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Precision in the polish: Behind the Business with Maine Recon in Scarborough, ME
![Shiny interior of car with red covered steering wheel and clean dashboard.](https://m.bbb.org/prod/corecmsimages/2024/ed05f5d2-6ddd-4917-9e78-66ed922fb9a0.jpg?tx=w_763)
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Precision in the polish
Joshua Davis owns Maine Recon, an auto-detailing business in Saco, ME. Maine Recon specializes in detailing motorized vehicles, which includes cleaning and restoring an auto’s interior, exterior, or both. Davis works on personal vehicles, commercial vehicles, boats, motorcycles, RVs, and more. In his interview, Davis shared what led him on the entrepreneurial path, what his business is like today, and more.
Davis started auto detailing in 2011. At the time, he was working a side gig as a chauffeur for a Boston limousine company, where he befriended the owner. Davis’ boss introduced him to the meticulous art of detailing limousines. “He taught me how to detail out his limos. He had 10. Everything he did was by hand, and I fell into auto detailing by happenstance, but I absolutely fell in love with what I was doing. It's just kind of become my zen,” the business owner said.
Davis’ initial part-time job laid the foundation for what would become a flourishing career. By 2013, the now entrepreneur ventured into running an auto dealership in Attleboro, MA, focusing on mechanical and detailing aspects for the used car market. However, his heart remained in Maine, his home state, prompting a return in 2016. Davis resumed detailing work, this time for another limousine company. It wasn't until 2018 that Maine Recon was officially born, marking the start of a new chapter in his professional life.
As not everyone is a car-care expert, vehicle owners may be surprised by the intricacies of maintaining their car’s interior and exterior. Davis relies on his training, knowledge, and experience to ensure he uses the correct products on a vehicle. Detailing cars is part of science. “Every type of stain needs to be cleaned differently. And then you have to think about the type of material, such as soft cloth, leather or vegan leather, which can only be cleaned with castile soap and water. When we attend trainings, we learn on a scientific level how to properly clean different vehicles. It's Newton's law. Everything has an equal but opposite reaction. So one car needs to be cleaned one way, but the next car might be need to be cleaned completely opposite and with totally different chemicals,” Davis shared.
When asked what he likes best about owning a business, Davis said he likes having flexibility despite working more hours than a typical job. “My wife and I like to travel, so we're able to shut the shop down for vacations, anything like that with the children—definitely just the freedom I like having. It's not the normal nine-to-five; it's a lot longer than the nine-to-five, but it's on my say-so,” the business owner said.
Maine Recon also sells its own branded car-care products. Davis noticed a gap in his business’ customer base—the people who care for their cars’ themselves. So, the entrepreneur launched a line of products to fill the void, which he sells online and at his brick-and-mortar shop. Davis revealed more about that side of the business. “We were missing the do-it-yourselfer or the person who goes to the car show on the weekend, or the old school guy that waxes his hot rod on the weekend. We were missing that aspect of business, so we had an opportunity to fall in line. We have 25 car-care products ranging from soap to bug remover to sealants and waxes.”
Switching gears, Davis shared what he loves about living and working in Maine, saying, “The sense of community. We do a lot of charity work up here. We're very active in community groups. It's kind of like the small-town feel, even though Saco is a city.”
Davis continued sharing about community projects in which his business is involved. “We strive to do something once a month if we can swing it, but definitely something every quarter. In the past, we've done coating for a cause— ceramic coatings through a raffle system with the benefactor being one of the local treatment facilities that helps underage children with developmental disabilities. This year we're doing our first campaign called ‘Care for Vets with Vettes’. So we're catering more to the Corvette community but also veterans. And we've teamed up with the Travis Mills Foundation up here, which is a veteran welfare foundation as well as Vet's for Vets down in South Carolina. So we're benefiting both charities this year.”
For more information about Maine Recon, check out their BBB profile. To learn more about BBB and read more stories like this, visit Behind the Business Stories with BBB in Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT.
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