Marcus Knyte’s favorite computers are the ones that come with four wheels.
“I used to do IT,” he said. “I still do it, only it’s in cars.”
Knyte is gearing up for this career change at 2485 Federal Blvd., where he plans to open Marchal Automotive in a three-bay building on the boundary of Denver’s Jefferson Park and Sloan’s Lake neighborhoods.
Marchal, pronounced “marshall,” is a nickname for Kynte, a Nebraska native in his late 40s. The former global IT director for Broomfield-based Crocs purchased the 2,800-square-foot building for $1.2 million last month, according to public records. That works out to $434 per square foot.
Records show Knyte financed the deal with a $960,000 loan at 7% interest for a 10-year term from seller Jimmie Elmore, who declined to comment. He purchased the property for $935,000 in mid-2017. Shelley Hillesheim of Life and Legacy Realty brokered the deal.
Knyte said he doesn’t have any outside investors.
“I had no intention of doing it at that particular moment,” he said of the purchase. “I had more of a five-year plan about how I was going to get this organized, but then I drove by the location. … I fell in love right away, and I said I gotta have it.”
The 18-year Army veteran has been out of the corporate world for about two years. For the past 1 1/2 years he’s been doing mobile car repairs around town. He also runs a YouTube channel documenting his side projects, such as turning an old military truck into a camper.
Knyte hopes to open along Federal in the next month or so. The logos and signage for the previous tenant, a barbecue supply store, came down earlier this month, though a few diagrams of a chicken, pig and cow will remain inside. He’s epoxying the floors and exploring adding charging for electric vehicles on-site. Those types of cars will be a big part of his business.
Track Architecture’s Patrick McMichael drew up the plans for the building renovation.
Knyte describes modern cars as being one interconnected network, with all the parts talking to one another. Instead of replacing parts based on feel or guesswork, he uses advanced diagnostic tools to single out specific issues with the vehicle, so he can confidently tell his customers what and where the problems are.
“The electrical component of fixing cars, a lot of mechanics just don’t do that,” Knyte said. “Cars are getting more computerized, but the industry hasn’t embraced that.”
The operation will begin with a tiny team — just Knyte, a lead mechanic and an apprentice. The plan is to target recent graduates of trade schools and automotive programs to build a team of car-loving tech whizzes.
But Knyte isn’t all about the new. He said he wants to be like the old-school mechanic, where he knows his customers by their first names.
“I want that hometown feel,” he said.
