My name is Eric von Kattengell, owner of von Kattengell Transmission Service in Eatontown, New Jersey. Since I was a young boy, it was always a dream of mine to own my own business in the automotive industry, and now that dream has finally become a reality! It all started when I was a young boy, peering over my grandfather’s shoulder as he would work day after day serving his customers. His father was the founder of Ed von Kattengell Used Cars in Red Bank, New Jersey, which was established in 1904.

My grandfather, Ed von Kattengell II, had a huge impact on my life. I admired his work ethic, his kindness, and his knowledge of the car business. I always knew when I grew up that I wanted to be just like my grandfather. Not only successful, but a person that everyone could trust. He was an honest man, and everyone knew him that way. He worked hard for everything he had in life, and enjoyed the journey it took him on. I was sad to see the doors close in 1993, when my grandfather fell ill and passed away quite suddenly — but I always knew someday, I would see the “von Kattengell" name once again on a sign, and open for business.

As I went through my teen years, my interest in vehicles flourished, and I was fortunate enough to land some pretty good jobs, with a lot of responsibility. Even as a youngster, I was doing some pretty “adult" repairs. I was also very fortunate to have a few very special individuals take me under their wing, and teach me all they knew — I was lucky! And I also knew, with all this experience and knowledge, I was going somewhere. The more I was taught, the more I wanted to learn.

One very special person was my friend Jerry. I worked with Jerry for several years when I was in high school. Most men his age wouldn’t want to be bothered teaching a young kid all about transmissions, but he did. I lost Jerry in a motorcycle accident in 2002, and the industry lost one of its finest transmission rebuilders. To this day, I use all that Jerry, my grandfather, friends, colleagues, and family have taught me — combined with learning from automotive classes, keeping up with my certifications and always finding out what’s “cutting edge" in the industry.

I have been rebuilding transmissions for nearly 20 years, and now I am ready to test my wings and God willing, fly. In this journey, I will stick to what I know best, and that is to be honest and always do what’s best for my customers.