Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Elder.
Hi Kevin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began my auto repair journey as a small child. My dad was an aviation mechanic for years and always worked on our vehicles and those in our neighborhood growing up. Helping him sparked my interest in mechanics and how things worked. I took many of my childhood toys apart to see how they worked. Sometimes I could figure out how they went back together though I’m sure most of the time it was unsuccessful.
I imagine it was frustrating to my parents that I took apart a perfectly good working toy only to ruin it. I guess it was part of my learning process. Thankfully they never steered me away from learning about how things worked.
I knew I wanted to own my own repair shop from a young age and right out of high school I started working here at KC Brake. I learned as I went and was mentored by co workers and previous owners. I was able to work my way up from entry level technician to lead technician and eventually shop manager over the next 18 years.
In the summer of 2018 my wife Sara and I were able to buy the business from the owner that I had worked for/with for 15 years.
Since then we have been molding the business and the shop into what it is today. Increasing workspaces inside, adding technicians, shop tools and equipment, diagnostic capabilities and so on.
It has really grown into what I always knew was possible.
We now employ 4 technicians and a service writer and have grown our working space to a 6 bay shop and will likely be adding another technician soon! We recently implemented digital vehicle inspections to show more in depth diagnostics and photos to our customers. This has been a great addition and we have received a lot of very positive feedback from it.
This business was built in 1923 as KC Brake Inc. and has always been a privately owned repair shop.
Being a part of a 100+ year old shop is really cool! I am proud to carry on the legacy of the shop.
Now it’s Kevin’s KC Brake and I couldn’t be more proud to be the owner of a successful business in the Crossroads District in KC!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it hasn’t always been easy at all. Running a business is tough, and this field is tough. It takes a lot of time and it’s hard work. There are a lot of things that come into play that effect how the business does. It takes a lot of work to run it successfully. Something I’ve put a lot of time in to maintain positive customer feedback while still being successful as a business. We take great pride in servicing the Kansas City area.
Staffing is tough in a specialized field and finding the right crew has been fairly difficult too. Thankfully, now we have an amazing crew that does a great job of representing our culture and core values.
The hardest time for us was definitely Covid. Like many businesses it was so uncertain of what was going to happen. When downtown “shut down” we had no cars coming in at all. Even being deemed an essential business wasn’t helpful as there were just so few people driving into work downtown.
We were so close to having to close the doors. Timing couldn’t have been worse as we had only owned the business for a couple years at that time. That was the only time that I thought we really might lose everything. That was a really scary time for us.
Thankfully we were able to tough it out and made changes to our schedule and our business plan so we didn’t have to let any employees go during those months. We fought through and came out the other side stronger than ever. After that business picked up and the shop has been growing since.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Kevin’s KC Brake And Auto Repair?
We’re a full service automotive repair shop that’s been in business for 100+ years. We offer many services from brakes and suspension, to diagnosing, regular maintenance and ac repair. We also sell tires.
We offer an honest comprehensive look at vehicles to put together the best plan for services needed. Our digital inspections give our customers a look at everything we see so they can make the best choice of the path for repairs.
We’re known for being an honest repair shop with our customers interest in mind.
Our honesty sets us apart from others as well as our “small town repair shop” feel in the city.
I am most proud of what the shop has become and our culture that goes against the stigma of an auto repair shop. We couldn’t be more proud of our reputation in Kansas City.
We go above and beyond to make sure our customers are informed of their vehicle needs and that they understand fully so there’s no surprises.
Our honesty and integrity sets our bar higher than most repair shops!
Our shop motto: “BE THE DIFFERENCE”
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Surround yourself with people that will hold you up to your potential.
Don’t take shortcuts, sometimes you benefit more from the difficult path.
Don’t be afraid to make changes, change is scary! But change gets you where you need to go.
Don’t be afraid of setbacks, sometimes it’s for the better. If something doesn’t work learn from it and adapt.
Be proud of what you’re doing!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://KCBRAKEANDAUTOREPAIR.COM
- Facebook: Kevin’s KC Brake LLC
