Featured Business: Ward’s Garage

Steve and Becky Ward are the proud owners of Ward’s Garage, an automotive repair shop in Portland.

Ward’s Garage was started by Steve’s grandparents, Zene and Agnes Ward, in 1929, and it was passed to their son, Bud. Bud passed the business to his son, Steve, and to Steve’s wife, Becky. The business is celebrating its 90th year of operation in 2019.

“We will be having a celebration this year to mark our 90th anniversary.” Said Becky. “We will be decorating the shop in a special way in honor of the occasion. We are also thinking of offering special instruction to interested women, to explain to them the workings of an automobile and to inform them of the basics of automotive maintenance.” She said.

Becky grew up in Eaton Rapids, while Steve grew up in Portland. They have two daughters, Kelly and Robin, who attend Portland schools.

“My girls are interested in car repair and they are not afraid to get their hands dirty while doing repair.” Said Becky. “They change tires and they fix flats. Kelly also runs the cash register and she answers the phone.” Honesty and hard work are at the bedrock of the Wards’ success.

“Our company is built on honesty,” explained Becky, “and we look out for our customers. We don’t sell unnecessary parts to them and we offer to them the most economical option that will fix their car.”

Ward’s Garage is also known for its competence.

“We have very talented mechanics working for us,” said Becky, “and we stand by their work. We warranty our repairs. If we put a part on a car and if that part happens to fail, then we replace the part at no charge to the customer as long as the part failure is within the warranty period of the manufacturer. There would be no charge for the part nor for the labor.” She said.

Join Ward’s Garage in celebrating its 90th year of operation. Special activities are planned for September 2019, to coincide with Portland’s own celebration of its sesquicentennial.

This piece was originally published in the February 2019 “On the Street” newsletter from Downtown Portland.