About Us

Chux began as an idea back in 1990. At the time there were very few automotive accessory stores and mini trucks were very popular. I was a mini truck enthusiast. After working in the world of auto parts for most of my life and after that the cell phone business and part time pin-chaser in a bowling alley, I put together a business plan using books from the library, consulted with some guys I knew from a local wholesale automotive supplier and started going to banks for funding. I visited quite a few banks but after about 9 months, I was granted an SBA backed loan and started looking for buildings. After a long search I ended up at a small shop that sat way back off the road in Independence, Mo. on the east side of Kansas City. The building had been a Taylor Rental store (division of Stanley Tools) and Taylor had many years remaining on the lease even though they had closed the store. On June 1, 1991 Chux Trux opened for business. The first day I sold 1 bugshield. That’s all. The first month we totaled 12,000 in sales. Same the second month. There was one other employee at the time but he didn’t always show up for work. After a month went by, I let him go. For the next two months I sold and installed everything. The business was growing. In September, Shawn Shipers wandered in and we hit it off. I asked him if he needed a job and he said yes. He was from Pattonsburg, Mo. I had never heard of it.

We grew steadily for the next 10 months. As the business grew, we spent many nights working late. We were learning together how to install and what not to install. We were terrified of our first lift kit which was on a Jeep Commanche. We called the Trailmaster rep who promised to help us do the install. He didn’t show. From there, the lift kit business soared and we bought our first tire machine and wheel balancer. After working 7 days per week (we were open Sundays) and helping every customer and answering every phone call, I was wearing out and needed some help. I got a recruiter friend of mine to find me a great store manager and along came Chris Ripper. The 3 of us continued to grow the business and in 1993 we added a sales person/receiver and another installer. We grew steadily and in August of 1995 moved to our current Independence location in Gasoline Alley. The business continued to grow and in December of 1999 we opened our first satellite store in Overland Park, Kansas. About the same time we acquired a camper shell store called Pickup Palace which gave us the A.R.E. line and put us in the cap business. We ran Pickup Palace for a few years before consolidating it with our Independence store. We opened Chux in Olathe, Kansas in July of 2002 and Chux North opened in July of 2005. The need to spray our own liners drove us to acquire a competitor, Trucks First, in May of 2006.

Today, we have grown to multiple locations with over 2 dozen employee’s, including a commercial division selling B2B including car dealers, contractors, municipalities and more.

Why buy from Chux? You have a lot of choices today. So many that it makes it hard to choose who to do business with. But here’s some info about us to consider, before handing over your cash to someone you have no relationship with:

• Chux was established in 1991 as a one-man shop and has grown to multiple retail locations with over 2 dozen employees, and growing.
• Chux Trux was recognized a one of the top 25 truck accessory stores in the nation
• Numerous industry magazines have labeled us as an industry leader and trailblazer
• No voice mail. When you call, you get a person
• Fast special order service for hard to find parts
• WE INSTALL nearly every part we sell. When we talk about parts, it comes from professional experience that most “drop shippers” just don’t have. They may be able to read from a catalog and “talk the talk”, but it doesn’t mean they can “walk the walk”. Before you buy online, make sure it’s with someone who actually handles parts for a living, and not just has manufacturer’s ship parts on their behalf.
• We guarantee what we sell.
• We take care of you like family, and of your vehicle like it were our own.
• Same ownership and management team for last 18 years. We are not owned by investment bankers or foreign investors
• We have over $23,000,000 in inventory of quality parts at GREAT prices, right here in KC.
• Our main store is over 19,000sq ft. with over 8,000 of it in showroom – see our photo’s
• Six bay installation center
• Knowledgeable sales staff. If you want experience, we’re the guys. With over 50 years of experience in our 3 longest term people, you don’t have to be a math whiz to figure out that our large staff has over ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF EXPERIENCE!
• Comfortable waiting room with cable TV and telephone
• We have a long term team of installers who have done suspension kits on over 5,300 cars and trucks!! We know what works and more importantly, what doesn’t. Let’s face it, vehicles aren’t perfect. Odds are, if there are any issues with parts fitting your vehicle, our team probably has already come across it, and knows how to make it work
• Custom Fabrication services available. We BUILD STUFF when you can’t find what you need.
• If you need to talk to the owner of Chux, you can.
• Customer service. Our reputation is impeccable, built on Honest and Integrity. Words you don’t hear much about anymore.
• We’re a member of SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association), our industry association and we serve on the LTAA (Light Truck Accessory Alliance) committee’s. Chux knows the industry. In fact, we do consulting to THEM on training and education! No one else can claim this distinction.
• We only sell car and truck stuff. Some guys sell books, pots and pans and have dozens of other websites. With us, what you see is what you get.
• YOU are our customer. We aren’t a manufacturer, or a warehouse distributor trying to push ourselves off as a retailer. This is all that we do. Sell and install stuff to people like YOU!
• We Ship FAST. We’ll send you a confirmation and follow it up with a tracking number.