Rob had the pleasurable job of introducing our hosts and guest speakers Ginger and Martin Barkey, owners of MBRP. Before he went any further a cheque for $200, from the club's Human Development fund, was presented to Ginger on behalf of her employees support for the 'Coldest Night of the Year' walk in late February, benefiting the local food bank.
Rob recognized MBRP as one of the areas largest employers and fastest growing firms, hinting that this was not always the case and Martin stepped up to tell us that, what is now a substantial community employer (115+ employees), started very humbly with the wishes of a 16 year old kid who (like most of them) wanted to make things go faster and sound louder. Martin was very quick to point out the guidance he received from his father, who operated a small garage near Emsdale and in addition to general repairs, specialized in creating custom performance exhaust for snowmobiles.
From the mid 80's to the mid 90's Martin ran a drywall and painting business and Ginger ran a daycare. As he began tinkering with his true love of performance products, the whole family got involved and their garage became their workshop and wharehouse. Martin was particularly enthralled with a muffler his Dad had created and told him he could sell it. He took a mini van (which for a performance guy was like walking off a cliff) and drove around the Northern part of the Province talking to vendors. He sold many but his big break came when Royal Distributing picked them up.
That started a successful growth spurt that saw the company move a number of times to facilities around the Huntsville area, culminating in the purchase of their current property on Old Ferguson Rd, fronting Hwy #11.
They have expanded on that site and through purchase of adjoining properties now have 4 large buildings, two of them being large wharehouse spaces. They started up 'The Garage' business in 2011 and it grew so fast, and had such demands, that this past year they brought in a manager, and sold part of the business to allow them to concentrate on their core business growth.
In 2012 they bought the 'AutoSave Repair' business thinking it would be a complimentary business to the Garage business. Although business was good, they found most of the business was replacing and repairing stock parts and to a performance focused business that is BORING! so they kept the building and sold the business.
80% of their business is from the US and their product can be found around the globe, although markets outside of North America have not been developed to any large degree. They have steered clear of linking in with original equipment auto makers and focus on after market exhaust and tubular products.
Recently tariffs have presented challenges to the company but Martin emphasized that one of the great strengths of the company is its ability to troubleshoot and respond to challenges.
Throughout the presentation Martin, although the main speaker, was full of praise for Ginger who holds down the administrative fort and has been every bit as integral to the success as he.
Martin then shared some of his experiences racing cars and said it is a perfect balance of personal love and business networking . Each year he has advanced in calibre of racing and this years will be participating in the top series in North America. Look for him on a screen near you!
Ginger and Martin the took us on a tour of the new wharehouse and then through the actual production factory. Two full tractor trailers leave the Huntsville yard daily shipping product, primarily to points south.
It was obvious that capital investment has been a major factor of their success with the newer buildings, but also very expensive bending and jig equipment to help streamline their process.
One of the key points made by both Martin and Ginger was that there is still room to grow and they take that as a personal challenge. Going forward they will be focusing on building their US market share and also expanding into targeted European markets.
For a community like Huntsville, with a seasonal tourist focus, that is music to our ears and we wish them continued success!!