Miranda Pederson/Daily News Mike Kirby of Mike's Custom Steering prepares a new steering wheel for a 2007 Z06 Corvette owned by Randy Fazekas of Georgia on June 4 at the National Corvette Museum.

Randy Fazekas of Hiram, Ga., got what he wanted when he came to Bowling Green for the services of Scottsville-based Mike’s Custom Steering.

Fazekas owns a 2007 special edition Ron Fellows Z06 Corvette. The Bowling Green General Motors Assembly Plant produced a limited number of the cars. The National Corvette Museum doesn’t even have one. Fazekas’ is No. 17 of 399.

Fazekas has owned the car for four years. He said it comes out of his garage only on special occasions and on weekends when the weather is nice enough that he takes his 22- and 15-year-old sons out in it for “dudes day.” It’s only seen rain twice, and one of those times was during his visit to Bowling Green.

When Fazekas was looking into getting a new steering wheel for the car, he flipped through various Corvette magazines looking for what he wanted. He has owned other Corvettes – he bought his first in 1977 – and upgraded the interior of a 1997 Vette he once had. He wanted to replace the black steering wheel inside his two-toned Fellows car for one that popped more with the black and red interior.

All the magazines Fazekas looked through offered the same design on the steering wheel because the same company made them. He wanted something a little different to make his Corvette more unique. Not only that, but it was going to take the company six to nine weeks to complete the steering wheel. It would cost him more than $700, but the company would knock off about $200 if he would send in his original steering wheel so they could reuse the frame to make the new one.

Fazekas said he wanted to keep the original steering wheel in case one of his sons wanted it some day or if he wanted to auction it to help pay for his younger son’s college if his son decides to go. Fazekas’ wife, sons and daughter said they would buy him his steering wheel as a combined birthday and Father’s Day gift, but Fazekas was still on the lookout for the best deal.

As he researched steering wheels, Fazekas visited the NCM website, where he saw an ad for Mike’s Custom Steering. His wife contacted the museum and was given owner Mike Kirby’s phone number.

After seeing the ad, Fazekas’ request was simple: he wanted the same steering wheel pictured in the ad. It was red and black with red stitching with the carbon fiber in the middle. Kirby said it would be no problem and that he could have it done soon. Fazekas and his 15-year-old met Kirby at NCM last week, and Kirby installed the new steering wheel.

“It was a very, very nice experience to deal with the Corvette Museum and Mr. Kirby and his business,” Fazekas said by phone.

Fazekas said the installation didn’t take long, and that he’s pleased with his purchase.

“If it wasn’t for Mr. Kirby and the museum itself, I don’t think I would have gotten the quality and the service I got at that time,” Fazekas said.

While Fazekas and his son were in Bowling Green, they hit the sights any Corvette enthusiast would: the NCM and the assembly plant. More than just the tourist attractions, Fazekas said it was the people he dealt with, including Kirby, that made his stay enjoyable.

“It was a really nice experience. I’d like to go back (to Bowling Green). In fact, I didn’t want to leave,” Fazekas said.

Mike’s Custom Steering has been in business for three years. The majority of Kirby’s business is wholesale manufacturing. The NCM has been with the business since its beginning.

“I love helping the museum,” Kirby said by phone. “They’ve definitely helped me.”

Kirby also works with Mid America Motorworks, Eckler’s Corvette, Corvette Central and others.

Kirby’s business can alter the top base, bottom base, outside accent, inside accent and thread color of a steering wheel to get the look the customer wants. The steering wheels also are designed to relieve hand cramping.

The steering wheels are known as the MCS shape-change C6 Corvette steering wheel. Kirby’s business is currently in the infrastructure stage of the C7 Stingray steering wheel.

Final assembly happens in Kirby’s 30- by 50-foot garage at his house.

Mike’s Custom Steering buys new steering wheels from GM and puts them in the business’ injection mold located in Detroit, where Kirby used to work. After returning from Detroit, the rest of the work occurs locally.

Kirby had worked as an operations plant manager for various plants and was looking for a job when a man he worked for in Detroit told him his company was opening a plant in Tennessee to produce steering wheels. Kirby – who is originally from Bowling Green and moved back about 10 years ago – didn’t want the managerial job there, so the man offered him an outside sales position, meaning Kirby would work on commission. When Kirby worked that job, he got wholesale accounts with the NCM, Ecklers and Mid America.

The plant in Tennessee didn’t have the success to the scale the company had planned, so it was shut down. Kirby said he felt obligated to the wholesalers he had developed relationships with to continue business with them.

“I just didn’t feel that was my character to walk away from that,” Kirby said.

Kirby eventually bought the Corvette tooling from the company to start his own business. He later acquired Camaro tooling, as well.

Mike’s Custom Steering stocks steering wheels that are already about 70 percent done and ready for customers’ requests. Steering wheels aren’t the only products the business offers. Kirby said they will also do some interior work, and Fazekas said he wanted to return to the area to get Kirby to re-wrap his Corvette’s handles in leather.

Kirby said it usually takes seven to 10 days for a customer to receive a completed steering wheel. They typically cost between $550 and $750.

Mike’s Custom Steering has three facilities and several contractors. Kirby hopes to make the contractors into employees soon, as well as open another facility before next spring in Bowling Green. Ideally, Kirby would like to have a facility near the planned NCM Motorsports Park.

The focus of the company has always been to deliver an American-made product for “America’s car” and put Americans back to work, Kirby said. Kirby works with fellow Bowling Green native Bill Pawley, sales and marketing director, to make that vision a reality every day.

“It’s just two Bowling Green boys trying to do something extraordinary,” Kirby said. “We have fun doing it.”

Mike’s Custom Steering will have a public display of its products at the Corvette Homecoming in July.

— Follow business beat reporter Monica Spees on Twitter at twitter.com/BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.