Soddy-Daisy shop provides automotive work for specialty vehicles

George Aslinger III is owner of Custom Concept Motor Sports in Soddy-Daisy. Aslinger's shop provides service for specialty vehicles as well as automotive work for most cars.

Photo by Tim Barber.

• Name: Custom Concept Motor Sports

• Location: 8656 El Dee Lane, Soddy-Daisy

• Contact information: 423-508-8711, Custom conceptmotorsports.com

• Products/services: Service and repair for any car, specializing in high-performance vehicles

• Age: Owner George Aslinger III opened his business in November 2009. He moved into his larger, newer location in November 2011.

• Startup investment: Aslinger and his family bought the building for about $250,000. They invested an additional $10,000 in finishing the site.

• Target market: Anyone needing automotive work, particularly those with high-performance vehicles. “We can service anything from mom’s Honda minivan to an exotic car,” Aslinger said.

• Five-year goal: Work on more high-performance vehicles

• Biggest hurdle: Competing with Internet retailers. When purchasing car parts online, customers can avoid paying sales tax. Aslinger said that cuts into his parts sales and sometimes forces him to lower his margins. “We try to accommodate whatever the customer wants,” he said. “If we do have to lose some of our markup on stuff, hopefully they’ll be repeat customers and we can make an impression on them in the long run.”

• Biggest reward: Having a larger space.

• Lesson learned: Running an auto shop takes a lot more than car knowledge. Aslinger said he talks to young people all the time who dream about running their own shop, so he explains the commitment required. “You’re getting to work on cars all day, sometimes sports cars, but it’s not really the case all the time,” he said. “It’s a lot of time you don’t get to spend with the family at night.”