Today we’d like to introduce you to Andreas Ulber.
Andreas, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My name is Andreas Ulber and I was born in Germany. I have always been fascinated by Jeeps from childhood on. During my college years in Germany, I spent the summer breaks in the South of the US hunting for well-kept Jeep CJ7. I imported a few of them to Germany and sold them with a small profit to people that had the same passion. Not being able to afford one myself, I was at least happy to be able to drive a Jeeps until it sold. I did this each summer break and after ten years of being in college, spending more time working on Jeeps and dealing with them, my father encourages me to finish my college degree in business finally. I did, but I had no intention to work for anyone else and decided to make my passion my livelihood. I consequently started my own business right out of college. Coming up with a name was the easier part of starting a brand new business. FORTEC, short for “4×4 Technology” was founded in 1991. I took a friend in as a partner and we ran our first shop out of an apartment on the 3rd floor without elevator in Hamburg, Germany. At the time, we just sold parts and accessories that we imported from the US. Can you imagine carrying 35″ tires up to three floors? Three years later, FORTEC had a good heartbeat. We had a small showroom and some storage for US imported accessories. It also looked like we made a name for ourselves in the small Jeep market in Germany. I then decided that I wanted to live in the country where Jeeps were built and sold my FORTEC shares to my partner. In 1994 I immigrated to the US and started my first FORTEC shop in the middle of Buckhead. I turned a small retail shop into a Jeep accessory boutique and built out an apartment in the back> I lived in my shop to keep my overheads low. I then hired my first employee and we put flyers on Jeeps advertising our accessories. Our business grew pretty fast and people asked us to also offer installations. From Buckhead we moved into a much bigger location in Marietta and the rest is history. Along the journey I had a few downfalls but also many successes. I can certainly write a book “How not to run a Business”, by Andreas Ulber. Fast forward to 2020. We are now the oldest Custom shop for Jeeps in the South East. Next year I will have been in business for 30 years. We now have 1 retail shop with 4 installation bays in Marietta, 1 shop with 5 bays and a small warehouse in Roswell, and we operate out of a 7 bay installation facility in Pompano Beach Florida. This year we started a licensing program for independent shops to become FORTEC licensing partners. That’s our story in short.
Has it been a smooth road?
Along the journey, I had a few downfalls but also many successes. I can certainly write a book “How Not to Run a Business,” In the year 2000, I was locked into a five year lease for a building that we couldn’t afford to be in. We were more or less working for the landlord. We got through it though and purchased our own shop in Roswell after the lease was up. The recession of 2008 got us down to our knees again. At the time, we had six shops, all specializing in Jeep add-ons and custom work. Many Jeep dealerships were using our expertise to customize their brand new Jeeps. When Chrysler Dodge Jeep filed for bankruptcy in 2008, our business consequently dived. Our custom Jeeps were sitting on dealership lots and we couldn’t get paid. We made it through those tough times and eventually recovered.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
FORTEC is the first and oldest custom shop for 76 to current Jeep models, since 1991. We customize brand new Jeeps for private individuals and dealerships. Furthermore, we sell Parts and Accessories for Jeep and also export them to other countries. We also restore and maintain older Jeeps. FORTEC has an online presence with a website and social media, Fortec4x4.com.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The metro Atlanta area is Jeep land. The Jeep Wrangler has established itself as an everyday driver. Few cities in the US have as many Jeeps driving around as our city. They are everywhere and most of them are customized in some sort of fashion. Who wants to drive on little “pizza cutter” tires when you can go big. We think we did our part to promote this ongoing trend. FORTEC has evolved from a single little shop to a company with quite a reach. The name FORTEC is a well-known brand in the industry.
Instead of franchising, we are signing up FORTEC partner shops. These are mom and pop repair and tire shops that have good reviews and have been in business for some time, just like our shops. We are presenting these shops with an opportunity to also benefit from the growing Jeep population. We are striving to create a large network of FORTEC partner shops in the South East of the US.
Contact Info:
- Address:830 Ellis Street
Roswell, GA 30075 - Website: fortec4x4.com
- Phone: 7706427260
- Email: andreas.ulber@fortec4x4.com
- Instagram: fortec4x4
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FortecJeep/
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