Tuesday, January 8, 2019

The Reboot of Ek Automotive
re·boot
verb
/rēˈbo͞ot/
1) To start anew, with fresh ideas in a way that is consistent with the principals of the original, but not unnecessarily constrained by what has taken place before.
    
Sometime about the middle of last yearI sat down with my crew and told them that my vision for the shop went beyond being the ideal automotive repair shop. My vision was that the shop becomes a model business. I want to go so far beyond the standard blueprint. I   wanted to create the kind of place that other businesses from other industries would come to study and model themselves after. “What if Apple were an automotive repair shop? What would it look like? Or Google, Tesla, Amazon, Facebook, or even Monster Beverage?” I asked my crew. What would it to customers? What would it be to the crew? How is that atmosphere created? How can we achieve this and still keep our current vibe? Truth is I already knew some of the answers. I was waiting to hear what they had to say their input is invaluable.   Mike asked me what the budget was for such a huge undertaking, I told him the budget was ‘cool, don’t worry about it’
Before
After

We went to work creating brand new positions and bringing on more employees. We shifted gears in our approach to production and efficiency. We implemented a team system that has everyone working together.  A system like this is not commonly practiced in the automotive industry. The technicians asked if they could have air conditioning through the production area (bays. Of course the answer was a resounding yes. In fact, we had a new state of the art HVAC systems installed through both buildings completely. There was so much more to this but in the end, it was all to benefit our customers and our crew. Then came the facilities itself. Being an artist and dabbling in interior design, I took the lead on this. My shop has always been an extension of myself, and that wasn’t going to change. However, at the same time, I had to think about our customers and crew. It had to be the perfect combination of, Urban Industrial/ Form fitting function/ Customer appeal/ and the WOW factor, along with a blend of automotive meets art.   We nailed it!!!      The feedback has been incredible, so positive, you’ll have to stop in and see for yourself.

Look for the announcement of our Reboot gala celebration this spring,promise it will be quite the event.

7 comments:

  1. I’m extraordinarily excited to see the shop again!

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  2. Replies
    1. Thanks, the inside looks even better, stop in some time

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  4. How wonderful! Beautiful! Congratulations on a job well-done. I’m taking you up on that invitation to stop by and will do that soon. —Ruthie (Tommy’s mom) 😊😍

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  5. Work process changes sound good for crew & customers. Not so sure about new exterior look for building. Not as "artsy", engaging or welcoming as the previous look. New look actually feels a bit foreboding.Some color besides black would help.

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