NAPA snap-up

KAMIAH — People matter more than parts to Cory Koole.

As an owner of NAPA Auto Parts stores, Koole values veteran employees.

He kept existing staff members when he acquired NAPA locations in Kamiah and Kooskia in 2015. He did the same thing when he purchased Lewiston and Clarkston stores this year.

He also sought out others with experience, seeing product knowledge as an important way to stand out in a crowded field of vehicle parts stores.

Chief among those he recruited was Cleve Chisholm, who now fields calls from vehicle repair shops. Chisholm was an employee of Forest Auto Parts, but had 30 years with NAPA under his belt.

“Everybody loves Cleve,” Koole said.

Chisholm turned out to be a package deal. When Koole found out Forest Auto Parts was closing earlier this year, he hired two of Chisholm’s co-workers.

“They were like all of us in the middle of life,” Koole said. “Getting told ‘You’re losing your job’ was stressful on all of them.“

Business Profile talked with Koole about his acquisitions of NAPA stores, how the automotive parts business is evolving and his career path.

Business Profile: What prompted you and your wife, Haley Koole, to acquire the Kamiah and Kooskia NAPA stores in 2015?

Cory Koole: I was a regional sales manager with NAPA on the corporate side covering Alaska, Hawaii and a number of other states in the West. I managed 20 district sales managers and was responsible for sales from the manufacturers to NAPA. I handled all their warranties, returns and claims.

I lived in Grangeville, but I flew out every week. I had two young daughters. I had a lot of coworkers who had raised their kids in that position. They told me, “Whatever you do, don’t miss your kids growing up. Find something where you can be home at night. Whatever it takes. Don’t live on the road. It’s horrible for your family.”

I actually left NAPA for a short period and went to work for Lightforce in Orofino. I was a marketing director. I was going to relaunch their lighting line for the United States.

Then Joe Harding, the owner of Kamiah and Kooskia NAPA stores, called me and said he wanted to retire. Being a business owner and part of the community was appealing.

BP: You purchased the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley NAPA stores this year from Eric and Tonya Waide. What was the reason for the addition?

CK: NAPA is looking to really consolidate their ownerships. I didn’t want someone to purchase them and acquire more stores around us. It was more to protect our investment here.

BP: What was the most challenging job at a NAPA store?

CK: Learning the counter is very hard. Everyone calls something different. Understanding the customer and what they are looking for is really stressful.

You have three people standing in front of you, and you’ll have two phone lines on hold. It’s a multitasking, really hard job.

It’s a lot of researching, and cars are a very complicated system. Everyone expects you to know what’s wrong with their car and be able to diagnose it and tell them the parts they need. A customer will say, “My car makes this noise so tell me what I need to fix it.”

BP: What is your relationship with NAPA?

CK: It’s kind of based on a handshake. They do a good job for us, and in return we buy as much product from them as we can.

As long as they feel like they’re getting proper representation in a market, then they won’t have anyone else come in the market.

It’s one of the last businesses that an independent guy can really do, that the big box stores haven’t put out of business.

We don’t pay a franchise fee, and we can carry products from other manufacturers. We pay to be part of their national advertising and a nominal fee for a training website.

NAPA helps us a ton. At Lewiston’s Hot August Nights, we had eight NAPA employees come down from the Spokane distribution center and help us. We have $18 million of merchandise in Spokane that’s available in hours. If we order by 5:30 p.m., it gets to Lewiston by 10 p.m.

BP: What are the differences between the markets in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley and Kamiah and Kooskia?

CK: We’re definitely strong in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley in the wholesale. There’s a lot of repair shops in the valley. We work closely with the dealerships. We buy from them. They buy from us.

Retail is tougher down there because you have everyone trying to sell auto parts. You have all the big box stores like Walmart and North 40 Outfitters, and then you have the AutoZones and O’Reilly Auto Parts.

Up here, it’s more retail because there’s not as many shops, and a lot of people up here just do it themselves.

BP: How might you grow the business in the future?

CK: The industrial side in Lewiston has a lot of potential. We’re open seven days a week. Farmers don’t quit on weekends. They need parts whenever they need them, not Monday through Friday.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261