Fix It Forward Automotive

Shop Name: Fix It Forward Auto Care - Moorhead
Owner(s): Matt and Kristi Carlson
Location (city, state): Moorhead MN
Staff Size: 9
Shop Size: 7,200 square feet
Number of Bays: 9
Average Monthly Car Count: 390
Annual Revenue: $2.3 million

As General Motors repositions itself as a software company that builds cars, Matt Carlson somewhat embodies that mantra. Carlson entered the auto repair industry after 15 years at Microsoft as a software developer.

A confessed car enthusiast, Carlson spent a lot of time wrenching on and restoring cars before trying his hand in the business, first starting a nonprofit auto repair shop.

"I spend a lot of time working on cars on the side—restoring cars, performance, stuff like that—as a hobbyist, (and) realize there's a lot of need in the community for people who can't afford car repairs,” Carlson says.

Today, the nonprofit still exists, still repairs cars, and still solves transportation scarcity problems for those in need, but Carlson has since added a pair of general auto repair shops into the fold that goes by the name Fix It Forward.

Building a Trustworthy Brand

The Fix It Forward team handles its branding internally, from direct mailers to filming commercials.

To Carlson, the crossed wrenches within the red shield aren't just a statement of his faith, but a beacon to the community that they can put their trust in Fix It Forward to be a shop that cares about integrity, honesty and the customer. This also shows up in their mailers and commercials, all done in-house by a professional graphic designer on staff.

"We're trying to invoke a place that people can trust. We are a faith-based organization. That's where our nonprofit really lies. It's the reason why we do everything,” Carlson says. “But we work with anybody, help anybody. We never ask anybody about their faith background. We don't care; we're helping anybody we can.”

Creating a Model Shop from Front to Back

Inside the work area at Fix It Forward Auto Care.

At first glance, you might find it fitting that a shop that began as a nonprofit ministry would look like a church, or a Spanish mission (The Moorehead, Minnesota, location loosely resembles The Alamo). It’s not by design, though. It’s an immaculately kept shop that Carlson takes great pride in.

“We really focus on convenience and comfort for our customers. So, we've got a waiting room with some nice chairs and free snacks and coffee for the customer,” Carlson says. “We don't encourage waiters; we have free loaner cars … and we do free Uber rides. So, if anybody wants a ride home, we will give it, but if they are going to stay, we want to make sure they're comfortable.”

The repair shop—true to its corporate commitment to helping all—caters to vehicles of all sizes, both light and heavy-duty. In the front of the shop is the tire and lube area with four bays which is partitioned from the rest of the shop, which is comprised of a series of lifts in the back of the shop.

“We have a bunch of 10k-two post hoists. We like to have one 12-k in each of our locations. If we have a one-ton truck, we can pick that up safely. We put an alignment rack in all of our locations,” Carlson says. “So all of our locations (have) 9, 10 or 11 lifts. They're all roughly the same size.”