SHOP: Aspen Auto Clinic LOCATION: Colorado Springs (corporate)
OWNER: Greg Bunch SIZE: 10,000 square feet (including corporate offices)
STAFF: 10 (5 ASE technicians, 4 general service, 2 service advisors, 1 store manager) ANNUAL REVENUE: $2.3 million
When the location Greg Bunch had his heart set on for his fourth shop ended up going to a competitor, he was forced to find another option. He got in touch with his commercial real estate agent who happened to have a tenant that was bailing on its lease. Bunch’s early misfortune ended up being a blessing in disguise when the new location turned out to be a perfect fit and was available two years before the original location, giving Aspen Auto Clinic time to build up a loyal customer base.
The Jet Stream location is one of six Aspen Auto Clinics owned by Greg Bunch and is also home to its corporate offices. Located in a residential neighborhood, this location has organically become one of the top spots for BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz repair.
1) The entryway immediately makes it clear why this building was such a special find. The tenant that was leaving ran a business that provided floors, fixtures and walls for custom houses. Since they left in such a rush, many things were left behind, including beautiful flooring, countertops and displays. Aspen Auto Clinic inherited all of the building’s special features—including a grand entryway that gave the shop $30,000–$40,000 worth of tile upgrades just for moving in. The rock wall and archway were inherited and a beautiful tile counter was in place. Aspen Auto Clinic hired someone to extend it, and now it serves as the check-in counter.
2) The lobby is located right off of the entryway and has a flat-screen TV, plenty of magazines and comfortable furniture to lounge in. All six of the Aspen Auto Clinic locations have prints of Aspen trees hanging on the wall that were taken by a local artist, Kristina Powell of Heaven Sent Photography.
3) For customers waiting, there is a coffee bar, free snacks and cold drinks in the fridge that are replenished often. Aspen Auto Clinic is currently working with a local roaster located just north of the Jet Stream location to create an exclusive blend of coffee to be used at all six Aspen Auto locations. The plan is for all of the proceeds from Aspen Auto Clinic’s coffee brand to help out several organizations around the country.
4) For parents that need to bring along their kids, there is plenty to keep them occupied. One of the most unique features for kids was inherited from the previous tenant. Not wanting to waste anything, Bunch converted the old piece of furniture that was left behind into a chalkboard where kids can draw pictures or write special messages. The chalkboard doubles as a tabletop for a great selection of videos to go along with the kids’ TV.
5) The actual shop floor is extremely bright, with white epoxy floors, bright lights, and white walls and ceiling. Technicians appreciate the bright environment, but it does make it harder to keep it clean. There are four general service workers that are in charge of the cleanliness of the shop when they are not busy doing other things. Aspen Auto prides itself on the fact that the shop floor is always customer ready.
6) This location employs one of the top European technicians in town and has built up a reputation for heavy duty-diagnostic repairs for European vehicles. Aspen Auto Clinic keeps its stellar reputation up by using the best tools for the job. Among others, Aspen Auto Clinic uses a Snap-on VERUS diagnostic tool, Volvo and BMW timing tools, Autel scan tool, and iSCAN.
7) A dedicated shuttle provides customers the freedom of leaving the shop if they need to be somewhere else. “In today’s world, everyone is in a hurry, everyone needs to be somewhere other than the shop,” says Bunch. The shuttle will take customers anywhere (within a reasonable distance) that they need to be.
