Locke Performance LLC
Owner Tristan Ramer, a third-generation mechanic, opened Locke Performance’s doors in April of 2014. “My Grandfather has a shop,” explains Tristan, “my dad and his three brothers have one, too. So, the rule that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree definitely applies here.” When asked how the business has changed since he opened Tristan had a quick reply: “When I opened the shop it was just me, now I have five guys and we’re busting at the seams. We have to get a bigger facility.”
What has made Locke Performance so popular in Tristan’s region? “It all boils down to taking care of your customers, and that should be first and foremost in any business. You take good care of them; they’ll keep coming back and take good care of you.” Their primary focus is on the repair and maintenance of light-duty diesel pickups, with a little bit of performance stuff here and there. They also dabble in the ultra-high performance and have their own competition puller truck that they run in the summertime truck pulling scene. “The Puller is a 2002 Duramax in body, but the engine is far from original. She’s running 7.1 stroker engine with an LML block, 350% over injectors and some other goodies. We’re air-limited, so we’re only in the 1,300 to 1,400 horsepower range.”
Locke is located in a county that is primarily known as the RV capital of the world, so a lot of the business comes from the ‘Hot-Shot’ drivers that are either toting freight or RV units around the country. Ultimately, wherever they live, these drivers always go back to pick up more to haul.” And it’s those trucks that need the most attention because they are so heavily depended on. “We work on those trucks mostly, and they’re usually newer trucks that have racked up a ton of mileage because they rack them up quickly with all of that travel.
Good work, Tristan. Keep those trucks rolling, and keep those customers happy.
Locke Performance LLC
28641 County Road 50 Nappanee, IN 46550-9340
lockeperformance.com
(574) 221-2077