Interview with Sean Forest, owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: Years ago, I had intended to leave my job in corporate America, but as an information technology project manager, I could not exist outside the corporate environment like CPAs and doctors can. I had to jump ship and abandon my career. So, I thought about buying a franchise, a car wash, a dry cleaner, and then it occurred to me that I kind of like cars. I don’t work on them, but I like to be around them and work with people, so I bought an auto garage.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: Our authenticity — not just with customers, but with the employees as well. I have to trust my employees to take care of my customers. I can’t take care of them directly, so I learned that if I hire the right people, take care of them and prep them with my philosophy, they will take care of the customers. And then the customers see that they are being taken care of by authentic, genuine, legitimate humans who care about their satisfaction. When that happens, everything falls into place.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: My greatest satisfaction is when I receive reviews, either in person, over the phone or on our website, from customers who are very happy. Those short and sweet statements about us taking care of them, and that they will be back, are very gratifying. You can have all of the money in the world and still be unhappy, but when you serve your fellow person and you’ve done it well, satisfaction ensues.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: Finding talented technicians. The interesting thing is that the term mechanic is long gone because the job requires extreme technical adaptability. There is a great deal of math, engineering, logistics, logic and analysis that goes into this profession, and so they’re increasingly called technicians. Unlike the medical field, where the physiology of their patients hasn’t changed, the physiology of our mechanical patients changes every single year. And so, myself and other owners in my position are struggling to find technically talented and adaptable people with the right personality.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: This is a third generation business. It was started by Roy Smith in the early ’70s. When he retired, he sold it to his son, Steve Smith, who ran it for many years until his wife became ill. After that, they put the business up for sale and I bought it. I was very fortunate to get to know Roy before he passed away, and I still keep in close contact with Steve. We all have the same philosophy about how to take care of customers. It’s particularly rewarding to see how this organization has changed and grown and continued to serve Thornton.
Profile
Business: Mountain View Garage
Address: 8650 Pearl St., Thornton
Hours: 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
Founded: Early 1970s
Contact: 303-287-2859, 303-225-9550,
Employees: 11
