Faith-Infused Fixes
By SAMANTHA MARSHALL Photos by JENNIFER GOETZ
On the cusp of expansion, the partners at Topeka Auto Glass share the principles behind their company’s rapid growth.
The three co-partners behind Topeka Auto Glass aren’t shy to admit they believe they’re the best in the business. After working for other shops for a collective 30-plus years, they were clear about the business practices they didn’t agree with.
That’s why in 2021, Cody Burlew and Kevin Hardie decided to build a business based on principles that would please customers as much as their fellow Christians. When John Cantrell bought into the business in 2022, he gave Topeka Auto Glass extra diesel to fuel its growth.
DRIVEN BY CORE VALUES
Taking care of people has been a core value of Topeka Auto Glass from the beginning. The partners aim to spread the gospel through the way they take care of others at their business.
“We share the gospel by treating people how we want to be treated,” said Cantrell. “Our guys aren’t reading John 3:16 to our customers. They are responding to situations the way we believe Christ would, and that’s with love, courteousness and kindness.”
Topeka Auto Glass applies the tithing principle to their business model. The company reports they have donated 10% of their profits to the partners’ churches, and another 10% to local children’s charities.
“We’ve given a lot of our income away,” said Burlew. “But it’s what we feel like we were called to do.”
The company’s values also steer their hiring practices. A “skip the box” company, they’re open to hiring convicted felons who have proven they are dedicated to turning their life around.
“We don’t want people’s mistakes to define them,” said Hardie. “After we see their true character and how serious they are about recovery, then, guess what? After a year or so, they’re going out on the road to make house calls.”
Cantrell, a convicted felon himself, said the job can change someone’s life.
“We’re giving an opportunity to people who would usually not have the chance to have a good-paying career,” said Cantrell.
Their values can also be seen in ordinary interactions with customers. From encouraging customers to check their dealer’s warranty before paying for a repair, to actively upholding their complete warranty policy, Topeka Auto Glass is determined to be an exception to the industry’s reputation of selling customers what they don’t need.
“Our moral compass is: Will anybody in our church call us out for this?” said Burlew. “If we make a decision, we want to make sure it is always the right decision.”
TEMPERING GROWTH
Topeka Auto Glass’ revenue has grown tenfold since opening their first repair shop in 2021. Rather than chase overnight success, their strategy has been steady growth.
“We wanted our infrastructure to grow with us,” said Cantrell. “As our revenue grew, we wanted to make sure we would have the support we need.”
At first, the partners developed a reliable source of income for Topeka Auto Glass by focusing on customers in the commercial sector.
“That’s the stuff that keeps the lights on,” said Cantrell. “It’s the business that’s always there, so we can build from it.”
Today, Topeka Auto Glass’ book of business includes the general public. Their marketing mission is to become a household name in Topeka.
MARKETING MILEAGE
Determined to spread the word about Topeka Auto Glass, the company’s marketing strategy spans TV, social media and any other channel the owners can get their hands on.
“It keeps our name out there,” he said. “We want people to see us everywhere.”
Facebook is a key marketing channel for Topeka Auto Glass, where they use targeted ads and boosted posts. Targeting their activity has been especially helpful as they prepare to expand into the Lawrence and Manhattan markets.
FILLING IN THE CRACKS
The partners at Topeka Auto Glass said they weren’t exactly marketing experts when they started out.
“When you go into this, you don’t know anything about search engine optimization or what you need to do to advertise,” said Cantrell. “It’s really been about sitting down and going through it.”
Local resources, like GO Topeka and the Small Business Development Center for Topeka, helped Topeka Auto Glass navigate the struggles of running a new business.
“They helped tremendously in helping to fill the holes where we were having trouble,” said Cantrell.
The partners also used community outreach to build their professional network. Through the 20/30 Club of Topeka, they befriended business owners who they’ve called on for help, whether it’s finding a certified public accountant or selecting an electronic data interchange.
“We’ve been able to reach out to friends of ours who have been through the growing pains that we were going through to help us get further down the road,” said Burlew.
A VISION AS CLEAR AS GLASS
Cantrell said he believes Topeka Auto Glass has achieved its goal of becoming a local household name. The next challenge is do it again at their two newest shops: Lawrence Auto Glass, opening by the end of the year, and Manhattan Auto Glass, on track to open in about 12 to 18 months.
Once those shops are up and running, they plan to open more locations across the Midwest — but refuse to lose their small-town appeal in the process.
“We don’t want to grow too big that we lose our purpose,” said Burlew. “The three of us got together because we know how we want to do this.”
Drawing on the principles they used to grow Topeka Auto Glass, Cantrell sums up their vision in a sentence:
“We just hope to take this beautiful, God-blessed thing we created in Topeka to other communities.”
Curious to learn more about John Cantrell’s Journey? CLICK HERE
TK
