Felix Rosado owns an auto repair shop located at 428 Weirfield St. in Bushwick, Brooklyn. For him, business is not about the big bucks.
“Honesty is everything,” said Rosado.
But not all mechanics follow that motto.
In a nationwide poll conducted by Gallup, 22 occupations were rated “high,” “average” and “low” on whether the businesses were honest and ethical. Only 32 percent of Americans judged mechanics as “high or very high.” Just over half – 53 percent – said mechanics were truthful. And 14 percent ranked mechanics’ standards as “low or very low.”
But Rosado said he’s hitting the brakes on the stereotype.
“A lot of people are in this for the money, for the quick dollar. We’re in it for the long haul,” said Rosado.
Customers like Phillip Rodriguez appreciate the honesty.
“You need someone you can trust, and that’s the biggest problem in the world,” said Rodriguez.
Rosado remembered how a competitor tried to take advantage of an out-of-town customer. “They were trying to charge her $600. I told her she didn’t need all those repairs. All she needed was an oil change and an air filter. (It cost) $60.”
Father Frank Mann is a Brooklyn priest at Saint Martin de Tours Church, which is located down the block from Felix’s garage. He said honesty and ethics is not only important in the workplace — but it’s essential in life.
“Everybody has to make a living. Pay the bills. That’s not an issue. This issue is, ‘how do I make the money? What am I doing? What’s my motive?”
Rosado is a parishioner at the Bushwick church and keeps his Catholic faith in mind while in his shop.
“I feed my family doing this. I pay my bills. I don’t want to hurt anybody,” Rosado said.
“It makes me feel a little better knowing that if he is doing anything wrong, he has to answer to a higher authority,” said Rodriguez as he laughed and pointed to heaven.
With honesty being the nuts and bolts of his policy, Rosado continues to hold his ethical standards high.