WICHITA — Les Eck is moving his Marine World from Rusty Eck Ford on East Kellogg to its own space at 7979 W. Kellogg.
“You know the ironic thing about 7979 West Kellogg?” Eck says. “I used to wash cars there in the 1970s.”
His father, Rusty, had a used car lot there.
“That same damn building was there till I razed it last week,” Eck says.
He says he didn’t even do a walk-through before razing it because it was a junky building even in the 1970s.
Eck is moving Marine World, which sells new and used boats, wakeboards and accessories, for two reasons.
“A: My current Marine World service is taking up half of my Quick Lane,” he says of the no-appointment-necessary service center.
“I’m not giving fast enough turn time in my Quick Lane with the growth that we’ve had,” Eck says.
He says half the cars that come there for things such as tire replacements and oil changes aren’t even Fords.
“To take care of my customers better, I am going to double the capacity of my Quick Lane,” Eck says.
He says Marine World will improve in its own space as well.
“The boats will be 60 feet from the door,” Eck says.
He says boats aren’t like cars that can simply be brought up from a back lot.
Marine World’s size will double and allow for more boats to be displayed.
The business recently added Malibu to its line, which already included brands such as MasterCraft and Sea-doo.
In addition to being roomier, Eck also likes the West Kellogg space for its visibility and easy access.
“It’ll make boat service much more efficient.”