Maaco Collision Repair and Auto Painting recognized Shane Hollas, owner of the Maaco center in Rockwall, Texas, as their Rookie of the Year at their recent annual convention.
Hollas has an engineering degree from Texas A&M. Before becoming a Maaco franchisee, he spent 20 years in the technology industry, traveling the world as vice president of sales for a small computer software company. He had always wanted to own his own business and control his own destiny, so when it was time to make a change, he found a great franchise coach to help him navigate the many franchise opportunities available – and together they found Maaco.
“Together we looked at about 30 companies, and I chose Maaco because it’s a solid, well-established brand in the automotive repair market,” said Hollas. “It’s a resilient business that can weather a recession or a bad economy. The business model is sound, and the profitability is good.
“I had no automotive background at all. But I always felt a widget is a widget, and you can be successful in any industry if you work hard and follow the process. I had to learn everything – the industry, the customers, the vendors, etc. But Maaco provides you with the coaching, the training, the benefit of their many years of experience and a proven playbook to follow. It really helps accelerate your learning curve.”
Hollas decided early on that his shop would be known for producing the highest quality work. Just six months after opening, his 15-employee shop earned both I-CAR Gold status and Maaco Diamond Certification, the highest level within the Maaco network of repair shops. Hollas’ shop is also a warranty provider for 10 OEM manufacturers.
“With the training and certifications we have earned, we are prepared and equipped for any repair opportunity that comes through the door, whether it is insurance-paid, fleet or customer-paid work” said Hollas.
In his short time in business, Hollas has built a reputation in his small town east of Dallas as a shop that produces that highest quality repairs.
“A Maaco peer of mine, Robert Reid, told me once that ‘Every car that leaves your shop is a business card,’ so it is important to me that we produce the highest quality results possible,” said Hollas. “I’ve learned what jobs to say yes to and that there are some that I need to say no to – and that is hard to do. But in the end, when the customer is driving that car around town, that’s my business card.”
One of the things about the Maaco model that attracted Hollas was the “recession-resistant” aspect, and he saw that first-hand when the COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year. While he admits he was concerned, in reality it did not have much of an impact on his business. They experienced a few slow weeks in April, no layoffs, and business began to accelerate in May.
“When some of our fleet customers were slow, we were able to store 130 of their cars on our two-and-a-quarter acres so that when they were ready to move ahead with repairs in June, we were ready.”
Hollas is pleased with his decision to become a Maaco franchisee and looks forward to continued growth.
“I’m very honored and happy to be recognized as the Maaco Rookie of the Year,” said Hollas. “It validates that we are doing something right, and that the hard work and focus on high quality by my team has paid off.”
