Auto repair shop celebrating 44 years of business in eastern Idaho

Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BUZZ

IDAHO FALLS

Owner of auto repair shop looks back on four decades of business

Brett Spaulding, right, bought Sage Creek Repair from his dad, Dale, left, who passed away in 2015. | Courtesy Brett Spaulding

IDAHO FALLS – Brett Spaulding grew up working at the auto repair shop his dad started 44 years ago.

Dale, who owned Sage Creek Repair at 1870 South Yellowstone Highway in Idaho Falls, passed away in 2015. Carrying on what his father started has been Brett’s passion for the last eight years.

Dale’s jacket hangs on a wall behind glass inside the shop’s main entrance along with a photo of Dale’s grease-covered face. It’s a picture that Brett says perfectly encapsulates his father.

“That was one of the last times my dad worked here (before he died),” Brett tells EastIdahoNews.com. “He was under an 18-wheeler changing a clutch. He was 75 … and he outworked all of my technicians that week. He always outworked everybody. That was his nature.”

Brett’s worked to maintain that same work ethic and level of service with his customers. As he reflects on four decades of business, he shares several things he’s learned that he believes have kept customers coming back over and over again.

“Honesty and integrity,” says Brett. “Doing what is right for all parties concerned. Keeping the name in good standing is important. In this industry, there’s plenty of work and it’s important to develop relationships with other shops. He got along with most shops and I still carry that with me today.”

Left: A photo of Dale Spaulding after working on an 18-wheeler. Right: Dale’s jacket on display at Sage Creek Repair. | Courtesy Brett Spaulding

How it got started

Dale launched Sage Creek Repair with his brother-in-law, Linden Butikofer, in 1979. It originally opened inside the Sage Lakes Golf Course maintenance building off East River Road. The business got its name from an old school that operated in that area for many years. It was designed for mentally challenged students, Brett says.

It later moved to the building directly across from its current location on Yellowstone Highway.

Brett says it was a natural fit for his dad to open an auto repair shop. Dale grew up on a farm in Thornton and “he was the guy who always fixed everything.”

“He was the guy who would take things apart and put them back together and take them apart again to try to figure out (how it worked),” Brett says. “When he got older, he eventually went into the Navy and that’s where he got his formal training.”

Dale worked for a construction battalion unit at Kodiac Island in San Diego for four years. After returning home, he worked at Broadway Ford and International Harvester for a time before working as a vehicle repairman for a local dairy.

“He created a name for himself all over the valley by having to fix things out of the shop, going to different part stores, going to different dealers and people meeting him over the years,” says Brett. “There are so many people today that knew him and have nothing but good things to say about him.”

The dairy eventually went out of business, but the owner gave all his tools to Dale. That’s when he approached Butikofer about opening the auto repair shop.

Dale Spaulding, left, and Linden Butikofer were the original partners in the business. | Courtesy Brett Spaulding

Brett says it’s been a general repair shop from the beginning.

“He did tractors and farm equipment. One of his first contracts was the old Mountain Bell phone company,” Brett recalls.

Dale had an account with Pepsi for many years as well.

Brett, who is now 58, got involved when he was a kid. He remembers riding his bike from the west side of town to his dad’s shop to help out where he could.

“Wrenching wasn’t my cup of tea like it was his,” Brett explains. “I was much more into sports and athletics and I didn’t have the patience to figure things out like he did.”

Brett and his wife, April, lived in Utah for several years while he attended college. They moved back in 2000 when he got a job as a service advisor in his dad’s shop. The business moved to its current location that same year.

Dale was 78 when he died of prostate cancer in 2015. Brett took over as owner a short time later.

The original shop on East River Road in Idaho Falls. | Courtesy Brett Spaulding

Carrying on Dale’s legacy

Sage Creek Repair is still a family-owned business. Brett and his wife are partners in the company, along with his son, Dale Jr. and daughter, Nicole Joseph.

Though there have been technological advances in the way they work and the types of vehicles they work on over the years, Brett says the values his dad instilled in him are still relevant.

“You’re not a grease monkey now,” says Brett. “There are guys like that who we need … but you have to be pretty smart with electronics and computers. It’s really hard to find good help today, no matter what industry you’re in.”

The thing that’s most fulfilling to Brett is taking care of his employees and providing a place where they enjoy coming to work everyday.

Brett would like to see one of his kids take over the business one day. But for now, he’s grateful to support the community and carry on the name and reputation his father built.

Brett Spaulding, right, and his team at Sage Creek Repair. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

A look inside the new Amazon delivery station in Idaho Falls, and how packages arrive at your door

Treasure chest with $5,000 and other prizes is hidden somewhere in eastern Idaho

Don Aslett reflects on a long and storied career as Pocatello’s ‘professional cleaner’

Pet products return to shelves at local CBD business