Great Bear Auto Celebrates 93 Years, Five Generations in Business
Great Bear Auto Repair & Auto Body Shop in Flushing, Queens, is celebrating 93 years in business with a community car show Sept. 19.
Founded in 1933 by Audra Fordin’s great-grandfather, the family-owned shop has remained at the same location through five generations. Fordin represents the fourth generation, while her son, Andrew, now works in the business as part of the fifth.
The shop has remained relatively small throughout its history. Today, Fordin’s team includes four technicians and two service writers, a structure she said reflects the way the business has operated for much of its 93 years.
Adapting to a Changing Industry
While the size of the operation has remained consistent, virtually everything about automotive service has changed.
“In the late ’80s, when the check engine light came on, there were no computers. We didn’t know what to do with it,” Fordin says. “There was no Google.”
Today, Great Bear works on all vehicles including hybrid and electric vehicles, requiring ongoing investment in tools, equipment, software, and training. Fordin says the shop has a dedicated education budget and requires her team to stay current.
For Fordin, however, the biggest challenge of sustaining the business over nine decades has not been technology. It has been finding and retaining the right people.
“Having the right people, having the right team, having people who are skilled is hard,” she notes.
Fordin adds her newest employee has been with the shop for five years, a milestone she views as a sign of the importance of building a strong, stable team.
The business has also weathered wars, recessions, market crashes, and the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, Fordin chose to keep her team employed even when business was slow.
“I showed them how loyal I am to them, and I think that it bought me unintentionally loyalty,” she says.
For the Love of People
Through all the changes, Fordin explains one thing has remained constant: the people Great Bear serves.
“The cars have changed, the technology has changed, and Queens has changed. But taking care of our customers and being part of this community has never changed,” she points out.
That community will be at the center of Great Bear’s 93rd anniversary celebration, which will feature a Cars Through the Decades car show, food, raffles, prizes, a historical presentation, and recognition of employees and community partners. The free event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 164-16 Sanford Ave. in Flushing.
The celebration will also recognize several other New York businesses that trace their origins to 1933, including White Castle, Patsy’s Pizzeria, Skaggs-Walsh, and O’Neill’s. White Castle representatives are expected to attend the event.
The anniversary also marks the continuation of a family business that has remained rooted in the same community for nearly a century.
“The building looks the same,” Fordin says. “I can’t imagine that they would have imagined that we would still be here 93 years later, doing the same thing that they started.”