Our People
Thomas | Owner / Operator
Thomas is the owner and operator of Relay Hill Auto, a growing automotive repair group with seven locations across the Denver metro area. At the center of that growth is a simple mission: Building community inside our shops and in our neighborhoods.
For Thomas, that mission starts with people. Inside the shop, it means building a team culture based on trust, training, accountability, and pride in the work being done every day. Around the neighborhood, it means creating a repair experience where customers feel respected, informed, and confident that their vehicle is in the right hands.
Hotchkiss Auto Repair represents the standard Thomas believes every shop should strive for: strong leadership, skilled technicians, honest communication, and a customer-first approach to automotive repair. As one of the top-performing shops in the Relay Hill Auto group, Hotchkiss continues to be recognized as one of the leading repair facilities in the Denver area and has been awarded the Best of Mile High Twice in the last three years and runner up three times in the last 5.
Thomas believes great auto repair is about more than fixing cars. It is about taking care of people, supporting a strong team, and earning long-term trust with every customer who walks through the door.
Outside of the shop, Thomas enjoys skiing, traveling, reading, and spending time with his family and friends.
Technician Team
Hotchkiss Auto Repair is built around the strength of our technician team. With decades of combined automotive repair experience, ASE certifications, and ongoing advanced training, our technicians bring skill, pride, and professionalism to every vehicle that comes through the shop. Our team is also known for taking on the difficult diagnostics that other shops may not be able to solve. When a vehicle has a complex issue, our technicians do not give up easily. They take the time to test, verify, communicate, and keep working toward the right answer because we understand how important each vehicle is to the customer who depends on it.
Hotchkiss Auto Repair is proud to be a AAA Approved Auto Repair facility, a designation that reflects high standards for technician capability, shop operations, customer service, and overall repair quality. That standard matters to us because it lines up with how we believe a repair shop should operate every day. A major part of that standard comes from our shop foreman, Brad, who has been with Hotchkiss for more than 10 years. Brad plays an important role in technician support, training, communication, and quality control. His commitment to the shop, the team, and our customers helps ensure that repairs are handled with care and that our work continues to meet the high standards Hotchkiss is known for.
As part of the Relay Hill Auto family, Hotchkiss is committed to building a shop culture where technicians are supported, trained, and encouraged to keep growing. That investment in our people directly impacts the customer experience. Better training means better inspections, better diagnostics, better repairs, and better communication. We want to create the industry standard for auto repair in the Denver area. Thomas holds all our shops to those high quality standards consistently.
Our technicians are the soul of the shop. They take pride in solving problems, keeping families safe on the road, and helping customers make confident decisions about their vehicles.
Front Office Team
The front office team at Hotchkiss Auto Repair is where the customer experience begins. These are the smiling faces and trusted voices that greet our customers, answer questions, explain recommendations, and help guide each visit from start to finish.
Our advisors bring a strong background in automotive repair, dealership experience, classic cars and body, customer care, and day-to-day shop operations. Hotchkiss has over 50 years of joint experience on the front desk. That experience helps them connect what is happening in the shop with what customers need to understand at the counter.
At Hotchkiss, we believe honest communication and customer education should come before anything else. Our front office team does not believe in “selling” work. We believe in advising customers, explaining priorities, and helping people make confident decisions about their vehicles.
As part of our mission to build community inside our shop and in our neighborhood, our front office team works hard to make every customer feel welcomed, respected, and cared for like family and neighbors.
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Athena | Shop Security and Resident Cuddler
Athena will always be part of the Hotchkiss Auto Repair family.
For years, Athena served as our shop mascot, protector, greeter, and resident cuddler. She grew up around the shop and loved nothing more than rolling out with her dad. From the time she was a puppy, being by his side was her job, and she took that job seriously.
Athena brought joy, comfort, and personality to everyone around her. She had a way of making the shop feel more like home, leaving shoelaces on pant legs, greeting the crew, keeping watch, and making sure everyone knew she was part of the team.
After a battle with cancer and the loss of her leg, Athena never lost her spirit. She continued to move through the shop with the same love, toughness, and heart that made everyone love her.
Athena was a protector and a lover. She is deeply missed by the crews who worked alongside her, but she will always remain part of our team, our story, and our history.
