UK Enterprise 2017

28 WORLDWIDE BUSINESS REVIEW / UK Enterprise Awards 2017 , Checkpoint Car Care Ltd is a family owned vehicle workshop and bodyshop dedicated to providing a high standard of repairs and client service. We profile the firm to find out more about the secrets behind its success. Best Vehicle Repair Company 2017 - West Yorkshire Founded in 2008 on a small backstreet industrial estate in Luddendenfoot, Checkpoint Car Care Ltd has since grown and moved to a much larger premises on a local business estate in Mytholmroyd where it started to carry out bodywork repairs and resprays. Leaving the valleys of Wales at 16 to find a new life in London, Founder Sean became an apprentice at an MG garage where he worked for several years. After meeting the love of his life and getting married there the couple moved up north to bring up their children. Sean worked for a large garage in Bradford carrying out mechanical work during the day and breakdown recovery work in the evenings, eventually being promoted to workshop manager. In 2006 Sean found out his father had passed away, this hit him rather unexpectedly and resulted in a 2 year battle with severe depression including several attempts on his life. This was a strong man who had worked from the age of around 10 years old and always been there to support his wife (who has ADHD / EUPD & Mild Autism) and their two children without a thought for himself. So to see him lying in bed, not eating, hardly talking and giving up on life was tough on his family and they knew they had to do something. The turning point came when a friends work vehicle broke down, with most garages turning him away, and telling him his vehicle was ready for the scrap pile, the friend came to visit Sean knowing that working made him thrive. Sean, knowing the van was a vital tool for his friends company, agreed to repair the vehicle, a head gasket on a Mercedes van, on an un-adopted road outside his house. Within the week the van was repaired and back on the road (giving it another 8 years of life) and so, it looked, was Sean. Grasping this opportunity with both hands, his wife and mother in law scoured papers and shop windows for a small lock up unit, even if it was just as a hobby to get him out of the house for a bit. From here Checkpoint Car Care was born, Sean was very reluctant at first, but was spurned on by his family’s enthusiasm, a couple of months later a larger and more conveniently placed unit came up which he threw all his money into. It wasn’t on the best of estates, with a dirt track leading down to it, no security, and there would be days where he would sit on some old tyres, twiddling his thumbs and wondering if he was doing the right thing, worried that he wouldn’t be able to pay the bills and let everyone down, but from one customer came two and the recommendations started bringing work through the door. After a few years another larger unit became available on the same estate which Sean took on, it was on a separate part of the estate with slightly better conditions and a secure gate, it was here he also started to dabble in bodywork, business was growing. In 2014 with a little push from his wife Sean took a bold leap WUK17004 and moved to a more upmarket estate closer to his customer base, compared to his old unit this was like Buckingham Palace, but customers always comment on how much nicer it is and they all believed it was the right move to make. From here the business has gone from strength to strength and even though there is a MOT station and a smaller body shop on site our customer base is just getting bigger and stronger. Checkpoint offers most services vehicle related and around 95% of custom is through recommendation. Checkpoint is not a FIT it centre, it is a FIX it garage, from welding and engine repairs, clutches and brakes to body repair and resprays. In fact, the firm are currently considering fitting an MOT bay to accommodate their ever growing customers needs and already have a purpose built spray room. If a clients’ vehicle is too large to get into the garage, the firm are flexible and can repair it outside in the courtyard. Many of Checkpoint’s customers have large motorhomes and horseboxes which they have been known to repair outside to their expected high standards. Alongside full diagnostic, the firm provides a wide range of services including engine rebuilds / timing belts, clutch & brake replacements, suspension & 4 wheel laser tracking facilities, air con regassing as well as the every day servicing and MOT repairs. Checkpoint has also moved into bodywork over recent years and is insurance approved. Ultimately, it is this vast expertise, combined with its dedication to excellence, that makes Checkpoint Car Care Ltd the ideal service provider for anyone seeking vehicle maintenance or repair. Company: Checkpoint Car Care Ltd Contact: Rachel or Sean Contact Email: contact@ checkpointcarcare.co.uk Address: 15B Moderna Business Park, Moderna Way, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, HX7 5QQ, UK Phone: 01422 885502 Website: www.checkpointcarcare.co.uk/