One Man’s Rust Is Another Man’s Restaurant
Joe Grigas was a man with a dream. He’d purchased a dilapidated 1954 Desoto 2-door coupe and took it to Bob Young at Main Paint and Body in Akron, Ohio, to restore it to its former glory. But as Bob and his crew unraveled the old vehicle, signs of too many years in the rustbelt
DRPs, Here We Come? Handling All the Paperwork
Handling all the paperwork that comes with being on direct-repair programs doesn’t scare us. Let me tell you why. Part 3 of a year-long series.
Matching Tricoat Pearls: Think Groundcoat
Making a let-down panel doesn’t solve the problem of matching tricoat pearl color. There’s got to be a better way – and there is: an invisible foundation-coat repair. If an automotive painter were asked what he did for a living, it would be fair for him to say that he’s a master illusionist. Citizen Jane
Standard Operating Procedures – Working Smarter, Not Harder
Maximize productivity by standardizing “best practices” across your organization. “Since we started truly implementing standard operating procedures, it’s a statistical fact that I only spend two hours a week in three locations and that we grew from five employees to 50 in a four-year time period,” says Troy Gates, owner of a three-shop operation called Gates
DRPs, Here We Come? ….Direct-Repair Programs
Some say be careful what you wish for. We wish our shop were on direct-repair programs. Part 1 of a year-long series.
Thoughts from the NACE Show Floor
Business has been bad lately. Real bad. So I went to NACE
looking for some inspiration and insight — and I got it.
Even ‘Know It Alls’ Need Training
Take it from a reformed Mr. Know-It-All: You don’t know what you don’t know — so training is vital to staying ahead in an ever-changing industry.
Strategies for Preparing – and Presenting – Your Estimate
The insurance industry’s reluctance to pay what I consider to be fair and proper damage appraisals concerns me greatly. It also concerns me greatly that many shops aren’t doing anything about it.
Does Association Membership Benefit a Collision Repair Shop?
Richard Lata, owner Martinsville Collision Martinsville, Va. Opinion: No We’re on DRPs with 12 different insurance companies, and we’re not even a big shop – I’m only 6,500 square feet. I’m an independent, and I’ve only been in business five years. In that five years time, I’ve learned how to go out and get work
Mentoring Works
This real-life success story shows how mentoring can help to bring talented youngsters into your shop — and into
an industry in need of recruits.