The Ground Floor: Longtime mechanic runs his own shop in Kalona

KALONA — Tim McDowell got his start as a mechanic working on the family farm with his grandfather, Glenn Ladehoff, whom McDowell said 'could fix anything.'

'He literally taught me the importance of making lasting repairs,' McDowell recalled. 'So basically, the entire time I grew up, I got kind of doused with the mechanical stuff.'

In fact, he says he bought his first car at age 13.

Now, after 20 years as a mechanic, McDowell has struck out on his own for the first time to open an auto repair shop in Kalona. Better Performance Inc., a 30-by-60-square-foot rented space on Highway 1, opened on Jan. 1.

Services at Better Performance range 'anything from oil changes to high-end performance work and everything that falls in between. There's not a whole lot that I don't do,' McDowell said.

Since he has no employees, McDowell completes all work for clients himself — something that was a main driving factor behind his decision to operate a shop solo.

'Quality control is my big thing,' he said. 'I'm not exactly a control freak, but it's very important to me.'

McDowell sees an average 110 vehicles in his shop a month, he said.

While he owned most of the tools necessary for an auto repair shop, he still had to purchase some equipment over the past few months. But he did bring customers with him — in the 20 or so years McDowell has worked in various auto shops and car dealerships in Cedar Rapids, he said he has developed a base of about 275 regular customers.

The location of Better Performance in Kalona is 'the central hub of my customer base,' McDowell said, whose customers range from Washington to Marion.

-- Know a business that would be ideal for 'The Ground Floor'? Contact Michael Chevy Castranova at michaelchevy.castranova@thegazette.com.

At a glance

-- Business: Better Performance Inc.

-- Owner: Tim McDowell

-- Address: 1040 Highway 1, Kalona

-- Phone: (319) 936-1604