Tony Gregory (President and Founder)
Cornerstone Automotive
A Family Beginning
Tony Gregory founded Cornerstone Automotive in 1991 in Houston, Texas, in the middle of the same season of life he and his wife, Karen, were raising their growing family of four children. It was very much a family affair from day one—you can still find their handprints pressed into the concrete at our original location today.
That sense of family didn’t stay behind at the first shop. It became the blueprint for how Tony believed every Cornerstone location should be run.
Built to Last, Not to Franchise
When Tony set out to grow Cornerstone beyond that first shop, he made a deliberate choice: no franchise model. Instead, every new location is entrusted to a partner—an owner/operator with a genuine stake in the business, not a licensee following a playbook.
It’s a structure Tony designed on purpose, so that each partner could build something real enough to support their own family, the way Cornerstone once supported his. And it’s meant to protect something bigger than any single shop: a standard of quality and honesty at every Cornerstone location that Tony believes brings honor to his faith in God and to the community each shop serves.
Outside of Cornerstone, Tony carries that same passion for honoring history as President of the Battleship Texas Foundation, continuing his family’s long commitment to preserving the ship for future generations.
“Every partner who joins Cornerstone becomes part of something bigger than a repair shop. We’re building businesses that support families, communities, and a standard of work we’re proud to put our name on.”
— Tony Gregory, Founder