About
A new name. A team you'd already trust.
Handled launched in 2026. The team behind it has been keeping Northern Virginia on the road since 1969.
In 1969, UT Brown opened Cardinal Plaza Shell. More than fifty years later it's still here — still run by the same family, still serving the same Northern Virginia community.
Scott Brown grew up in his father's shop and took over ownership in the 1990s. Chris Chagnon has worked alongside Cardinal Plaza Shell since 1998. Between them, that's a lifetime spent under the hood for Northern Virginia drivers — and a long, close look at what the experience of auto service does to people.
Because the work itself was never the hard part. The waiting room was. The service-advisor phone call was. The estimate you hoped would hold was. Scott and Chris spent decades watching solid repair work get wrapped in a dated, frustrating experience — and they're the kind of people who would rather change that than live with it.
Handled is what they built: a car-service experience designed for how people actually live now — picked up and delivered, every price published, every step by text. As little friction as possible, so a busy life gets easier and the car is simply handled.
Community
Rooted in the neighborhood.
A shop that stays in one community for five decades becomes part of it. Cardinal Plaza Shell has long backed the schools, teams, and organizations that make West Springfield and the surrounding area what it is — and Handled carries that forward.
- West Springfield High School
- Lake Braddock Secondary School
- ECHO
- West Springfield Little League
- Local churches
- Community pools
- Area youth leagues
The team
The people you're trusting with your car — most of them came up through Cardinal Plaza Shell.
Scott Brown
CEO
Grew up in the shop his father, UT Brown, opened in 1969. Scott took over Cardinal Plaza Shell in the 1990s and has led it since.
Chris Chagnon
COO
Has worked alongside Cardinal Plaza Shell since 1998. Chris helped shape Handled into what it is — the same trusted work, with the friction removed.
Nico Garcia
General Manager
Came up as an automotive technician at Cardinal Plaza Shell. Nico now runs the day-to-day as Handled's General Manager.
CJ Anderson
Automotive Technician
Sharpened his craft as an automotive technician at Cardinal Plaza Shell, and brings that same standard to every car Handled touches.
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Elana Sistoza
Automotive Technician
The newest of the group — learning the trade directly from the people who have been doing it right for decades.