One local businessman saw the culmination of a dream when he entered into a purchase agreement to buy the Car Care Center on Northside Drive in 2002. And now his dream continues.
"I have been working in this business for 19 years - since I was 18 years old," said Michael Nordeoff, owner of Castrol in Statesboro. "I went to work for Jim Kluttz and Ted Coy in 1998 when it was the Car Care Center on Northside Drive near the entrance of Walmart. It became a Castrol Car Care Center when I purchased it in 2002."
Nordeoff recently moved the business to another location on Northside Drive near the intersection of Northside and East Main Street. The facility is known by many as a former location of University Tire.
"I am so excited to be in this location," he said. "Our old location near Walmart could be difficult to get in and out of, and we didn't really have any room to expand. Now we have more service bays and a much larger waiting area, one that is much nicer for the customer. How we treat the customer is very important to me."
Nordeoff refers constantly to customer satisfaction and the relationships that he has with his customers. Kelly Lanier, owner of South Georgia Framers, said he depends on Nordeoff to keep his construction crews on the road.
"Michael has serviced our fleet of six trucks for the last five years," Lanier said. "We will literally call him from the side of the road to come help us. We could be in Savannah or virtually anywhere in this area. The main thing is he will go out of his way to help us or do whatever it takes to get us back on the road. We depend on him."
Nordeoff works long days at the front desk taking little time off.
"I am a small business owner, and I have to wear many hats," he said. "The most important thing to me is finding out what is wrong, what that customer needs and explaining it to them. I literally go out and show it to them under the hood or wherever it may be. Then our job is to fix it."
Nordeoff said he thinks that it is important that people see what is wrong and understand what needs to be done asserting that an educated customer is a customer for the long term.
"We get teenagers with a car problem who have been sent to our car care center by their parents," he said. "We take the time to explain it to them so that they will know next time what is wrong."
Statesboro NAPA Auto Parts co-owner Clyde Redding said he has known Nordeoff for the last 10 years.
"Michael runs a very nice shop with good people," Redding said. "He is a hard worker that is customer oriented. He is very helpful."
Nordeoff is involved in every aspect of his business even down to choosing a new paint color for his waiting area.
"I went with what I felt was a very soothing green color, sort of reminiscent of Charleston, S.C.," he said. "I want people to be comfortable when they are waiting for their car. I want it to be calm and pleasing."
It is that need to create a working relationship with the customer that Nordeoff is known for.
"I've known Michael for the last eight or nine years," said Chad Wiggins, Nordeoff's banker and a senior vice president with the Sea Island Bank in Statesboro. "He is a small business owner that has to juggle many things. He puts in long hours not only on the service side, but running the business side of things as well. He takes care of his customer and tries to bring them back."
Nordeoff has a unique perspective when it comes to the work that his shop does.
"We're better than doctors and lawyers because we give guarantees and warranties for the work that we do," he said. "I don't know any of those professionals that do that. We are more than willing to stand behind our work."
"I have been working in this business for 19 years - since I was 18 years old," said Michael Nordeoff, owner of Castrol in Statesboro. "I went to work for Jim Kluttz and Ted Coy in 1998 when it was the Car Care Center on Northside Drive near the entrance of Walmart. It became a Castrol Car Care Center when I purchased it in 2002."
Nordeoff recently moved the business to another location on Northside Drive near the intersection of Northside and East Main Street. The facility is known by many as a former location of University Tire.
"I am so excited to be in this location," he said. "Our old location near Walmart could be difficult to get in and out of, and we didn't really have any room to expand. Now we have more service bays and a much larger waiting area, one that is much nicer for the customer. How we treat the customer is very important to me."
Nordeoff refers constantly to customer satisfaction and the relationships that he has with his customers. Kelly Lanier, owner of South Georgia Framers, said he depends on Nordeoff to keep his construction crews on the road.
"Michael has serviced our fleet of six trucks for the last five years," Lanier said. "We will literally call him from the side of the road to come help us. We could be in Savannah or virtually anywhere in this area. The main thing is he will go out of his way to help us or do whatever it takes to get us back on the road. We depend on him."
Nordeoff works long days at the front desk taking little time off.
"I am a small business owner, and I have to wear many hats," he said. "The most important thing to me is finding out what is wrong, what that customer needs and explaining it to them. I literally go out and show it to them under the hood or wherever it may be. Then our job is to fix it."
Nordeoff said he thinks that it is important that people see what is wrong and understand what needs to be done asserting that an educated customer is a customer for the long term.
"We get teenagers with a car problem who have been sent to our car care center by their parents," he said. "We take the time to explain it to them so that they will know next time what is wrong."
Statesboro NAPA Auto Parts co-owner Clyde Redding said he has known Nordeoff for the last 10 years.
"Michael runs a very nice shop with good people," Redding said. "He is a hard worker that is customer oriented. He is very helpful."
Nordeoff is involved in every aspect of his business even down to choosing a new paint color for his waiting area.
"I went with what I felt was a very soothing green color, sort of reminiscent of Charleston, S.C.," he said. "I want people to be comfortable when they are waiting for their car. I want it to be calm and pleasing."
It is that need to create a working relationship with the customer that Nordeoff is known for.
"I've known Michael for the last eight or nine years," said Chad Wiggins, Nordeoff's banker and a senior vice president with the Sea Island Bank in Statesboro. "He is a small business owner that has to juggle many things. He puts in long hours not only on the service side, but running the business side of things as well. He takes care of his customer and tries to bring them back."
Nordeoff has a unique perspective when it comes to the work that his shop does.
"We're better than doctors and lawyers because we give guarantees and warranties for the work that we do," he said. "I don't know any of those professionals that do that. We are more than willing to stand behind our work."