Often automotive design and production can be focused on the product, not the people behind the product. Without the people behind the product, the product wouldn’t exist or exist at the quality that E.C.D. puts it out with. Each technician at E.C.D. prides themselves on working at the highest quality they are able to while maintaining good production speed.

This month, we are highlighting one of our lead technicians Carlos “Charlie” Garcia. Charlie is our Lead Drive Train Technician at E.C.D. Charlie grew up in Manatí, Puerto Rico. He became an Assistant Technician at E.C.D. precisely two years and two months ago. Through E.C.D.’s pushing, Charlie has been able to acquire many certifications through ASE (Automotive Service Excellence). Charlie has six out of the eight certifications required to be named an ASE Master Technician. We asked Charlie some more questions about what he does at E.C.D. 

What is a typical day for you?

“I get in, go over the calendar of what I need to do today, then make sure I have everything I need in my area then go over what I did the day before. Once I am settled in, then I will continue the project that we have going into my bay. That can be replacing an engine, hooking one up, or checking fluids on a truck that is almost done.”

How would you explain your job to a child?

“I tell my kids, see that car on the tv show? I take the engine out, put a bigger and better engine in and make the car go faster.”

What inspires you to work here?

“There is a lot of mechanics that can say “I fixed that” or “I built that” but I can say, that truck on that magazine, I helped build that.”

If you could switch jobs with anyone here, who and why?

“Probably Sergei, our head of QC, So I could see if I could do better in a QC check than him.”

What is your favorite build?

“Project Venice – it isn’t the fastest, most advanced, I just think it is the simplest coolest looking project we’ve done.”

What’s your favorite part of working at ECD?

“Being able to build custom trucks and not do the same thing every day like in some regular big car factories.”

Can you tell me about your most rewarding, challenging, or memorable experiences at ECD? 

One of my most challenging days was a day a truck was supposed to be delivered, the engine blew out. Another tech and I knew we didn’t have enough time to fix it, so instead, we just took the entire engine out and replaced it with a whole new engine in 4 hours and QC (quality check) the whole truck. They were able to deliver the truck at the proper time without skipping a beat.

How do you like to spend your time when you’re not at work?

“With my family, I have 3 boys, and I don’t just hang out or rest, I spend my time with family and my kids when I’m not here.”

When seeing how Charlie interacts with his peers it is easy to see how light-hearted he is, but it is also easy to see how serious he takes his job. Making sure each truck comes out of his hands in the best condition he can put it in is at the top of his list every week. If you’ve ever needed to know how to put an engine together, Carlos “Charlie” Garcia is the guy to talk to.