ping his repair shop concepts that operate under the names Service Street, Driver's Auto Repair, and America's Service Stations. 
Two years in the making, Service Street repair shops feature '50s architectural style, good curb appeal, and offer an environment where women like to shop, Sands said. 
"We wanted to design something unique, especially structurally," Sands said. "We wanted to be different." In addition to the two Colorado locations, there is a Service Street shop in Atlanta. 
"I like to go in an area where there still is demand," Sands said, pointing out that the Denver market can support up to 16 stores. The business model uses a combination of demographics, income, and visibility, he said. 
When it comes to staffing the shops, Sands said he's discovered over the years that non-industry people work out pretty well, especially managers from the food service industry."The reason is that we want to raise the level of customer service," Sands said, pointing out that food service people have typically gone through formal customer service training, know how to multitask, and are concerned with cleanliness. 
Each shop's service manager, usually an experienced one, delivers the necessary industry knowledge to make the shop run smoothly, Sands said. 
"There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes in a repair shop that require multitasking," he said, such as service writing, ordering parts, communicating with technicians, picking up a customer, and dropping them off."A car breaking down is a real stressful time for the customer," Sands said. "We want to take out as much stress as possible." 
Although auto service customers across the country generally expect the same type of service once they enter the shop, the trigger points for getting them in vary drastically, Sands said. 
"You don't want to under-price yourself in a high-end market," Sands said, pointing to Colorado as an example. The median income in Colorado, for example, is much greater than that of Nebraska, he said. "You must match appropriate pricing by market. That's why I started Mudlick Mail." 
Running Mudlick is President Tim Ross, who works with more than 300 shops across the country to create custom-tailored campaigns for shop owners, who enjoy exclusivity in each of their markets, Sands said.Unlike coupon mailers that go to both low-end and high-end people, direct mail can be tailored to geographic areas, demographics, income, or vehicle