Hayward, Calif. -- The recent acquisition of K&L Equipment by Automotive Lifts & Equipment Inc. (ALE) has created a company that can offer even better service and a fuller line of equipment offerings to its customers across Northern California, said President Fadi Soudah.
Soudah said he spent 12 years working his way up through the ranks at local Toyota dealership, from technician to service manager, before seeing an opportunity to start his own business, ALE, in 2003.
"I saw a niche for an equipment service business," he said. "I was calling on companies to come work on our equipment and having to wait for days. I figured that if I could offer people service within 24 hours there was a place for us."
Soudah said that having been a service manager helped him understand the challenges and problems that his customers were facing. "ALE had to prove itself every day as a powerhouse in the equipment and service sector."
His original premise, that shops and dealerships would respond to a company offering fast, quality service proved correct, and the business grew steadily, Soudah said.
"Manufacturers also took note," he said. "After a short period of time the company began to sell the best equipment that manufacturers had to offer. As we proved ourselves in the service sector, they started to offer us different lines to represent."
By 2008, Soudah, who had focused primarily on servicing businesses on the peninsula, said he was interested in expanding further and struck a deal in June to take over K&L, which had been offering equipment and service in Northern California for 38 years.
He said K&L Owner Barry Zupan was interested in changing his role in the company, and his desire to stay on and continue in a sales role for the company offered a great transition and a great resource for the merged operations.
"It was difficult at first; we had two different staffs that were used to competing with each other," Soudah said, "but now that it's come together, it's really great to see our people working together to serve our customers."
The combined operations are now headquartered in Hayward, at the K&L offices and include service, installation, office, and sales staff, Soudah said.
The company operates from the Oregon border to Fresno and from the coast into the valley, as well as going to Reno and Carson City, Nev., he said.
Soudah said the company carries a complete line of specialty lifts, tire and wheel equipment, car washes, mezzanines, and diagnostic equipment. It also services and sells equipment in the government and heavy duty sectors, he said.
"We can supply everything for a new shop except the four walls," he said. "We are completing a remodel of the Ron DuPratt Ford facility in Dixon, have just completed a 47-bay shop at Folsom Lake Honda, Ocean Honda in Santa Cruz, as well as Superior Toyota in Oakland. We invite any shop owner or dealer principal to go out and look at our jobs and the quality of our work."
The company offers a variety of design services and CAD renderings, Soudah said, adding that for large projects the company designates a project manager to work with the customer.
The company works with businesses of all sizes, Soudah said. "I want independents to realize that we are here for them and to know that they will be treated with the same respect if they buy one lift from us or 60.
"Two years ago the market shifted towards more dealer work, but now we are starting to see that reverse itself," he said. "Still, with some dealerships closing, we are seeing manufacturers looking for superstores rather than too many stores."
The current drop in the number of dealerships is also benefiting many independents in the area and leading to new opportunities, Soudah said. "They should really be doing a roll call of their equipment and take advantage of that extra business they are getting to figure out what equipment could help their business grow for years to come."
The company's service and repair operations remain at the heart of its business, Soudah said, and are an area where he expects to see further growth. "We really look at this from a customer-service point of view," he said. "We're not just here to sell them something but to take care of them for years to come."
Soudah said the company offers repair of and preventive maintenance on most automotive and heavy-duty brands of tire changers and balancers, alignment machines, lifts, lathes, and exhaust evacuation systems, among others. He said preventive maintenance makes up about 70 percent of the service business, with breakdowns accounting for the other 30 percent.
"If you take care of your equipment, it will last, but if you don't, it will break down, and eventually you end up throwing it away," Soudah said.
For lifts, there is also the safety issue, Soudah said. "If there isn't any preventive maintenance going on and something is deteriorating, it can come crashing down and could end up taking a life away," he said. "People are too busy and forget about that important thing."
In one recent case, he said, the cables on a lift broke and although the safety locks worked, the only way to get the car down and repair the lift was to bring in two large forklifts.
Lift inspections can also lower insurance premiums, Soudah said. "It's like having a good driving record," he said. You prove that you're taking care of your equipment and looking out for your employees."
