Featured Associate Member 1st Quarter 2009

Edgewater Bays	Inside The Shop	On The Lift

Jimmy Olson’s father started Edgewater Jeep in 1973 and Jimmy worked for his father since he was 12 or 13 years old. Then, in of October 1998, Jimmy bought the business from his father. Jimmy celebrated his tenth anniversary as owner in October 2008.

Jimmy’s shop is dedicated to shop space; there is no retail space. Two technicians work with Jimmy: Colin Ratcliffe and James Kanai. Colin started with Edgewater when he was in high school. At that time, he was driving a ’69 Bronco that broke down all the time, so it just made sense to go work as a mechanic so he could keep the Bronco running. Colin has been there for almost ten years and with his experience, he can fix “just about anything.” James just started working at Edgewater this past summer as the small job/clean up guy.

Edgewater works on all American made 4 X 4’s, but primarily works on Jeeps. They do all types of maintenance including brakes, lube/oil/filter, tune-ups, fluid changes, etc., differential work with gear changes, exhaust systems, welding, fabrication, lift kits, trouble shooting diagnostics, etc. In fact, Edgewater pretty much does everything except body work and painting.

As for special projects, the current economy has dictated the customer’s focus on “just keeping the vehicles running.” In between, there are a few lifts and gear changes.

Edgewater and Jimmy Olson help out the 4 wheel drive community wherever they can. They have donated to or sponsored events and are a long time contributor to the Colorado Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs, Inc. annual raffle vehicle. On the fun side, Jimmy have been involved in ice racing and hill climbing for some time as evidenced by the photos and trophies on the wall near the front entrance. In the back of the shop, Jimmy stores his specialized ice racing and hill climbing vehicles. The ice racing tires with a variety of different studs are stacked high along the back wall. As for hill climbing, Jimmy took second place last year in the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb, which is the second oldest auto race after the Indianapolis 500.

Toys	Pictures & Trophies	Ice Racing Tires