Welcome to a new series where we bring the Hobby Area District community even closer together by getting to know some of our outstanding community leaders. Each month, we will highlight an individual from the District to showcase what that person is doing to improve the district and the community.
Meet Keyur Amin! He is one of the many business owners in the Hobby Area and also acts as one of our Board of Directors.
Keyur is the owner of Gateway Ace, a small business hardware store that has operated in the district for the last 9 years. In contrast to big box stores, Keyur focuses on helping customers try to solve their problems by creating a personal connection to the issue at hand. He prides his company in greeting every person that walks into the store and asking them helpful questions. Not everyone is an expert when it comes to hardware needs so the team at Gateway Ace makes sure to not only recommend the right tools but also instructions on how to fix the issue.
According to Keyur, one of the best things about the district is the mixture of both industrial and residential areas and that promotes diverse growth for new and existing businesses. Keyur says that the industries help bring new individuals and families into the area, which ultimately adds to his business. He hopes this growth will promote new infrastructure upgrades and new options for medical facilities.
Keyur is happy to have most of his staff full of Hobby Area residents. He believes that by employing those from within the community to serve the community, he can provide more support and opportunities to everyone in the district. The original Gateway Ace opened in the 1980s and had become an anchor in the area. Over the years, the store lost touch with the community and was on the brink of going out of business. Without a local hardware store, residents in the Hobby Area were forced to resort to big box stores where they didn’t receive the same personal treatment. Keyur took over in 2010 with his “all for the community” approach by revamping Gateway to provide everyone with a local, more personal experience while buying hardware supplies. The goal is to build a relationship with everyone who comes into the store so they feel welcome and confident they will be able to solve their problems. Gateway Ace is the “community’s hardware store.”
Gateway Ace is able to sponsor many events that happen in the Hobby Area District, including the State of the District Luncheon event and breakfast at numerous board meetings throughout the year. Keyur enjoys talking to other business owners in the area about what the District has to offer and community improvements. He looks forward to those conversations when the District hosts networking events for local business owners. He hopes that more business owners will participate and get to know each other to promote more business within the district.
One of Keyur’s favorite events in the Hobby Area is HobbyFest! He’s amazed at the growth of the event over the years, hosting almost 4,000 people last year, and he always looks forward to the new attractions each year. Seeing the community take part in this event gets him excited for his business and fellow business owners to grow the district.
Keyur’s Picks
Favorite Restaurants: Don Carlos Mexican Restaurant, Central Texas Bar-B-Q, and Shan Hu Chinese Restaurant
Lasting Comments
“I’m looking forward to serving the community for a long time. One of the morals that I believe in is that I grow myself, my family, my businesses, and at the same time, community.”
