Rising Stars: Meet Kyle Updegrove of West Side

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Updegrove.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
How did I get here today . . . By a series of tragic/horrific events. There was the unexpected and unwanted divorce and the financial ruin that came with it. Struggling to move on and survive financially with the crushing child support payments and the loss of my business. Surprisingly getting remarried and her untimely, accidental death 7 weeks later. Trying to find a job and discovering the reality of ageism which led to driving rideshare 7 days a week and doing whatever odd contract job I could find. Covid and now even the contract jobs are gone. The realization that sitting in a car 14 hours a day is destroying my health even if it allows me to get by financially. Approaching a former customer about restarting manufacturing and gradually build that up. The realization that this isn’t going anywhere be he has not interest in expanding the business or even working at it but is just happy to sit back and take as much money of it as he can. So, after doing that for a couple of years I started a new company with a business partner, my best friend, who would be interested in growing, expanding a business. After a year of struggling to get him to finish the website and move on to the setting up a location, etc. He called me on a Friday morning and said he was out. It also became apparent quickly that he had helped himself to thousands of dollars of customer deposits on orders that i would now need to cover in order to keep the business operating on my own. That brings us up to date to as of about 4 weeks ago.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I design and fabricate aftermarket accessories for pickups, SUVs, and crossovers. What sets us apart is that each order is custom built to order by us.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
Most: The airport. It’s easy to get away to anywhere. Least: The culture, the racism, the lack of worth ethic, the constant scamming.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bluelakeoffroad.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluelakeoffroad/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueLakeOffroadPage
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlueLakeOffroad