TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Businessman Focused On Details

ADVERTISEMENT

By GEORGE WILKENS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 29, 2007

Updated: 12/27/2007 06:22 pm

UNIVERSITY AREA - Glenn Boruty wants the best of both worlds.

The Atlanta transplant moved south for the weather and opened The Elite Auto Detailing to mimic a business he owned and operated for seven years in Duluth, Ga., expanding it to employ 15 workers.

His new venture - so far a one-man operation - is in Suite 108 at the Nebraska Business Center, 13719 N. Nebraska Ave.

After relocating to Tampa Palms and a climate better suited for his wife's mild case of lupus, Boruty worked as an inventory control manager.

"But it wasn't where I wanted to be," and his passion for maintaining cars shined through, if you will. "Every car I've ever owned, I wiped down twice a day," he said proudly.

A perfectionist who sets high standards for his work, Boruty, 41, maintains laboratorylike conditions at his shop.

"Detailing is a science. A lot of people say they are detailers, but to be one, that's a different thing," he said.

"I do everything by hand," most of that work conducted in his climate-controlled space that can accommodate three vehicles.

He dons an apron, rubber gloves and takes precautions to ensure no foreign particles soil the vehicle finish. A grid plate several inches above the bucket bottom, for example, prevents his wash mitt from contacting any particles settled in the bucket.

"You don't want to have your mitt falling in your soot," he said matter-of-factly.

The business he launched in suburban Atlanta offered mobile detailing, "And it's OK for convenience," but outdoors, airborne particles can mix with the waxing compound and ruin the shine, or worse, he said recently as he worked on a black Chevrolet Corvette.

"Black cars you have to pay special attention to," he said. "This light is good for me because it shows everything. Fluorescent light definitely helps in a shop like this."

The air-conditioned bay ensures the vehicle's paint is cool before waxing commences.

After polishing the Vette's dual-exhaust pipes, restoring its chrome wheels and reconditioning its black convertible top, Boruty turned to the interior.

He employed a paintbrushlike tool to clean the small crevices, recesses in consoles and other hard-to-reach interior spots.

He removed the rubber cup holders from the Corvette console and thoroughly cleaned them - top and bottom. The driver may never look under the cup holder.

"But if he ever did, it would be clean," Boruty said, deriving satisfaction from his complete treatment. "I go above and beyond. I don't believe detailing should just hit the surface."

He uses a 1,000-watt pressurized steam cleaner to destroy bacteria trapped in fibers behind air-conditioning vents, which improves air quality, he said.

"It's kind of an added thing a lot of people don't even know about," though they learn to appreciate it, Boruty said. "I do it with all of my interior details."

He offers vehicle pickup and delivery within three miles of his shop, on the east side of Nebraska Avenue, north of Fletcher Avenue. His growing clientele includes nearby auto dealerships.

Ideally, he'd like to build the reputation he had in the Atlanta area, where some loyal customers drove dozens of miles for his white-mitt treatment.

"In Atlanta, they knew me; here they don't," Boruty said. So he spends his lunch hour promoting his new business. "I go out and hand out cards every day to show people who I am," he said.

Prices for interior, exterior and full detail jobs vary according to vehicle size, starting at $70, and his Web site, www.theeliteautodetailing .com, provides a menu of services.

Boruty, who was born in New Brunswick, N.J., and grew up in Miami, also is making contacts through membership in the Kiwanis Club of New Tampa and the St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church Hospitality Committee, as well as in his capacity as neighborhood watch coordinator in his Tampa Palms village of Buckingham.

In his spare time, he attends area car shows and maintains his vehicle, which serves as a mobile billboard and testimonial for his business.

"A lot of people think it's new," he said of his 2004 Ford Mustang GT. "It's all about how you take care of it."

IF YOU GO

WHAT: The Elite Auto Detailing

WHERE: 13719 N. Nebraska Ave., Suite 108 (Nebraska Business Center)

HOURS: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday

INFORMATION: Call (813) 977-5300, visit www.theelite autodetailing.com or e-mail theeliteautodetailing@yahoo .com

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4847 or gwilkens@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT