Mission Statement

As German, English Italian and Swedish car specialists, we know the customer is what matters and the vehicle is an extension of them. We strive to bring satisfaction through exceptional service, honest and understandable pricing and work performed in a timely manner. Whether a modern or exotic vehicle, routine maintenance or involved repair, our mission is to provide high quality service. Of our many core values, we target price competitiveness, but quality and the lowest price rarely fit together. Our added value comes from the personal touch, the little extras we do for you.

Meet Our Team

Alan Apel

Alan’s love of cars began over 40 years ago in Denver as a British car enthusiast who kept a Triumph TR-3, an MGB and a GT6+ of his own on the road including the TR-4A IRS and TR6 of his brothers. Soon after he became a FIAT-Lancia, SAAB technician in San Diego at West Coast Sports & Imports and again in Denver at Grand Prix Motors. In Denver, he progressed to Master Technician and later contracted to Apple Motors before transferring to Rosen Novak Imports (later Gateway Mazda) first as a Fiat-Lancia, Mazda and Peugeot Technician and then as a Service Manager-Advisor.

Moving back to San Diego he became an Alfa Romeo technician, scoring at the top of the curve in the annual Alfa Romeo Technician Contest, which led to working at the corporate offices of Alfa Romeo Inc. (later ARDONA: Alfa Romeo Distributors of North America). Following the announcement in 1992 of Alfa’s planned departure from the U.S. market, Alan found a home at American Honda as a Technical Instructional Designer. In 1995, Mercedes-Benz recruited him to head up the International Product Sales and Service training team of the startup SUV, M-Class plant in Alabama. After managing the Training teams, the Service Engineering and Warranty teams and the Service Literature team, he took an early retirement in November 2006 to open Empire Autohaus.

Karen Apel

Administration of daily operations, management of personnel, contract negotiation, business organization, accounting, marketing, advertising…..Karen has one of the most demanding jobs. She is also a big fan of the Mercedes, BMWs and sports cars we service. She assisted in the coordination of Alfa Romeo’s CART racing events in the 1990’s. When Alfa departed from the U.S. market, Karen went to work as Office Manager for Vitas Hospice in California. Karen brings many years of experience in customer service and business management to Empire Autohaus.

Years later, moving to Alabama with her husband Alan, Karen worked as a Marketing Coordinator for Atrion Medical Products in Birmingham. Karen is originally from Midland, Michigan and graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Communications degree and a minor in Business Management. Karen is interested in people and adds a genuine warmth and sincerity to the daily interactions at Empire Autohaus.

Jared Camp

European Automotive Technician – Jared’s resume brings a strong emphasis of Volkswagen expertise.  He returns to EAH after moving to South Carolina years ago.  His positive attitude and along with his additional training brings a solid addition to our company.

Join Our Team

Interested in becoming a part of the EAH Team? Currently we have an opening for a Master Technician.

Master Technician Job Description

Office Administrator Job Description

Employment Application

Technician Questionnaire