PICTURED ABOVE: Jeremy Muell, owner of Panora Auto Parts, stands at the counter inside the business. On the left is Devin Hein, who has been with the business nearly three years. On the right is Tim Benson, who has worked there seven years.
By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
Jeremy Muell opens the door to Panora Auto Parts. Business hours expand each year on March 1 to accommodate farmers in the field and those who need to shop in the evening. Current hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In 1925, a group of independent auto parts sellers met in Detroit to form the National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA). Their goal was to improve distribution of auto parts to serve the people and businesses who increasingly relied on cars and trucks for transportation.
Jeremy Muell, owner of Panora Auto Parts, started his career with NAPA when he was 16 years old and a student at Harlan High School. After his high school graduation in 1999, he studied automotive technology at Iowa Western Community College while maintaining a full-time job with NAPA.
After graduating from Iowa Western, Muell managed three NAPA stores in the Omaha area. In 2002, he was moved to manage the Iowa City store.
“My specialty became helping locations that were struggling,” Muell says. “In 2005 I was moved to the Chicago district, where I managed 23 stores and gained a ton of experience. It was there I made a cold call to the maintenance building of Southwest Airlines, which eventually led to setting up an in-house dedicated store that just serviced them.”
In 2007, Muell was moved to Houston, where he helped manage 45 stores and oversee the addition of 12 new stores in two years. In 2008, he was moved to Des Moines. Less than three years later, he was asked by the company to move again.
The retail area in Panora Auto Parts is stocked with a wide selection of merchandise.
“Moving around when I was in my 20s was fun, but I turned down that opportunity. My girlfriend, now wife, lived in Guthrie Center,” Muell says. “Being raised in a small town, I loved the idea of settling down in one. After the experience of living and working in larger cities, I wanted to raise my own family in a small-town community. Guthrie County is where the stars aligned to do that.”
Muell started connecting with NAPA store owners in the area.
“One of the first owners I met was Dave Goss in Panora,” he says. “Dave worked with me to purchase the business from him in 2013. Dave was very kind, and as I grew to know him better, I observed his compassion and willingness to help others. It set the tone for what I wanted to do with the business.”
The Muell family lives south of Guthrie Center. Jeremy and his wife Shannon’s 19-year-old son, Carter, will attend Iowa State University in the fall. Their daughters are Cecilia, 11, and Adeline, 7.
Josh DeMoss puts the finishing touches on a custom golf cart. DeMoss has worked at Panora Auto Parts for nearly six years.
Panora Auto Parts is at 518 W. Main. At one time, the building housed Red and Sally’s West End Restaurant and Lounge. At some point, it was converted to a parts store, and then a NAPA store. Dave Goss acquired the NAPA store from the Brubaker family in 2004.
Muell has been in expansion mode since buying the business.
“When I first came here, the store carried just one or two chainsaws, weed trimmers and mowers,” he says. “We have not only expanded the offerings in the original outdoor power brands of Stihl and Toro but also added Milwaukee Power Tools, Yamaha Golf Carts and Grasshopper Mowers. Our investment in auto parts inventory has more than doubled.
“Our business is a good combination of mowers, outdoor power equipment, auto parts, farm supplies and golf carts,” Muell says. “We offer new, used and custom-built golf carts. All of our used golf carts originate in the Midwest. This is in contrast to others you might see online that import used carts from the south, where they are driven year-round.”
The business’ repair capabilities also have grown over the years.
Alvin Clark has worked for Panora Auto Parts for five years. He picks up and returns mowers and golf carts that are serviced at the business.
“We offer a full-service shop for almost anything small engine-related. We have nine different diagnostic scan tools we use specific to small engines and golf carts,” he says. “Items we see in our shop include snow blowers, chainsaws, weed trimers, golf carts, generators and mowers. We also have worked on small engines on various farm equipment, fire trucks and go-carts.”
Muell has four fulltime employees, and four seasonal employees.
“We have a very experienced, personable team,” he says. “In total we have more than 50 years of experience in auto and small engine parts and 25 years in small engine repair.”
Fulltime employees are Tim Benson, Josh DeMoss, Devin Hein and Alvin Clark. Part timers are Dan Wollner, Tom Campbell, Ed Hellman and Gary (Slick) Reese.
“Our team all lives and works here in Guthrie County, and all of them significantly contribute to the community. I am very proud of that,” Muell says.
Josh DeMoss has worked in the Panora Auto Parts shop for nearly six years. Here he is servicing a Toro mower.
Muell says these days customers can purchase auto parts anywhere.
“Being affiliated with NAPA gives us access to a larger inventory and a partnership with other NAPA store owners,” he says. “NAPA store owners use this network to help our customers locate parts, saving long trips to a bigger city by being able to pick up parts locally in surrounding towns. It also allows us to offer an excellent warranty program.”
Muell says NAPA is a worldwide company with more than 6,000 stores and 52 distribution centers in the United States and has a 100-year history of being a part of small communities.
“This leverages our ability to do our part in our community,” Muell says. “Even more important than our affiliation with NAPA, our customers know our team is going to go the extra mile when they need it. That is the type of service we want to provide.
“Being locally owned and operated, I think we bring value to the community,” he says. “I like the combination of making a living and employing others in our community. Our customers have certainly supported us, and we are extremely grateful for that.”
Jeremy Muell and his daughter, Adeline, in their custom-built Bronco in a Panorama Days parade.
Panora Auto Parts hosts two events for Panorama Days. Cruise Night is where anyone who wants to scoop the loop and hang out can come to the store and display their vehicle. An evening golf cart cruise at Lake Panorama raises money for Tori’s Angels.
As a business owner, Muell knows the importance of good customer service.
“We love to educate our customers to the best of our ability, and I feel we do a good job with that,” he says. “From explaining repairs to our customers, answering questions on new equipment purchases, and finding answers and parts, we work hard to put our best foot forward and give the customer the most honest experience possible.”