By Ashley Reyes
The SEMA Professional Restylers Organization (PRO) named Fortec Custom Jeeps as the council's newest spotlight member. Get to know the company's story in the SEMA News interview with Fortec Custom Jeeps' president Andreas Ulber below.
SEMA News: Tell us the story of your shop.
Andreas Ulber: My name is Andreas Ulber. I am the founder of Fortec Custom. I have loved Jeeps since I was a kid; Jeeps with big tires and wheels intrigued me especially. This love for Jeep made me start my own business many years ago. As a student in college, I started Fortec Custom Jeeps out of the basement of my father's house in 1991. With pride, I can say that Fortec is the oldest and first Jeep custom shop in the Southeast. After more than 34 years, we still have our shop right here in Roswell, Georgia.
SN: What was your breakthrough moment?
AU: My first client was Roswell Jeep on Alpharetta Highway. I managed to convince the dealership to customize their Jeeps and soon the first customized Jeeps by Fortec were sold. After this, other dealerships showed interest in my conversions and the business grew into what it is today.
SN: Tell us about your business now and the projects that you are working on.
AU: A big part of our business is Jeep dealership conversions. We work for several of them in the Atlanta area. We are adding custom packages to brand new Jeeps and the dealership then sells them to their customers. Our reach goes beyond the Atlanta area. We have customers all over the United States. Sometimes, Jeeps are even shipped to us for conversion packages. We frequently have exotic and exciting projects such as the "fastest Jeep Gladiator in the Southeast."
SN: Tell us about a package/product that you are proud of.
AU: Our Jeep dealerships have been selling our EINSTEIGER package for many years. EINSTEIGER is German for "Beginner with Talent." That's a tire, wheel, lift and sidebar package for Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator JT that our dealership now knows as a brand name.
SN: What advice do you have for young professionals contemplating a career in the automotive aftermarket?
AU: Jeep drivers are very social people and word of mouth is probably how we get most of our customers. This translates into a simple rule: take care of your customers or someone else will. Stay humble and do what you say and say what you do.
Fill out a PRO member spotlight form to highlight how you or your company are contributing to the automotive restyling industry. Selected candidates are eligible to be featured on PRO's social media, SEMA News and future PRO-member updates.