After passing a sign with their name on it, Lonsdale Auto Works customers enter a waiting room with rustic, handmade decorations and a wall of awards. As they approach the handmade wood-panel counter, they pass an award for one of the top 100 leaders in the transportation and automotive industry: Scott Pelava.
Pelava, the founder and owner of Lonsdale Auto Works, has sat on the City Council for over a decade, on the Economic Development Authority, on the Lonsdale Chamber of Commerce board and on the Planning Commission. He’s a den leader for local Cub Scouts, adopted a highway on the west end of Lonsdale and frequently sponsors local events and charities.
“There is a lot of stuff that is never mentioned or noticed, and I’m OK with that,” he said. “I do stuff, because it needs to be done, not for the recognition.”
His latest achievement is being named grand marshal of the 2024 Lonsdale Community Days, which runs Aug. 9 and 10.
“Well, I was honored, but at the same time, felt there are so many others that were deserving of it,” he said. “There are so many great people that do so much for the community.”
He received the top-100 award during the International Transportation and Automotive Summit in Las Vegas for his work training future and current auto workers, encouraging industry change and setting an example for what the future of auto repair could look like.
He started the Auto Shop Owners Group, a Facebook group for entrepreneurs in the auto industry with several thousand members. Through the group, he offers scholarships and training for shop owners around the country.
“We don’t just fix cars here,” he said of his own shop. “We make sure cars are safe, reliable and efficient.”
While describing various decor and amenities of his shop’s waiting room, he explained that he wants to transform the auto-repair industry from the old, greasy, cluttered stereotype that has defined it for so long.
He noted the clean floor, air-conditioned garage and the standards he holds for himself, his employees and even his customers. He tries to avoid doing work for car owners who neglect their vehicles to the point that “every light is on” on the dashboard.
With his many podcast appearances, he isn’t dependent on trade secrets. The pride Pelava takes in providing top-tier work is what he said keeps his customers coming back to the shop, even if it means his prices are a little higher than other shops in town.
Coming to Lonsdale
Pelava and his family moved from Farmington to Lonsdale just a few years prior, in 2003.
“I had been pretty handy as a teen, building trucks for off-roading, working in a shop, changing tires and oil and driving tow trucks,” he said. “After high school, I worked as a home remodeler and a new-home framer. When I was severely injured in a construction accident and was told I couldn’t return to that trade, I fell back on what I knew.”
He went on to become a master technician at Minneapolis Technical College, a pathway he hopes to guide Lonsdale youth into as well. He founded Lonsdale Auto Works in 2005.
“With over 20 years in town and our kids growing up here, it’s our home,” he said. “And I don’t think we will ever look at it differently.”
In the mid-to-late aughts, a vacant seat on the Lonsdale City Council opened up. He “never aspired to be involved in government,” but was encouraged by several community members to give it a shot.
Civic service
He wasn’t selected for the seat. But when he ran in 2009, he won.
“Most people don’t truly understand how much goes into running a community and the processes that must be followed,” he said. “With every year, I have learned so much that has allowed me to use that knowledge to better the community. In this position, experience is a huge asset, and it makes me more effective in the role. The first thing I remember working through was navigating the city through the recession.”
Helping establish the water-treatment facility, the shovel-ready business park, the new police facility and navigating the COVID economy are all among his biggest achievements working for the city.
“Obviously working to prioritize needs, keeping our infrastructure updated and viable, and maintaining a community that people want to live and play in, all the while keeping the tax rate as low as possible is one of my favorite accomplishments,” he said. “Honestly, none of this is one person’s doing. It’s been a great team effort with city staff, the advisory boards and the city council.”
Lonsdale Chamber of Commerce President Shanna Gutzke-Kupp had high praises for Pelava when she announced that he’d been selected to be grand marshal of this year’s Community Day.
“Scott is a city-council member for over 12 years that quickly answers Facebook questions in a manner that is not only non-confrontational but positive for the city,” she said. “… Lonsdale Auto Works has been a member of the Lonsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and always willing to sponsor business and community events. Because of these and many other activities you have been involved with to help steer this community to where we stand today, we thank you.”
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