1Collision has announced the addition of its first location in Virginia, Huber Collision Center in Fredericksburg.

Opened in 2000, the independent collision repair facility is part of a dealer group owned by Clay Huber and includes Mercedes-Benz of Fredericksburg and Volvo Cars Fredericksburg. Phil Rice is the general manager.

“We are excited to add our first dealership location that operates as a stand-alone shop,” said John Hollingworth, director of new location development for 1Collision. “Phil Rice is an excellent operator and we look forward to working with him and his team to take their business to the next level.”

“The industry is changing at such a rapid rate,” said Rice, who has worked at Huber Collision Center for three years. “We are not interested in becoming consolidated or selling, so we felt the best way to move forward is to partner with like-minded people we can grow with like 1Collision.”

Rice said the partnership with 1Collision will allow Huber Collision to connect with a group of people from across the country who have similar goals and aspirations without selling the organization to a consolidator.

“While other auto body shops have been taken over by large corporations with headquarters thousands of miles away, we have been locally owned from the beginning and plan to stay that way,” said Rice.

The Huber Collision team is looking forward to growing its business with 1Collision. 

“1Collision has a great track record with processes both on the front and back end,” said Rice. “They also have a great network with different vendors.” 

Rice said they also hope to learn from other shops in the network. 

“If someone has already encountered a barrier or obstacle and they have already worked through the problem, it’s great to hear about the experience and learn from it.”

The family-owned company includes a team of 25 employees who range from those who are brand-new to the industry to others who have worked there for 17 years. 

“Local ownership enables us to be actively involved in day-to-day operations, decision-making and quality control and to make investments that are best for our customers,” said Rice.

One of these investments was the shop’s decision to become certified by Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. Huber Collision is also an AAA Approved Auto Repair Center and staffed with I-CAR Gold Class professionals.

The team prides itself on providing excellent customer service and repairing cars correctly.

“We work diligently every day to do the best that we can to keep our customers, vendors and staff informed throughout the repair process,” Rice said. “I want everybody to understand the reason we come here each day is to serve our customers and make a living. We can go home in the evening to what’s most important, which is our families.” 

One of the ways Rice keeps his team connected is through daily production meetings. “We are able to identify the customers and vehicles that need priority attention and develop a plan as to what is going to take place. Sometimes those plans change, and if you aren’t willing to effectively communicate that on a floor level, then it creates confusion or dissension within the organization.” 

Huber Collision Center also believes it’s important to support the local community and demonstrates its involvement in a variety of ways.   

“We are invested in this region and its people and consider it an honor to be able to serve our neighbors, friends and the many newcomers who find their way to this beautiful region of our state and nation,” said Rice. “We have an ongoing commitment to reach out — alone and in partnership with local non-profit organizations — to help people in our community receive the basic necessities of food, clothing, safe shelter, health care and the right to life.”

In addition to sponsoring the annual Fredericksburg Christmas parade, some of the organizations the company assists include Choices Women’s Center, Christian Youth Theater, the Fairy Godmother Project, the Mary Washington Hospital Foundation and the Rotary Club of Rappahannock-Fredericksburg.

“Our goal is to gain our customers’ trust by always seeking to do what is fair and right, to build our employees by empowering them to succeed and to strive for excellence in everything we do,” said Rice.

For more information on 1Collision, visit 1collision.com.