Bob Gutierrez has witnessed the negative effects of the recession: businesses losing customers, profits at a standstill and money losses that leave some entrepreneurs unable to recover.
Gutierrez claims he has a formula for enduring hard times: don’t try to manage too much.
“Staying small is the whole key of survival,” said Gutierrez, owner of Montgomery’s Kart Werks.
Village staff members, including Village Administrator Jeff Zoephel, visited Kart Werks last month to tour the facility and meet Gutierrez, who has owned Kart Werks since before it was home in Montgomery.
Kart Werks is located in a deceptively small building at 721 South Lake Street under the Route 30 bypass in the Village. Despite the structure’s humble appearance, it houses a showroom, a workshop and a storage area for several of Kart Werks’ outdoor equipment and golf carts—including a limousine-like vehicle with additional seats.
In addition to a busy maintenance schedule, Gutierrez also attributes his business’s survival to Kart Werks’ personal service and his own easy-going manner.
“The personalized service—that means something to people,” said Tom Johnson, Gutierrez’s father-in-law.
Kart Werks will again be serving the community this weekend at Montgomery Fest (Aug. 11-12).
Gutierrez said Kart Werks has showcased around $150,000 worth of equipment at past Montgomery Fest events, including golf carts, lawnmowers and outdoor power equipment.
Many vehicles used for security, safety and transportation purposes at Montgomery Fest were also donated for use during the busy weekend by Gutierrez.
“It is such an important event for the community,” Gutierrez said. “I’m just glad Kart Werks can be a part of it.”