Harrell & Beverly Transmissions & Auto Repair
by Kevin Fritz
Imagine a local business that not only treats you like family, it also is a family – one that has graced the city of Sanford for more than 65 years.
Harrell & Beverly Transmissions & Auto Repair has been serving Central Florida since 1959, when owners Samuel Harrell and James Beverly relocated their shop (founded in 1952 in Virginia) to the Sunshine State.
Prominently situated on West 25th Street and South Oak Avenue, the company is now run by brothers Lloyd and Nelson Beverly – great-grandsons of Samuel Harrell and grandsons of James Beverly. The siblings took over the business as fourth-generation owners after their father, Alvin Beverly, retired in 2020.
Nelson and Lloyd manage the shop with their spouses: Nelson’s wife, Christina, handles the marketing, while Lloyd’s wife, Angela, serves as bookkeeper. Both families live in Sanford.
Much of Harrell & Beverly’s business is referral-based, passed down through generations of loyal customers.
“We strive to build on our reputation of caring about people and their vehicles,” says Lloyd. “We help people and just happen to work on cars.”
Originally an Esso gas station, Sanford’s longest-running, family-owned auto repair shop provides any mechanical service that’s needed, from oil changes to brake work on domestic and Asian vehicles. Transmission and engine repair and replacement remain Harrell & Beverly’s specialty.
You’re My Hero
Home to eight employees, Harrell & Beverly Transmissions & Auto Repair has developed a culture based on the acronym HERO – Honesty, Everything Speaks (detail and customer experience), Reputation, and Own It (learn from mistakes).
“Everyone is a HERO who works here,” says Nelson. “That culture has created a team that does the absolute best for our customers and us.”
That mindset extends into the community, with Harrell & Beverly sponsoring Babe Ruth baseball, supporting faith-based organizations, and serving as a major supplier for teacher wish lists for their classrooms.
“We were put on this earth to help each other,” says Lloyd, “and we are real people who care.”