(Article by Gary Feider of the Sounder, Random Lake, 9/1/2022. To see the original article, click here)

Yes, there are “Torque Monsters” in Random Lake, but there is nothing to fear. These Torque Monsters are a wonderful example of American economic opportunity — and how a small idea can grow into a successful new major business. Jared Larson, who owns Torque Monsters LLC, located at 427 First St. in Random Lake, gives a simple explanation of his new business. “We buy essentially junk truck engines and transmissions and tear them down. We take the good parts and re-sell them to machine shops, performance shops and some other retail businesses. “We’re shipping them all over the country. We are working with all the big repair shops.” Larson said the business idea started by accident about four years ago. He borrowed $1,500 and bought some junk cars, fixed them and resold them. The next thought was: “Let’s try selling some of the parts.” Over time he found that there was more money to be made in focusing on certain high demand motor parts. They could be handled and sold with less overhead and less time. Concentrating on large truck engines proved to be a more profitable specialty. Truck engines and transmissions are expensive and they are designed to operate for many more miles than a car engine. It used to be that shipping companies, farmers and other businesses had few options for disposing of a damaged or no longer needed truck engine. Probably just selling it for scrap metal. Torque Monsters offers another option. They will buy an engine for a higher price than scrap metal — and then they will market the usable parts. Larson said the difficult part was learning how to price what he was selling — and finding that niche that is considerably less than new truck parts but still profitable. “We offer quality used crankshafts, blocks, cylinder heads, brackets, long and short blocks, and more,” he states. Torque Monsters began in the two-car garage of Larson’s parents in January 2018. A barn with no heat was used for storage and shipping. Jared hired his friend, Matt Baldwin of Fredonia, as a fulltime employee in September 2020, and the business has done nothing but grow. They now lease about half of the former JEM Motors/Lakeside International building in Random Lake — plus Torque Monsters has have seven other storage locations in two other buildings. They have an estimated 7,000 parts in stock. The 1924 vintage building in Random Lake was purchased by Randy Buser and Jeff Mayer in November 2021. They use about half of the building for storage. “This year we’ll be doing about $400,000 in sales,” says Larson. “Next year our goal will be $600,000.” He’s looking for a part-time employee to assist with engine work. Next year he plans to add another employee for order fulfillment. Torque Monsters has developed some local sources for engines, such as TNT Enterprises of Random lake and DR Ag Services of Fredonia. They welcome local inquiries. The Random Lake building is used mostly for packing and shipping — about 50 packages a week going out via UPS, FedEx, U.S. Postal Service and some freight companies. There also is a second spinoff business that has just begun. TM Diesel Products will focus on refurbishing some engine parts to increase their value. Torque Monsters will be partnering with other businesses to explore the possibilities. And where did that unique name of Torque Monsters originate? Larson says it goes back to his Random Lake High School days — when he and some friends enjoyed working and experimenting on cars and motors. After graduating from Random Lake in 2017 he completed an associate degree in business at UW-Sheboygan, and then finished a bachelor’s degree at UWWhitewater. Since March 2019 Larson has been working as office manager for the Okray Insurance Agency LLC in Random Lake. He says the insurance work fits in well with Torque Monsters (he’s not far away in case an emergency shipment must be made). To learn more about Torque Monsters call 920/249-4085 or visit: www.torquemonsters.com.