Small engine repair makes big difference in Coon Rapids

By R.P. Sexton
Murphy News Service

Driving along Coon Rapids Boulevard in the North Metro one observes nothing unusual or distinct among the businesses that adorn the thoroughfare. There are corner malls at major intersections, gas stations along the service roads and an occasional medical complex accessible with a right or left-hand turn. And just east of Egret Boulevard, sharing a storefront with decorative kitchen business, is Don’s Small Engine Service.

Don Huntington describes himself as a man “over forty years of age.” He is the owner of Dons’ Small Engine Service and has been in business at the same location for more than 25 years. “I used to work out of my garage a lot,” Huntington said. “My real dad died when I was about 2 or 3, but my stepdad was a tool and die maker, and I used to work with him on Saturdays doing electrical wiring and repairs. That’s where I got interested in construction and eventually went into roofing.”

Roofing is also where Huntington learned that there are an unusually large amount of machines required to complete a roofing project, and hence an unusually large amount of machines susceptible to breakdown.

“I worked on repairing roof-cutting machines, roof scrapers, and construction equipment in general.” Huntington eventually moved into repairing more conventional machines and says that if he doesn’t have the necessary part to repair something, he’ll send out for whatever it is.

“The most important thing is that the thing gets fixed,” he said, “but I haven’t yet found something I can’t fix.

Seasonal Work

The time of year is an easy predictor of what types of machines might be found in the small tar-covered parking lot in front Huntington’s store. “Most people come in here with snow throwers, chainsaws, and ice augers in the wintertime” Huntington said. “And in the summer we get a lot of lawn mowers of course, tractors, generators, compressors, and construction equipment in general.”

Indeed, driving by, it is not unusual to see two or three guys in snowmobile suits or shorts performing cursory examinations on the next contraption to be brought back for repair.

The Home Depot Challenge

According to the Los Angeles Times, Home Depot, the nation’s biggest home improvement retailer, earned $1.54 billion in the third quarter of 2014; this number has been steadily on the increase as the U.S. housing market recovers.

The primary goal of Don’s Small Engine is to finish each year in the black, which according to Huntington, they do. In fact, he insists that Home Depot actually provides him with a lot of work.

“They don’t have a lot of tech support, so when somebody buys something from Home Depot and it breaks down, they bring it to someone like me to repair.”

Dale Johnson, who is a team member at Home Depot, concurs “It’s all about the customer,” said Johnson. “If it’s real busy and we can’t do anything about it, we refer the job to someone else. We know Don. It’s no competition at all to refer fixes to him as long as the customer is satisfied.”

Employees

In a numbers report compiled by Forbes Magazine, Home Depot employs about 365,000 people. Don Huntington employs five. “I’ve had guys with me for up to ten years,” Huntington said.

Employee Dan Eggert has worked for Don’s Small Engine for about a year.

“Don’s a good guy to work for; he’s real laid back,” Eggert said. “I worked for Comcast before, but always worked on small engines on the side, so this is a good job.”

The Economy

By many accounts, the recession of 2007-2008 was a killer of small businesses.

In fact, The Huffington Post reported that more than 170,000 small businesses closed between the years 2010-2012.

Don Huntington, however, seems unconcerned.

“If there’s a depression going on, I don’t pay any attention to it,” Huntington said. “I’ll survive. It’s been OK. I’m not rich, but I’m always here at the end of the year.”

Reporter R.P. Sexton is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.

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