Hepler Bros. LLC is a Jacksonville family-operated franchise of Fibrenew International, a Canadian-based company that’s been perfecting leather, vinyl and plastic repair for more than 25 years.  This is our story.

Carey and his brother Brian were born in Nappannee, Indiana.  They moved to the Ft. Myers, Florida area with their parents in 1969. Both earned the rank of Eagle Scout, and Brian was the American Legion Boy Scout of the Year in 1977. Carey received both an undergraduate degree and an MBA from the University of Florida (Go Gators!).  Brian received his undergraduate degree from Florida State University (Go Noles!).  Despite this fundamental difference in philosophy, they teamed up in 2010 to form Hepler Bros.

Carey was most recently employed as the Director of Innovation at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida.  He has a Black Belt in Quality Function Deployment (QFD) which is all about making customers happy, and he recently recieve the 2010 Akao Prize for distinguished contributions to the QFD community.  He has more friends on Facebook than he realized, and he’s a proud member of Jacksonville’s Southside Business Men’s Club.

As most people know, behind every good man there is a good woman.  In this case, it’s Ruth Ann, who became Carey’s bride in 1991. A rare Florida native who was born and raised in Panama City, she is now a partner in the law firm of Sullivan & Hepler but acts as the bookkeeper, organizer, office manager, chief cook and bottle washer of Hepler Bros. in her spare time.

Carey is a member of the Jacksonville chapter of the American Marketing Association and theSouthside Business Men’s Club.  He and Brian have been collecting and donating gently used running shoes for the homeless in conjunction with the River Run since 2003, an endeavor they call Sole Purpose.
Ruth Ann is a founding member of the San Marco Rotary Club and serves as the Foundation Chair.

Carey and Brian’s dad, Roney, 85 years young, provides moral support for Hepler Bros. and taxi services for his three beloved granddaughters. He is retired from Robb & Stuckey Furniture in Ft. Myers and is a humble veteran of WWII. He was captured by the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge at the age of 19 and was held as a POW.

Jane Hepler, matriarch of the Hepler clan, passed away in January 2008. She and Roney were married for 54 years. She is smiling down on us from Heaven as she delights in our new adventure.