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Family Hearing Center earns top honors in Times Leader Readers’ Contest three years in a row

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At Voitek TV and Appliance in Kingston and Exeter, family means business

<p>Pastor Bob Kopp was visiting his family in Forty Fort for just a few days this winter when he had problems with his new car.</p><p>On the advice of his parents, the Illinois resident and King&#8217;s College grad didn&#8217;t end up at a national chain to get fixed up. Instead, he took the car to Forty Fort Lube &amp; Service on Wyoming Avenue.</p><p>&#8220;Not only were the owner and employees extraordinarily competent, they were compassionate to my dilemma, and I headed back to the Windy City with renewed appreciation for home,&#8221; Kopp wrote in a letter to the Times Leader in January. &#8220;It&#8217;s also worth emphasizing Forty Fort Lube &amp; Service, unlike my experience with national brand dealerships echoed by too many others, could have soaked my mechanical ignorance for unnecessary services and an exorbitant bill.</p><p>&#8220;So here&#8217;s a big thank you to Forty Fort Lube &amp; Service that has reminded me that there&#8217;s no place like home.&#8221;</p><p>Plenty of others in the Wyoming Valley agree with Kopp. The business was voted &#8220;Best Auto Repair&#8221; in the 2016 Times Leader Readers&#8217; Choice Awards.</p><p>Kopp&#8217;s experience made an impression on owner Joe Kristan, who received plenty of attention in the shop as well as on Facebook. One person even sent him a laminated copy of the letter that ran in the paper.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just great to see that (reaction),&#8221; Kristan said. &#8220;That&#8217;s what it&#8217;s about for us. You try to be honest, up front and truthful.&#8221;</p><p>Kristan owns the garage at 1097 Wyoming Ave. in Forty Fort, as well as a second location at 300 Pierce St. in Kingston. The first site has been open for nine years while the second has been open for four.</p><p>An alum of Bishop O&#8217;Reilly High School, Kristan believes that being locally owned and operated gives the shop a personal touch.</p><p>&#8220;A lot of customers like the approach we have &#8212; we&#8217;re the mom-and-pop of the new century,&#8221; Kristan said. &#8220;We&#8217;re not about a number; we&#8217;re about building a relationship one-on-one with a customer. Knowing their name when they come in. Explaining to them what they need and they don&#8217;t need.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve always been that way since day one. We pride ourselves on that.&#8221;</p><p>The personalized approach carries over to the types of services offered.</p><p>For people with particularly busy schedules, Forty Fort Lube arranges for local pick-up and drop-off of cars. Kristan called that &#8220;a huge part&#8221; of his business because of the flexibility it provides customers. Loaners are also available for those who still need to drive to work while repairs are made.</p><p>The goals, ultimately, are convenience and comfort.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s kind of like going to the dentist &#8212; nobody wants to have to see us,&#8221; Kristan said. &#8220;So we want to make sure the experience is as painless as possible.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Lisa and Joe Kristan&#8217;s Forty Fort Lube &amp; Service was voted &#8216;Best Auto Repair&#8217; in the 2016 Times Leader Readers&#8217; Choice Awards. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL32616bestautorepair1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Lisa and Joe Kristan&#8217;s Forty Fort Lube &amp; Service was voted &#8216;Best Auto Repair&#8217; in the 2016 Times Leader Readers&#8217; Choice Awards. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL32616bestautorepair2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Chris Papadoplos works on a vehicle at Forty Fort Lube &amp; Service on Wyoming Avenue. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL32616bestautorepair2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Chris Papadoplos works on a vehicle at Forty Fort Lube &amp; Service on Wyoming Avenue. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Derek Levarse</p><p>dlevarse@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Forty Fort Lube & Service builds relationships with customers