Bob Juniper, owner, CEO and president of Three-C Body Shops of Columbus, Chillicothe and Lancaster, Ohio, was recently selected as one of the top 25 recipients of Smart Business magazine’s annual Smart 50 Awards.

All 50 award winners were honored at a special celebration, including a formal dinner where winners received their awards and heard a keynote address on what it takes to lead a successful, “smart” company.

To be eligible, Smart 50 nominees must lead organizations that are headquartered in the Columbus region. The Smart 50 Awards recognize the top executives of the selected 50 smartest companies in the region for their ability to effectively build and lead successful organizations. The three main attributes of the chosen are innovation, impact and sustainability.

Juniper is well known in the central Ohio area, as well as throughout the collision repair industry, for his many innovations. He was one of the first collision repairers to make significant investments in thought-provoking marketing messages designed to educate consumers within his target markets. His ongoing “tell it like it is” marketing has earned him the respect of his peers, Ohio consumers and the insurance industry that serves them. The impact these ongoing investments have had has enabled Three-C Body Shops to prosper and continuously grow over the years while providing a high level of service and quality to his customers while earning a reasonable profit necessary to re-invest in the company’s growth.

Founded in 1956, Three C has shown 60 years of sustainability and continued growth that has enabled them to be poised to generate in excess of $9 million in sales in the coming year. Juniper’s 15-year-old daughter Jade, who has participated in Three-C Body Shops’ commercials for years, was on hand to help her father accept this award.

“While I may have been selected for the actual award, it wouldn’t have been possible without Three C’s incredible staff to bring my dreams and ambitions to reality,” said Juniper. “Over the years, we have received many accolades from various organizations in recognition of our successes, but we’re nowhere near finished. I’ve got more things in the works such as the Pink Button App we recently unveiled, which has already shown significant success. We’re making it available to other quality repairers who can see and anticipate what the future has in store in our industry. ‘Word of mouth’ used to be the reliable marketing method of the past, it worked for my father for many years, however, with third parties influencing the consumer’s choice in repairer, one’s reputation, which no doubt remains important, is no longer what will earn and keep customers in your shop. As Barrett Smith of ADE says: ‘Today’s truly independent repairers need to think outside the box in the operation of their company and in the way in which they market and brand their business within and around their market areas.’ We’re looking forward to furthering our impact within our community and within Three-C Body Shops.”