Rains, Planes and Dames
Name: J&L Auto Body Location: Summerville, S.C. Owners: John and Linda Disher Established: 1981 Square Footage: 10,000 Number of Employees: Nine Repair Volume: 12 cars per week (collision) Average Repair Ticket: $2,000 September 1989: The winds picked up. The heavy rains came. The ocean went crazy. Wreaking havoc on lives and properties, Hurricane Hugo stormed
A Well-Rounded Painter
If your customer-service index is high and your marketing efforts are giving your shop a healthy backlog of work, you know that what happens when vehicles reach your paint
department is critical to your continued success. And what goes on in your paint department is highly dependent upon the quality.
of painters you employ.
More Than an Estimate
It used to be so easy to write an estimate. Easy, that is, until the ARMS people announced to the country: "A customer doesn’t need an estimate. The customer is in pain and wants his vehicle made whole again." This tiny piece of information had a huge – and dramatic – effect on many leading
Body Shop Boot Camp
While the collision shop of today is repairing existing vehicles, the cars of the future are off the drawing board and plans for production are underway. Increased use of aluminum and plastics, computerized navigational systems, crash-avoidance computers and sophisticated adhesives are all becoming part of our reality.
What’s the Bright Idea?
Shop owners share their thoughts on how to make their businesses – and yours – more successful
Opening the Books: Balance Sheets
Looking for a way to increase employee productivity and loyalty at your repair operation? You may need to look no further than your monthly balance sheet.
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
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.
Seeds of Success: Redfield Collision Center
Name: Redfield Collision Center Location: Festus, Mo. Owner: Greg Redfield Established: 1976 Square Footage: 18,200 Number of Employees: 27 Repair Volume: 116 cars per month Average Repair Cost: $1,640 The first Harley-Davidson motorcycle was made entirely by hand by four men in a backyard shed. Although it started out simple, the now-mass-produced Iron Horse ended
Creative Recruitment
Your right arm. How important is it to you? An independent body shop owner recently said he would give his to find one good technician. If people are willing to give up body parts, you know things are bad!