Graham Auto Repair

Troy and Kori Vaninetti - Shop Owners

Troy and Kori Vaninetti are both long time residents of this area and have been offering complete car care to their Graham neighbors since 2006. Troy began serving people of this community back in October of 1988 where he worked as a Texaco gas station service attendant. He worked hard and gained knowledge to become an assistant technician, then full technician, lead technician, and eventually manager. Troy then decided to purchase the business from the current owners to become new owner of Graham Auto Repair in 2006.

As the area grew, the need for car care excellence did, too. Graham Auto was going to meet the need with the purchase of land and eventual construction of a new state of the art facility. With the focus of the company being primarily on customer service, comfort, and convenience, the new facility was designed, built, and filled with cutting edge technology and equipment, highly trained technicians, top notch customer service staff, a thoughtful and comfortable waiting area, and a well lit and covered service entrance for weather friendly delivery no matter the season.

Shannan - Finance Manager

Shannan came to Graham Auto in 2009 after meeting the Vaninetti family at church. Shannan got her start in Bookkeeping when her children were young, helping with the ASB Budgets in 1991. Shannan enjoys making sure that everything is in balance, and making things better for the people around her. She loves adding her creative touch to things by making gift certificates, stickers, forms, and more!

Shannan was born in Bellingham, WA and she has spent most of her life in the Pierce County area. She graduated from our local Bethel High School. Shannan and her husband Danny have two kids and seven grandkids. Their daughter Bonnie & her fiance Ben have three daughters, Kyra, Addy, and Willow. Their other daughter Lacie is part of our Team; you can learn more about her below. When she's not keeping everything checked and balanced here at Graham Auto Repair, Shannan enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, camping, and reading historical fiction.

Lacie - Marketing & Hiring Manager

Lacie met Troy and Kori as a teenager in 1996. She watched as their family grew and as they started their journey as the shop owners of Graham Auto Repair. She admired the business they were building, and was excited to join our Team as the Social Media Manager in 2019. Through training in Marketing and Leadership, Lacie's role here has grown into what it is today. Now she manages all aspects of our Marketing and our Hiring process. Her favorite part about her job is getting to know our Team and getting to share them with all of you! She understands that it's not easy getting in front of a camera and enjoys helping others feel comfortable when they do.

Lacie has lived in Washington all of her life; but loves traveling. She has two adult stepsons, Tristen and Tyler; and two daughters, Shianna and Evangelina. She is on the Steilacoom Tribal Council and has been volunteering with the Steilacoom Tribe since she was a little girl. She enjoys writing, art, photography, filming & editing videos, and learning new technology. She loves being able to use different forms of media to share stories and connect with people; including family, friends, and the community.

Bryce - Graham Location: General Store Manager

Bryce joined our team at our Graham Location in May 2022. He started out in the automotive industry in 2012. He always wanted to get into the industry, but wasn't sure how to get started. His previous employer offered him an entry level Tech position. Through hard work and dedication of 10 years with them, he worked his way through the company into a store manager position. His favorite thing abut his career is getting to build great relationships with people. He loves getting to help our customers,  but also encouraging and leading our Team into great new heights. He is committed to having transparent communication by listening generously. This gives him the opportunity to learn how he can assist our team in our personal and professional goals. 

Bryce's claim to fame is being a "Certified Amazing Father and Husband." He and his wife Brandi have three children; their two sons Logan and Luca, and their daughter Leilani. He was born and raised in Washington State, and loves cheering on our Seahawks! Depending on the time of year, you may find Bryce watching the Seahawks or his kids' sports games; or out in the mountains, big game hunting.

Rob - Graham Location: Sales Team Leader & Service Advisor

Rob has been in the Automotive Industry since 2009 and he joined our team as a Service Advisor in 2016. Now he enjoys taking care of our customers as our Sales Team Leader! Rob has completed the advanced service writing courses through our partnership with the Automotive Training Institute (ATI). He enjoys learning more about the automotive field, so he attends conferences and seminars to stay current. He has always enjoyed working on motorcycles, cars and hot rods. He loves anything to do with mechanical work. 

Rob grew up in Everett. He joined the Army at 18 and ended his military career at Fort Lewis, WA. He shares his home with his fiancé Michaelann, and their son Greyson. In his free time Rob enjoys riding his motorcycle, playing the guitar, and playing video games.

Bret - Graham Location: Service Advisor

Bret joined our Team at Graham Auto Repair at the end of 2020 as an Automotive Technician. In 2022 Bret made the switch over to the front side of the shop! Now he is one of our Service Advisors at our Graham Location. He and his wife Kellee have three kids and three grandkids. Their family has a Rottweiler named Scout! Bret was born in Puyallup and grew up in Roy, attending the Yelm High School. He got into repairing vehicles by working on his own Motocross Bikes. As time went by he really got into Hot Rods! He has been working in the Automotive Field since April 1986. His favorite thing about working in this industry is having a good end result.

When Bret finds himself with spare time, he enjoys riding dirt & street bikes, working on his Corvette &1942 Mercury, camping, fishing, and going to the beach.

Brendan - Graham Location: Automotive Technician

Brendan started working with our Team in January 2021. After taking a break in February 2022, he has returned to our Team this November. Growing up he developed a love for working on cars at a young age. He has a love for building! He started out in the automotive industry in 2012 and has earned his ASE Certification in Steering & Suspension. His favorite thing about his career is getting to perform hands on work and to determine his own future. He enjoys learning and adapting with the ever-changing automotive field.

When he isn't working on cars, Brendan can be found spending time with his family. He enjoys fishing, snow boarding and off-roading. He also loves riding quads and dirt bikes with his son Paxton.

Justin - Graham Location: Apprentice Technician

Justin joined our Team in 2019. He is our first Technician to join our Washington State Certified Apprentice Program. Justin is constantly exceeding our expectations and is very performance driven. He takes pride in his work and is consistently looking for ways to learn and grow. Justin grew up in Ashford and Conrad, Montana; before calling Washington his home. He took Auto Shop in High School because he wanted to learn how to fix his own vehicles. 

Justin and his fiance Lilly have 3 dogs and 5 cats. In his free time he loves doing anything outdoors; including fishing, hunting, and off-roading. He is also a novice welder. He loves working on different vehicles, and completing new challenges every day.

Sean - Graham Location: Apprentice Technician

Sean joined our Team at our Graham Location in April 2022. Since day one he hit the ground running! He applied to complete the Washington State Certified Apprentice Program. He has already shown so much potential and we are excited to see all the new things that he will accomplish through the training in our Apprentice program. Sean has always loved working on cars. He likes to take things apart and put them back together again. He loves the feeling of accomplishment that he gets once he has repaired something that was broken. He has found a lot of passion in repairing cars, and in learning as many new things as possible!

Sean and his girlfriend Autumn have a dog named Koda and a cat named Ernie. He was born on JBLM (Join Base Lewis McChord) and was raised in the area. When he graduated from High School he also earned a technician certificate in preventative maintenance. When he has free time, Sean enjoys playing video games, traveling, and working on cars (more!).

Allen - Yelm Location: General Store Manager

Allen joined our Team in August 2022 and immediately began training as the Store Manager for our Yelm Location. He comes to us with 26 years in the Automotive Industry, many of those years were spent in management. In January 2023 we celebrated Allen's promotion to Store Manager! Allen has been working on cars ever since he was old enough to hold a wrench. He loves racing cars and modifying them. When he's not spending his time with cars, you may find him camping, fishing, or hunting. He loves spending time with his family, which includes his fiance Julie and their 3 kids Isabell, Isaiah, and Noah. Their family has 4 cats - Bear, Mouse, Bella, and John Snow!

Allen's favorite part about his career is getting to help people. He also enjoys getting to learn as much as he can about cars. That way he can share that knowledge with our customers. He is excited to use his experience, skills and knowledge to help grow our team!

Christian - Yelm Location: Service Advisor

Christian joined our Team at our Yelm Location in June 2022. But he's not new to Graham Auto Repair! With Troy and Kori Vaninetti as his parents, Christian grew-up in the shop. He's been helping out and learning the business from a very young age. While we were in the process of building our Team for our second location, Christian stepped-up and applied to join us officially! During the interview process Christian told us that he wanted to start from the bottom and work his way up, just like his Dad. It has been great to have Christian as part of our Team. He cares about our team and our customers, and it shows. We are excited to see how Christian grows through his dedication to our Team Essentials and training. 

Bart - Yelm Location: Production Manager & Technician

Bart joined our Team at our Graham Location in February 2022. He is now leading the way as the Production Manager at our new location in Yelm, WA. He started his career in the Automotive Industry in 2018 after retiring from 20 years in the US Army, that same year. He decided to attend Bates Technical College to complete their Automotive Mechanic and Diesel Technology programs. Bart grew up working on cars with his dad and grandfather. After the military he was looking for something that could challenge him and keep him on his feet! He really enjoys the process of figuring out what is wrong with a vehicle and then being able to fix it. Bart has a thirst to learn and grow that is evident in his work, every day. Besides being a very skilled Technician, he is very performance driven. He demonstrates passion for our mission, taking care of our team and our customers.

Bart and his wife Amber have two children, Lilly and McCray. Bart's favorite part of his day is spending time with his family. They have a dog named Rose and two cats, Doodles and Daphne. In his free time Bart enjoys hunting, fishing, and gardening. 

Daniel - Yelm Location: Apprentice Technician

Daniel joined our team in August 2021. Daniel served in the Army from 1991-2014 as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Specialist. In 2014 he decided to complete automotive training at Clover Park. He completed his AAT in Automotive Technician and Collision Repair, and Certificates in Automotive Restoration and Ford MLR. His favorite thing about working in the automotive industry is learning as much as he can! We are excited to have Daniel join our Yelm Team when our 2nd location opens in the Spring of 2022.

Daniel’s 1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse first got him interested in automotive. He started out with DIY projects, worked in an auto parts store during college, and eventually got out in the shop doing what he really loves: working on cars! Daniel and his wife Ann have three children, Rebecca, Cameron, and their Husky Namida. When he has time, Daniel enjoys gaming, building computers, grilling, and collecting. He is most proud of his Star Wars collection!

Shane - Yelm Location: Automotive Technician

Shane joined our Team at our Yelm Location, shortly after we opened our doors in June 2022. He has been in the automotive industry since the early 1990s. Growing up Shane found his love for fixing things by living on a ranch. He worked hard and learned everything that he could on his own. This drove him to his passion, for the challenge of fixing cars. It is always his mission to learn something new every day. Shane is thankful for the opportunity to support his family by doing something that he loves, while getting to make customers happy at the same time.

Shane and his wife Margo have three children; Nick, Gabe, and Nikol. They also have two dogs named Lady and Buck. When he's not at work, you can find Shane at home working on his property, or spending time with his family. He enjoys camping, hunting, and BBQs with family and friends.

David - Yelm Location: Automotive Technician

David joined our Team at our Yelm Location in July 2022. He has been working in the automotive industry since 2013. He grew-up in the PNW with a family who all enjoyed automotive. His Mom, Dad, and Uncle were all involved in Motorsports. From the young age of five, David was always hanging out in the garage. He loved getting to learn how to work on vehicles, right alongside his family! He said that his favorite part of his career is getting to make broken things work properly again. It gives him a sense of satisfaction once he gets it done!

David completed the Automotive Program at Green River Community College; he received his AAS Degree with honors. He and his wife Sierra have a daughter named Scarlett, and two dogs named Penny and Leo. They both enjoy camping, fishing, wheeling, and traveling together as a family.

You! - Automotive Technician