Living Jackson Magazine

Year One
by Kelli O'Clare

Tucked behind the trees just a stone’s throw from Interstate 85 in Braselton there exists a world where men and women spend the average work day living their passion—the world of YearOne. A company bursting with energy and pure expertise, the love these employees and self-proclaimed “gearheads” have for the automotive hobby and the work they do is palpable from the moment one walks through the door into their checkered-floor lobby. And, though they are now known as the largest supplier of restoration and performance parts for automotive enthusiasts, few know the entire company began in the humble basement of founder Len Athanasiades.

In the late 1970s, Athanasiades decided to transform his 1969 Firebird into a rare 1969 Firebird Trans Am by adding the equipment unique to the model. However, his quest was not a simple one.

After much time and effort, he eventually came across the parts he needed, but the knowledge and contacts he had made along the way were far more valuable. It wasn’t long before Athanasiades became known for his expertise, and in 1981, in the basement of his parent’s home in Atlanta, he developed what is now known as YearOne, a single source for both parts and information for enthusiasts all over the world.

Since then, the company has grown upward and outward, expanding to three buildings in Tucker, Ga., before coming to establish its warehouse in the Braselton area, an area so perfect for the organization it seemed, as media relations representative Brad Ocock said, “tailor-made.”

“This whole area is bursting with access to major automotive resources and activities,” Ocock said. “So from the business side, it was perfect. On a personal note, it was also a better place to live.”

With 140-160 employees, the majority of whom are local people, covering every area from marketing to graphics to sales and service, YearOne’s singular devotion to its customers continues to set the company apart from others in the field. Twenty-four hours a day, six days a week there is always someone there to field the estimated 3,000 calls they receive a day. Upstairs above the warehouse, cubicles sit manned at all times, like “prairie dogs in their holes,” according to Ocock, with someone ready to provide information to all hobbyists needing to know anything from how to authenticate their restorations to the basic how-tos of a project.

They never forget it’s the special people working out in the garages and driveways of the real world who form the backbone of the automobile hobby and make their job possible.

Not only is it a devotion to customers that sets YearOne apart, there is also so much love for what they do and the business they work in that all the employees are especially invested into each project. In 2002, when the company moved its warehouse to the Braselton area, Kevin King, the president of the company, was quoted a price of more than $1 million for the move from Tucker.
Instead, all of the employees, in the course of one weekend, devoted their time and boxed up the entire company themselves, moving it in less time and for a third of the money the moving company had quoted. They were answering phones again in their new location on Monday morning.

Dedicated internal employees also make up the team of any special projects that are happening throughout the shop. For instance, what started as a special project manned by those who signed up to work on a custom motorcycle for a customer soon became YearOne Bike Works, a custom bike shop branching out the services YearOne can provide.

“That’s what we do here,” Ocock explained, as he took the keys from a fellow employee after discussing a new set of tires he had obtained for his own vintage car. “That’s what sets us apart. Most companies are full of worker bees, just trudging along, but for the most part, we are all car enthusiasts first and foremost.”

So it’s a companionable atmosphere that exists around YearOne, and visitors get the sense that deep down below the prestige and success, these guys are really just a bunch of hobbyists hanging out and talking shop. Even the CFO of the company works with everyone else pulling parts from the floor at eight in the morning to ship. Pretty impressive for a massive company handling 250,000-300,000 parts, sending out 18 catalogs internationally and continuing to impress those in the automotive industry with their professionalism and devotion to the automotive art.
A key factor in the success YearOne has continued to have is the area they are located in here in Braselton. Because of the many racing tracks located just off Hwy. 53 and the easy access it has to other racing and car enthusiasts, YearOne has been able to take advantage of its location and arrange many fun opportunities for enthusiasts to join together and race each other, admire one another’s projects and, most importantly, to learn from one another.

The people of Braselton and the West Jackson County area have been good to YearOne. And in turn, they’ve done their part to give back.

When a local law enforcement officer was killed in the line of duty, YearOne organized a benefit car show to raise money for his widow. Annual coat and shoe drives are held to benefit the area’s needy. In addition to this, they also provide a driving program for local high schools called Fear This driving school.

“We are very happy the community has embraced us and we will continue to engage in civic-minded activities,” Ocock said.
So what is next for YearOne? It is hard to say when the company is changing and evolving at such a fast pace to keep up with the hobby and to maintain its cutting edge in the industry.

“There are always, always plans to expand!” Ocock said.

Recently, they have been moving into carrying parts for vintage Ford Mustangs and for the 1955-1957 Chevrolet Corvettes, which they had not previously carried. Also, they have teamed up with a specialty company to build a 1969 Camaro with a brand new body, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the original fabrication in Detroit.

A look into the future of the company reveals only bigger and better things for the people of YearOne. And with a passion for their work that only seems to burn brighter the longer they are at it, and an astounding dedication to others out there like them, there is no doubt big things will continue to come out of their small corner of Braselton.

Kelli O’Clare, a senior majoring in journalism at UGA, is the circulation assistant at the Jefferson Library.