Client Spotlight: Luxe CoachCraft

TenantBase helped Luxe CoachCraft find flex space in the South Bay for their custom luxury vehicle business. Nine years later, they're confirmed still active at the same Torrance address.

Ryan Bicknell with Luxe CoachCraft had recently moved into their new office space, just weeks before opening their doors for business. In the midst of the launch, Ryan spent some time to chat about starting up this new venture and their office space search process.

Ryan spent much of his 30 year career managing corporate inbound call centers, so it was a big switch and career change to invest in and start a custom design center for luxury vehicles. Ryan's business partner, Jeremiah Mayeda, who has a 20 year history in the interior auto customization industry himself, was keen enough to identify a niche in the industry and took action. The average car customization shop can turn out a few cars each day with basic upgrades to audio and visual. Jeremiah noted that luxury customizations took longer and tied up space for many days at a time. This was not ideal for their group, yet they were getting enough requests of this type to see it as a business opportunity. Jeremiah and Ryan went into business together to start Luxe CoachCraft.

Their concept serves those who spend a lot of time in their vehicles, for example driving from Malibu to L.A., and need a vehicle to work in on the commute. Luxe CoachCraft takes a sprinter van and transforms it into a mobile office space or a conference room with video and audio technology and Wi-Fi to hold business meetings on the way. "The wealthy no longer use limousines to travel, especially for long distances, so a customized vehicle makes their commute productive and purposeful," says Ryan.

The client provides the vehicle that is ready to be customized, and the LCC crew team goes to work based on what the client requests. Flooring, high end audio and video capabilities, along with soundproofing, are all part of the customization. "It's not the average mechanic that works on these cars. We have master craftsmen who have worked decades in their field honing their skills," says Ryan.

Ryan met TenantBase after searching for space through other sites and brokers. "I just felt like other brokers I worked with didn't listen to my needs," he says. "We had a very specific requirement." They needed about 5,000 square feet that had both office space and some workshop space. "The biggest challenge through the process was finding a landlord who understood our business. We are not an auto repair or car maintenance shop, but it was assumed we would be similar tenants to that type of work." Steve Kang, their TenantBase advisor, knew he had to be clear and upfront about this with landlords and brokers.

Working alongside Steve, Luxe CoachCraft found their new home in the South Bay area. "We had a pretty expansive area that we searched within, starting from the South Bay area all the way to the Inland Empire, but this location really worked out for this group's needs," says Steve. Luxe CoachCraft spent the bulk of that month building out and upgrading their office space and workshop to fit their needs. "We are in a really well groomed neighborhood. Herbalife and Toyota are some of our neighbors, it's an ideal location," says Ryan.

Ryan took some time to talk about some of the challenges of starting a new business. "If I was to give advice to someone I would say, take whatever time and money you budgeted to start your new venture and double it." Another piece of advice Ryan shared, something he'd done since moving in: "Meet your neighbors, get to know your fire marshal and local police station. They will be the ones who you'll want on your side."

Ryan loved stopping by a small three table restaurant within walking distance of his office, a favorite for its poke bowl.

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