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The Story Behind Protech
Why one lifelong car enthusiast decided the auto repair industry could be better.
If you ask Anthony Bodine what Protech Automotive Services does, he’ll probably tell you the obvious answer first. “We repair cars.” But that’s not really why Protech exists.
The real story began long before the business ever opened its doors.
Anthony grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island, just over a mile from where Protech stands today. The middle of three brothers, he was the only one who seemed to have gasoline running through his veins. While his brothers were interested in sports, Anthony was fascinated by anything with an engine. Cars, dirt bikes, ATVs, lawn equipment—it didn’t matter. If it could be taken apart, understood, improved, and put back together, he wanted to learn everything about it.
Nobody in his family worked in the automotive industry. Nobody taught him to love cars. It was simply who he was.
By thirteen years old he was racing motocross throughout New England while learning to repair his own bikes. At sixteen he bought his first car, a 1992 Lexus SC300, and like so many enthusiasts, his driveway became his classroom. There were successes. There were mistakes. There were repairs he’d probably laugh about today.
But every project taught him something. That curiosity eventually turned into a career.
After graduating from Bishop Hendricken High School, Anthony earned a degree in Business Management from Johnson & Wales University before continuing his education at New England Institute of Technology, where he earned a degree in Advanced Automotive Technology. He wasn’t trying to choose between becoming a businessman or becoming a technician. He wanted to become both.
Because even then, he knew he wanted to build something of his own.
Learning What Customers Really Wanted
Early in his career, Anthony worked as both a technician and later in management for a large national automotive repair company. The experience was valuable, but not for the reasons most people would think.
He saw incredibly talented technicians who genuinely cared about their work. He also saw customers who had learned to distrust the industry. Shops were often dirty and disorganized. Employees weren’t always treated like professionals. Customers frequently left feeling like transactions instead of people.
It bothered him.
Not because he thought the technicians were bad. Quite the opposite.
He believed the automotive repair industry was filled with people who were incredibly proud of what they did. They simply deserved a better place to do it.
That realization became the foundation of Protech. Not to create another repair shop.
To create a better one.
More Than Just a Clean Shop
Visitors often comment that Protech doesn’t feel like an automotive repair shop. That’s intentional.
Anthony believes every detail communicates something. The landscaping outside. The lighting throughout the building. The live plants that fill the office and waiting room. The signature scent that greets customers as they walk through the door. The spotless floors.The organized workspaces.
None of those things have anything to do with repairing a vehicle. And yet they have everything to do with repairing a vehicle.
Anthony often says that creating a great customer experience is like following a recipe. You can have every premium ingredient imaginable, but if one ingredient is missing, that’s what people remember. If the repair is perfect but the waiting room smells unpleasant… If the customer service is outstanding but the lighting is harsh, and half the fixtures don’t work… If the technicians are highly skilled but the shop is dirty… People don’t remember everything you did right. They remember what felt neglected.
That’s why every detail matters.
“We spend a huge part of our lives here,” Anthony says. “We wanted to build a place that we genuinely enjoy coming to every day.”
That philosophy doesn’t just benefit customers. It benefits the people who work here. Because people naturally take greater pride in an environment that takes pride in them.
Why Protech Feels Different
Walk into most repair shops and the first thing you’re expected to do is adapt to their process. At Protech, Anthony believes the process should adapt to the customer instead. That philosophy influences hundreds of little decisions every day.
A real person answers the phone. Customers can drop off and pick up after hours. Invoices can be paid securely by text. Loaner vehicles are available for qualifying repairs. Digital inspections include photos and videos so customers can actually see what their technician sees.
Sometimes the team has even driven customers to the airport so their vehicle could be serviced while they were away. None of those services repairs a single car. They simply make life easier.
Anthony has a phrase he often uses inside the company. “We’re not doing something different. We’re doing it better.”
Sometimes that means improving the repair. Sometimes it means improving everything surrounding the repair.
Trust Is the Product
Ask Anthony what business Protech is really in, and he won’t say automotive repair. He’ll tell you they’re in the trust business. Cars simply happen to be what they work on. That philosophy affects every decision inside the company.
If he wouldn’t install a part on his own vehicle… It won’t be installed on yours.
If he wouldn’t trust a technician to work on his own family’s vehicles… That technician won’t work on yours.
When hiring new employees, technical ability matters. Character matters more. Anthony looks for people who check their ego at the door. People who believe success belongs to the team. People who genuinely enjoy helping others. People who understand that every customer interaction—from the first phone call to the follow-up after the repair—is part of one complete experience.
Because great customer service isn’t created by one person. It’s created by an entire team moving in the same direction.
Relationships Over Transactions
Anthony knows Protech isn’t the least expensive repair shop in Rhode Island. And he’s okay with that. Someone looking for the lowest possible price can always find another shop.
That’s not who Protech was built for.
It was built for people who value honesty. People who appreciate communication. People who want things done correctly the first time. People who don’t want to wonder whether they’re being told the truth. People who understand that quality has value.
The goal isn’t to win every customer. The goal is to become the repair shop someone trusts for the next twenty years. That means something else, too.
Protech isn’t perfect.
No repair shop is. Mistakes happen. But Anthony believes the true measure of a business isn’t whether mistakes occur. It’s how the business responds when they do.
Making things right isn’t a negotiation. It’s simply the right thing to do.
Still a Car Guy
Despite building one of Rhode Island’s most respected independent repair facilities, Anthony is still the same kid who loved anything with an engine. His passion eventually led him from motocross to late model stock cars at Thompson Speedway before earning his NASA competition license and racing BMWs in the German Touring Series.
Today, you’ll still find him at HPDE events driving his heavily modified BMW M3. Not because he has something left to prove. Because he genuinely enjoys learning.
Over the years he’s owned everything from muscle cars and lifted trucks to luxury sedans, European performance cars, and today’s newest electric vehicles.
Each one has reinforced the same belief. The best technicians never stop being students.
Looking Forward
Today, Anthony lives in Lincoln with his wife, Michaela, and their two children, Avery and Jackson. Just as Anthony discovered his love for cars at a young age, Jackson has already developed the same fascination with anything automotive, something that still makes Anthony smile. Meanwhile, Protech continues to support youth sports, local charities, and community organizations throughout Rhode Island while earning recognition from publications like Ratchet+Wrench and appearances on The Rhode Show.
The future includes continued growth and, eventually, additional locations. But only when the timing is right.
Anthony isn’t interested in becoming the biggest repair shop. He’s interested in becoming better tomorrow than Protech was yesterday. Because that’s always been the goal.
Not to do something different.
To do it better.
