Corporate History
Corporate History - Investor Resources
Cupani Solutions, LLC dba Carmine's Import Service
2008
Carmine's Import Service opens during the biggest economic downturn since the great depression.
2009
Carmine's becomes part of the Bosch Service Network and starts a free loaner car program. Launch of Facebook social media. Launch of automated customer service reminders via postcard. Carmine launches digital signature approval on auto repair estimates before work is performed.
2010
Carmine's moves to a larger location just next door to the property they started in. Launch of automated email and text reminders to include service appointments, services overdue, and scheduled maintenance. 0% financing added for qualified customers.
2011
Carmine's becomes a member of ATi and enhances their workflow systems and processes. Another lift is added.
2013
Carmine's rents back the original location they started in due to a lack of parking and storage space. Carmine's joins ATi. They also adopt digital vehicle inspections so they can email and text customers reports with pictures of courtesy check findings. (other shops are just now getting on board with this) Carmine's becomes an Authorized DINAN dealer.
2015
Carmine's secures funding and acquires both properties they were renting to secure their location and future of their company and employees. Carmine's becomes a Certified RepairPal Topshop. Carmine's introduces a 3-year warranty with the 4 year/50k mile option. Carmine's becomes a Certified Escort Radar systems dealer.
2016
Introduction of digital workflow in shops increasing productivity, reducing paper consumption, and contributing to the digital automotive world in a big way paving the way for workflow companies to enhance their products beyond their dreams through proprietary internal systems and processes. Specialty wheel alignments added to the services offered. Carmine's adds more original factory tooling and computer systems to the staff's arsenal.
2017
Voted Top 50 Automotive Shops in the country. ASE Blue Seal status. Carmine acquires I-40 Billboard at Guilford College Rd. Carmine purchases a BMW i3 electric car for staff training purposes.
2018
Carmine acquires #81 BimmerWorld F30 IMSA ST championship-winning race car to continue driver's education with Chin Track Days, BMW CCA, and the Porsche Club of America. This car also teaches staff more about performance and how to guide performance-oriented customers with decisions they make. Carmine's adds enclosed vehicle transport as a service to their customers. Carmine's develops a special program for Cone Health employees for service and repairs. Carmine's voted business of the month by Kernersville Chamber of Commerce.
2019
Carmine's takes November cover in Kernersville News magazine as revolutionary auto care. Carmine's becomes and Ohlins Advanced Suspension technology Authorized dealer and a RaceChip dealer. Carmine's donates a retired loaner car - Volvo to Wheels For Hope. Carmine adds/replaces loaners to have a fleet of 10 free courtesy cars for their customers. Carmine purchases BMW i8 Hybrid to keep staff ahead of the curve with cutting edge technology. Carmine's team up with Ohlins and other sponsors to wrap the BMW race car in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Carmine's adds vehicle detail and restoration services.
2020
Carmine's adds a significant amount of special equipment and knowledge base for the service team to better serve customers and stay ahead of the curve. Additionally, Carmine's Import Service strategically works through, as an essential business, the biggest economic downturn since 2008 with unemployment at almost 14% within a 30 day period and one of the largest Pandemics with over 2M cases as of April 20th worldwide, Coronavirus, in over 100 years. Implementing new cleaning processes, ramping up customer concierge services by 80%, and adding TextPay for customers to easily finalize their repair order and following social distancing guidelines from the CDC. During all of this, we managed to assist senior citizens with grocery and pharmacy pickup, recommended by Jennifer, part of the web team at this time. Carmine's revises logo and signage for a more simple appearance and adds the BMW i8 to the building illuminated signage to replace the BMW F30.
2021
Carmine's makes a decision and drops Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We focus on finishing building #3 to secure the opportunities to take in Sprinter vans with our higher ceilings and other larger vehicles. Carmine's implements an ALL mask policy in early 2021 and also deploys an over the intranet automatic employee temperature tracker for employees with profiles and mask checking. Carmine's updates their internal network to meet 2025+ standards with 5G cell backup and state-of-the-art security. Delivery of a 2021 Model Y is in route for research and development. While we do not promote EVs at this time, we will embrace the customers who have them and offer them better service by better understanding the ones who drive them. This has always been Carmine's edge. He owns the cars customers drive. Other shops don't. We still retain a BMW i3 EV and will continue to monitor this sector through 2025 closely. Internal combustion is still the recommended form of transportation due to battery degradation and lack of charging infrastructure combined with lame EPA range claims.
2021.5
Carmine's was a Top 75 Automotive Training Institute pick for North America, and acquired a Model 3 Performance and Model S Plaid to further educate themselves with the Tesla brand. Carmine's also became the first to test a Tesla Plaid at Virginia International Raceway and locks in a regional dealership with Unplugged Performance (Authorized Tesla Performance Center) for the Triad area. Carmine's is also the first in the Triad to install two Tesla Wall Chargers in an independent Automotive Repair Shop environment.
2022
Carmine's makes multiple headlines and shakes up social media across the Globe being the first to take the Tesla Model S Plaid to its new 175MPH speed limit and experience the new Tesla 2021.44.30 software patch which included Track Mode amongst others.
Carmine's in conjunction with the friendship of professional driver Johan Schwartz, https://johanschwartz.com, makes headlines taking the record from the Porsche Taycan famous CAR and DRIVER lightning lap at Virginia International Raceway Grand Course by over 4 seconds with a 2:50.7 lap time and headlines go international and viral. CAR and DRIVER approved the 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid during the event morning check in with the front Unplugged Performance brakes because Tesla offers an even larger kit for all four corners of the vehicle. It is believed they were pressured to add to their article that the Tesla was modified by the media and the manufacturer of the ex-leader and state the car was 'Modified' even though we find out that the famous Lightning Lap can be run with modified suspensions and choice of tire compound without penalty.
2022.5
Company YouTube channel passes 1,000 subscribers mainly thanks to one Tesla Model S Plaid 'Short' video of Carmine II.
Winston-Salem Journal publishes an Expert in the area article on Carmine's Import Service and team.
Carmine's continues to transition off the new Bosch Car Service 'Quick Lube' model and decides against the newly offered Bosch franchise. This forces them to change signage but for the hood pushing out their social media logo to a state of the art halo street sign and beautiful new front counter signage.
Carmine's fully prepared for Tesla service including an exclusive long term maintenance care plan for customers, additional PRIVATELY hired and held High Voltage automotive training class for the whole staff and a full line of Tesla parts and service equipment for service on Tesla cars that is 500% more efficient than the Tesla Service network. We are also an official Tesla Parts Provider and have an official Tesla Wall Connector installation contractor. Click below on the Tesla logo to access the installer.
Carmine's Import Service is the first independent shop in the Triad to obtain a 2022 BMW i4 ///M50, take it to its limits, and do an honest and comprehensive review on YouTube after studying the car front to back and learning the new iDrive 8 interface.
In September 2022, Carmine's YouTube video "Tesla Model S Plaid First 11 Year Old to Launch it Possibly" hit 1,000,000 views!
2023
Voted Top 75 by The Automotive Training Institute pick for North America
Carmine's introduces an official partnership with Tesla Destination charging and adds more chargers to the property at West Mountain Street in Kernersville, NC that will total 8. The chargers are connected directly to Tesla and Carmine's now shows up on the Tesla app and inside EVs and charging apps across the country further cementing the company's spot in leading the future compared to others. These chargers will work on the new Tesla NACS (sae J3400) standard and the old sae J1772 type connector. The property also includes two chargers that have the new integrated adaptor for the older J1772 cars. A guest network for WiFi is created for Tesla Destination Charging clients. Official street signage is added for the Tesla Destination Chargers.
Shop enhancements: The employee beverage cafe and snack area is widely expanded. All shop floors receive the latest polished concrete treatment. Tire and wheel alignment equipment is upgraded to the latest and best technology available with Italian-Imported bluetooth camera, laser, and 'back-friendly' equipment. The alignment screen can now be held in your hands and the equipment can perform the best wheel alignments in the Triad. Shop management systems are switched over to the latest and greatest along with all computers and operating systems moving to Apple OS devices for better security on a fully managed platform.
All technicians are officially high voltage certified. AED machines are added to Building 1 and 2. HV safety stations with lock boxes are added to both shops for emergency situations on high voltage applications.
Savings & Specials
Reviews
Anu Williams, 11/08/2024
I needed my Tesla to be looked at for a squeaky noise. Tesla service center did not have an appointment for at least 41 days Max at Carmines was able to get me scheduled within a day or two. Drop off was easy and they even given me a ride back. However I did not go through getting the car fixed as the estimate was almost 8 times more than what Tesla quoted. I was willing to pay a little more but not that much. I decided instead to wait it out for the Tesla service appt. Max was very professional about my decision. All in all great experience. I will go back if the price was right.