WHEATLAND — Since 1971 the Jenkins family has operated Jenkins Auto Body in Wheatland: a staple in the community for body work and paint after accidents, fender-benders, acts of nature and/or restoration. 

“My dad, Hugh, and his brother Bob were both body men, they put a crew together and were doing so well they decided to go into their own business, which was the Old Grease Spot,” said Wade Jenkins, second generation owner. “In about 1970 or 1971 my dad opened the current location and here we are today.” 

Throughout high school, Jenkins-the-younger was not really interested in body work and was the recipient of a football scholarship to Chadron State College. “I decided to stay in Wheatland and go to work at the shop. The power plant had already hired everyone they needed, so I stayed, and found out not only that I liked it, but I was good at it,” Jenkins said. Later, Jenkins and his dad ended up forming their own partnership. 

“At one point in time there were about five or six body shops in Wheatland, and it was tough. But we hung in there. After 12 years of owning the business together, I bought him out and convinced him to retire,” Jenkins recalled. Jenkins married his high school sweetheart, Theresa, and raised their family in Wheatland. 

Lane Read also spent some time growing up in Wheatland. As puzzle pieces have a way of falling into place, Read met his future wife, Courtney Jenkins. While they both moved on to pursue schooling and careers (Read working for Polaris™ and in the oil fields in Pinedale, and Courtney working as a cosmetologist in Casper), they found their way back to Wheatland in 2016 when Read began working for Jenkins Auto Body, bringing with him experience and two degrees:  one in Automotives and one in Welding. “We like Wheatland,” said Read. “All of Courtney’s family is here, and we were just too far away. We are here to stay; we can make a living and I’m happy with that.” 

Jenkins added that things in the automotive world have evolved so much that technology plays almost a bigger role in solving auto issues than the physical components of a vehicle. “Things are so different now with vehicles. People used to have a relationship with their car, and as kids we all spent so much time in them: dragging main, picking up fries and a shake, socializing, working on them, or running the quarter mile outside of town,” said Jenkins.  “Things now have a large tech component and Lane is very tech-savvy, so the time was right to pass the torch.” 

Read became the official owner on January 1, 2024.

“We have traded roles,” Jenkins said. “I am now the full-time employee and Lane is the owner. We are not perfect, but we will stand behind everything we do,” Jenkins added. “Ask anyone in town about our reputation. We are confident that we have a good reputation under our belt. I built a clientele in my time, and now Lane is building his. Being self-employed isn’t easy, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

“The goal is to provide a good childhood for our kids like Wheatland did for my wife. If one of our kids takes over the business and it becomes a third-generation business, that would be ok with us,” Read said.