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Success Stories

Aurora AutoPros

The Aurora AutoPros mission guides owners Edgar and Reneé Leon’s daily operations:  to provide the highest quality mechanical repair solutions in a professional, honest, and transparent manner.  They keep their environment clean, educate car owners and are family-friendly.  Their customers value AutoPros’ personalized service given by ASE certified technicians.  As a TechNet Professional Repair Shop, AutoPros’ customers receive a nationwide 36-month/36,000-mile warranty on all repairs that also includes roadside assistance for all invoices of $25 or more.

With just two bays at the start on April 1, 2013, over the last seven years, they’ve added four full-time employees and two more bays, working on 150 cars per month on average.  They also started a towing business, Regal Towing, LLC, in 2019.  With a lot of questions at the beginning, they could lean on the expertise and support of the Aurora-South Metro SBDC.  Reneé Leon explains, “The SBDC staff was fantastic about following up and answering questions—from understanding financial statements to marketing.  The consultants’ passion for helping grow small businesses is evident in how they present ideas and look for helpful opportunities.”

The Leons realize that people are keeping their vehicles longer, so they build on their customer relationships, receiving glowing reviews and referrals.  They hold their competitive edge in several ways.  Aurora AutoPros keeps up with ever-changing advancements in automotive technology by updating their equipment.  They are members of the ASA (Automotive Service Association).  They offer six-month no-interest financing to those who qualify.  Most importantly, they maintain high-quality repairs and quick turnaround with their fleet accounts and individual customers.

Their goal is to add another technician and eventually purchase a building.  Aurora AutoPros is an active member of the Aurora Chamber, and they serve on the 7-20 Memorial Foundation.

During the trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Leons have adapted to COVID-19 by keeping family, health and community as top priorities.  Automotive repair was deemed an essential business, and Aurora AutoPros is grateful to be able to support the community by providing access to reliable transportation.  They immediately updated their procedures to ensure safety to both customers and workforce.  In addition to their practice of wearing gloves, they disinfect keys and fobs, use disposable floor mats, steering wheel and seat covers, and disinfect each vehicle.  They’ve eliminated many face-to-face interactions by using text and email, sending digital inspections with videos and photos, accepting payment on the website, and more.  They added pickup and delivery service to those who need it, especially during the pandemic for first responders, medical professionals, and other essential businesses and their employees.

Pictured: (lft-rt) Owner Edgar Leon with employee Jose

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GradePower Learning

Robert and Olga Mead, the owners of GradePower Learning, started out with a vision to help build children’s confidence and self-esteem. They found an opportunity to do that not only through tutoring students, but also in teaching them how to learn. The LEADING EDGETM Strategic Planning Series was the perfect tool for Olga to test her business model. She graduated from LEADING EDGETM in 2015 and continued on as a client at the Aurora-South Metro

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Prieto’s Catering

Prieto’s Catering is an Aurora-based food truck selling authentic and delicious Mexican food.  Prieto’s serves a variety of tacos, including the famous birria tacos that everyone is excited about!  They also serve other popular Mexican dishes made fresh, such as tamales, tortas and burritos.  Fully aware that the business needs to be responsive to customer needs during the pandemic, they offer home delivery and pick up from 9AM to 3PM daily. As a family business

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Vintage Theatre Productions

Starting out 15 years ago in a basement as a touring theatre group for small audiences, Vintage Theatre has grown from that “tiny” beginning to currently reaching over 20,000 patrons each production season. “It has been amazing to see the growth,” beams Cr aig Bond, Founder. Since moving to Aurora in 2012 into an existing black box theater, Vintage immediately added a second more intimate theatre to augment the season’s offerings. Creating a greater draw

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Banh & Butter Bakery Café

“The SBDC helped me better understand and prepare my business plan. Growing up in a family business, a business plan was all about going with the flow.  I never knew what a cash flow was, but support from the SBDC has increased my business knowledge.” – Thoa Nguyen   CEO and owner Thoa Nguyen is a pastry chef by day and a culinary chef by night.  Branching out from the family’s restaurant, she studied baking and

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Havana Street Tattoo and Legacy Tattoo Collective

Havana Street Tattoo opened 15 years ago in Aurora.  The tattooing industry has shown its potential for significant growth in the past 10 years and continues to do so, because the customer base and artists offering the service have evolved past an old stereotype into a market of true professional artistry and serious collectors. In mid-2019, business partners and co-owners, Larry Foussat and Gilbert Ledesma decided to open a new location in Aurora to expand the shop’s client base and

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Yumbana, LLC

To be declared a U.S.A. Taste Champion by the American Masters of Taste national judging panel, especially when the category is “Gluten Free” baked goods, is quite an accomplishment. Yumbana was selected as a winning product line in 2017 and, since its beginning in 2011, has been committed to making products that don’t require self-discipline to eat and enjoy. ‘Yum’ is in the name and comes from the owner Christopher Lehn’s first creation, a YUMmy

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