Drive down Cemetery Road in Columbia County near Randolph and you’ll see some old hot rod muscle cars. Judging by the name of the road, you might think this is where old cars come to die. Molly Gursky would be quick to tell you, “This is where dead cars come back to life. They come here to be driven again.”
Gursky is driven to succeed in a male-dominated field and after trying a corporate job, she found her way back to her true passion. These days the corporate lifestyle has given way to blue jeans and a T-shirt inside Driven Restorations body shop. She would tell other women, “Get your hands dirty. It’s OK to bang your knuckles every once in a while and you can still be pretty.” Gursky has always been encouraged by her family, especially her mother, to be a strong, independent-minded person. Gursky says, “who really cares what other people are going to think?”
Her passion has propelled her into the muscle car business. She remembers being one of the only girls in her auto shop class at Madison West High School. Gursky admits tearing a car apart and putting it back together can be satisfying and frustrating. Her determination and perseverance earned her the nickname the “Puzzle Queen”. It’s a title she earned after showing her ability to solve problems, think through the planning process and then make it happen.
She credits her business partner and husband Steve with helping her find her way. Steve Gursky says Molly is probably the hardest worker he’s ever met. He says it’s her confidence that helps her succeed. They met when she was a senior in high school and have been inseparable ever since running a business and raising a family.
Perfection is what the Gursky’s aim for and making it better than new. Sometimes they work on the same car for months, even years tracking down parts. With that type of time commitment, customers become like family and their cars like kids. Molly Gursky always remembers what it’s like to turn the keys back over to the owner, “The look on their face is priceless.”
Gursky admits it’s a dream come true to own her own business, be her own boss and building amazing cars.
