Mount Zion Offroad revs up operations in Dover facility with help from PeoplesBank
- Mike Cashman, co-founder of Mount Zion Offroad, built a successful vehicle maintenance and customization company and recently expanded his shop with the help of PeoplesBank.
For Mike Cashman, off-road vehicles are part of the family legacy. His father owned a Jeep. His grandfather owned a Jeep. As soon as he was old enough to drive, Mike was fixing up his first Jeep.
His family also has a legacy of entrepreneurship, an ability Mike embraced wholeheartedly. For his high school senior project, Mike bought, fixed, and sold a Jeep at a profit.
“My father was an entrepreneur. My grandfather was an entrepreneur,” Mike says. “And so I thought, you know, business and small business is probably a pretty good direction to pursue. And so I did.”
‘The sole reason for our success’
With a family history of owning Jeeps and a love of mechanical work, Mike turned his interest into Mount Zion Offroad, a thriving 4×4 maintenance and accessories shop in Dover, Pennsylvania. He opened the shop with his father, Jim, in 2004 after Mike earned his degree in Business Management from York College of Pennsylvania.
Mount Zion Offroad began operations in a small three-bay garage. Its team has grown to about a dozen passionate off-road enthusiasts who provide a wide range of services, including maintenance, customization, Rhino linings, and off-road upgrades for various vehicles, from Jeeps to crossovers, trucks, and even camper vans.
“I can’t speak enough about the team of people here,” Mike says. “The sole reason for our success is the team here.”
A partner in expansion
A few years ago, Mike realized that Mount Zion Offroad quickly was outgrowing its space. He began working on plans for an addition to the three-bay garage, which would expand the business to a 10,000-square-foot multistory service center.
When it came to financing the expansion, Mike turned to PeoplesBank.
“We shopped the project around a bit with several other local banks and just felt most comfortable with PeoplesBank,” Mike says.
The process went so smoothly that Mike soon migrated all his bank accounts, credit card processing, and business line of credit to PeoplesBank. Throughout the expansion and even afterward, Mike was impressed with how the PeoplesBank team proactively focused on building a strong relationship with him and his employees.
A new measure of success
Mike stresses that the journey from devising a high school project to founding and expanding Mount Zion Offroad was possible only through the support of his father, his team, and partners such as PeoplesBank.
“It takes a lot of people to build something like this,” he says.
Despite nearly 20 years of operating a profitable business, Mike recently has altered his definition of success. More important to him now than financial prosperity is creating a fulfilling work environment for his team and prioritizing quality time with his wife and three daughters. His vision is to ensure the long-term commitment of his employees while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Even with his shift in focus, Mike knows that he and his team will continue to press forward to meet the needs of the off-road community, delivering excellent service while nurturing a harmonious work environment.
“You need to continue learning, to continue to push yourself to do uncomfortable things,” he says. “Never be complacent.”
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