On-site service
When Post Falls’ businesswoman Mary Willeford needs to have her car’s oil changed, all she has to do is make one phone call. Without having to leave her home or office, Willeford has come to rely on a time-saving alternative to the all ready snappy service provided by most auto care companies. The twist? This one comes to you.
It’s The Pit Crew, a full-service mobile solution started by Ryan Rock Wells that travels to wherever a customer specifies, from the Lake City to the River City and beyond. The on-site auto care’s services also include rock chip repair, car washes, minor dent removal and interior cleaning.
Wells charges $34.95 for an oil change for most vehicles, including new oil filter, refilling of fluids, light vacuuming and other inspections. He also performs rock-chip repair, minor dent removal and interior detailing.
“My time is expensive, so it’s actually less expensive to have him come and do it than to drive somewhere to have it done,” said Willeford, a local Allstate insurance agent who’s been a Crew customer for nearly eight months. “I don’t have to leave the office. They come to me, on my terms and I love it.”
For Wells, the business has been a lifelong dream that came to fruition just over a year ago.
A native of Lewiston, the 32-year-old has had a penchant for all things automotive since fixing up cars while in high school. But it wasn’t until recently that Wells considered auto care as a career option.
“I’ve always been interested in vehicles. Working with my hands is, obviously, my passion, and being outdoors and working with people,” he said.
After six years of serving in the Air Force, Wells in 2002 made the move to North Idaho and began doing carpentry work. Finally giving in to an inner automotive calling, Wells early last year began to look into some entrepreneurial alternatives.
“I always wanted to do something entrepreneurial, especially after being in the military,” Wells said. While researching business ideas on the Internet, Wells discovered there wasn’t anything in the area similar to his portable, auto-care concept.
“There was a niche there not being fulfilled,” he said. “It seemed like it fit.”
So with a plan in mind, Wells set about building his business from the ground up, literally. As the owner and lone employee of The Pit Crew, the last thing Wells had to do was construct a trailer that would serve as his mobile base.
As far as his business plan, Wells said “I kind of put it together myself.” Though he noted that the difficulties facing a new business in establishing a name for itself can be taxing, Wells added “there is no way to do it without jumping in and getting your hands dirty.”
Now, a year later, marked by lessons learned, some word-of-mouth advertising and help from other business owners through a local tip group, Wells’ business is still going strong, though he’s seen other startups come and go.
“It’s been educational,” he said. “I do feel like I’m on the right path career-wise for the first time in my life, so I must be doing something right.”
Yet, he’s well aware of where to direct the thanks for his success. “Basically I depend on the community, and it’s a reciprocal relationship,” he said. “I really love being a part of a community.”
In the future, Wells hopes to expand his operations into a franchise that stretches across the Inland Northwest. “Eventually I want to grow to Spokane,” he said. “I plan on being in business for the rest of my life.”
As for time-strapped North Idahoans like Willeford and Bill Higgins, they said having a trustworthy auto care service that fits their busy schedules has been a phenomenal find.
“It gives you a good piece of mind, and he does the job right,” said Higgins, a local chiropractor. “It’s great, I love it. To have someone change your oil who you can trust is very nice … Just call him and you don’t have to deal with it.”