Simply Success: Richard Cossette
Name: Lehman’s Garage, Inc. Location: Minneapolis, Minn. Owner: Richard Cossette Established: 1917 Square Footage: 66,000 (four shops) Number of Employees: 85 (four shops) Repair Volume: 907 cars per month (four shops) Average Repair Cost: $1,400 Success. It means different things to different people, but one belief is often associated with it – it’s difficult to
Get It Straight: Alignments
Customers these days are pickier than ever about the work performed on their vehicles – and alignment isn’t an exception. If customers aren’t satisfied with how their cars ride, steer and handle after driving them out of your shop, you’ll likely see those customers again – for the redo.
Waterlogged: Submerged Vehicles
Repair of water-damaged vehicles is done daily across the United States, which makes it quite possible that your shop may someday be – if it hasn’t already been – involved in
estimating, and possibly the salvage and restoration, of a vehicle that’s been submerged in water.
Mistaken Identity
Attributing the ownership of 17 collision-repair facilities with more than $22 million in annual sales to a mistake is a bit hard to swallow. But for Bruce Mackie, president of Mackie
Enterprises, Inc., it’s the true story of his success.
1996 Editorial Index
AIR CONDITIONING AND COOLING “Tips and Trends for Coolant Recycling,” Feb., pg. 60 “A/C Retrofit Update,” May, pg. 36 BUSINESS AND MARKETING “How to Get a Yes from Your Banker,” Feb., pg. 33 “Big Brother Sees All,” March, pg. 28 “Perfectly Prompt Payments,” April, pg. 20 “Don’t Get Roped In with the Rest – Try
Coming Up Corvettes
Name: Jerry’s Custom Paint & Collision Center Location: Gresham, Ore. Owners: Jerry and Lori Geiszler Established: 1979 Square Footage: 10,000 Number of Employees: Nine Repair Volume: 60 cars per month (25 percent restoration) Average Repair Cost: $2,000 – collision $12,000 to $15,000 – body and paint restoration Jerry Geiszler has restored so many "American Dream
Partnering With A Paint Company
With so many paint-company partnership programs in the marketplace, making a decision which – if any – to join can be a confusing and time-consuming decision.
Bankers Don’t Bite
I’m convinced that most small-business owners are scared to death of bankers. They view loan officers as stiff-lipped stuffed-shirts who exist only for the pleasure of foreclosing on little old ladies on Christmas Eve.
Room to Grow
Name: American Auto Body Location: Akron, Ohio Owner: Joe and Rocky Piscazzi Established: 1976 Square Footage: 20,000 Number of Employees: 10 Repair Volume: 60 cars per month Rocky Piscazzi recently learned that relocating to a new body shop can trigger Murphy’s Law of moving – everything costs more than expected. “Even though I’ve learned that
Working Magic: Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)
PDR is only as good as the operator on the other end of the pry tool.