August 9 – If you ask Richard Voccio what you need to succeed in life, his answer would be pretty simple: a pillow and a mirror.
“The pillow so you can dream, and the mirror so you can look in and say, ‘This person can make this dream come true for me,'” he said.
But for decades, Voccio has also been the third building block: it helps people realize their dream of working in the field of vehicle repair.
He has owned The Vehicle Maintenance Place, 1425 San Mateo SE, for 36 years and has used his business and resources to launch the careers of 53 people he has mentored.
The mentoring program began in 1989 when a customer brought a car to Voccio’s shop with his son. He still remembers the son, who had dyed half of his hair purple and wore an earring.
“I can’t do anything with purple hair and an earring,” Voccio thought to himself.
The son had gotten the car from a neighbor, but it didn’t run. The father, who knew nothing about cars, hoped that Voccio could help them figure out the problem. Voccio had another idea.
“I said (to the son), ‘Would you like to know about this car?’ And he said, ‘Yes,'” Voccio explained. “So he came back and I would say within a month he no longer had purple hair or earrings and was really interested in cars.”
After that experience, Voccio began offering his mentoring services to anyone willing to put in the time and effort to learn about cars. Those who signed up for the program were paid $15 an hour and the opportunity to earn more the more they learned about cars. Voccio also bought them safety equipment and tools. He invested approximately $1,000 in each person he mentored.
In return, he only asked that they respect him and the rules of the program. According to Voccio, the rules were strict but fair and a form of tough love. This included giving part of your salary to your parents, grandparents, partner or the person you were currently living with. They also had to have an active bank account to save.
The mentees were not allowed to smoke or drink and had to be ready to work at the start of their shift. “This is an opportunity,” Voccio explained. “I want to encourage all of these children to do well.”
Since the program began, 14 participants have graduated from college. There are currently two mentees working in Voccio’s workshop, both of whom are headed to college at the end of the month. Two 18-year-olds, Alexis Amancio and Kimberly Gonzalez, both recent graduates of Highland High School, have been working with Voccio and his staff for the past eight weeks and are employed part-time in his workshop.
The two have a shared interest in auto repair and met Voccio through an organization called Future Focused Learning, which matches students with community mentors in their respective areas of interest. Over the course of an eight-week mentorship, Amancio and Gonzalez learned how to perform vehicle diagnostics, rotate tires and do oil changes. The learning curve was steep at times, but Voccio and his coworkers were a constant source of knowledge and support, they said.
“(Voccio) was really heartwarming and gave us this feeling of security,” Amancio said. “He introduced us to things step by step and we weren’t afraid to make mistakes. He was one of the best mentors I’ve ever had.”
Both plan to attend Central New Mexico Community College to continue their education in the auto repair field. Both said they plan to return to The Vehicle Maintenance Place to continue working for Voccio.
Voccio has spent over three decades helping people achieve their dreams. He says it’s more than just a dream, it’s his personality. “This is what I do,” he says.
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