Crystal and LeMoine Robinson go for one business after another
By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – At the age of 37, Crystal Robinson has already had more business experience than most people accumulate by the time they retire.
Starting from the years growing up with her entrepreneur dad, she earned a challenging chemistry degree from Jackson State University, spent seven years as a physical scientist at NAVO, located at Stennis Space Center, teamed with her husband to run an Amazon delivery fleet, and now has opened a Meineke Car Care Center in Slidell. Through it all, she has spent her life with a hunger to learn about business and personal development, spending more time watching instructional podcasts than turning on the TV.
She and her husband LeMoine met in high school at a powerlifting meet, where they were both athletes, adding yet another phase to her life that involved a higher level of competition where she played basketball and was a powerlifter, the first female in that sport in the state of Mississippi in 2003.
A few years later they got married and then LeMoine was approved to take on a State Farm Insurance agency in 2015, where she also worked in the office. Then, the pair was staring at an incredible business opportunity in 2018 that involved Amazon subbing out all their deliveries to independent companies.
After managing and finding success during the early years of the Amazon program, something they had to literally learn as they went through it, the couple has now opened a Meineke Car Care business in Slidell, making it just the next step in a business adventure that seems endless for the two.
“I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up,” said Crystal with a laugh. “I just know that I have always had this desire to feed my brain with more education, and I love new challenges and opportunities in the business world, as well as being a witness for God.”
The Meineke business was a decision from Crystal and Lemoine after they began considering different auto/car franchise models, initially because part of their Amazon contract meant they had to handle maintenance and service on what has now become a 45-truck fleet of delivery vehicles.
When she began looking at franchise models for car and truck repair companies, the Meineke structure grabbed her attention for one main reason.
“They have a 49-point inspection for cars or trucks that they offer for free, and it is linked to sending text messages with pictures, videos and explanations of everything we do,” she said. “That really drew me since the number one thing I learned from my dad was to have integrity in all I do. The Meineke model seemed exactly that way by offering transparency to the customer—you actually see pictures of everything, and you decide what you want to have done, or not have done.”
The business, located at 722 I-10 Service Road in Slidell, has a simple philosophy, said Crystal.
“We don’t do anything that shouldn’t be done,” she said. “We don’t want anyone to ever say we were not honest and transparent in all we do, and that’s the thing I really liked about Meineke. My vision is to make this the car and truck repair shop with the most integrity of any place in the area.”
The heart and soul of the Meineke operation is to offer transparency through the 49-point checkup for any vehicle for free. The customer is then sent a text or e-mail with photos and video, allowing them to decide what they want to have done.
“We are big on photos,” added Crystal. “That really proves the inspection was done and is the bread and butter of this franchise. The customer makes all final decisions on what they want.”
The Meineke Car Care Center proved to be a key for Crystal and LeMoine making the Amazon delivery business work. While many people probably are surprised to hear that Amazon actually hires out private companies to handle their deliveries, Crystal said they began on the front end of that program when Amazon was getting it started.
“Truthfully? It was utter chaos when we first started,” she said. “The program was very new and we were all learning as we went. Now almost five years later, the program is thriving and continuing to grow.”
“To this day, Amazon still does not deliver their own packages and a lot of people don’t realize that” she added.
But that’s where Crystal and LeMoine figured things out themselves after having issues with the repair companies they used in New Orleans to do maintenance and repairs on their vehicles.
“We had a lot of issues and began to think we should do it ourselves, so that’s what led to us opening the Meineke franchise,” she said. “And now, we are really happy we did since Meineke has such a great model for car and truck repairs that it fits us perfectly.”
That commitment to integrity is something Crystal still brings with her in all aspects of her life after her father was a deputy sheriff and involved her in his own screen printing and ceramics businesses growing up. It’s now full circle, almost 20 years later, and her dad does all the signs, shirts and any other design work needed for all of their businesses.
While it may sound like Crystal is focusing all her attentions on the business world, as well as their two daughters after they moved to Slidell in 2007, her faith is equally as important. She is an ordained minister at Living the Word International in Slidell, and said that the older she gets, the more she puts an emphasis on her walk with God.
“My grandfather was a Baptist preacher, so I’ve always had a relationship with God, then some of our business situations really drew me back closer to God. Now I am making it more of a focus to be a witness in all I do and serve Him in whatever ways I can in the marketplace,” she said.
You can make an appointment at Meineke for the free checkup by calling 985-718-0810 or get more information online at: Meineke.com