Mechanical aptitude runs deep in Rob Roemer’s family, and so does their New England heritage. Rob’s family has lived in the southern Massachusetts area since 1620, when they arrived on the Mayflower, and he’s a direct descendant of her captain, Christopher Jones.

 

In 1909, Emil Roemer, Rob’s great-grandfather, who’d made his living repairing bicycles, record players and sewing machines, became the first car owner in the region. Naturally, Emil very soon went on to open the first automobile dealership and service department in the area, a Ford, Maxwell and Orient dealer in Webster. He sold the dealership in 1923, and it has been in operation as Place Motors ever since. Emil and his descendants have always been mechanically inclined. Emil’s son, Albert, (Rob’s grandfather) ran the maintenance department at American Optical and Rob’s father, Dale, worked for various plating companies doing chrome plating, zinc plating and more.

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At a young age, Rob Roemer knew exactly how he wanted to make his living; he would follow in his great-grandfather’s footsteps and be in the automotive repair business. To accomplish this, Rob enrolled in the automotive program at Bay Path Vocational Technical High School in Charlton, MA, followed by the automotive technical program at the New England Institute of Technology. The family tradition is likely to continue, as Rob’s son, Jake is currently enrolled in Bay Path’s automotive program and is a part-time tech at Rob's.

 

After finishing his schooling, Rob spent nearly a decade honing his skills on repairing firetrucks and construction equipment before opening the doors to Rob’s Automotive Shop in 2006. It has been in continuous operation ever since!