Owner, J.D. Jones (front, left) and Operations Manager Jon Groves (front, right) with the team of Interstate Batteries experts ‘ever ready’ to keep Coastal Bend vehicles and devices charged and running. Photo by Jane Kathleen Gregorio
Being stranded with a dead car battery can take the spark out of anyone’s day. The experts at Interstate Batteries, however, have come up with a mobile solution while also expanding the company’s vehicle battery services to include mobile phones and computers.
“We offer a mobile installation service where we go to you to replace your vehicle battery,” said Jon Groves, manager of Interstate Batteries.
Customers who can still get to the storefront, 4903 Ambassador Row, will find a full inventory of batteries of all kinds as well as employees trained in replacing batteries for just about everything, owner J.D. Jones said.
Vehicles have become more complicated, he explained, making it harder to just pop the hood to jumpstart a car. Batteries come in a variety of sizes, too, making it difficult for stores to keep a complete stock.
“That’s where Interstate Batteries comes in,” Jones said. “We keep hundreds of types of vehicle batteries in stock.”
Interstate Batteries has serviced the greater Corpus Christi area for more than 60 years with Jones as owner for 18 of those years. In 2006, he expanded the wholesale business into retail and now employs about 15 people.
Although Interstate Batteries is a nationwide brand, the Corpus Christi location is locally owned. That’s what appeals to Groves, who has been with the company for the past 13 years.
“All the decisions are made here locally,” Groves said. “We can customize our approach. We pride ourselves as being one of the few brick-and-mortar shops still thriving. Customers can talk to us face to face.”
Interstate Batteries’ motto, “Outrageously Dependable,” is a slogan that goes beyond car batteries. The store also carries a large assortment of batteries for mobile phones and other devices. In addition, the company now also offers mobile device repair, iPhone battery repair, screen replacement, and charge port repair.
“We’re branching out to include chargers, booster packs, and other accessories,” Groves said. “We also specialize in old model and outdated phone, computer, and camcorder batteries. We have a couple hundred different types for phones, even flip phones!”
And if they don’t have the item you need, they can locate it for you from among the 20,000 products in the Interstate Batteries system.
Groves offered readers of Corpus Christi Business News the following advice on how to preserve battery life of mobile phones:
- • Minimize the applications open and running.
- • Keep cellphone batteries charged between 20-80 percent.
- • Avoid using it while it’s plugged in.
- • Stop using it when it gets warm to the touch.
Groves also warned against leaving vehicles sitting without use for long periods of time. Vehicles should be started and driven around once in awhile to keep the battery charged, he said.
As for the future of the company, Jones, who also owns an Interstate Batteries branch in Laredo, envisions expanding storefronts to other parts of the Coastal Bend.
“We’d like to have more retail hubs where we can provide better service for people, such as on Corpus Christi’s Southside and in more remote places like Rockport and Alice,” Jones said. “Having more locations will help our customers, whether they need to pick up a battery real quick or if they are stranded on the road needing our mobile installation. We can service their needs much faster.”
Interstate Batteries is located at 4903 Ambassador Row in Corpus Christi. For more information, call (361) 854-5000 or visit Facebook/interstatebatteriescorpus.
