Since 1999, Highlands Automotive Service has proudly kept vehicles on the Plateau running smoothly.
Today, that tradition of superior service and technical expertise continues under the ownership of European Service Center, owned by Bob Saladna.
Despite the corporate-sounding name, this is a family-owned business, and Bob is committed to serving the community with the same dedication. Highlands Automotive services all makes and models – foreign and domestic.
Bob’s journey in mechanics began in 1981 at the Atlanta Polo Club, where he exercised horses and polo ponies. While this might seem far removed from the automotive world, the club’s farm equipment needed maintenance, and that’s where Bob got his start. Polo players took notice and began asking him to work on their vehicles. Bob fondly remembers his mom taking notice of his interest and buying him his first tool kit from K-Mart. Thus began his lifelong passion.
Through a combination of hard work, an entrepreneurial spirit, and supportive friends, Bob went on to own and operate several small automotive shops.
In 1995, his interest in cycling led him to briefly pivot, launching a bike shop and mail-order business. But the call of automotive repair drew him back, and he soon opened a successful shop in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood.
As Bob’s family grew – he’s the proud father of four sons – he knew he needed to expand. College tuition costs were looming in his future. He opened multiple locations throughout metro Atlanta and later in Texas, identifying resilient markets in the wake of the 2008 real estate downturn.
Today, in addition to Highlands Automotive, Bob owns four shops in Atlanta, three in Dallas, and one in Houston.
Ever the entrepreneur, he recognized a growing need in the automobile service industry for an automated inventory tracking system, so he developed and owns Wicked Files, a software program created for use in his shops but now used by other independent shops and national chains such as Meineke.
Bob owns a home here and met Russell Marling, then owner of Highlands Automotive to discuss the possibility of him implementing Wicked Files.
Later, when a mutual acquaintance mentioned Russell might have an interest in selling his business to pursue his interest in aviation, he connected with Russell again, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Russell and his team built a reputation for outstanding service and customer care. Bob and his team are proud to carry on that legacy.
Pictured | Left to Right: Matthew Simion, Guy Fielding, Jayson Stephens, Shayne Stanya, Zane Sink, Jonathan Hazer, and Robert Saladna
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