Saturday Business Spotlight: LaForge Automotive Service and Tires:
L.A.S.T.
[March 14, 2026] If
you drive far enough south on Kickapoo Street, you will eventually get
to LaForge Automotive Service and Tires (L.A.S.T.). Situated at the far
south side of Lincoln, L.A.S.T. is an auto repair shop for just about
any of your auto repair needs.
Owned by husband-and-wife team Chris and Ashley LaForge, the pair
purchased Charron’s Auto Repair from Rick and Carol Charron. Chris
shared that it was a “turnkey” sale, as they finalized the purchase on a
Saturday and were open for business the following Monday.
Chris shared that he made the decision to open L.A.S.T. because of his
daughter Lorelei. He had no bad blood with his previous boss but decided
that it was time to stop being the employee and start being the
employer.
Chris has almost always had a love for fixing things. “I started when I
was probably five or six, tearing the brakes off my own bikes,” Chris
said. This was his introduction to mechanical work, and he kept this
love throughout high school. Early when he started attending Lincoln
Community High School, Chris decided that he wanted to do auto repair
work for a living. He then went to tech school at Lincoln Tech and
graduated in 2008.
After graduating from Lincoln Tech, Chris started working at Roland Rich
Ford in Delavan. He worked there until 2023, purchasing Charron’s the
following year in 2024. Chris’s time at Roland Rich helped him gain
expertise in working on Fords. He also shared that one of the
technicians that stayed on after the ownership change has experience
working on Chryslers, and one of their hires knows a lot about GM’s.
This variety of knowledge and experience gives them a wide range of
expertise. Chris shared that they do pretty much any kind of work at his
garage but did state that they do not do internal transmission work.
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Chris has a real heart for helping people. He shared that, while it
might sound silly to some, he just likes helping people. “I like
people that are off the interstate that are broken down,” Chris
shared. “They come in the door and their day has essentially been
ruined. If all the stars align and everything is correct, we can get
them back on the road the same day.”
For as much as the LaForges enjoy their business, there are things
that are hard for them as well. Ashley shared that, as an auto
repair shop, they have to allow the customers the autonomy to decide
what they want to have fixed and what they do not. Sometimes,
customers must forgo repairs because of their budget. Ashley shared
that it is very hard for her to “watch them walk away.”
Chris and Ashley stated that they try their best to keep things
affordable, while also trying to make sure that they can turn a
profit. With all the expenses in life, things can get very costly.
Ashley stated she knows sometimes people have to “choose between
feeding your family and working, and we don’t want that for people.
So, we do our best to try to keep our prices as affordable as
possible but still make it to where we are able to make some
profit.”
L.A.S.T. is located at 929 S Kickapoo Street and their office can be
reached at (217) 735-2222. They are open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday. You can also find them on
Facebook and on NAPA’s
website.
[Matt Boutcher]
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