SHOP STATS: Kwik Kar Location: Prosper, Texas Operator: Abe Ballout Average Car Count: 70 to 120 (company average)
Inviting Look
This shop was completed in April of 2019. Andrea Neil, CFO and vice president for Kwik Industries, says that the owners opted for this modern, sleek exterior and color scheme.
“Our stores are probably more on the expensive side, but we have a lot of thought that go into them,” she says.
The modern look is apparent on the exterior of the building and in the customer waiting room. It’s a large space that keeps a consistent color scheme throughout. Neil says that owner Abe Ballout was behind this choice.
“I love the greys that he picked,” Neil says. “They’re so bright. The grey and the blue really open the area up.”
Kwik is looking to replicate the scheme in future stores, she says.
Room to Work
One thing that Kwik wanted to improve was the space for lower bay techs. Neil says that older shops have low ceilings and little mobility in the pit.
“When we started building the newer stores, we wanted the pit guys to be able to move around,” she says. “And it’s safer. In addition to the tanks, we were able to spread out a little more and keep that area cleaner.”
That effort is evident at this location, where the lower bay is roomy and well-lit, with inventory readily at hand in front of the walkway.
In addition to having plenty of room to work, Neil says that the lower bay has a shower area for cleaning burns, and there’s also a firewall that protects the customer area and offices in case of an emergency in the pit.
Welcome to Prosper
Originally designed as a training shop, the Prosper shop is located in a fast-growing area of outer Dallas-Fort Worth. It was a mixture of company improvements and design elements from Ballout.
“With every build, we try to improve upon the last store,” Neil says. “A couple years ago, we widened our bays. Made them longer to accommodate for SUVs, duallys.”
The company is also developing a new shop design for smaller-footprint shops, but this Prosper location has a larger capacity with four double bays and 7,888 square feet with which to work.
It takes time for a new shop to fully mature, but Neil says they expect it to reach the company average of 70 to 120 cars per day.
