ABILENE, TX – Life is full of ups and downs but many people let the calamities of life get the best of them. Ernest Torres, the owner of Torres Auto Glass in Abilene, Texas, isn’t one of them. Nine years ago, when he had to quit his job due to an arm injury and his town was hit by a great hailstorm, Ernest opened up the business of vehicle glass components.

“I was working for another company here in Abilene. Then I hurt my arm and well, I guess I was no longer of any use to them anymore,” Ernest said. “Nobody in Abilene was wanting to pay what I was worth. So, I decided to leap into trying to do it on my own. To my luck, there was a hail storm around the time I opened the business and that kicked it off for sure.”

The initial days of the business were not easy. However, Ernest had his friend Micheal Silva on his side and he is with him to this day. Torres Auto Glass has seen some hard times and has gone through many struggles, but like any good business. He has adapted, weathered the storm and is now thriving. Loyal, hard-working employees and a trusty Chevy truck have taken the venture a long way from where it once started.

Ernest was born in Fort Morgan, CO. But when his father received a work transfer, the family moved to Abilene, said Ernest, who was in second grade at the time.

The saying, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade has been his motto when times are difficult. Even when businesses all over the world were closing due to COVID, Torres Auto Glass thrived. “We saw the bigger explosion when COVID hit,” Ernest said. “And once COVID hit it’s been busy, busy ever since and hasn’t stopped.”

It may sound weird and rather peculiar but it was the case for Torres Auto Glass. The owner says that there were two factors for this success amid uncertain times. People had extra money on their hands and were mostly able to spend it on their homes and vehicles, Ernest explains. His business survived, while others died because the work they do is mechanical.

The way things have been for the business, it may seem like its success has just been due to being at the right place at the right time. This is not true as Ernest emphasizes that the goal is to always deliver the best-in-class service.

“We try to be as fair as we can,” Ernest said. “I know there are times that you know, things happen because no one is perfect. But we try to be as good as we can to every customer that comes into that door. If you look up our ratings, we have great ratings with our customers, and we try to keep it that way.”

Torres Auto Glass employees take pride in being customer friendly so that each of their customers gets a memorable experience. Communication is key and they try their best to communicate in such a way that a bond forms between the customer and the company.

When asked about the secret of his success, Ernest says that the ability to go mobile is what keeps them ahead of the curve. People have both options of either taking their cars to the shop or getting a technician to come to their place for an additional fee.

Ernest serves his customers right by giving them the best value for their time and money. The prices are as fair, reasonable and the work is done in the least amount of time possible. Cars that come in the morning are completed by noon. Vehicles that come after that are finished by the evening.

If you need to get some glass work done on your car or just want to see how things are done at the company, head on down to 3359 South 1st, Abilene, TX. An appointment for a remote job can also be taken by calling (325)201-0813. They can easily travel to San Angelo, Sweetwater, Haskell, Breckenridge, and every other city in the Big Country area. The crew loves to travel and take a break from being at the shop.

The glue that keeps Torres Auto Glass together is a family-like relationship between the employees. “We’re family even though we are not all blood related, we are still family. I see my employees as part of me,” Ernest said. “They’re the ones that are making this company bigger and better.”

Torres Auto Glass now has 7 employees. They all play a huge role in the daily operations and getting the business where it is today. He is very grateful for his employees’ hard work and loyalty to the company.

Ernest’ girlfriend, Ramona Maldonado, takes care of the customers and represents the company wherever she needs to. Ernest considers Ramona, along with Patricia, to be the two hard-working secretaries that keep the shop together. Ernest’s father, Ernest Torres Sr., works for the business as well. He takes care of all the maintenance involved with the business, including fixing leaks, faucets, killing weeds, or moving the trash.

When Ernest Torres first opened his business there was a lot of uncertainty. But he didn’t let his fears get in the way of him accomplishing his dream of becoming a business owner. This is not one of those rags-to-riches stories but something even better. It’s about a man who didn’t give up when life tried to throw him down, but instead used the challenge to accomplish greater things.