etc. and it is imperative to keep every passenger safe during transit. We know vehicle repair is expensive, especially on European vehicles, and it’s never something anyone is excited to spend money on. We feel a responsibility to guide our customers through vehicle repair that makes sense for them. Safety is the number one goal, but longevity is also important for many customers. We perform a detailed inspection at every visit and keep up with manufacturer recommended maintenance. Armed with that knowledge, we can prioritize repairs that make sense from a safety, urgency, and budget standpoint. It’s that level of understanding that has built our loyal customer base for almost four decades.
Pricing:
- Diagnosis – $149
- 4 Wheel Alignment – $149
- Brake Fluid Flush – $175
- Tire Rotation and Balance – $80
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.southwestauto.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southwestautodallas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southwestauto
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/so-west-inc.-d.b.a.-southwest-auto/?viewAsMember=true
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtwe6eZ5Rj9ytCadf85DFRQ
- Other: https://share.google/qXnrZq01HeRqU0CoG
