Having started nearly two decades ago, Kevin Einck has seen Zip’s with only 60 people grow into what we now know as Zip’s AW Direct, which now employs 260+ people. He’s gone from being a car carrier installation tech to a manager of 17 mechanics in 7 crews, plus an off-site crew in Charles City. He’s seen how much the company has grown just by looking up from his work.

Working as a car carrier installation tech for ten years, he learned the trade and the business. He began working under a manager who taught him the ropes. He worked under him for “6 to 8 months” before Kevin ended up in his own stall with his own crew. For him, it’s been a major sign of growth that the people he’s trained have gone on to train more crews.  

Nowadays, Kevin ensures “the techs are doing a proper job of installing the carriers … in a timely manner.” He also schedules the jobs that come into the shop, double-checks that they have the right parts from Miller to build the carriers, fields calls from the service department on issues that might come up and does what he can “to solve any issues that may arise during a build.” He has one goal in mind, and that is “to assure the customer is getting the best product that Zip’s can provide.”

In his position he doesn’t “see an end … anytime soon for car carrier builds.” He sees them as Zip’s bread and butter. It’s what we do best, and in his eyes, we make them the best. We put out a quality product because that’s what gets people coming back. That’s what the business is, customer satisfaction. Whether it be “the minimal builds” or “the tricked-out, flashy builds” they have to be the best. It’s a point of pride for Kevin to watch “top-notch trucks going out to customers daily.”

Paul Rottinghaus, President of Zip’s AW Direct, has told Kevin many times, “You can and you will figure it out, there is no I can’t figure it out.” It’s a sentence that Kevin has taken to heart. Kevin does everything he can to get the job done while ensuring he has given the best he has because to him, what he does is more than just for a paycheck. He views Zip’s as part of his family.