When Jeg Coughlin and his family first started out in Columbus, Ohio, it was easy to set up shop: find a building, move speed parts and machines in, and wait for customers. If you offer what the customer wants and give good value, the business has a better than even chance of succeeding. Apparently the Coughlins got it right on all counts because eventually they started supplying parts to racers and car enthusiasts all over the country by mail order, now carried in a catalog that's over 200 pages. When it came time to centralize the mail order operation, they needed a "gazillion" square feet and a computer company to lay out the floor plan before they even turned the first shovel-full of dirt. That's the way buildings come together these days, but the attitude still has to be the same: give the customer what he or she needs, when they need it, for a fair price. Of course, if there's going to be some serious drag racing, it's great to be able to build a dream shop right next door to the warehouse, with an engine room, dyno, machine shop, and all the trick tools. The other benefit of going racing is that it keeps the Coughlin brothers out there where the customers are. It kind of helps to see what the racers are using on a first-hand basis.
Our tour of the Jegs headquarters impressed us with the attention to detail that went into the planning and construction of the warehouse. Add to that the professional manner of the people working there, and it's no wonder the company is one of the biggest suppliers of performance parts, and continuing to grow. Follow along with us as we get an inside look at Jeg's. By the way, the Jeg's speed shops are still operating in three locations around Columbus.