1. A Plan to Scan

Every action taken by the staff at Rick’s 36 Automotive is based on a simple philosophy: say yes to the customer. Along those lines, the shop performs free scanning when customers have a check engine light come on. Owner Mars Overlee wants repeat customers, but he certainly doesn’t want customers to be forced to promptly return to the shop due to shoddy maintenance work. That’s why, last year, Overlee was willing to invest nearly $10,000 in a Farsight scan tool by Autologic. Now, he says, “when we give somebody a diagnosis, we know it’s right.”

2. Lifting Themselves Up

In 2015, Overlee invested in three new Rotary hoists. While the expenditure reached nearly $11,000 total, the shop operator felt the safety of his employees was well worth it, especially considering the previous lifts were nearly 20 years old. Overlee says the new lifts are “high efficiency, and they have better adjustments on them, so we can get the cars lifted faster and looked at faster.”

3. Raising The Roof

Sticking with the investment theme, a few years ago Overlee also invested in a new roof for his shop. And, in the process of replacing the shop’s old, leaky covering, the owner utilized a company that specializes in flat roofs like the one atop Rick’s 36. The new roof, which features sheet metal, appears to be “about four times as thick” as the previous one, Overlee says. “So it [shouldn’t] wear out nearly as fast—it should be good for about 40 years.”

4. Getting Festive

It has long been a tradition at the Minnesota facility to display a holiday scene out front, between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Wood carvings of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, along with other holiday staples like the Misfit Toys, are featured. The holiday display gets clients (and potential customers in the Stillwater community) talking, Overlee says. “It’s just a way to kind of give back,” Overlee explains. “Just to have a good time.”