Sherwin Williams

by Autobody News Staff

LJI Collision Center in Beachwood, OH, was founded by managing partners Lauren Angie and Jill Strauss, two sisters whose father, Mike Giarrizzo Sr., acts as their business advisor.

“We focus on providing superior customer service and high-quality repairs, and we treat every customer as if they were our only customer,” Angie said.

LJI Collision Center offers a boutique auto body repair experience, complete with a section of the waiting area dedicated to an assortment of artwork for sale by local artisans. They service clients further with a lifetime warranty on parts and labor, rental car assistance, towing assistance, pick-up and delivery, and 24-hour live assistance.

“We work on all makes and model vehicles and work with all insurance companies and several dealerships. LJI Collision Center has second-, third- and fourth-generation collision repair professionals working in the business. We all have the same passion and energy for paying attention to the details that matter most and honoring our customers’ requests.”

In order to deliver that level of customer service, Angie and Strauss sought a paint product that came backed by a company with those same values: the Ultra 9K™ waterborne basecoat system, manufactured by Sherwin-Williams® .

“Sherwin-Williams customer service parallels our own: they are attentive to our needs and requests, and they provide timely answers to our questions,” Angie said. “Sherwin-Williams technical staff is prompt and informative, and they offer hands-on assistance when necessary—plus they offer continuous education and training,” an important consideration for the I-CAR Gold and ASE-certified shop.

As an independent auto body shop reliant primarily on customer referrals for business, LJI Collision Center emphasizes the importance of doing it right the first time.

“Our technicians work as a team in a directional pull production flow as internal customers checking quality and passing the vehicle to the next repair process. Our focus is on first-time quality and predictable completion dates,” Angie said.

Ultra 9K minimizes cycle times and enhances overall efficiencies by incorporating Sherwin- Williams’ Ultra System™ premium undercoats and clearcoats, while allowing for repeatable performance by shops.

“Sherwin-Williams manufactures a high-quality refinish basecoat system that requires fewer corrections. Our painters have a high regard for the product and its color matching capabilities. Ultra 9K is a superior product,” Angie said.

Safety and concern for their well-being are additional promises LJI Collision makes to customers.

“Our culture is a safe and clean environment. Our technicians clean the repair space when a vehicle advances and before the next vehicle occupies the repair space. When the car is ready for delivery, it has been detailed inside and out,” said Angie. “Health and safety concerns are also why we spray with the low VOC Ultra 9K waterborne basecoat system, which is better for our employees and for the environment.”

Since running one busy shop wasn’t enough for Angie and Strauss, the sisters decided to expand in 2019, returning “home” to open a new location in Cleveland Heights—in the shop where their family business ran from 1959 until 1999.

Running two busy shops in which 26 employees repair nearly 300 vehicles each month allows for little downtime, making the idea of switching paint brands less than ideal. But change waits for no woman, and Angie acknowledged, “The industry is changing every day, and we must keep up with equipment and education.”

In an effort to improve efficiency, LJI Collision Center decided to convert to the Sherwin-Williams Ultra 9K refinish system in 2020 to stay on the cutting edge.

“Sherwin-Williams made the implementation process seamless with preparations made upfront and physical support provided, which allowed us to make the transition with no loss in production; in fact, the product has enhanced production,” Angie said. “Sherwin-Williams’ ordering process is very efficient and easy to track, and they deliver products daily—or even twice a day!”

It’s also easy to use. Ultra 9K is one of the most user-friendly refinishing systems on the market. The non-stirring mixing system is comprised of 62 toners and a single reducer, promising shops will receive dependable color and reliable application properties.

LJI Collision Center has also enjoyed increases in shop productivity and efficiency as a result of Ultra9K’s color retrieval experience and spectrophotometer; a global color box also makes it easy to match even the most challenging colors.

“Beyond everything else offered by Sherwin-Williams, Ultra 9K drives productivity and efficiency in the shop,” Angie said. “Ultra 9K’s color match, combined with the clearcoat, eliminates the need for many paint corrections and reduces production time, increasing efficiencies and making LJI Collision Center more profitable.”

The Ultra 9K™ waterborne basecoat system drives productivity and efficiency at LJI Collision Center, because its color matching ability eliminates the need for many paint corrections and reduces production time, making both LJI Collision Center locations more profitable.

Location: Beachwood & Cleveland Heights, OH

Type: Collision Repair Facility Employees: 26 In Business Since: 2010 Number of Locations: Two DRP Programs: One

24,000 square feet

LJI Collision Center in Beachwood, OH, was founded by managing partners Lauren Angie and Jill Strauss, two sisters whose father, Mike Giarrizzo Sr., acts as their business advisor.

“LJI Collision Center has second-, third- and fourth-generation collision repair professionals working in the business. We all have the same passion and energy for paying attention to the details that matter most and honoring our customers’ requests,” Lauren Angie said.

4440 Warrensville Center Road Warrensville Hts., OH 44128 (800) 798-5872

Facebook: @SherwinWilliamsAutomotive YouTube: @SWAFC Instagram: @swrefinish LinkedIn: @Sherwin-WilliamsAutomotiveFinishes