Our Story
How It Started and How Its Going!
From humble beginnings in a small two bay shop running a one man show Ken Thomas set out to defy the odds when starting out in 2001, where he worked tirelessly to grow his once very small business. It was no simple task but with the skills he had developed at an early age working at his parents gas and service station he slowly took his small business and expanded into offering more than just tires and brakes and starting doing mufflers and NC state inspections which garnered so much popularity that eventually he was so busy with those two services he stepped away from anything else, and that's when Kens Mufflers and Brakes dropped the Brakes and moved forward doing just NC state inspections and exhaust systems.
As time went on and as the business grew so did the family and it wasn't long until Ken got his second employee, his first son Kenneth. This would be a major benefit for the shop and would allow us to grow further and to provide a more efficient and consistent product to our customers. Kenneth spent many years here learning and developing skills such as welding and overall customer service experience that would benefit him later when he made the difficult decision to step out and try his hand at something new. So just like that Ken’s Mufflers would be back down to a one man show, or so you’d think.
As Kenneth left to pursue other opportunities it was just as timely that Ken's second son would be coming of age and was interested in helping carry the family legacy and try his hand at the business just as his brother had before him. It was then that Nick started where he would learn and develop those same skills his father and brother before him had, strong as an ox and with such a big heart he was a huge help and would pick up right where Kenneth left off. As time would go on, interests would change and before you know it Nick was graduating and on to pursue other opportunities. His path ultimately led him to pursue a career in firefighting, he and Ken had both been volunteers for many years and Nick's passion for it grew exponentially as he learned more and more.
Some time would pass and the business would continue to flourish and eventually new opportunities for the business would arise, it was in 2011 ten years after originally opening that we would move to a bigger location right across the road, to the location we call home today. It has four bays and allows us to service more customers at any given time. It was during this time the last of the boys would start at the shop. Undecided on what future would hold for him Dustin started and although he had no interest in welding became fascinated with inspections and the computer systems used to perform such diagnostic testing. Shy and quiet at first it wouldn't take long before he would become known as the talkative curly haired kid behind the front counter, always open to conversation and focused on making the overall customer experience a positive one.
For many years it would stay the same, with Nick aiding a hand part time while pursuing his firefighting career and Kenneth opening occasionally on Saturdays, and Dustin working daily on the weekdays. In 2021 Kenneth would come back to work with us and help us expand our ability to complete exhaust services, and bring in new ideas and a new perspective he had gained from experiences working at his former employer. Now Ken, Kenneth, and Dustin work collectively to continue to efficiently provide services to people all across the state of NC.
