Joseph Carioti immigrated from Italy to the U.S. in 1910, quickly establishing himself in the borough of Woodland Park, N.J., with a small gas station at 528 McBride Avenue in the 1920s. Then, he decided he wanted to repair automobiles, so he opened McBride Auto Body in 1937, eventually building up the business to where he had to move to a large facility at 565 McBride Avenue. As the business grew and grew, Carioti envisioned a dream facility of his own design — which he finally achieved in the late 1940s. The building featured 10,000 square feet with offices, a sprayroom for automotive refinishing, 10 work bays, large storage areas, mixing rooms — plus a main apartment of 12 separate rooms, two one-bedroom apartments, a two-bedroom bungalow located at the rear of the property above a two-car garage and a 20x40x8-foot-deep in-ground swimming pool! This made McBride Auto Body the largest structure in the first district when it was built — and it still holds that distinction.
Does your shop have a similar history? We want to hear from you! BodyShop Business will be compiling the exclusive list of the most experienced collision centers by virtue of their years established in the trade. Body shops wishing to be included in the BodyShop Business 500 may apply to be on the list at bodyshop500.com. It’s simple and will involve uploading an image of any document, old photo or business card that states the year you were established under the original owner.
The BodyShop Business 500 will be honored at WreckWeek June 20-22 in Dallas/Ft. Worth, featuring ShopXpo, the DRIVE Expo Conference and TowXpo.
Don’t wait, apply now!
