There’s a certain kind of peace you feel when you hand your keys to someone you trust completely. Not just trust with your vehicle—but trust with your time, your safety and the momentum of your life. In Ocala, that feeling often begins the moment you pull into Weide Automotive Repair.

It doesn’t feel rushed. It doesn’t feel transactional. And it definitely doesn’t feel like you’re bracing for bad news. Instead, you’re met with something quieter and far more valuable—clarity. A conversation instead of a sales pitch. A sense that the person across the counter is more interested in helping you move forward than padding a ticket. That tone is intentional. And it starts at the top.

Owner Brien Weidemiller will tell you without hesitation that his greatest passion isn’t engines—it’s being a dad. Presence matters to him. So does empathy. And those priorities don’t stay at home when he comes to work. They shape the culture, the pace, and the expectations inside Weide Automotive every single day.

Brien didn’t start Weide Automotive because he loved what the auto industry had become. He started it because he didn’t. “I looked around and saw a lack of empathy, a lack of trust, and really poor working environments,” he shared with me. “And I realized—if I can’t find a place that’s better, I’m going to have to build one.”

From the beginning, Brien envisioned a Christ-centered business model—not built on slogans or surface-level branding, but on behavior. Customers would be treated with dignity. Employees would be developed, not hazed. Accountability would exist, but so would encouragement.

Brien’s roots are humble and local. He was raised on a farm right here in Ocala, growing up without air conditioning and learning early that comfort is earned, not assumed. After high school, he joined the Marine Corps. The experience sharpened his sense of discipline, responsibility and leadership. It also taught him that trust isn’t something you demand—it’s something you demonstrate, day after day, under pressure.

Ocala isn’t just the location on the sign—it’s the foundation. “This is my home,” Brien told me. “I want everyone to win.”