To say Kyle Clark has been busy is an understatement. He recently uprooted his life in Revelstoke, British Columbia, and relocated across provincial borders to manage the recently opened Lordco Auto Parts store in Medicine Hat, Alberta. 

Kyle Clark, Store Manager, Medicine Hat, Alberta.

“We have been working non-stop, and it is paying off. The store, the team, everything is coming together,” said Kyle. 

He joined Lordco just a few years before the Canadian-owned and operated company opened its first store in Alberta in 2019, a 30,000-square-foot superstore in Calgary. Since then, Lordco has opened stores in Edmonton, Airdrie, and Red Deer. Medicine Hat is now the company’s seventh location in the province. 

Like Lordco, Kyle saw an opportunity to grow his career and build something from the ground up in Alberta. At approximately 18,400 square feet, the Medicine Hat location is larger than the Revelstoke store Clark previously managed. It is also the latest milestone in a career that started more than a decade ago, when he worked as a part-time driver at the Lordco Auto Parts branch in his hometown of Salmon Arm. 

Since arriving in Medicine Hat, Kyle has focused on getting his team ready to serve retail and trade customers. Most of the team is from Medicine Hat, and for many, this is their first experience working behind Lordco’s signature blue parts counter. 

“They are the ones that everyone will interact with. “It is their first time behind a Lordco counter, and I want them to be able to convey how much we genuinely care about our customers,” he explains. 

Lordco Auto Parts Representatives at the Medicine Hat, Alberta, store.

That customer-first approach stems from Lordco’s mission to provide an unparalleled customer experience. Building that kind of experience does not happen overnight. It takes time to build relationships and earn new customers’ trust. Fortunately, Kyle and his team are more than willing to put in the hard work. 

But rather than focusing on himself, he redirects the attention to the people working behind the scenes to bring the new store together. 

“Lordco’s IT (information technology) team was here weeks before opening, setting up phone systems, POS (point-of-sale) systems, driver tablets, shipping and receiving computers, and other business-critical systems that help us serve customers quickly and efficiently.” He continues, “Our merchandising team was on site for over three months with 55 people contributing to setting up the store, stocking shelves and organizing the front and the back warehouse area.” 

The store is bright, clean, and designed so everything has a place. What customers see on the shelves out front, though, is only a fraction of what is available. 

A look at the Lordco Auto Parts store interior in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Kyle has been taking customers to the back of the store to tour the 13,000-square-foot warehouse, so they can see for themselves how much inventory is available and how meticulously it is organized. 

Products are housed by category, size, weight, and required handling. Smaller parts are stored in bin boxes; larger or heavier products are stored in appropriate shelving. Warehouse inventory is labelled, so everything has a home. Exhaust components, hoses & belts have their own specialized racks and hooks, and dedicated areas set aside for shipping, receiving, and driver operations.

For him, though, the real test is not how impressive the inventory looks. It is whether the right part is available when the customer needs it. 

Recently, a customer came into the store looking for a carburetor rebuild kit. It was on the shelf, available at a competitive price. The same customer was also working on an LS engine swap and needed parts for a DOD (Displacement on Demand) delete. Kyle went the extra mile and showed him those parts were available in the back, too. 

“Talk to us about what you’re working on so we can see how we can best help,” he explains. 

This approach is already paying off. 

“We have supplied parts and components for at least five engine builds in the week and a half we have been open,” he says. “Customers are coming through the doors curious and excited about the new store, talking about the projects they are working on, asking questions, and sharing what they want to see on the shelves. Word is already spreading about the selection available here.” 

The Truck Center at the Lordco Auto Parts retail store in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Medicine Hat has given Kyle reminders to appreciate life outside the store, as well. 

“I get up in the morning and head outside to start my daily drive in, and there hasn’t been a day where I’m not greeted outside by a deer or a family of wild rabbits,” he says. “It’s like a scene from a Disney movie.” 

Every morning is a reminder to take in the views, enjoy the moment, and eventually set aside time to work on his own project, a 2016 Nissan 370Z. 

In Revelstoke, Clark ran an import car club for friends and fellow enthusiasts. Cars have always been a big part of Clark’s life, and that passion is one of the things that makes the automotive community feel like family. Leaving Revelstoke meant leaving behind friends and a store team he had worked hard to build. 

“A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into getting the Revelstoke store to where I wanted it to be,” he says. “But I’m ready to do that again.” 

And that is what makes Kyle Clark the right person for Lordco’s latest project. He has built his career by taking on new opportunities, building strong teams, and helping turn new stores into thriving parts of their communities. In true entrepreneurial spirit, he is ready to do it all again at the new store and in his new home in Medicine Hat.