Ten years after starting out in his nonna’s backyard, Derek Jantz and his team at Two Wheel Tech have just finished moving, and they are looking forward to serving the Powell River power sports and marine community from their new facility in town.
“I’ve had some people ask me if I downsized, because the location is very deceiving from the road,” says Derek. “In reality, we’ve more than doubled our interior floor space, and our outside yard space has also doubled and is secured. This location gives us lots of room to grow, and become the facility I always dreamt it to be: Powell River’s first true motorsports store and a hub for power sport recreation.”
The location is known to most residents as Economy Rentals, and in addition to purchasing the land and building, Derek also bought Economy Rentals from former owner John Turner.
“Economy Rentals is still operating, and John is sticking around for a bit to help me learn the ropes,” explains Derek. “His long-time mechanic Troy is staying on, so there will still be a familiar face, and that will help with the transition.
“We’re looking forward to working together to keep providing the same services to Powell River, including all the bottled gasses, welding supplies and abrasives, power equipment rentals, and repair. There is a lot of crossover between the two businesses, so it’s a good fit.”
Since shutting down the old shop south of town in mid-March, the Two Wheel Tech team has been busy renovating the new shop area and setting up the front customer space into a true motorsports store, which reopened April 11.
“We’ve also expanded our inventory of accessories and riding gear, so we’ve got what you need for on- or off-road adventures: helmets, boots, jerseys, jackets, pants, gloves, goggles, you name it,” says Derek. “We plan to continue to add to our stock moving forward. We also have 12-, 14- and 16-foot Marlon welded aluminum boats in stock, Karavan galvanized boat trailers, utility trailers, and Yamaha and Suzuki outboards in stock, so we can put together a complete boat package for you.”
The workshop area has also been upgraded, and the mechanics are hard at work getting Powell River’s motorsport vehicles ready for the summer season.
“The guys are loving the new shop space,” says Derek. “They were fully involved in figuring out the best arrangement for the bays and equipment, and my boat technicians are just thrilled to be working inside a professional commercial workshop, instead of outside on a sloped parking lot.”
It’s not just the staff who are happy with the new location. According to Derek, customers appreciate having their boats worked on inside, and also left inside a secured compound overnight.
“We’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback, and everyone who comes in seems to be impressed with the transformation,” he says. “It’s still coming together – I’ve got new signage for both Two Wheel Tech and Economy Rentals coming soon, for example – but it’s come a long way in the last two months, and the changes we’ve made so far look great.”
As part of the move, Two Wheel Tech will start being open on Saturdays later this month. May also marks Two Wheel Tech’s 10th anniversary, which Derek plans to celebrate later in the summer with a Saturday grand opening barbecue and charity ride in mid-July.
“I want to thank Powell River for all their support over the years,” says Derek. “Without our customers, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
Two Wheel Tech is now located at 4500 Manson Avenue, together with Economy Rentals. Residents can follow the business on Facebook (facebook.com/two.wheel.tech), visit its website at twowheeltech.com, or call 604.223.2440 or 604.485.2707 to learn more about available products and services.
