BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY, an automobile service-technology company, has been named to the 2018 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America for the third year in a row.
This award comes just 10 years after CEO Mike Risich envisioned an automobile repair SAAS company that could help shop owners boost customer trust, increase repair order revenue, and drive business success. Now, his company sits among other Inc. 5000 leaders such as Amazon, Zappos, Microsoft and Oracle.
“The BOLT ON family is very proud to be among America’s fastest-growing companies,” Risich says. “We’re helping over 5,000 shop owners use technology that increases the transparency and efficiency of their services, which has a major positive impact on their bottom line; we’re on a mission to help shops achieve new heights of success with their business.”
BOLT ON’s 2018 Inc. 5000 nomination follows a three-year sales growth rate of 244 percent and a 30 percent increase in workforce, both projected to help the company expand its digital vehicle inspection/customer retention software services and BOLT ON University education program to new markets in North America.
Key to the company’s growth are BOLT ON’s mobile software tools, which allow technicians to photographically document a vehicle’s condition, track repair processes, build customer profiles, and communicate customer-facing visual summaries of vehicle needs, via text message.
“Our company is growing because shops using BOLT ON spend more time focusing on vehicle owners and their experiences, rather than documentation; they see enormous returns in customer retention and dollars spent per job,” says Director of Marketing Tim Cifelli. “Shops want loyal, long-term customers, likely to accept sales recommendations. Our software makes this happen, allowing shops to efficiently communicate repair recommendations and appointments, freeing them up to grow client relationships. At the same time, our training/support program, BOLT ON University, helps shop owners optimize their workflow and maximize business success.”
To qualify for the 2018 Inc. 5000, companies must be privately owned, established in the first quarter of 2014 or earlier, have at least $100,000 in revenue in 2014, and have generated at least $2 million in revenue in 2017.
“If your company is on the Inc. 5000, it’s unparalleled recognition of your years of hard work and sacrifice,” says Inc. Editor-in-Chief James Ledbetter. “The lines of business may come and go, or come and stay. What doesn’t change is the way entrepreneurs create and accelerate the forces that shape our lives.”
Leading up to BOLT ON’s 2018 Inc 5000 listing, the company won a series of awards recognizing its disruption of the traditional auto repair industry. Such accolades included the PTEN Innovation Awards, the Wharton Small Business Development Center’s Philadelphia 100 (five-time winner), Innovate Philadelphia and Insight Success’ 30 Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs of 2018.