Learning the skills of an automotive technician at the age of 12 in his native Mexico, Salvador Mendia came to Waukegan with his family shortly thereafter, earned a living working with cars and opened Universal Auto Care in his hometown eight years ago. Hard work, faith and relationships with mentors guided Mendia to entrepreneurship. After losing a job in 2015, he started looking.
He saw the vacant building on South Genesee Street. Universal Auto Care soon became a reality. “I met the landlord at the building,” he said, referring to the current home of his business.
“He was a blessing. I had given my life to Christ. He found me in a place of darkness and brought light at that time.
It saved my life.” Salvador Mendia inspects a car in his shop. (Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun) After spending her professional life in the corporate world, with seven years as a senior sales analyst with Grainger until 2020, Carmen Simpson learned her husband’s aunt, Jean Pope, was considering selling her business of 30 years — Pope’s Florist & Gifts.
Simpson said she helped her aunt at times in the past, but it was with administrative tasks. She had never done any floral arranging. In early 2020 — before the coronavirus pandemic shuttered many businesses — she became an entrepreneur.
“It was the right time for me,” Simpson said. “I had the desire to have my future in my hands and not rely on others. We had good flower arrangers, and I learned from all of them.
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