Like clockwork, Darrin Clawson comes to Hart's Auto Repair in Liberty every 3,000 miles for an oil change on his car.
So when he walked in on a recent Thursday, he knew something was different.
“I walked in and saw the cameras and thought 'Uh-oh,'” said Clawson of Kansas City North. “That's when they asked if I'd be a customer in their commercial.”
Clawson then sat patiently in the waiting area as owner Darren Hart sat down and consulted with his customer, cameras rolling all the while.
Affiliates of NAPA Auto Parts corporate headquarters in Atlanta were on hand at Hart's Auto Repair last month to film training and recruitment videos and other internal communication videos that will be shown nationwide.
There's a reason the corporate office chose Hart's Auto Repair, said Mike Dunn, video producer.
“Darren has been an outstanding example of a NAPA auto care center, which corporate knew especially through the Kansas City NAPA distribution center,” Dunn said.
Marketing seems to be Hart's forte, but he said it would not be possible without the NAPA brand and the support that came with it.
“I think one reason they may have chosen us is that we really take advantage of a lot of programs NAPA has to offer,” Hart said. “An auto-care center can pick and choose what they wish to offer from NAPA. I think we're one of the few that really take advantage of what they have.”
All NAPA auto-care centers are independently owned, and Hart is chairman of the Kansas City Metro Select business development group, comprised of 13 NAPA auto-care centers in the metro area. NAPA business development groups are located throughout the country as the corporate office's way of helping organize the independent repair shops in an area to market their businesses.
The Kansas City Metro Select group plans to sponsor the Good Guys Car Show at the Kansas Speedway on Labor Day weekend. Members have a Web site, kcmetroselect.com, from which customers can print online coupons.
Hart's also recently established its own Web site, hartsautorepair.com. Hart said customers could find more online coupons there and even set up online appointments at least 48 hours in advance.
Hart's opened in 1989 and became a NAPA auto-care center six years ago. Having located just across Interstate 35 in Liberty, Hart's was one of the only businesses there; The Home Depot's site, for instance, was a grassy field.
“People in Liberty couldn't find us,” said Hart, whose business is AAA-certified. “But then we put up that blue and yellow sign, and when it's all lit up here at night, it's made it really become almost a landmark. How do you put a value on that?”
Staff writer Natalie Shelton can be reached at 781-4941 or
nshelton@npgco.com.