Title: Owner
Company: Haines Creek Garage
Location: Leesburg, Florida, United States
L. Christine Harris, owner at Haines Creek Garage, has been recognized by Top Business Owners for dedication, achievements, and leadership in the automotive repair industry.
Having navigated a significant transition from the healthcare industry to automotive services, Ms. Harris has excelled as the owner of Haines Creek Garage in Leesburg, Florida, since 2022. In her present position, she manages a range of responsibilities including greeting and checking in customers, preparing repair orders for technicians, coordinating customer transportation needs, answering phones and scheduling appointments, and managing accounts payable and daily bill payments. Moreover, she handles resolving customer complaints and concerns, coordinating with parts representatives and vendors, and overseeing day-to-day technician operations. Ms. Harris’ expertise in automotive shop management and customer service operations has been instrumental in establishing the business as a local leader.
Ms. Harris is incredibly proud of her commitment to ensuring that every customer leaves Haines Creek Garage satisfied and confident in the safety of their vehicle. She prioritizes vehicle safety above all else and has made it a point to turn away work when she does not feel comfortable with a vehicle’s condition, even if it means losing a sale. This dedication to fairness and understanding extends to both her employees and customers.
Under Ms. Harris’s leadership, Haines Creek Garage has achieved remarkable recognition within just three and a half years of operation. The aforementioned business was honored with the Carfax Top Automotive Shop Award for three consecutive years beginning in 2023, despite not being in business a full year when they received the first accolade. Additional recognition to their credit include being celebrated as Best Automotive Shop by Lake Style Magazine in 2024 and the Top Rated Automotive Shop from Lake County. In 2025, Haines Creek Garage was featured as a “Triangle Sun Winner” in Reader’s Choice.
Prior to entering the automotive industry, Ms. Harris built an extensive career in dentistry spanning more than two decades. From 1997 to 2022, she found success as a dental office manager at various dental offices in Tampa, Florida. In this capacity, she developed strong organizational skills and a deep understanding of business operations, skills that would later prove invaluable as she transitioned into entrepreneurship. Ms. Harris began her career as a dental assistant at dental offices throughout Tampa.
Ms. Harris’s educational background includes completing the dentistry program at Concorde Career Institute in Tampa, Florida. The knowledge gained through her academic training laid the foundation for her early career success and provided essential skills for managing complex business environments.
The decision to move into the automotive sector was driven by Ms. Harris’s desire to deliver superior customer service, a principle she had cultivated during her years in dentistry. Alongside her husband George, who accumulated 45 years of experience in the automotive dealership industry, she identified a gap in the market for personalized service that larger dealerships often lacked. Their combined expertise created what Ms. Harris describes as a perfect team: her proficiency in business management complemented by her husband’s technical knowledge and customer service philosophy.
Family values are central to Ms. Harris’s approach to business and life. She credits her father Bruce Sanders—who worked over five decades in telephone contracting—for instilling in her the importance of hard work and striving for excellence. These lessons have shaped her straightforward approach to leadership and her emphasis on mutual respect within both professional and personal relationships. Beyond her primary business endeavors, Ms. Harris is committed to supporting veterans’ causes through regular donations to veterans’ charities each year as an expression of gratitude for those who have served.
Looking toward the future, Ms. Harris intends to continue building Haines Creek Garage while ensuring its long-term sustainability beyond her direct involvement. She is focused on making the business self-sufficient so it can thrive under new leadership while maintaining its core values of family-oriented service and individualized attention. To those aspiring to enter the automotive industry or any field requiring dedication, she encourages perseverance and hard work as keys to achieving one’s goals. Ms. Harris hopes her legacy will be defined by fairness, respect for others and unwavering adherence to principles rooted in an old-school upbringing.
Contact Ms. Harris: