Kameron (Kam) Butcher never expected to work in the automotive business for very long, let alone manage two tire and service centers with a combined 20 bays. His foray into this business in 1998 – temporarily working a summer job as a parts delivery driver at a Ford dealership – was the
start of a passionate journey in a business he now reveres. Kam is carrying on the tradition at Lynn Wood Service Center, a Bumper to Bumper Certified Service Center with two locations in northern Utah, started by his wife Kellie’s family, the Woods, at the end of World War I.
Kam joined the 100-year-old tire dealer and repair business in 2005, as an assistant manager and helped open its Clinton location. Little did he know when he met his wife in 2004 while still working at the Ford dealership – and selling parts to Lynn Wood owner Don – that Don would soon become his father-in-law. Kam took the helm in 2014 as general manager when Don decided to retire and serve with his wife on a humanitarian mission in Ukraine for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Don asked him to “take the wheel” of his stores in Clinton and Layton, Utah, to continue the legacy that he and his late father left behind.
Kam rose to the occasion to lead the family business and has never looked back. With very large shoes to fill, as Kam put it, he took the responsibility very seriously and says he was honored Don entrusted his business to him. Kam upholds the business’s high standards, its family-first work environment, highly qualified technicians, highest-quality repairs and a commitment to customer service.
“We’re not like any other automotive shop or tire and service shop; we are family owned and operated and customers come here because they trust us. We’ve been servicing families for generations. Grandparents are bringing their grandsons and granddaughters, and it’s just been this very long relationship.”
That relationship is rooted in honesty and integrity, of which Don was a firm believer. Kam recalls him saying: “The moment that you lose the honesty and integrity this company has is the day this business will no longer exist.” Carrying on that tradition, Kam believes in educating customers – a business strategy that is a strong differentiator and helps keep customers coming back.
As general manager running the business, Kam says he’s also “hands-on” on a daily basis so it’s not uncommon to see him rolling up his sleeves and dismounting a tire. “I’m talking to the techs, keeping my hands in the business because I don’t want to be that manager who doesn’t have a clue what’s going on in the shop. I would never expect my guys to do something that I don’t want to do myself. I want to make sure they know that I’m going to help out wherever I can.”
Dealing with the effects of the coronavirus has been a huge eye-opener for Kam, who says it has brought a “heightened awareness of how you can better serve your customers. Complacency comes into play from time to time, and I felt we had gotten a little bit complacent.”
With customer service a major priority during these unprecedented times, Kam adds he and his team are doing “whatever it takes to earn their business and make sure that they feel comfortable coming in.” And that includes rethinking how things are done and looking for efficiencies amid practicing various sanitation protocols. “We want to be here for our customers, be able to take care of them so they don’t have to go to a dealership for anything and be a one-stop shop for them. That’s my goal.”
Kam’s advice for optimizing the customers’ service experience: “Treat every customer who walks through your door like your mother.” At the same time, pay attention to their specific needs, because no two customers are alike. “If you take care of the customer, everything else falls into place, one hundred percent of the time,” he says.
As the Lynn Wood Service Center team leader, Kam respects what each employee can bring to the table. “My way isn’t necessarily the best way, so if I keep an open mind and take information from everybody around me … that’s how the business is going to always progress and be successful, for sure.”
Kam is proof that when you embrace industry change, treat customers like friends, serve as an educator rather than a salesperson and treat employees like family, a respected and successful business won’t be too far behind.
