For car enthusiasts throughout the Southeast, the names Clarence “Shorty” Carrier and C.R. Curt Campbell continue to ring true to this day.
The duo created Tri-City Plating Company, located on 218 E Mill St. in Elizabethton, and have seen their company continue to succeed under the guidance of now owner, Chuck Carrier.
“We’re proud we’ve been able to be here for 50 years,” Chuck said with a smile. “It hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve been able to get the job done.”
For three generations, Tri-City Plating Co. has served the classic car restoration by offering bumpers and other items needed.
But as the market changes, Chuck stated the company is looking to continue its growth online.
“The market is always changing,” he said. “We’re starting to transfer over now to internet sales.
Chip, Chuck’s son and daily operations managers, handles the brunt of online information and distribution as the company looks to have more of an expanded role on sites, such as eBay.
“Most of our market is North Carolina, Tennessee, we have some from Georgia, Alabama Pennsylvania,” Chuck explained. “But we the cost of car shows, we’re looking at getting to the point of where we can just do our shipping from our home office.
“Chip the younger generation anyway and more adapt to handle our stuff online,” he added with a laugh.
As the country takes a step back to focus on small businesses this week, the owner said he appreciates the support from residents and encouraged individuals to keep buying local.
“We get a lot of people locally who do business here,” he said    “We have to cover a wide area with what we do. It’s great to do local business and support your community. We try our best to buy what we can local, and I want to encourage people to do the same.
Tri-City Plating Co. offers an extensive collection of factory original bumper cores on site for vintage and classic cars. The bumpers range from the 1930s to 1980s.
According to the website, “purchasing a bumper core from our collection and having us re-chrome it, removes the risk of buying “unrepairable” cores from other vendors. It will save you time and money.”
During last week’s City Council meeting, Mayor Curt Alexander offered a proclamation in support of Small Business Week.
The announcement indicated that small businesses make up 95 percent of all business in Elizabethton and employee over 4,300 people – providing jobs for half the city’s workforce.
“The City of Elizabethton supports and joins in this national effort to help America’s small businesses do what they do best – grow their business, create jobs, and ensure that our communities remain as vibrant tomorrow as they are today,” a portion of the proclamation read.
For more information, visit www.tricityplating.com or call (423) 542-6532. The company can also be reached toll-free at (800) 251-7536. Individuals can also visit www.ebay.com/usr/tri-citybumpers for a list of bumpers for sale.