Easy Street Auto Inc.

• Position: Business Profile - Company Profile

At Easy Street Auto in Anchorage, owner Emory Shelley has built a new-car dealership experience for the used-car buyer. There's a big demand for quality at the top end of the used car market, Shelley says, and he's modeled his business after the new car dealers-from selection to support.

"We are going to offer the same services as any new car franchise, except you're not going to have to pay the new car price," Shelley says.

Easy Street offers an inventory of dozens of late-model vehicles to choose from, fleet services, in-house financing and an emphasis on after-the-purchase vehicle service and customer support designed to rival any in Alaska.

After nearly nine years in business, Shelley has earned the trust and loyalty of many repeat customers. And for Easy Street Auto, success has brought tremendous growth and the ability to serve customers with the strengths of one of the largest independent car dealers in the state.

Focus on Service

The company's growth now supports a staff of 30, and Shelley owns a finance company to guarantee that Easy Street Auto customers can qualify to finance the vehicle they want. Along the way he helped establish a statewide car dealers' business association, in which Easy Street Auto is one of only two independent dealers with enough of a stake in the industry to participate.

But more importantly, Shelley wants to expand on Easy Street Auto's reputation for customer satisfaction. He has re-invested years of profit to build a used-car business that inspires confidence in a first-time customer. That investment includes a service department with all the staff and equipment needed to guarantee that a vehicle is road-ready for a new...