By Victoria “NIKE” De Dios
Photos from Ariel Obera
Nothing beats pursuing one’s passion, and that leads to satisfaction and innovation. And this is the interesting story of John Lopez, owner, and president of the car service company Tuned In Style who discovered opportunities beyond the market he started to serve.
He established himself in the field of vehicle customization by utilizing his technical background and expertise in using the latest technology to make an ordinary car and instant celebrity.
But before he started to serve the growing clients of celebrities, government officials, and company executives, Lopez initially saw an opportunity in out-of-the-box interior conversion, applying it in mobile casinos, mobile ticketing offices, and promotional vehicles. For corporate accounts, Tuned In Style bagged some projects from PLDT, Max’s Group of Companies, 7-eleven, and CDO by customizing food trucks and mobile offices. Later on, with the lingering pandemic, it recently constructed a mobile Covid-testing clinic.
But while Tuned In Style speeds up to match its fast-increasing number of patrons, it still carefully kept its foot on the brakes by providing help and support to its employees.
“We have to provide for our employees which covers a large amount as an added compensation to suffice in their daily needs,” Lopez revealed.
“Since we value our team members’ and clients’ health, we also follow strict safety and health protocols for disinfection and frequent swab testing of our employees so whenever they have to serve our clients or their vehicles, they are assured that we have a system in place and we ensure that all parties are protected.
Different stroke, for different folks
While being the pioneer in transforming the vehicles of its client, Lopez noted that no one wants to follow or have the same design as the ones that others have. For Tuned In Style, this brings out the creative juice in their team, as the work challenging and more exciting.
Soon after, Lopez and his team immediately saw themselves servicing vans of prominent personalities like matinee idol Coco Martin, ace comedian-TV host Vice Ganda, seasoned actor Albert Martinez, and some known politicians.
Coco Martin’s Inkas Sentry is equipped with a privacy partition and power seats with leg rest. The air-conditioning works even when the engine’s off so the actor can rest inside during taping breaks.
Meanwhile, Maja Salvador’s Ford Transit has four captain seats, a TV, and ambient lighting while Vice Ganda’s Volkswagen Crafter, similarly with four captain seats and a TV, has a partition and a comfort room.
For Romantic celebrity partners, Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo also got a Volkswagen Crafter in black, furnished with a shower and a bed.
The Fine Arts graduate was initially into the advertising business dealing with large format printing and trade show exhibit construction. But being the son of a car dealer, and a car person himself empowered with business acumen, it was only a matter of time before he delved into a kind of trade that is fit for today’s lifestyle and very much representing who he is.
Many of us see big vehicles on the road while wondering what their interior could be like. Lopez, of course Tuned In Style, has inside information about it and can actually help you own one for yourself if you tap him to.
Asked what made him a go-to person for these personalities who want extra comfort and style when on board their luxury vans, he shared, “In my own experience, it’s more on the innovation and design. You must keep up with the trend like infusing fashion trends in van interior format; more personalized approach and customized design for clients who want to stand out.”
Currently doing its transactions via virtual meetings or specially arranged appointments, Tuned In Style makes sure to offer its services to industries in need of, like designing a swab testing van for Maxicare, along with some mobile salon and optical shops.
With 32 ongoing van customization projects, Tuned In Style is no doubt on a high gear complementing its three warehouses, and one showroom called Primera Klasse located in Quezon Ave. The road to triumph stretches as it aims to branch out in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, and on a farther route, in South East Asia.