2020 Honoree

Dena Ganje’s advice to women in the automotive aftermarket is to “jump in with both feet and all of their heart,” and that’s exactly what she’s done. In 2008, she and her husband, Billy, opened My Mechanic Maintenance & Repair in Tucson. In 2013, they moved the repair shop to a larger location and added more technicians. By 2014, My Mechanic had grown to the point that she left her 23-year career in health care to focus solely on the business.

Billy and Dena started My Mechanic “with the hope to bring the personalized service from a bygone era back to the automotive industry,” according to the shop’s website. Judging by its many five-star reviews on Yelp, Google and other sites, the shop is fulfilling that mission. When asked to name the biggest accomplishment of her career thus far, Dena points to the My Mechanic team and “the relationship and the reputation that we’ve built within our community with our customers and with our colleagues in the industry.”

“It’s such an honor to be trusted and relied upon by so many,” she says. “People have choices. When they choose you based on that, it doesn’t get any better. You know you’re doing something right.”