Jim Pease
Director of Body Shop Operations
Montrose Collision Center, Fairlawn, Ohio
What’s your favorite sports team?
The Cleveland Cavs. I’ve been a fan for more than 20 years.
Do you hate LeBron James like seemingly everyone else in Cleveland?
I was really upset just like everybody else when he left. Who didn’t like LeBron James? He was awesome and great for the town. But every man is in charge of his own destiny. The way he left wasn’t proper, but I still feel like he’s a great ballplayer and I’m still a fan of his, so if he came back, I would welcome him. I think that anybody who says they wouldn’t welcome him back would become a fan of his again when he came back. The guy’s just very gifted.
Is LeBron James your favorite player in the NBA?
Yes. Kyrie Irving is great on the Cavs, no doubt, but he needs more talent around him. But you can’t take anything away from LeBron; he’s just a great player.
Have you been to any Cavs games this year?
Yes, about half a dozen.
The Cavs have been a pretty bad team over the last several years, but you never seem to hear about it. Why do you think that is?
Probably because the Cavs games are so entertaining. Basketball in general is entertaining. The NBA is so loaded with talent, I think people feel like it’s just not possible for the Cavs to be that good without their own superstars.
Is basketball your favorite sport?
I like to watch it because that was one sport I was never good at. I admire it more because I can’t even dribble a basketball. I was a football player, starting at quarterback at Parma High School. I played a lot of baseball as a pitcher, too. But I couldn’t play basketball.
Do you currently play in any recreational leagues?
I used to play flag football and softball, but it has been probably five years since I
did that.
It sounds like you’re pretty competitive. How does the collision repair world satisfy your competitive spirit?
I think if you talk to anybody on the other side of this wall, they’ll tell you the No. 1 thing with me is that I don’t do well with the word “no” or “can’t.” As long as we exhaust all of our resources, I’m okay with that, but I’m not going to give up right now. If we open a box and find out we have the wrong headlight, how do we resolve this now rather than wait till tomorrow? What’s our solution today?
What are your feelings on change?
A lot of people don’t like change. I, however, love it. I’m constantly trying to move forward. I feel like if we’re not moving forward, then we’re going backward. The business will run right over us if we don’t stay three to four steps ahead of what everyone else is doing. When I read articles in your magazine, I’m hoping that I’m already where you want me to be and not the guy reading it and saying, ‘Man, maybe I should start doing these things.’
