Shorey Automotive
Photos By: John Burns
Founded in 1988, Shorey Automotive can aptly be described as a labor of love. The Topeka-based auto repair and maintenance shop is the culmination of a lifetime of service and mechanical craftsmanship, both of which have remained a common theme throughout founder Mike Luellen’s storied career.
A United States Army veteran, Luellen can trace his professional start back to his time in the military, during which he served as a construction equipment repairman.
Undoubtedly, the skills, resourcefulness and unwavering integrity so commonly exhibited by service members have since served him, particularly when he turned an eye toward entrepreneurship.
Following the completion of his time in the Army, Luellen honed his craft at a few different truck shops and car dealerships—most notably at Bruckner’s, working on Mack trucks, and then at Fruehauf Trailers—before landing at Noller Ford Truck Center in Topeka.
“After that I was working for Ben Schreiner Construction. I was the only mechanic working in that shop, and from there I started my own business in 1988,” Luellen recalled.
Seeing as Luellen had not found a job up to that point that truly captured his passion, it seems quite logical, at least in retrospect, that he would decide to forge his own path. Apart from the uncapped earning potential inherent to entrepreneurship, the driving force behind Luellen’s decision to take the leap and strike out on his own was a profoundly simple one.
“I was looking for a change, and I wanted my independence,” he shared.
FRONT LINE, HANDS-ON
Luellen takes pride in being primarily self-taught when it comes to mechanic work. Although he does take formal education and certification classes, his real training, he contends, has come from on-the-job learning, something many entrepreneurs can surely relate to. Moreover, his frontline, hands-on experience provided great insight into what matters most in the automotive repair industry.
Having been in business for 33 years now, Luellen understands very well the value of mastering the fundamentals and simply doing the right thing at every turn. Not one for gimmicky sales tricks, he is intent on providing true value to his customers through quality service and honest dealings.
“I really just like fixing people’s car problems,” Luellen said.
In turn, Shorey Automotive, a family-owned and operated company, developed a strong and loyal customer base by embodying these core principles as a business. By prioritizing the customer’s needs, the delivery of value, and an overall safe driving experience, the business has not only survived these past few decades, but it has grown.
What started out as a one man show is now a thriving business, with Luellen at the helm of a team of four highly trained employees. The services offered by Shorey Automotive are wide-ranging, with expertise running deep in every area.
By building a staff of technicians and service advisors that complements his own skillset, Luellen finds himself in the fortunate position of being able to service a substantially broad portfolio of vehicle types, whether it be a modern sedan, a classic car, an SUV, a diesel pickup truck, or an RV. It is a rare day that Luellen finds himself sending a prospective customer elsewhere.
Photo by: John Burns
“I do all kinds of auto repair, so there’s really not any one thing that we specialize in,” Luellen said. “Our business motto is ‘We Do It All.’ That’s really what has gotten me by all these years. I don’t really turn anything down. I do European imports, Asian imports and American cars. I work on about anything.”
In addition to repairs, Shorey Automotive offers an array of routine maintenance services. Tire and brake inspections, air conditioning services, transmission maintenance and oil changes account for a few of the services the business provides that just about any vehicle owner will need to procure on a regular basis.
FREEDOM DRIVES MOTIVATION
Any business with such diverse capabilities would be well positioned for long-term success. Some may even be tempted to pursue expansion or hypergrowth. For Luellen, though, the craft itself and the people with whom he practices it are what he finds most fulfilling. The people, the process, and the freedom are his guiding lights, and true to form, his goal is simply to run his business in such a manner that he never loses sight of them.
“I just want to make enough money to keep my employees and myself comfortable, and just keep fixing cars,” he shared. “I want people who work here to make good money and have a good place to work.” None of that is to say, of course, that there aren’t any challenges in running the business. Like any venture, Shorey Automotive has its peaks and valleys and in-betweens. Consistent with its core focus— people and cars—most of the challenges Shorey Automotive faces can be attributed to either the challenges that come with serving a very large, very busy customer base; or certain automotive repair problems that prove more perplexing or difficult to resolve.
But even on the most frustrating of days, the crew at Shorey Automotive love what they do. Luellen’s ability to simplify and illuminate what is often a confusing, opaque experience—vehicle repair—is a talent in its own right.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on being honest and just telling people the truth,” Luellen said. “Nobody deserves a medal for that. Just tell people the truth. Inspect the cars, find out what’s wrong with the cars, and tell them what’s wrong with the cars. That’s all I do. It’s not tricky.”
Indeed, many of the values emphasized by the Army are still evident in Luellen and his work today. And while he and Shorey Automotive may make running a world-class auto repair business look easy from the outside, the veteran founder again brings the conversation back to the fundamentals when sharing words of wisdom with aspiring entrepreneurs.
“Give it a try. You don’t get anywhere without taking a chance,” he said. “If you’re a good mechanic, you can go get a good job anywhere, anyway, so if it doesn’t work out you can always go back to working or somebody.”
