On Sept. 5, the House of Cars in Cochrane will celebrate its one year anniversary.
Nik Klassen, general manager of House of Cars, reflects on what he’s learned throughout the year, and the impact that the business has had on the Cochrane community.
“We said we wanted to come to the community and be very involved and provide great service to our clients and just allow people to give us the opportunity to work with us,” said Klassen, “I feel that we've done all those things, and as we continue to get that support from the Community, it allows us to do even more.”
Throughout the year, House of Cars has hosted a variety of different events and partnered with many organizations throughout the community.
They hosted the Light Up Event in November, a trade show, gave $100 off each car deal for the Cochrane Canucks, held a meet and greet with Santa, collaborated with the Bow Valley Boot Stomp, gave an ambulance to help support the bottle drive for Jasper, sponsored the Cochrane Classic rodeo, sponsored the men’s and women’s night at the Cochrane golf club, sponsored Cruise Cochrane, collaborated to host a Stampede breakfast, donated $50 off every car deal this July to Bike Cochrane, and presented the FMX show Saturday, Aug. 24.
“That's just what creates excitement for me as the snowball continues to grow," Klassen said. "It's how big and how far can we take this and what else can we do inside the community, and what else can we do for events, and to be that dealership that's for everybody.”
Klassen noted that despite the amount of growth happening in Cochrane, he’s noticed that a lot of people still hold high value to the importance of maintaining the community and preserving local connections.
He emphasized that throughout their first year in business, he’s learned that by getting involved in the community and giving back to people, that they return the support.
“I think that's something that's very unique to Cochrane,” Klassen said. “Going to other cities that are similar in size, you don't find that community spirit anywhere else.”
Going forward, Klassen also explained how he hopes to keep growing the business at their current location in Cochrane. He says this involves getting their mechanic shop fully open for all bays, which will enable them to hire more staff and take on more clients to continue providing good service.
Furthermore, he emphasized he wants people in Cochrane to continue to allow House of Cars the opportunity to help out in the community where they can.
“I want to be a pillar in the community for where people, if they want to fundraise or if they want sponsorships, I want them to at least give us opportunity to to try to help," he said. "And if we can help the community, we can help the people around here, then it's a win win for everybody."
