As a kid, Pat Heffron pretended to drive a derelict 1934 2-door sedan parked in his parents’ driveway. His dad was a member of a horseless carriage club, and the family garage was a classroom of tune-ups and repairs. So it’s no surprise that Pat owns a successful business in the industry serving other people who love their cars but may have hopped one too many curbs.
Name: Pat Heffron.
Neighborhood: Mount Vista.
Business name: Wheelkraft NW, 1417 N.E. 76th St. Suite F, Vancouver. www.wheelkraftnw.com, 360-546-1799.
Age: 56.
Educational/professional background: A graduate of Eastern Washington University, I was a nursing home administrator for three years, then owned and operated a Chem-Dry carpet cleaning franchise from 1990 to 2000.
How you got started in your business: After I sold my Chem-Dry franchise, I was attending a private college to learn Internet and web development for business applications. After the school folded in 2000, I saw an ad in The Columbian for a company doing wheel repair. I worked with this group for three years or so, and then parted ways to start Wheelkraft NW in 2001. WheelHaus Mfg. started in 2013.
Personal/business philosophy: Contrary to popular belief, the customer is NOT always right. The customer is always the customer, however, and we are going to treat them with respect and teach them what we know about the issues they are having with their wheels to help them make an informed buying decision.
One thing readers might find surprising about your work: Bent aluminum wheels can be straightened safely. Scratches, scrapes, nicks, and dings can be fixed. It’s cost-effective to the customer versus buying a new wheel. It uses more time and materials to manufacture a new wheel. So restoring a wheel is actually pretty “green.”
Most rewarding part of job: Hearing from our many dealerships or body shops, “Your guys are great,” or “The work is always amazing.” I can’t express to my staff how proud I am of them all as I wish I could. It truly feels amazing to hear how much our customers like working with us. Next (most rewarding) has to be the car owners’ faces when we show them their customized wheel set we just finished for their car. Stock wheels don’t have to look stock. We really like doing custom colors, that’s the most fun part of the business at this point.
Most challenging part of job: Taking time for myself. I’m wearing too many hats at this point.
Your favorite travel destination and type: Just about anywhere I have not been yet. We like to explore, mix with the locals, rent a house, not a hotel. I’m looking forward to Ireland, skiing in Austria, hiking in Patagonia, too many to list.
What would make your community a better place? Term limits — no professional politicians.
Favorite restaurant/coffee shop: Life starts every day at Starbucks. Favorite restaurant: Fire on The Mountain or Le Bistro Montage.
Pastime: Skiing, riding motorcycles, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, teaching others to enjoy the outdoors. I’ve been active in Boy Scouts of America leadership since 2004. I’m also an adaptive ski instructor at Mt. Hood Meadows and chairman of Troops Triumph, a nonprofit ski event benefiting disabled veterans held at Timberline ski area each spring.
Best feature of my Clark County community: Having worked with kids and adults in the scouting program and with disabled veterans in the county and metro area, a great feature I see is the willingness to volunteer. We have great volunteerism.
Most enjoyable arts event in past 12 months: Garth Brooks in Las Vegas, Zac Brown Band at the Amphitheater Northwest last weekend.
Something you’d like to do this year/within five years: This year — keep the crew in the shop as busy as they’d like to be; in five years — turn the company over to the employees and let them make the decisions.
One word to describe yourself: Enigmatic.
Person you’d most like to have met: Ronald Reagan.
