Relocating from Germany to the Porter area, Holger Butzelar carried over his passion for cars and transformed that love into a thriving business in EMC.
When Holger met several of the EMCID Board of Directors and Frank McCrady, EMCID President/CEO, they helped Holger make his dream to open an auto parts shop come true. NC Customs is located on Gene Campbell Road in New Caney in the East Montgomery County Industrial Park.
“I learned about the loans and grants available to businesses within the EMCID boundaries during the seminars they held a few years ago. I was amazed to learn that more businesses do not take advantage of this,” said Holger. “It’s a win-win for my business and EMCID. Without EMCID’s help, none of this would be possible.”
Through loans with EMCID, Holger was able to open a storefront as well as an installation shop and assisted in his business growing.
NC Customs officially opened its doors to the public in November 2017 and has continued to grow since then.
Before moving to the United States, Holger sold auto parts on eBay and had been interested in cars since he was a young boy.
“Growing up in Germany, I was always interested in cars,” said Holger. “It wasn’t until we moved here that I began to learn more about classic and vintage cars.”
Holger first operated NC Customs out of his home before he decided to open a shop where people could peruse through and purchase various auto parts. He first opened a shop on Oakley Road before constructing the new place on Gene Campbell.
NC Customs still sells auto parts online and welcomes customers to visit their store in New Caney to purchase items. The back portion of the business is where the auto shop is located, which houses two-to-four classic cars and trucks at a time that are being repaired by part-time employees like Mitchel Bell.
“Mitchel is a great asset when it comes to fixing cars, and Jody Hewett has been with me since the very beginning,” said Holger.
NC Customs also hosts events for the community where residents are invited to bring their classic cars and others can enjoy sightseeing.
In the future, Holger hopes to expand his shop and office by building an adjacent building, so that they will have more room for products to sell online and in-person and space to fix the older vehicles brought into the shop.
“We have grown, and we stay pretty busy which is why we hope to expand in the future,” said Holger.