Community runs strong in every part of Northtown Auto
With 96 years of combined experience, auto mechanics, left to right, Greg Bremness, Randy Kolpien and Doug Ryan, joined owners Russ Peloquin and Nathan Hager in the new venture, Cadott Northtown Auto Repair. The shop is located just north of Cadott, on State Hwy. 27, opening in February, after a new building was constructed to the mechanics’ specifications. Photo by Ginna Young
By Ginna Young
Last fall, Jim’s 66 Service, just past the County Hwy. X intersection in Cadott, closed its doors forever and the building was razed this spring, to make way for the construction of a Kwik Trip. Jim Mickelson owned the automotive shop for 40 years, working there for 55, before hanging up his tools.
When the news broke that Jim’s was no longer going to be in business, Cadott natives Nathan Hager and Russ Peloquin stepped in to ensure that service didn’t go away. The two business partners already have stakes in group homes and rental properties, but decided to try their hand in the auto repair trade.
“We knew that the town and the surrounding areas still needed an auto repair shop,” said Hager. “That’d be a big void.”
Although neither have an automative background, the duo patronized Jim’s over the years, and realized that without the three employees who worked there, they wouldn’t be able to open a shop. The three mechanics – Greg Bremness, Randy Kolpien and Doug Ryan – agreed that if Hager and Peloquin built a shop in a new location, they’d come on board.
“They probably didn’t know we’d take them up on it, but we did and we held them to it,” said Hager.
To that end, last summer, Hager and Peloquin purchased the property where the old B& S Tavern stood north of Cadott, on State Hwy. 27, before it permanently closed. As part of the purchase agreement, the tavern was torn down and a brand new shop building went up last fall, with finishing touches completed over the winter.
All three of the mechanics had a say in how the building should be laid out, along with input from Mickelson, and Cadott Northtown Auto Repair was born. Before any of that happened, however, Hager and Peloquin put out feelers to see if Jim’s existing customers would stay on with them.
They received overwhelming consent and have gained many new customers along the way, as well. The shop opened Feb. 5 of this year, and business has been steady ever since, offering brake work, tire and oil changes, and alignments, but no detailing or body work.
“We get a lot of business for alignments,” said Hager. “That aligment machine gets its use.”
Open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., appointments can be made by calling 715-289-3282, but Hager also books maintenance through the business Facebook page. Walk-ins are also accepted, but it’s advisable to make an appointment.
Northtown Auto gets a lot of compliments on the mechanics, as Bremness and Kolpien were with Jim’s right out of high school, and Ryan has 19 years experience, which makes the customers feel comfortable trusting their vehicle work with the three Cadott High School graduates.
“They trust them and they know them,” said Peloquin. As for Mickelson, he’s happy his employees could continue working in an offshoot of his long-time business and likes that former good customers are keeping it going.
“I told him (Hager) I’d work for him, but I didn’t want to change uniforms and I’d always be late,” laughed Michelson, adding that it’s been good for everyone to have a new business at the former Jim’s site and one at the north end of town. “What Kwik Trip brings to Cadott...Cadott really needs that. By Nathan and the guys going up there (north of town), I feel that Cadott didn’t really lose anything, but it gained a lot.”
Hager and Peloquin are grateful for Mickelson’s help in getting their new venture started, and to not just the customers who patronize them, but also the other repair shops, who were glad to see the business continue and that more people could be served.
“It’s nice to hear,” said Hager. “Having something for the community is important to us, we’re all from here.”
Inside the repair shop, Randy Kolpien (front) and Greg Bremness work on tune-ups in the new space, with business steady since the opening. Northtown Auto has seen many customers follow them from Jim’s Service, where the mechanics worked before owner Jim Mickelson closed the business and sold the property, as well as many new customers. Photo by Ginna Young[/caption]
