Firm leaves North Carolina for Louisiana

Louisiana routinely looks to Raleigh, N.C., for economic development inspiration, but here’s one nationally recognized firm that’s left Raleigh for Louisiana. Brian and Kim Soape Walker have closed the doors of Peak Automotive in Apex, N.C., and reopened Monday in their hometown of Hammond on U.S. 190. Motor Age Magazine ranked the Asian and European repair shop as one of its “Top 10 Shops” two years in a row, and Peak also won accolades as “the most female-friendly shop” and “best mechanic” in the Raleigh area. Just last year, the Apex Chamber of Commerce named the shop “Innovative Business of the Year.” Kim Walker also is an expert panelist for AskPatty.com, an Internet site offering automotive advice to women. The Walkers left Hammond in 1999 from their wedding and moved to North Carolina so Brian could work at a Mercedes dealership in Raleigh. After four years at Audubon Imports in Baton Rouge and three years of dealership experience in Raleigh, Brian wanted to offer more personalized service for Mercedes owners, so he opened his first shop, Behind The Star, Inc. Behind The Star caught on quickly and outgrew the location in two years, so Brian moved the business to Apex and renamed it Peak Automotive. The couple are returning to Hammond for personal reasons. “We have a son who turning 7, and he really didn’t ever get to spend much time with his grandparents,” Brian Walker says. “That really was the deciding factor: Our family is here, and we wanted our son to be able to know his grandparents.” — Penny Font