Lotus · Auto repair, real estate, and software

We buy the building.We build the business.We take care of the people.

Lotus is a family owned company in Connecticut and Massachusetts that buys auto repair shops and the buildings they sit in. We run every shop ourselves, and we look after the owners, employees and customers who built them.

Talk to James Our story
After
The same South Windsor building before renovationBefore
Who we are

James and Nicole Stephenson. A master technician and a CPA, running shops and real estate together as a family.

What we do

Buy auto repair shops and the real estate under them. Renovate, run and keep them for the long haul.

What we solve

Give a retiring owner a local buyer who keeps the shop, the team and the customers in good hands.

The problem we solve

Owners are ready to step back. Nobody’s ready to take over.

Plenty of shop owners spent thirty years building something good. Now they want out, and nobody in the family wants the keys. The buyers who show up are often large outside firms, and many owners fear what that means for their people.

  • I have nobody to hand the shop to.
    We buy it. We also buy the building if you own it, and we run the shop ourselves.
  • I don’t want my team treated like numbers.
    Good people are the reason we buy a shop. We take care of the team and keep investing in them.
  • My customers trust this place.
    The phones stay answered and the work stays right. We plan every change with your customers in mind.
  • I don’t want a broker in the middle.
    You deal with James. Owner to owner, and the conversation stays private.

That’s the gap Lotus fills.

What we do

We invest in four things.

Real estate, companies, people and software. Each one makes the others stronger.

We invest in

Real estate

Commercial buildings on busy roads, mostly for auto repair. We buy them, renovate them with our own crew and hold them for the long term.

We invest in

Companies

Auto repair shops with a good name and a team worth keeping. Buying a running shop is far easier than starting from scratch. We also open our own shops in buildings we own.

We invest in

People

Technicians, advisors and managers. Training, clear pay plans and room to grow. Strong people make a shop worth owning.

We invest in

Software

We built the software that runs our businesses. It tracks payroll, bills, marketing, and performance for every location, so problems show up early and nobody has to guess.

How it works

Two ways to work with us.

You own a running shop

  1. Call or email James directly.
  2. We look at the shop and the building together.
  3. We agree on a deal and take care of the team.
  4. The shop joins Lotus with our systems, marketing and support.

You own an auto building

  1. Call or email James directly.
  2. We walk the property and agree on a price.
  3. Our own crew renovates it.
  4. We open one of our shops inside.

No brokers. Every conversation is owner to owner.

Who we are

Mechanics first. Owners second.

Lotus is run by James and Nicole Stephenson, husband and wife, with a team we’ve built over the years. James has spent nearly thirty years in the trade.

  1. Age 14

    James starts working on cars.

  2. 2005

    Opens his first business, an auto repair shop in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

  3. Along the way

    Hires a consultant to learn how to run a shop better.

  4. Later

    Spends about ten years as a consultant himself, coaching other shop owners.

  5. Then

    Starts investing in local businesses and the buildings they sit in. Lotus is born.

  6. 2026

    Still growing, and still opening new locations.

James Stephenson

Founder and CEO

Master Automotive Technician and shop owner. James leads the shops, the deals and the daily work.

Nicole Stephenson

MVP

CPA and licensed realtor with more than twenty years in accounting and finance. Nicole is the other half of Lotus, and the reason it’s a family business.

Also on the team. Nick Edwards leads sales and process. Ricardo Garves leads technician training.

Say hello

Thinking about what comes next for your shop or building?

Reach out and we’ll talk it through. No pressure, and the conversation stays private.

james@lotuspe.us