Small Business Showcase - The West Shop - Auburn, KS

This latest small business showcase was a blast! I love shooting these outdoor sessions with lots of the work environment. That’s really cool. I’ve known Lindsey and Austin West for a long time and I was so happy to be able to do this project with them. As many of you know, we are showcasing small businesses on our blog and it’s been great. It’s been awesome to see the hard work that these entrepreneurs have put into building a great business and it’s been fun to work with them, even if it’s just for a few minutes. I had a great time with them and I can tell they put everything into their business. Thanks for checking out our Small Business Showcase with The West Shop!

T.H. Peterson: How did you get into diesel mechanics?

Austin: I grew up working with my dad and grandpa on the farm. Dad always had hot rods around that we would tinker with and then around high school he started buying trucks. We would fix them up and sell them and I always found the semi trucks to be more fun to work on.

T.H. P.: Seems like a busy job! How long are you booked out?

Austin: Now that we have hired Troy, things move a lot faster. One of us is usually on a big job and the other is on the quicker in and out jobs. The big jobs are usually 2-3 weeks out, whereas smaller jobs are around 3-4 days.

T.H. P.:  Tell me a little bit about your crew.

Austin: I am the owner/operator. I have been a full time diesel mechanic for 10 years now for multiple places. Our shop has now been opened for over a year and a half. I grew up helping on the farm and tinkering with different things with my dad. 

Lindsey has been doing financial work for 12 years and is now doing ours full time, as well as trying to keep our wild kids in check full time.

Troy and I have worked with each other for 5 years of his 10 years in the industry. Troy grew up around the trucking industry and started turning wrenches with his dad at a young age, as well as building some hot rods along the way. Gaining Troy has been a tremendous help and we hope to grow the business and be able to partner up down the road.

T.H. P.:  How do your clients find you?

Austin: Started out just word of mouth, we now have our business listed on google as well as a Facebook page that has grown way more than I would have imagined.

T.H. P.: What has been the best marketing for your business?

Austin: I would have to say the best marketing for us has been word of mouth. I get calls all the time saying they got my number from someone I’ve previously done work for, which is absolutely a great feeling.

T.H. P.: How do you stand out from other shops?

Austin: I believe what makes us stand out the most from other shops is the fact that we haven’t forgotten about the little guys. We are what some refer to as a “Ma and Pa” shop. All the big shops are at higher labor rates and unless you are a large fleet, they have a care less attitude. When you come to us you see and talk to everyone involved.

T.H. P.: What do you like most about your job?

Austin: The thing I like the most about my job is the personal relationships I get to build with my customers. A lot of customers have turned more into friends. It’s funny to see the phone ring and it turns out it’s not even about work, it’s just to see how things are going.

T.H. P.: How can people find you / get ahold of you?

Austin: Right now we can be found on Google and Facebook, or call 785-633-9775.

T.H. P.:  What would you like your potential clients / the public to know about you?

Austin: What I want everyone to know is that we actually do take pride in our work and stand behind our workmanship. We try to do absolutely any and everything we possibly can to keep your trucks running and turn bad situations better all while saving you money over the big shops around.

  Here are some of the engines they’ve worked on.
 

    Do you have a small business? Would you like to be featured on our blog? Send us a message on our facebook page or reach out to us by email! We'd love to work with you!