Wood Auto Parts, a small chain of auto parts stores in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, is seeing an uptick in business as more trucks hit the road. The company draws significant sales supplying fleets with new parts and those customers are starting to buy again, said Owner/Operator Harris Wood. “The government creating infrastructure jobs is helping because the trucks are rolling again,” Wood said. Wood had worked for 27 years for another auto parts dealer when his boss began to sell off stores. Wood purchased a location in the City of San Fernando in 2006 followed by Arleta and Pasadena stores in 2010. All three are supplied and marketed by the NAPA brand. The locations came with good staff that was knowledgeable about the parts they sell, which helps them to be competitive against the big national chains, Wood said. Plus, there was the bonus of preserving jobs at a time of high unemployment. “It would have been a shame to let them slip away,” Wood said. This year, Wood has taken on a new responsibility — that of a commercial property owner for his Pasadena store. Wood was able to buy the property with a Small Business Administration loan obtained with the assistance of Wells Fargo bank. The SBA loan offered Wood benefits that conventional financing did not, such as a lower down payment and longer amortization, said Rita Mitchell, a district sales manager with the SBA Lending team at Wells Fargo. “The monthly payment is lower and that conserves the cash flow,” Mitchell said. —Mark R. Madler
More Trucks on Road, New Stores for Chain
