Best of Mount Pleasant 2016

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2015
65 MARKETING CONTENT BEST OF 2016
t’s always a pleasant surprisewhen
we find that automobile mechanic we can trust
throughout our years of driving, from fixing
that first heap of junk in college to fine-tuning
the family SUV. The team at East Cooper
Auto Pros, including owner Willie Hopkins
and his wife, co-owner Chrissie Hopkins,
aren’t surprised that their patrons cast enthusiastic votes in
the 2016 Best of Mount Pleasant.
They’ve spent years building
relationships – and cars – that last.
One lifelong patron
of East Cooper Auto
Pros, Lori Bates, even
goes so far as to drive
her car from her current
home in Ravenel. A
former resident of
Mount Pleasant, Lori
values the service she
gets from East Cooper
Auto Pros well enough to
settle for nothing else.
“They’ve been
working on my car
for over 20 years,” she
mused. “I found them
back when I owned
a little Honda CRX. It had broken down, and I was
carpooling one day with Cindi Perez back when I taught at
McClellanville Middle School. Cindi suggested that I take
the Honda to East Cooper Auto Pros.”
Lori never looked back. Now married, a mother and
a driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe, she’s still an enthusiastic
customer who said Willie and his team “stand behind
what they do.” In fact, her staunch belief in their work
converted her husband, who now takes his car there, too –
but Lori isn’t afraid to go solo.
“I know women think about mechanics taking
advantage if they don’t know much about cars,” she said.
On the Road – and the
Winner’s List – Again
East Cooper Auto Pros
By DENISE K. JAMES
“But you don’t have to worry at East Cooper Auto Pros.
They’re always straight up and honest – and I’m not a bit
surprised they won.”
Bringing along the whole family seems to be a
common theme for customers of East Cooper Auto
Pros. Adele Franz, a local attorney, admitted that having
children who drove older cars – and having Willie to
keep said cars running – has certainly helped cement
her business.
“The fact that I trust East Cooper Auto Pros with my
kids’ cars is the biggest seal of approval I can give anyone,”
Adele pointed out.
“And I feel they take
care of my family’s
vehicles as if they were
their own.”
Tom Reed, a local
business owner, drives
a great deal for the
sake of work and has
trusted Willie and team
to keep his car in top
condition for the last
eight years. Tom noted
that the positive reviews
he heard from his
neighbors when he first
searched for a mechanic
encouraged him to check out East Cooper Auto Pros.
“I’ve been self-employed for a while, and I believe in
referrals,” he said. “That first time I brought my car in
was the beginning of a long relationship. They’ve earned
my business.”
“I’m probably East Cooper Auto Pros’ biggest fan,”
Adele added. “They’re all good people, and Mount
Pleasant is fortunate to have a local business like them.”
East Cooper Auto Pros is located at 1198 Shadow Drive in
Mount Pleasant. To learn more about this local business,
visit or call 843-881-2820.
Lori Bates and Tom Reed, far right, with East Cooper Auto Pros owner Willie
Hopkins, center, and manager Bob McCormack.
I
Photo by Christina Riley.