Interview with Damien Bicknell, co-owner and technician
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: I got involved because my father was a mechanic. I grew up around cars, and at a young age I took a liking to them. I decided that was something that I wanted to do.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: Here at JnR Alignment, we have integrity in what we do, which is something that I think a lot of other businesses have lost through the years. We have a motto here: If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Times are tough, and there’s no sense in fixing something that does not need to be fixed.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: The customers that we have are all repeat customers who have been dealing with us for years. That, and I love working on my older vehicles, my classics.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: Our biggest challenge is marketing. Even though Fitzsimons is right across the street from us, we are having a lot of problems trying to gain clientele from that campus. We deal with a lot of domestic and Asian vehicles that are a little older, and it’s hard to promote ourselves to people who have average, everyday cars in this area. There are also a lot of competing shops that I call fly-by shops. They don’t really care about their customers, and it’s more about the dollar. They make their prices so low that a decent shop can’t really compete with them, and then you turn around and they’re gone tomorrow.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: I’m into classic cars and racing cars. I have an ’87 Buick Grand National that I race. I’m in the process of restoring it now. At one time, when it was in production, it was the fastest car in the world. I’ve always liked them. They’re pretty rare, but we actually have four in our family.
Profile
Business: JnR Alignment
Address: 11995 E. 14th Ave., Aurora
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday
Founded: 1996
Contact: 303-364-0539
Employees: 2
