Pep Boys has re-opened its service and tire center at 712 W. 23rd Street in Panama City, Florida, more than a year after the store endured significant damage from Hurricane Michael in 2018.
The Category 5 storm destroyed the service and tire center’s bay doors and large sections of the roof, as well as the store’s windows and exterior. While another nearby location was damaged beyond repair, Pep Boys Panama City has been fully renovated and now has 12 service bays with new equipment, additional car lifts and a new waiting area with customer amenities. With both tenured and new employees, the ASE-certified team can perform maintenance and repairs on nearly all makes and models.
After the storm, the company organized relief efforts, sending two Pep Boys mobile crew services trailers to help with storm-related repairs, including the many tires flat from nails and storm debris. Pep Boys pros worked to fix up to 70 cars on some days to get the community back on the road. As demand kept up with shops in the area still closed, the Pep Boys mobile crew stayed on 23rd Street for 14 months, performing work in the trailer’s service bay and in the adjacent lot.
Pep Boys Panama City re-opening caps a year of expansion and investment in the company’s service network and Pep Boys Fleet and Mobile Crew. Other recently opened locations bring the total number of Pep Boys service centers to nearly 1,000 in 35 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.