When Grant Rowe, the owner of Custom Crankshaft, mentioned he was selling the business and retiring, longtime employee Terry Beach and former employee Dan Klim were the first in line to buy it.
"Grant is very well respected in the machine shop business and has a long list of satisfied customers," Klim said. "We both really like what Grant did with the business and when the chance to own the company came up, we jumped at it."
Located at 125 DeBaets St. in St. Boniface Industrial Park, Custom Crankshaft has been in business since 1976. The shop is fully equipped to rebuild all engines, ranging from inboard marine to automotive and industrial applications. In addition to complete engine overhauls, they also specialize in high-performance engine-building and design, cylinder-head rebuilding, cylinder boring and honing, connecting-rod resizing, crankshaft grinding, polishing and straightening, flywheel resurfacing, cylinder-rod chroming and grinding and the sale of high-performance engine parts.
Klim, 27, began working at Custom Crankshaft when he was only 17. "I worked for Grant Rowe for two years before getting hired on at the Royal Canadian Mint," said Klim. "He was actually more of a friend than a boss and was always willing to help me out."
One day while visiting the shop, Rowe asked Klim if he would be interested in buying the business. Shop foreman Terry Beach was also interested, and the pair pooled their resources and purchased the company in December.
Beach had been working at the shop for more than 10 years before becoming a co-owner. All the other employees were also retained, including Dorothy Melnychuk, Al Friesen and Jeff Sheppard, who has been with the company since 1981.
"In my opinion, Jeff is the best crankshaft grinder in Winnipeg," said Klim, adding it does seem a bit odd to now be one of the men in charge. "I was initially a bit worried," Klim said, "but we are all such good friends that the transition has actually gone very smoothly."
Klim is looking after the front end of the business, dealing with customers at the counter and ordering parts, while Beach is overseeing the shop area. "I still manage to get my hands dirty every day," chuckled Klim, who would prefer to spend all his time building custom engines.
"The reality is we have to pay the bills, though," he said. On that note, the company can rely on the fact that they are the only authorized Mercury inboard engine-warranty outlet in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. They also have several contracts with industrial and construction-related businesses.
Klim hopes that in the future, the company will experience enough growth to purchase a new building, and he is personally looking forward to enhanced emphasis on high-performance engines.
"I enjoy all aspects of racing, especially drag racing," said Klim, who has a few of his own projects on the go, "We have a real passion for engine building and we try to get the best premium parts to put into every engine we work on. We do whatever it takes to meet our customers' needs."
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