Cooper's Auto Service, Inc

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Founded in 1946 by Robert Cooper and his son Keith, Cooper's Auto Service opened business in Portland out of a leased Atlantic Richfield gas station on 17th and Southeast Powell Blvd. The idea behind starting a small business at that time was as much out of necessity as it was a passion for cars. Having moved to the Northwest following the conclusion of WWII, the Cooper family hoped to find greener pastures out west, away from the lasting effects of depression era Kansas. Keith planned on coming to Oregon to attend college, finish his engineering degree, and parlay his military experience to become a test pilot for an aircraft manufacturer. Robert came with the rest of the family expecting to use his background as a service manager at a dealership in Emporia, Kansas, to work for a dealership in Portland. Unfortunately, in the time it took to gather up belongings and travel halfway across the continent, things changed. With the flood of young men returning from the war, available jobs filled quickly and once promised jobs quickly disappeared. Their only choice at that point was to risk what savings they had and start a business of their own. It began in modest fashion, with Robert working during the week pumping gas and performing mechanical repairs, and with Keith coming up from college on the weekends to fix body damage on cars for later sale. Soon, Keith had an engineering diploma in hand and a growing business with his father, though his original dreams would go...

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