Jason Tharp shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Jason, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
We are dedicated to buying and building lifts in America. We accept lower margins to continue building lifts here. People misunderstand that a higher price tag means more profit for our company. In our case, it translates to lower margins as the cost to build our product in the United States is much more expensive than the competitors lifts brought from China. We are also providing manufacturing jobs in the United States.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
American Custom Lifts is a family-owned company. We were founded in 1998 by Brad Davies in La Jolla, California. The initial focus was to double customers parking by allowing them to store vehicles vertically. The beginning of the company was grass roots effort selling lifts at car shows around San Diego County. Brad retired in 2024 and is very active playing golf and pickle ball. He likes knowing his kids and grandkids have full control of the company with no outside investors. They live by his business philosophies to “provide excellent customer service” and “always take care of the customer”.
The current President Jason Tharp took over the business in 2015. He executed the purchase by the family of a Texas factory in 2018. This was part of a plan to continue to be able to offer American made products. With more and more products moving to China, it gives a guaranteed pipeline for lifts and parts for our previous and new customers. We have been serving customers since 1998 and have no plans of stopping.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was in the hospitality business for over 20 years. I started my work journey as a teen working as a busboy at a country club in Fort Myers, Florida. I worked my way up through the hotel industry, working as a General Manager at various hotels around the country ending in San Diego, CA as an Executive Vice President in 2015. I developed new hotel developments, and at that point my wife Shannon and I decided to take over the family business.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
With two successful businesses, we are constantly making changes to better serve our customers. We decided to eliminate Chinese products from our product lines and focus on the better American made products.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
People matter. Working hard and taking care of people. We have 17 employees between our two companies that rely on us making great decisions everyday for them and our customers.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
The great customer service I provide. I love talking with our customers, and surprising them with a quickly answered email. I respond to emails during all times of the day, even on nights and weekends.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aclifts.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aclifts/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-custom-lifts/about/
- Twitter: https://x.com/phantompark
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanCustomLifts
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/american-custom-lifts-ridgecrest
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aclifts
- Other: https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/ridgecrest/profile/lifts/american-custom-lifts-inc-1126-850075670
