Batteries for All Occasions
By Graham Haworth
July 24th, 2008

In this on-the-go world, everyone needs portable power for their laptops, iPods, cell phones, Blackberries, PDAs, digital cameras and camcorders. These days, even toothbrushes, shavers and vacu¬um cleaners require a battery. But should you need a replacement battery, finding them all under the same roof can be diffi¬cult. That is, until a Batteries Plus store opened in mid-June in the SLO Promenade at 481 Madonna Road.

Owner Jeff Shaffer started up this location of the Batteries Plus franchise after nearly a year of research and training from the Batteries Plus headquarters in Green Bay, Wisconsin. You can find any battery you need at Shaffer's store, including car batteries, motorcycle batteries and boat batteries.

"You can bring any battery-operated item into our store, and we can look up exactly what kind of battery it takes using our database of 2 million records," Shaffer recently explained during a tour of the shop. "If we don't have it in stock, we can get it here very quickly."

In addition to being a clearinghouse of just about every battery known to man, Batteries Plus also features a tech center. Say your iPod battery takes a dive a few days before your big summer road trip. You don't have time to send it back to Apple. The technicians at Batteries Plus are trained in analyzing, reconditioning, charging and performing custom assemblies of battery packs.

Shaffer's background is in marketing. He previously worked for an IT company, but his job involved too much traveling for his liking, so he set about looking for another opportunity. On one of his travels, his laptop battery gave out in Green Bay. He found the Batteries Plus store there, unaware it was the flagship store, and found the battery and service he needed to hit the road. So he looked into purchasing a store. After contacting headquarters, he learned the company was looking at the San Luis Obispo area as a possible location. Shaffer, who grew up in Southern California, had spent many a summer vacation in San Luis Obispo County, and remembered well the temperate climate, the friendly people and the sense of community. He jumped at the chance to open a store here.

"I've been working seven days a week, 10 hours a day since before we even opened," Shaffer says. "And I don't mind one bit. The customers are great, and I'm happy to meet everyone that walks through the door. I'm relying on a lot of word of mouth, in addition to normal advertising."

In addition to being a businessman, Shaffer is also a private pilot. His flying experience is another reason that brought him to San Luis Obispo, with its scenic coastline and ancient leftovers from volcanic activity that resulted in the Seven Sisters. Shaffer says one of his long-term goals is to give back to the community by offering his flight services to low-income individuals and families through a program called Angel Flight. The program pairs income challenged folks who can't afford to get to a distant hospital with a pilot who flies them there and back for no charge. He says he also plans on teaching financial literacy classes.