I-CAR

by Autobody News Staff

If you take the time and effort to recruit only the best employees to work for your auto body shop, you want to keep that “talent edge” over the competition.

That’s why it was such an easy decision for Gullo Ford Collision Center in Conroe, TX, to sign up for an I-CAR training subscription. Every Gullo Ford employee, including front office staff, has access to unlimited live, online and virtual I-CAR training through this program.

In 1996, Tony Gullo Sr. purchased the small Ford dealership, and over the next two years, he built a brand new 100,000-square foot dealership, along with a 22,000-square foot, state-of-theart collision center, on a 25-acre parcel of land off I-45, outside Conroe.

Opening in 1998, Gullo Ford of Conroe and the Gullo Ford of Conroe Collision Center quickly grew due to the customer service provided and high-quality repairs delivered.

Over the years, Gullo Sr. expanded his legacy to open Gullo Toyota and Gullo Mazda, and the family’s three dealerships are now run by his three sons: Tony Gullo Jr., Sparky Gullo and Corky Gullo.

Gullo Ford Collision Center has acquired OEM certifications from Ford, Nissan/Infiniti and Hyundai, in addition to achieving aluminum welding certification. Seventeen collision professionals repair an average of 120 vehicles each month, a feat only possible because of the caliber of personnel employed at the shop.

Billy Coleman, Gullo Ford Collision Center manager, credits his team for making all the difference: “When you compare our shop with other local shops, the thing that stands out most is our people. I’ve run the shop for 22 years, and the average tenure in the collision center is nine years. We hire the best---and then we provide training to help make them even better!”

An I-CAR Gold Class shop for the past 18 years, Gullo Ford Collision Center acquired an I-CAR training subscription at the beginning of 2020 because “the subscription makes the most sense to keep costs down while maintaining the best training for our employees,” Coleman said, noting it also helps lower training costs related to technician turnover, since “our employees know we are serious about maintaining the best in training, equipment and technology.”

Implementing the training posed no challenge at Gullo Ford Collision Center.

“We’ve been an I-CAR Gold Class shop for a long time now, and our employees know training is just part of what we do to stay current in the collision repair industry since it’s constantly changing,” Coleman noted. “We value our customers, our staff and our excellent community reputation.”

The Gullo Automotive Group has earned that reputation by supporting a vast number of local and national charities and by ensuring customer satisfaction always remains its top priority.

“We’re committed to customer service; we treat each customer as part of our extended family, and we try to develop relationships with each of them,” Coleman said. “That personal touch is vital in customer service.”

Access to I-CAR’s customer care department has been a major benefit for Gullo Ford Collision Center, especially since the shop has its own account manager it can turn to when it has a need.

“It’s great having an actual person who is in charge of your account,” Coleman said. “Whenever we have a question or need assistance, we can simply call their direct phone number, and they always get us the answer or help that we need.”

Repairability Technical Support® (RTS) and Ask I-CAR™ are also included in I-CAR’s Gold Class benefits package.

I-CAR offers its training subscription benefit to all Gold Class shops, with subscription pricing based on the number of required role representatives declared to be Gold Class for each shop, available through an annual fee or monthly installments. The subscription model makes it easier for shops to manage their budgets, while I-CAR’s new online payment system simplifies financial transactions, all while encouraging real-time training.

“With knowing what my training costs are going to be each month, the I-CAR training subscription gives me extra incentive to get the most out of it by encouraging everyone to take as many classes as they want,” Coleman said.

While I-CAR’s training subscription protects Gullo Ford Collision Center from turnover costs, it also helps the auto body shop build bench strength by providing unlimited access to live, online and virtual training for all shop employees, regardless of their role, including an Intro Series that provides the ability to train front office staff on the basics of collision repair.

“We all love the online training because you can work it around each person’s schedule,” Coleman said. “Our team has learned a lot through the I-CAR training, and we’ve even seen some of our office staff take courses that opened their eyes to future job possibilities!”

In 1996, Tony Gullo Sr. purchased the 25-acre property in downtown Conroe, TX, that would become Gullo Ford of Conroe and the Gullo Ford of Conroe Collision Center.

Gullo Ford

Location: Conroe, TX

(936) 756-8855 www.gulloford.com

Company At A Glance...

Type: Dealership Collision Repair Shop Facility Employees: 17 In Business Since: 1998 Number of Locations: One DRP Programs: Nine

Production Space:

22,000 square feet

“Training is just part of what we do,” according to Gullo Ford Collision Center Manager Billy Coleman.

I-CAR’s training subscription provides Gullo Ford Collision Center with unlimited access to live, online and virtual training for all shop employees, regardless of their role.

I-CAR

(800) I-CAR-USA

www.I-CAR.com/GTGC

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