A charitable view: Autoglass owner likes perk of being able to help those in need

When Eric Elkins named his company Impact Autoglass, he wanted it to have a positive spin beyond the obvious image of a broken windshield.

"We want to make an impact on things -- not just be known as a glass company. We want to help out as much as possible in the community," he said.

One of the perks of owning a business is having the ability to donate part of his profits to charity, he said. He's setting up a campaign so that when a customer mentions the Medical University of South Carolina when ordering a repair, his company will donate 2 percent of the profit to the Children's Hospital.

Over the years, family members of the 34-year-old have needed treatment at MUSC, and that has given him opportunities to see the patients in the children's ward.

"Going down there, it puts a whole new perspective on life," he said.

Ideally, he said, he'd like to make a donation with every job he does and hopes he can reach that point as his business continues to grow.

Elkins and his brother, Chris, 30, established Impact Autoglass this year in North Charleston and have been busy trying to gain a foothold in what Eric describes as a competitive, saturated market.

"There's a lot of competition out there," he said. "But as long as you're aggressive, think outside of the box and treat your customers fairly, you can be successful."

One marketing tactic they avoid is the popular practice of placing fliers and business cards on parked cars.

"Guerrilla marketing is great to an extent, but it's a little intrusive," said Eric, who would much rather build his business with personal contact and quality work. "You do one bad job and they'll tell 100 people. If you do one good job, they might tell one or two."

For Eric, it was a return to an industry he left nearly 15 years ago when he was working for other people and couldn't see any growth opportunity for himself. He sold real estate for 13 years before falling back on his earlier experience to re-enter the glass-repair business with his brother. He's finding his second go-around in the business to be more to his liking.

"I enjoy meeting different people on a regular basis. Some people like to hover while we're working, and there are some people who don't like customers looking over their shoulders, but I don't mind. I like explaining what we do and educating them on how the process works," he said.

"It's much better now since I own the business. It gives me the leeway to do the things I like as far as charity."

Contact Bill Henley at 937-5433 or bhenley@postandcourier.com.