You may already know that “Marvelous” Marvin and Laura Wilson have sold Advanced Transmission in Spanish Fort, Alabama. Marvin and Laura have been the proud owners of the company for almost 30 years.
Marvin got an early start in the transmission business, working in his father’s shop, Woody Wilson’s Transmission, from the time he was in eighth grade. Marvin’s father, Woody, owned and operated the shop for over 35 years. A few years before Woody’s passing, Marvin and Laura opened Advanced Transmission in 1994.
Marvin says, “Through the guidance of my father, God, and the best work team you could ask for, we’ve provided the community with superior quality transmission repair while maintaining integrity, honesty, and pride in our work.” Marvin lamented, “Like so many shop owners, Dad died before he retired.” Not wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps, Marvin has decided to retire early enough to enjoy the second phase of his life.
Laura says, “We’re proud of the business we’ve built and the work we accomplished. But we’re also excited to begin new adventures.” Laura isn’t sure exactly what adventures lie ahead for her, but she alluded to the real estate career she gave up to work in the family business. Though, she quickly added, “I don’t regret one day of the 30+ years I’ve dedicated to our business and our wonderful industry.”
Marvin’s immediate future plans seem set. He says, “I’m going to drown as many worms as possible and hunt every chance I get.”
Laura reflected, “We’ve been extremely fortunate and blessed more than we deserve. Retiring early after 45+ years for Marvin and 30+ years for me in the Transmission Industry has been a dream come true!” The couple concurred, “It’s been said we come from a generation that ‘lived to work.’ We prefer to say we ‘loved to work,’ and we also loved the people we worked with and the community we worked for.”
The blessings continue for Marvin and Laura. They’ve announced Jonathan Shadis, their service advisor and longtime employee, and his wife Crystal as the proud new owners of Advanced Transmission. Marvin and Laura agreed, “Passing ownership to these two fine young people is so exciting, and we look for great things from them. We are committed to helping them, and their incredible staff succeed. We’re confident Advanced Transmission is in good hands, providing the same quality work our customers have come to know and depend on.
According to Laura, “Planning the sale of the business began 5 years ago. With the guidance of Maylan Newton (ESI) during the last 3 years, we’ve been able to bring the plan to fruition. Thank you, Maylan.”
All the planning paid off. The sale was completed without a hitch because every step in the process had been planned and executed by the numbers. Jonathan and Crystal were able to obtain an SBA loan that covered the purchase price and provided sufficient operating capital. Additionally, they’ll lease the building from Laura and Marvin, providing them with a nice supplement to their retirement income. It doesn’t get any better than that!
Laura and Marvin want to thank all the members of our industry for the many cherished memories, friendships, and blessings they’ve accumulated through the years. They added, “We’ve genuinely enjoyed our adventures in the Transmission Industry and consider ourselves abundantly blessed. We’ll both remember and miss all y’all.”
