"That's when I knew that it was no longer just a body shop," he explained. "I had more cars than I knew what to do with, so I constructed a building and became an auto recycler."

Coronado Auto Recyclers started with one building and six acres in 1965. It has since grown to 35,000 square feet of buildings and 18 acres, including two towing companies and a body shop. It's a successful operation that has grown up even as the city of Albuquerque, N.M. was growing around it.

Loucks has taken a backseat in the business, which is now run by son Rick, who started there in diapers. Loucks' wife and Rick's mother, Pat, also works there.

Together, the family has faced its share of challenges over the years. One was a fire that completely burned the business to the ground. "At the time, we didn't even own insurance," recalled Loucks. "We had to reconstruct it from scratch."

Going from a paper-based office to a computer-based one was also a challenge. Coronado tackled it at the time when computers were first coming into the workplace.

"Our first computer was a reel to reel machine," remembered Loucks. "It was housed in a clean room. We had to put socks over our shoes in order to enter it, so there wouldn't be any dirt or dust. Now, we carry around our computers like a suitcase."

The computers at Coronado these days do a decent Internet trade. According to Loucks, they ship all over the world. "There's a sale every day on it, some large and some small. We just recently shipped a transmission to Russia."

Even so, the Internet is a small percentage of their business. "We get a good walk-in trade," said Loucks. "About 50 percent of our sales are retail, and the rest are wholesale. And we've got tremendous relationships with our customers because we put customer service above all else. We care. And we provide a warranty that's really exceptional. It's 90 days plus, with a lifetime warranty on all of our electrical."

Over the years, Coronado has built many solid relationships in the community. They provide engines to schools for students to work on, and cars for police and firemen to set on fire for educational demonstrations.

"Our community is important to us," said Loucks. "So is our industry." They're one of the only auto recycling facilities to win ARA's Beautification Award three times. And of course, they're an ARA Gold Seal member.

When asked his secret to success, Loucks didn't hesitate. "I couldn't have done it without the industry associations," he said. Coronado Auto was a member of ARA when it was the National Auto and Truck Wreckers Association. He said he's found invaluable support at the local, state and national levels. "It helps us to stay on top of everything. We get to share ideas with our peers all over the country. It's a good brotherhood."