Business & Professional

ENTREPRENEUR

Auto Oasis

a §

Wealth management isn't about
being in the market.
It's about being in the know.

Fine art of detailing keeps spa
humming with business.

Motor City AutoSpa owner Matt Lifter cleans the grill of a 1957 Cadillac.

BID Carroll

Special to the Jewish News

W

ow! What a great job!"
Jewish entrepreneur
Matt Lifter loves to hear
that exclamation from customers. He
calls it the "wow" factor.
They're wowed by the work done
on their vehicles at his Motor City
AutoSpa in Royal Oak, which provides
high quality, state-of-the-art auto
detailing and restoration in a reno-
vated building on W. 11 Mile, just east
of Woodward.
Lifter, 37, who became an auto
enthusiast as a teenager, got into the
auto business after making a career
change from his former job with the
now-defunct Handleman Co. of Troy.
He also had to buck the beginning
of the economic downturn when he
launched the business in 2008.
But after a slow start, business
began picking up, and revenue and
profits have increased in the past
year — to a point where the company
now handles four to eight vehicles a
day, six days a week. Appointments
are booked two weeks in advance.
His main customer base is Royal Oak,
Huntington Woods, Bloomfield Hills
and Bloomfield Township, but auto
buffs come from as far as Ann Arbor.
"Coming here is like bringing your

car to a spa for a day; it's a luxury, like
having a facial or getting your hair
done,' explained Lifter. "But, on the
other hand, people just have love affairs
with their cars; they want them to look
good and, of course, they want to pro-
tect their investment."

E veryone wants to be in the know. But what does that mean for

an investor? For clients of Greenleaf Trust, at least, it means a

Music Business First

comprehensive and smartly constructed wealth management plan that

Lifter graduated from Troy High
School and got a technological degree
in graphic arts at Oakland Technical
Center in 1991. Joining the Handleman
Co. shortly afterward, he spent 15
years there, getting promoted eight
times while working in distribution,
merchandising and communication.
Founded in the 1950s by David
Handleman and his brothers, the com-
pany became one of the largest U.S.
distributors of recorded videotapes
and music and computer software and
books. Philanthropist Handleman died
last year; the company is being liqui-
dated and dissolved.
While at Handleman, Lifter worked
on weekends detailing vehicles and
developed a strong clientele. So it was
only natural that he would become a
full-time automotive entrepreneur.
Lifter found the right location in
Royal Oak, the former Royal Oak
Transmission Co., which was empty

has both the fundamental soundness for long-term growth and the

Auto Oasis on page 26

liquidity and flexibility for short-term tactical shifts. It means insightful

analysis and intelligent strategy—and not just the moment's emotion—

will form the basis of critical decisions. It means taking the splintered

assets that often comprise one's wealth and giving them a purposeful,

synergistic direction. So don't just be in the market; be in the competent,

client-centric hands of Greenleaf Trust. It's a better place to be. Call us,

and we'll help you get there.

as

GREENLEAF'
TRUST

Financial Securiofronz Generation to Generation

34977 WOODWARD AVENUE, SUITE 200 BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009

WWW.GREENLEAFTRUST.COM

248.530.6200

877.530.0555

1573520

September 9 • 2010

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