seymourherald.com
http://seymourherald.com/news/2010/feb/08/new-owner-takes-pride-in-auto-/
new owner takes pride in auto shop
published: February 08 2010 05:01 PM
updated:: February 09 2010 01:43 AM
By Brooke Stevenson
brooke@seymourherald.com
Staff members at Seymour Oil & Lube pride themselves on providing quick and friendly service in a clean environment.
New owner, Rick Parks, bought the building in November 2009 after moving back to the area.
Originally from the area, Parks moved to California because he was the Vice President of MAN Roland, a large European printing company.
“I decided to move back here to be close to my family,” Parks said. “I didn’t have a job lined up and my passion has always been cars.”
In early 2009 Parks saw the shop for sale and decided he wanted to buy the business.
“I kept working with the owner back and forth and negotiated until I finally got it,” he said.
Parks’ business is financed locally through Mountain National Bank because he feels it is important to conduct business locally within the community.
The shop has four full-time local employees, including Parks, and they provide several different services.
“We do oil changes and the building, which was new in 2006, is really designed and set up to efficiently do oil changes,” Parks said. “That is our primary business.”
The shop also offers transmission and coolant flushing, wheel balancing and break installations and repairs.
“We have a good inventory, all the supplies we need,” Parks said. “We keep in stock over 2,400 quarts of oil.”
Even though the winter weather has slightly hampered business, Parks said over all business has been good.
“I’m thrilled, the people are so nice,” he said. “Basically our business motto here is just honesty. These quick lube shops have such a terrible reputation for trying to rob people.
“A lot of our clients are women and older people. I think that once you develop your trust with customers and they see that you’re not out to get them, they come back again and again.”
He added that none of his employees ever coerce their customers to buy anything, but they definitely will recommend fixing something that is damaged.
“As part of our oil change we do a very comprehensive inspection of the vehicle,” Parks said. “We go through head to toe.
“From the top of the car, inside of the car, underneath the car and really check the exhaust, the breaks and give a good visual inspection of the car as well as in the engine compartment.”
The shop doesn’t really do any major repair work, so a lot of the time employees refer customers who have car damage to someone else locally.
“It is strictly what we can do quickly,” Parks said. “If we can help the person we can, but if we can’t then we send them to someone else.
“We refer locally, it is important to keep everything local.”
Parks’ building is state of the art and environmentally sound. They crush and recycle their oil filters and they also heat the building with used oil from cars.
The oil that isn’t used in the furnace is recycled through a Knoxville vender that uses it in heavy machinery.
“We have a very, very clean shop,” Parks said. “We take a lot of pride in keeping it clean and that should transfer over to our customers. It is not a place that is rough.”
Parks added that he invested in the technology to quickly and accurately provide services to his customers.
“The shop is state of the art with a full inventory,” he said. “We have a good supply of inventory for all types of cars.”