Tommy Hyde has been an automotive repair specialist since 1976, when he followed his dad into the field so he could work on small engines for lawn mowers, go-carts, dune buggies and race cars. Tommy’s fascination with all the hundreds of moving parts inside a transmission and how all the other components under the hood work together ensured he would stay in the auto repair business.
In 1980, Tommy spent a few years performing various types of repairs on automobiles for Alton Edge Wrecker Service in Oakwood, Georgia and found himself taking transmissions apart and learning how each part worked with the overall transmission. In 1985, Tommy married Kay Gillespie, who worked as a billing and finance assistant for several Gainesville medical practices. The same year, Tommy went to work for Law Motor Company in Gainesville, Georgia, where he was the transmission specialist and a medium to heavy duty line technician. Over the next few months, Tommy spent many hours becoming ASE certified on all repair aspects of the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury line of automobiles and maintained his certification yearly. The dealership changed hands and became Jacky Jones Lincoln-Mercury, at which time they expanded their repair services to include other makes and models of automobiles.
Tommy became the leading service technician in the north Georgia area and the ‘go-to’ man for any transmission repair or problems other mechanics could not diagnose. While still with the dealership, Tommy opened a small repair shop as a side business to meet the demand of individuals and businesses calling on him to personally repair their transmissions. In 2004, Tommy realized his ‘side’ business had grown too large for him to continue at the dealership; a decision had to be made. After careful thought and prayer, he and Kay were given an opportunity to purchase a small tract of land on McEver Road, near their home. One year later, Total Auto Service, Inc. opened with 4 employees and a customer base of 10 business with fleet service and more than 3 dozen individuals. Today, Total Auto Service, Inc. has completed more than 40,000 service and repair issues with vehicles on the roads of north Georgia for a growing customer base of more than 6500 businesses and individuals.
Tommy and Kay reside in Oakwood, Georgia, where Tommy is a Deacon at their local Baptist church. Their home is in the west Hall county area where they support the local schools and community activities. Kay has spent 20 plus years working in the medical field but can now be found in the office of Total Auto Service.
