“THE ONLY WAY TO DO GREAT WORK IS TO LOVE WHAT YOU DO.” (Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, Inc.)

Larry Evans, auto body technician for Fairway Collision in Vadnais Heights, is one of the lucky ones. For 33 years, he’s been working a job that’s also his passion. When he isn’t working on cars, he’s at the car shows admiring them: “It’s always interested me how the car has evolved over the years. How ‘old technology,’ as simple as it may have been in the past, worked very well and fulfilled the needs back in the day.  Nowadays, cars have multiple computers, different types of metals and/or plastics, and safety features from airbags, parking sensors, cameras, structural design, etc. There are even self-driving cars!! It’s pretty remarkable in just 100 years how far the automobile has evolved.”

His passion began when he was young: “My Dad was the only one who worked on our cars, and I learned by helping him.” After graduating from White Bear Lake High School, he immediately entered the 18-month program at Northeast Metro 916 Career and Technical Center: “My friends thought I was nuts for not taking the summer off, but the counselors offered me the chance to jump ahead of the two-year waiting list. Opportunity knocked, and I answered.”

Opportunity knocked a second time for Evans, when Mike Lund – founder of Fairway Collision and Automotive – stopped in at the 916 vo-tech school and asked an instructor who his best students were … He then offered a job to Evans. Lund says, “The instructor said Larry was one of his top students, and he certainly turned out to be a top-notch body man. Larry learned quickly and has constantly strived to better his quality. He’s been a big factor in the success of Fairway Collision.”

When asked what advice he would give a young person thinking about a career in the automotive industry, Evans says, “Someone looking to get into this industry needs to have drive, motivation and be quality-orientated. Get into a shop that ‘s also quality-oriented and wants you to continue your education in this ever-changing industry. At Fairway, all the technicians are ICar certified. ICar has classes on every aspect of car repairs, from hybrids to welding aluminum, structural repair, non-structural repair, etc. I was lucky enough to get into a family-owned shop that treats its employees like family. That’s why Fairway has so many long-term employees.”