Business Spotlight: Exhaust-Shop Evolution

It’s a safe bet Jack Wiser wouldn’t recognize the muffler shop he started in 1972 on West Sunshine Street.

In those days, Seeburg Muffler installed mufflers on vehicles – and sold cases of flavored Walt’s Pop soda. The building was a Walt’s Pop store before Wiser opened Seeburg.

“He subsidized the business by selling the soda pop,” owner David Wiser says of his father, who founded the business with about four employees.

Now, Seeburg Muffler & Brake LLC is a full-service auto-care shop with five locations and 17 employees in two states. And soda sales are confined to the more conventional vending machine since the company no longer has to rely on soda sales to make ends meet.

Seeburg Muffler operates two shops in Springfield at 607 W. Sunshine St. and 634 W. Commercial St., and three in northwest Arkansas – Fayetteville, Springdale and Rogers – where it set up shop in 1974, Wiser says.

The rough economy has brought opportunity for Seeburg, as consumers have chosen to invest in their current vehicles instead of buying new cars. However, the upshot wasn’t as great as officials expected in 2009.

“We were only up 1 percent,” Wiser says, adding that 2009 was the company’s best year, with sales exceeding $2 million. “We expected to see a greater growth, with people holding onto their cars (and) repairing. But I think the economy was such that people were a little bit nervous and trying to hold back on their expenditures.”

Wiser says 2010 sales are up 2 percent.

Keeping pace
The industry has forced the shop to change the products and services it offers, moving from a muffler shop to a full-service auto repair facility.

When the shop opened, most cars had exhaust systems made of galvanized metal, which ordinarily lasts two to five years, Wiser says.

“Back in ’72, the muffler business was fairly big business,” Wiser says, pointing to the frequency of muffler burnout.

In the 1980s, automakers began using longer-lasting aluminum for their cars’ exhaust systems, cutting into muffler shops’ sales and forcing them to evolve. To stay competitive, Seeburg changed its name to Seeburg Muffler & Brake and added brake services.

One more change would again force Seeburg to alter its services. In the 1990s, longer-lasting stainless steel became automakers’ metal of choice, and Seeburg became a full-service auto-repair center five years ago.

Prior to the transition, exhaust and brakes made up 90 percent of Wiser’s business. Today, the business is split in thirds: exhaust, brakes and other auto repair work including oil changes, tune-ups, air conditioning, suspension, batteries, belts and hoses, power steering and starting system services.

“Full-service auto repair is the growing portion of our business,” Wiser says. “You don’t have a lot of exhaust systems burning out.”

Workers build foundation
Wiser believes the reason for his company’s 38 years of fixing cars is its people.

“Most of our employees have been with us for many years,” Wiser says, noting an average tenure of more than 20 years. “Gene Snead is the manager of our Sunshine (Street) store. He has been with the company since 1973. People know him; they know they are going to see the familiar faces.”

Wiser started working in the stores during summer breaks. “I grew up in the stores when I was a child,” he says. “My father would have me in the stores sweeping floors, helping out any way I could.”

General Manager Lois Schulte’s story is similar to Wiser’s. “I started at the bottom in 1994,” says Schulte, who was hired as a receptionist. “It’s a great company to work for. People come to us, find a home and stay.”

Controller Kent Harlan says company chemistry -– from the 27 mechanics, most of whom are Automotive Service Excellence-certified, to the corporate staff – is a reason for success. “We gel well together,” Harlan says.

After Jack Wiser, who died in 2004, passed the family business to his son in 1987, the two had the opportunity to run Seeburg together.

“After I graduated from college in 1987,” David Wiser says, “he had enough confidence in me to let me take control.”

Seeburg’s future, Wiser says, is as a full-service repair shop.  

“With that comes challenges,” Wiser says. “Cars are very complex compared to 10 to 20 years ago. We have to upgrade equipment and provide training for technicians. They have to be able to understand what is involved to repair those vehicles.”[[In-content Ad]]