Grants Pass, Ore. — A young Grants Pass business owner is receiving national attention after ebay selects his company as a finalist for their SHINE award for Small Business of the Year.
Spencer Apland owns 541 Motorsports, a three year old company that buys wrecked cars then sells the parts on ebay. It started as a way to make a little extra cash when he was a college student.
“Honestly when I started I didn’t have any money to do anything when I was in college, so it was to be able to go to Dutch Bros everyday and have money to spend,” Apland said.
Now with eight full time employees the 25-year-old’s business is booming. His inventory has grown to 30,000 parts, and he’s since relocated from his one car garage to a 20,000 square-foot warehouse. With customers all over the country ebay is taking notice. 541 Motorsports is one of three that have been selected from thousands of applicants for their Small Business of the Year award.
“It makes us feel good about ourselves that’s for sure, it’s definitely not a one person show though all of my employees helped in that,” he said.
While his passion for cars sparked his business model, Apland said it’s the customers who keep him driven.
“I sell parts how I would want to buy parts from other people,” he said. “The goal is to get a return customer.”
To vote for 541 Motorsports click here. You can vote once a day until July 11th. The winner will be announced July 24th.
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