No college, no worries.

“I never set foot on a college campus, really, until my daughter went to college.” Mark Presbrey

Mark always liked taking things apart to see how they worked, even toys as a child. It was a long journey, marked by hard work and learning, but now he’s in business as an auto electronics expert. And he’s lovin’ it.

Mark came a long way from his very first job. It was around 1979 when, at fourteen, he worked for a nuts and bolts company run by a father and son. Marc’s job was to count out 100 bolts and place them on a balance scale. He’d then place scoops of bolts on the other side to measure one hundred. He’d box and label them for distribution. Mark said, “It was incredibly boring.”

One day, he saw a tractor-trailer arrive that had skids of bolt kegs banded together. A forklift took the skids of bolts from the truck, unbanded them, and peeled the labels off. They then put new labels on the kegs and loaded them onto the company truck for distribution. Mark recalls the bolts were for a bridge-building contract.

Mark said, “The father and son looked at each other and high-fived. And I said to myself, They just made a good deal.'” He said, “They just took the labels off and put their own on. They middlemaned it, but that’s business, right?”

Yes, it was as a young teen that Marc first learned the nuts and bolts of business.

But he saw that there are many ways to run a business. Focus on maximizing profits with minimal effort, or deliver a service or product with pride and a sense of fulfillment. Focus on the latter, and financial success will follow.

Mark’s auto electronics involve alarms, remote starts, stereos, sensors, dash cams, and anything electric in a car; he’s your man.

When Cheryl and I decided to get a dash cam for our cars, we first searched for an installer.

Cheryl found Auto Sound and Security in Freeport, which had great reviews. I called and spoke with Mark Presbrey, an amiable guy willing to chat about dash cams more than I expected.

He took his time discussing the pros and cons, noting that his family owns four cars, none of which have dash cams.

Here was a guy practically telling me he doesn’t need me to be a customer. Someone else might have said, “Sure, you need them in today’s litigious society. Come on down.” Mark didn’t, and I was impressed. 

But we still wanted one. We thought of them as added insurance. I had an accident a few years back where a dash cam could have been helpful.

So we bought two and went to see Mark at his business:

Mark realized early that he loved working with his hands. Some people learn their true nature much later in life and act on it, or sadly, they don’t. That’s bad for them and the rest of us.

Mark wanted to get into aircraft mechanics, so while still in Valley Stream High School, he also took BOCES classes in aviation mechanics. The curriculum, however, proved challenging, and instructors warned him that the industry was changing, with many jobs shifting overseas.

Mark felt he needed to switch gears.

He still wanted to work with his hands, so he joined his school’s auto mechanic program. Mark said many students were there because they didn’t want to do academic work. But Mark said, “For me, and just a handful of guys in the class, we took it more seriously. We wanted to do it.” 

When the auto mechanics Regents exam was coming up, his teacher told the class how daunting it was, but Mark and a few others passed with flying colors.

Mark worked at various shops, learning more as he went, becoming more proficient with each car.

But Mark didn’t like the greasy part of auto mechanics, like tranny oil in his hair.

One day, while working at a VW shop, he saw a friend make a delivery to a car stereo shop across the street. After a chat with his friend, Mark was off on his new career in auto electronics. He worked in installation and sales. But he really liked working with his hands.

So he and a friend opened a car stereo shop. He said, “We focused on the car and the customer, not the sales so much. In those days, it was car stereos and alarms. Telephones were on the higher end and required installation. They also did electrical work on motorcycles and installed radios in boats.

Lovely Loretta dropped off her car while I was there. Her dad, a customer, recommended Mark. There is no need for Mark to advertise. His skill and reputation are his ads.

Mark said, “The week before I opened my own business, a lady came in for a stereo installation. I got her number.” Mark and Debbie have been married for 33 years. Debbie now works from home, creating point-of-purchase displays for a manufacturer. It’s a big business; she travels to Toronto often.

Mark has been doing this work for forty-one years, and he’s happy with his success.

Mark said, “Things keep changing, though. Oh yeah, you keep learning.”

He said, “They say it’s tough for an old dog to learn new tricks. That’s why people get out of this business because they just throw up their hands and say, ‘I can’t learn this now.'”

On another visit to Mark’s shop, I saw this mint ’64 Thunderbird convertible he was working on:

Mark does come upon challenges, “rabbit holes,” he calls them. But he learns more with each one. Companies that make the remote parts offer training, and if you have a problem, you call them. He said, “I take personal responsibility for what I do. I tell everybody, especially with these remote starts on new cars. ‘If you have any problems, call me.’ I want to know about it first.” 

Mark bought the house he lives in fifteen years ago. Right next door was a VW specialist shop. Mark said, “The owner and I were friends for years, and thirteen years ago, he was selling the property.”

Mark said, “My son, William, who was fourteen, said, ‘Dad, wouldn’t it be cool if you bought Gene’s property and had your business there?'”

A teen with vision.

Mark and his friend Todd Clark teamed up and bought the property. They are still partners.

Mark has so much to be happy about:

He’s been able to build a successful career with his hands..

His home, dock, and boat, abut his business. He “commutes” daily from 78 Hampton Pl to 74 Hampton Pl; the trip is about fifteen seconds—unless he stops by his boat.

Mark wanted his children to find their own success and happiness, as he did. He said, “I tried to give my kids as many experiences as possible when they were young, just to see what they would gravitate towards.”

William, now twenty-six, does large-format printing for sports at Met Life Stadium and other venues. And he loves sports.

Mark’s daughter, Samantha, earned a doctorate in audiology and works at a Bronx hospital testing babies.

He has a fantastic family, and he spends as much time as he can with them.

Mark’s innate business acumen was reflected in his succinct words to me earlier, “We focused on the car and the customer, not the sales so much.” This philosophy worked for him, and he now harvests the fruits of his honest, diligent work.

Before I left, Mark shared with me one more early memory.

One day, while installing a transmission in his own VW, he went to a VW shop to borrow a tool he needed.

When he returned it the next day, the boss was amazed. Mark said, “The boss said, ‘You did that in one day?’ and when I said yes, he asked, ‘Do you want a job?’ Mark was hired right there and then.

As he recollected the moment, Mark grinned like the grill on a ’58 Buick.

God bless America

Be well,

Leebythesea

See also: The gift

And my alternate blog: Where the sun don’t shine.