James R. McGeachin opened an AAMCO Transmission franchise in 1970 on Skyline Drive in Idaho Falls. There he dedicated himself providing the region's highest quality transmission service and repairs. After just four months, he decided to become independent and Western Transmission was born.
Western Transmission quickly became recognized for its overall service quality and the honesty of its owner. The business grew. Most repair jobs were difficult because fairly priced transmission parts were not easy to find. The nearest parts supplier was in Salt Lake City, so Western Transmission began to stock its own parts. As a result, other automotive shops in town began to purchase parts from Western Transmission. This branch of the business grew rapidly, with parts sales expanding into other areas of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah.
In 1974, Jim added a building adjacent to Western Transmission which became Idaho Transmission Warehouse, a wholesale parts supplier. The goal of ITW was to provide parts with same day service at fair prices.
An opportunity to open another wholesale parts store in Boise — from which location ITW would be able to service Western Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington State — soon presented itself. In 1982, Jim’s oldest son Jimmy moved to Boise to help run the business. Since then, Western Transmission has continued to grow and garner a reputation for quality service and honest work.
In 1989 ITW opened High Torque, a torque convertor remanufacturing plant. This plant allowed Western Transmission and ITW to supply themselves with torque convertors for services and sales.
Jim retired from the business in 1992, selling the company to his son Jimmy. Today Jimmy and Janice McGeachin own and operate J.R. McGeachin, Inc. and J.J. McGeachin, Inc.. Profits from the business continue to be reinvested in the company as they always have, now being used for state-of-the-art computer systems, phone systemss, machinery, and non-salary employee benefits.
Today, J.R. Inc. remains a thriving, growing business, one that contributes actively to the health and welfare of every community in which it operates. J.R. Inc. active member of the Chamber of Commerce, and is a supporter of numerous community organizations.