FenderBender - July 2019

F E N D E R B E N D E R . C O M / J U LY 2 0 1 9

Does your branding tell your story?

PAGE 47

Certification hang-ups costing your shop PAGE 56

Strategies & Inspiration for Collision Repair Success

Boggs: The truth about your shop culture PAGE 68

PLAN FOR GROWTH HOW TO USE KPIs TO ENGINEER YOUR SHOP’S TURNAROUND PAGE 52

Risk Management Despite a shaky foundation, Jason Battistelli knew he could devise a plan to bring his newly purchased shop back into the black.

KPIs TO MASTER— RIGHT NOW PAGE 34

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©2019 PPG Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. The PPG Logo and Envirobase are registered trademarks of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc. 2 fenderbender.com | July 2019

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TRAINING V IDEOS

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July 2019 | fenderbender.com 3

SPONSORED CONTENT

IMPROVE EFFICIENCY WITH TOYOTA GENUINE PARTS LEVERAGE THE POWER AND EXPERTISE OF TOYOTA DEALERS WITH TOYOTA GENUINE PARTS.

There are many ways to improve shop efficiency: Upgrade tech and tools. Attend industry training events. Track key performance indicators. However, the most efficient way in which to ensure precise repairs: purchasing Toyota Genuine parts. Toyota Dealers are here to help.

LESS COMEBACKS, MORE GREENBACKS “I’ve seen the benefits that shops enjoy when working with their Toyota dealer parts managers and Toyota Genuine Parts,” says Eric Mendoza, Manager, Wholesale Parts & Certified Collision, Toyota Motor North America. Previously a technician and a service manager at an independent shop, and then experience on the dealer side, Mendoza has spent the last seven years at the corporate level. “Having both experiences has helped me to thoroughly understand that the value of installing Toyota Genuine Parts cannot be overstated,” states Mendoza.

“Working with Toyota dealer parts departments can help a shop improve efficiency and profitability,” he continues. “A shop can call their Toyota dealer wholesale parts department— the only OEM-authorized distribution channel—and get any part and ancillary parts that are necessary to complete the repair on their first call.”

Toyota dealers have an estimated 98–99 percent fill rate, meaning shops will have the part they need 9 out of 10 times, within 24 hours. In many cases, same-day service is available, helping keep cycle time down and revenue up. Mendoza knows that shops who work with a Toyota parts professional see their Toyota dealer as partners in the quality and reliability of their customers’ vehicle repairs.

“Quality, reliability, and a perfect fit sets us apart from the aftermarket and assists with shop cycle times. What’s more, many Toyota Genuine Parts are competitively priced with the aftermarket, enabling shop owners to keep a customer’s Toyota a Toyota at a competitive price. When you work with a Toyota dealer, there’s one point of contact, one phone call,” Mendoza says.

In 2017, for example, Toyota launched its new Toyota Genuine Radiator and Condenser product line. Priced competitively with many aftermarket choices and available for over 80% of Toyotas on the road today, Mendoza notes that the quality and reliability of these components is 100 percent backed by the manufacturer with a full warranty. They are designed, tested and approved by Toyota engineers and are ready to install with all factory fitments included.

“Another extremely valuable benefit of working with a Toyota dealer parts department is that the shop can tap into the parts manager’s specific expertise in OEM repair processes and procedures,” Mendoza continues. “If a shop calls and needs a specific part, the parts manager can recommend the correct supplemental parts needed for the repair. And, you can

get guidance and enjoy the assurance that the parts you’re receiving—any Toyota Genuine Part—will fit the repair.”

And when parts fit, customers are happy. They know they’ve received the best repair possible with the correct, OEM-matching part or component. Their vehicle has been restored to like-new status, helping to achieve a safer drive.

LEVERAGE THE POWER OF THE MANUFACTURER Mendoza also outlines how shops can leverage not only the power of Toyota Genuine Parts for safer, more efficient and quality repairs, but also the network of Toyota support resources available to independent shops.

“There’s a massive asset net to be utilized—when a shop works with a Toyota dealer,” continued Mendoza.

That asset net includes a host of support resources, such as a comprehensive online collision parts ordering system, Toyota-sponsored discounts on Toyota Genuine Parts, realtime delivery tracking tools, and access to Toyota’s Collision Repair & Refinish Training. These resources are designed to help improve order accuracy, minimize phone time, increase efficiency and improve customer satisfaction.

Toyota Genuine Parts coupled with the power of these assets (and dedicated dealership professionals) provides shops with a more robust and comprehensive means by which to assess and repair vehicles, bolster efficiency and increase revenue. In today’s world of hi-tech vehicles, information overload and a review-happy customer base, be sure you’re making the best repair for your safety each and every day.

It only takes one unhappy customer to break a shop.

To see what Toyota can do to maximize quality repairs in your shop and to avoid future rainy-day comebacks, visit toyotapartsandservice.com.

july

0 7.1 9 / V O L U M E 2 1 / N U M B E R 0 7

Rockin' and Rollin' Shop co-owner Bucky Covington has figured out the formula for effective, budget-friendly marketing.

F E AT U R E

C A SE STU DY

S H O P TA L K

34

52

60

Despite being a less-than-desirable business, Jason Battistelli entered ownership of Mirror Image Automotive with a robust improvement plan.

Bucky Covington is not only a former “American Idol” contestant and musician, he also runs two successful collision repair businesses with his brother.

BY MELISSA STEINKEN

BY KELLY BEATON

ACHIEVE BETTER PERFORMANCE The top KPIs that give shop operators the most trouble—according to the 2019 FenderBender Industry Survey—and the strategies to master them.

EVALUATE RISK

GROW YOUR SIDE HUSTLE

TONY YOUNG

BY KELLY BEATON AND MELISSA STEINKEN

Printed in the U.S.A. COPYRIGHT ©2019 BY 10 Missions Media LLC. All rights reserved. FenderBender (ISSN 1937-7150) is published monthly by 10 Missions Media, LLC, 571 Snelling Avenue North, St. Paul, MN 55104. FenderBender content may not be photocopied, reproduced or redistributed without the consent of the publisher. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTERS Send address changes to: FenderBender, 571 Snelling Avenue North, St. Paul, MN 55104.

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 5

TAB LE OF CONTENTS

JULY

QUICK FIX

12

21

30

Better exit interviews

Ford F-150’s steady repair costs

Referral Collision

14

24

Inside advanced drying equipment

Facebook rolls out new features

16

26

Four tips for modern welding

Maaco’s planned expansion

PAST THE PAGE

ANALYSIS

NUMBERS

VIEWPOINT

AWARDS INSIGHT

DRIVER'S SEAT What might surprise you about safety

6 fenderbender.com | July 2019

33

THE BIG IDEA How to provoke learning

BY KEVIN RAINS

LIGHT HITS

Growth Initiative Referral Collision in Minnesota recently added a second, 16,000-square foot facility to serve as its production area.

30 JESSIENA L AKE

17

SNAP SHOP

S T R AT E G Y

47

IDEA SHOP How to connect customers to your brand

48

LAW A step-by-step process for avoiding OSHA fines

56

66

EDUCATION +TRAINING

UPDATE D&M Auto Body

Avoid common certification mistakes

68

59

What does your culture actually look like?

OUTSIDE THE LINES

IN THE TRENCHES How to prewrite repair plans

BY JASON BOGGS

BY STEVE MORRIS

51

PROCESS DRIVEN Get more out of industry events

47

GET T Y IMAGES

BY RYAN CROPPER

to the n i p o h s ody

future

your b e v i r d o t

1 SPRAYTRON + 1 DRYING ROBOT + 1 PAINTER

contact us: info@symach.com www.symach.com

find out more

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 7

TAB LE OF CONTENTS

ONLINE EXTRAS

CLICK ON THE LOGO BELOW FOR PRODUCT INFORMATION

AUTEL

Drew Technologies

Nissan

SATA/Dan-Am Company

LKQ Corporation

O'Reilly Auto Parts

Sherwin Williams Automotive Finishes

Micro Tech Resources

Polyvance

Spanesi Americas

LAUNCH Tech USA

TECH USA

Auto Job Central

FenderBender Managment Conference

2019

C O N N E C T. T H R I V E . G R O W.

AutoNation

Global Finishing Solutions

WIRED FOR

Axalta Coating Systems

Honda

GENUINE PARTS

BASF

I-CAR

SUCCESS PPG

Mitsubishi You’re wired differently and we like that. America likes that.

Symach

Visit futuretechsuccess.org and find out how your hands-on talent is the key to an amazing technical career.

MobiTech When Techs Rock, America Rolls ℠ futuretechsuccess.org

ProSpot

TechForce Foundation

FUTURETECH

SUCCESS

™

Toyota

8 fenderbender.com | July 2019

EDITORIAL Bryce Evans Vice President, Content and Events Anna Zeck Editorial Director Kelly Beaton Associate Editor Melissa Steinken Staff Writer

COLLISION

Jordan Wiklund Special Projects Editor

C A S T

Jason Boggs Contributing Writer Ryan Cropper Contributing Writer Steve Morris Contributing Writer Kevin Rains Contributing Writer

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Jason Boggs Boggs Auto Collision Rebuilders Justin Fisher CARSTAR Yorkville Bob Pearson Pearson Auto Body Mark Probst Probst Auto Body

FenderBender’s

PODCAST NETWORK

Randy Sattler Rydell Collision Center Doug Voelzke Doug’s Custom Paint and Body

ART AND PRODUCTION Zach Pate Art Director

SERIES WITH NEW EPISODES EACH MONTH. Explore the industry’s biggest trends & most pressing topics.

Mitch Bradford Graphic Designer Fue Vang Graphic Designer Lauren Coleman Production Assistant

SALES Chris Messer Vice President and Publisher 651.846.9462 / cmesser@10missions.com Andrew Johnson Associate Publisher 651.846.9459 / ajohnson@10missions.com Nathan Smock Sales Manager 651.846.9452 / nsmock@10missions.com Ross Kirgiss Regional Advertising Sales 651.846.9485 / rkirgiss@10missions.com Shayna Smith Customer Success Representative 651.846.9460 / ssmith@10missions.com Jen George Client Service Specialist 651.846.9465 / jgeorge@10missions.com

10 MISSIONS MEDIA Jay DeWitt President Mariah Straub General Manager and Production Manager Meghann Moore Bookkeeper and Client Service Specialist Katie Cornet Event Coordinator Tiffany Fowler Senior Digital Media Strategist Kasey Lanenberg Marketing Communications Specialist Amanda Nicklaus Administrative Assistant HOW TO REACH US 571 Snelling Avenue North, St. Paul, MN 55104 tel 651.224.6207 fax 651.224.6212 web 10missions.com The annual subscription rate is $72 (U.S.A. only) for companies not qualified to receive complimentary copies of FenderBender.

ADAPT. DISRUPT. HOW I DID IT. MSO PODCAST. VISION.

BACK ISSUES Past issue single copies are $8.

Go to fenderbender.com/backissues LETTERS TO THE EDITOR editor@fenderbender.com ARTICLE REPRINTS

A DA P T S E R I E S S P O N S O R E D BY:

M S O P O D C A S T S E R I E S S P O N S O R E D BY:

For high-quality reprints or e-prints of articles in this issue call 651.846.9488 or email reprints@fenderbender.com.

Opinions expressed in FenderBender are not necessarily those of 10 Missions Media, and 10 Missions Media does not accept responsibility for advertising content.

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE SEARCH “COLLISIONCAST” IN APPS FOR APPLE AND ANDROID

PODCASTS

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AUTOMOTIVE GROUP

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 9

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CALL US AT 866-LKQ-CORP OR SHOP ONLINE AT ORDERKEYSTONE.COM BUMPERS · DOORS · FENDERS · GRILLES · HOODS · LIGHTING · MIRRORS · WHEELS 10 fenderbender.com |©2019 July 2019 LKQ

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11

PAST THE PAGE DISCUSSIONS, FEEDBACK, CONTENT AND MORE FROM AROUND THE WEB

PODCAST PRIMER

COLLISION C A S T

Hold on to Customers

REPORTER'S BLOG

EXIT INTERVIEW TIPS For the website’s weekly blog post, FenderBender recently spoke with Dave Schedin, CEO of consulting firm The CompuTrek Group, about a perpetually touchy business issue: the exit interview.

A disgruntled employee who’s fired or chooses to leave a business can often lead to headaches down the line for business leaders. In fact, such a scenario could even lead to a wrongful termination suit.

Schedin says the best methods for handling employee exit interviews—and avoiding any liability down the line—is by taking the following steps: Have a system in place. A process for conducting an exit interview should be established so that, if an employee gives their two weeks notice, a manager can conduct the interview one the spot. The procedure should outline the proper questions to ask, for example.

Have a witness. Whenever possible, more than one person should be in the room, especially if the interview involves people of opposite genders, Schedin says. That will effectively end any threat of a “he-said, she-said” type of argument.

Record the interview. Recording the exit interview provides concrete evidence of what occurred during the conversation. It can also be used for training purposes, Schedin explains.

You can read the blog in its entirety at fenderbender.com/exits.

FACEBOOK

FenderBender produces five podcasts per month, with topics aimed at offering collision repairers insight on how to improve their business. In that spirit, the magazine recently spoke with Andrew Begnoche, director of operations for Holdcom, seeking the marketing expert’s tips for how shops can market themselves in an often underutilized manner: while customers are placed on hold during phone calls.

When customers are on hold, they’re a captive audience. And that’s a perfect time to market to them, Begnoche says.

“It’s literally whispering into your customers’ ears that are on hold,” he notes. “And then it pivots the conversation to how do you sell your business to customers, and what is your approach to communicating. Today, we’re so rushed, and we don’t have those quality conversations anymore. A message on hold allows you to fill that gap.

“You might not have time to sit and chat with somebody and tell them we bought this new frame-straightening equipment,” Begnoche adds, “but it helps you build that value when you do it in a professional, conversational way on hold.”

To hear more insight from the marketing expert during the 20-minute podcast, access the episode at fenderbender.com/topics/616podcasts.

JOIN US ONLINE

FenderBender is constantly increasing its social media presence. And, the magazine always appreciates hearing comments from its readership, via comments on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more. One recent example: On Facebook, the magazine (@FenderBenderMag) asked readers, “Is your shop open on Saturdays?” Interestingly, the poll promptly drew a 50-50 split among nearly 50 respondents.

To join the conversation, follow FenderBender on its various social media sites listed at right.

12 fenderbender.com | July 2019

fenderbender.com fenderbender.com/facebook twitter.com/fenderbendermag fenderbender.com/linkedin instagram.com/fenderbendermag

GETTY IMAGES

Let’s Get Social

BUY OEM & AFTERMARKET PARTS...

ALL IN 1 PLACE! SAVE TIME & MONEY! CALL NOW! 1-888-895-4046 OVER $190 MILLION IN INVENTORY 30+ MANUFACTURER BRANDS CAPA & NSF-CERTIFIED TURN US ON AS AN ELECTRONIC VENDOR TODAY!

© 2019 AutoNation, Inc.

BY THE NUMBERS THE TOPIC S, TRENDS AND METRIC S DRIVING YOUR OPER ATION

73% of shops with advanced “robotic” drying equipment have sales volumes of $1 million or more annually

THE VALUE OF ADVANCED DRYING EQUIPMENT

sales volume of $1M or more per year average cycle time of 7 days or less CSI of 90% or better average supplement ratio of 15% or less sales have grown in the last 5 years SHOPS WITH ADVANCED DRYING EQUIPMENT

SHOPS WITHOUT ADVANCED DRYING EQUIPMENT

LEARN MORE

Not long ago, FenderBender wrote a lengthy piece examining everything a shop owner should consider before purchasing a full-arch gas catalytic drying system. The article noted that such robotic drying equipment can help shops with insurance relations, as well as produce gas savings reaching four figures per month. Find the article online, at fenderbender.com/roboticdrying.

14 fenderbender.com | July 2019

COURTESY SYMACH, STAFF GRAPHIC

Does it pay off for shops to invest up to six figures in advanced drying equipment, such as infrared technology or shortwave electric infrared technology? A quick glance at the 2019 FenderBender Industry Survey would suggest yes.

Although the numbers aren’t overwhelming, shops that have advanced drying technology—whether gas, propane, or electric—edge those that don’t in several key stats.

Perhaps this is the most eye-opening stat: 73 percent of shops with advanced “robotic” drying equipment have sales volumes of $1 million or more annually. Conversely, just 61 percent of shops that don’t have that innovative equipment top seven figures in annual revenue.

Here’s an in-depth look at some of the key numbers related to shops using advanced drying equipment.

Essentials for Safe and Proper Honda and Acura Repairs

Collision Industry Support from the Source

Remain a cut above Maintain your edge as an American Honda Motor ProFirst Certified program collision center

:

Keeping Parts Ordering Simple y Promotional Pricing upfront while you write an estimate y Easy, streamlined ordering process saves time and reduces errors

You Supply the Tools and Skills, We’ll Equip You with the Latest Information.

Search for Honda and Acura Genuine Parts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Techinfo.Honda.com Techinfo.Acura.com

A-ProFirst Certified program collision centers: y Meet and maintain strict certification program requirements y Receive access to the Honda and Acura Service Information Systems and Parts Catalogs y Appear on the Honda Owners and Acura Owners ProFirst Certified Shop Locator

ProFirstInfo.Honda.com Owners.Honda.com/Collision/ Owners.Acura.com/Collision/

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 15

AWARDS INSIGHT

Understanding Modern Welding

CO

LLI

AI

R

AWARDS IN

INSTRUCTOR AND PROGRAM CHAIR SOUTHEAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE MILFORD, NEB.

FINES HE

T

BILL VOCASEK—

T

AWARDS NOMINEE:

P SION RE

FenderBender Awards Insights feature past FenderBender Award nominees. For more information, go to fenderbender.com/awards.

B Y K E L LY B E AT O N

Research welding trends.

On a daily basis, Vocasek reads collision repair magazines and newsletters voraciously. He’s also a big believer in attending industry trade shows. He feels that type of research is necessary to stay on top of evolving industry staples like MIG welders and silicon bronze.

“When you start looking at the manufacturers, the steels, the processes, just understanding the equipment is a huge part of things,” Vocasek says. “Because, I go visit shops, and a lot of times technicians there don’t even know what [equipment] is capable of doing.

“So, going in and talking to the folks at a trade show, and doing some research, helps.”

Make techs part of the process.

Before investing in welders that cost 16 fenderbender.com | July 2019

hundreds of dollars, it’s obviously important for shop owners to thoroughly crunch numbers, taking into account factors like the size and volume of their facilities, and the types of vehicles that are typically worked on there.

And, assuming a shop has room in its budget for new welding equipment, Vocasek feels it’s equally important for shop operators to gauge whether technicians would be open to a change in equipment. Because, if they’re not, an investment in new welders would be a waste.

“Having the technician be part of that process” helps, Vocasek notes. “Then it’s not, ‘Oh, the boss bought another piece of equipment that we’re going to have to learn how to run.’ [Instead], it’s like, ‘Oh, we bought this piece of equipment, and I’m going to have the opportunity to learn how to operate this piece of equipment that’s going to make my job more efficient.’”

Invest in training.

Not long ago, one of Vocasek’s former collision repair students began working at a shop that had purchased a piece of equipment that was simply collecting dust in a corner. The former student promptly began using the equipment, and was so efficient that he turned heads.

“Then,” Vocasek recalls, “there was almost a fight over that piece of equipment.

Everybody wanted to use it because they realized how much it had sped up the process. So, understanding and knowing how to operate the equipment properly can bypass that challenge of equipment just sitting in the corner.”

The moral of that story: Training can help employees like technicians embrace new equipment such as welders.

“There’s a number of manufacturers out there that produce extremely good products,” Vocasek says, “but if the technician doesn’t know how to use that piece of equipment, the value is not there.”

Use value-added services.

It’s important to never lose sight of service after the sale, Vocasek says. The insight from vendors that accompanies an equipment purchase can be invaluable.

“After purchasing, I’ve had several shops that have said, ‘This thing doesn’t work like they said it would,’’ Vocasek notes. “I said, ‘Did the vendor come in and demo it in your shop?’ [And they say], ‘No, I saw it at a trade show and everybody talked about how great it was.

“We need to, as an industry, work together, instead of being splintered out there and not knowing if you’ve got a piece of equipment that works well.”

BILL VOCASEK, SCC

Every once in a while, Bill Vocasek is left incredulous, as he considers what the collision repair industry has become.

After more than four decades spent serving as a technician, body shop manager, weld-test administrator, and I-CAR instructor, Vocasek feels the industry is evolving as rapidly as ever.

“Forty years ago, if I were to have closed my eyes and then opened them up today, I wouldn’t recognize the industry,” says Vocasek, an instructor and program chair at Southeast Community College in Milford, Neb. “Because there have been so many changes.”

Chief among those changes: welding. Evolutions in areas like unibody vehicles, and highstrength steels have forever altered that collision repair process.

Nowadays, Vocasek says, “You have to look at procedures on everything. Just because I’ve seen that body style before, it may be completely different steel from year to year. So, knowing what you’re actually working on is huge. We’ve almost had to become a metaler, just to understand properties of metal and how different processes will effect the end result.”

Few have studied collision repair staples such as welding quite like Vocasek, who was a 2012 recipient of the I-CAR Lon Baudoux Instructor of the Year honor. More recently, Vocasek was nominated for an annual FenderBender Award by SCC’s dean, due to his impassioned teaching style.

Vocasek explains the steps he feels shop owners should take when investing in welders.

DRIVER ' S SE AT

Are You Compliant?

What might surprise you about safety One of the most interesting parts of being the editor of FenderBender is seeing what sto-

ries resonate with readers every month. Over time, you’re able to notice trends and I can almost guarantee what stories will be the most popular. And, with years under my belt, I can safely say that one type of stories almost always land with a thud: OSHA-related.

I actually get it. Obviously keeping your employees safe is a priority, but if you’re a shop owner who’s up to snuff, you probably already follow the rules mandated by OSHA. Plus, let’s be honest, the chances of OSHA stopping by unannounced are fairly slim.

Right?

Well, I can say from firsthand experience that even if those chances are slim, it’s still within the realm of possibility that OSHA could stop by. And I would know, because that’s exactly what happened at my first job.

In high school, I worked at a bakery in my hometown of St. Paul. It had been in business for years and was run by an extremely Type A woman who was well connected in the local business community and, by all accounts, ran a very successful operation.

It was a busy afternoon when, out of the blue, two men walked in (in my now-distant memory, they look like the characters from Men in Black) and announced they were there to do an on-the-spot OSHA inspection.

Sweet. Good thing three teenagers and one college student on summer break were running the place that day.

Even though that was some 15 years ago, I still recall how stressful it was for the owner, particularly when the report came back—and it wasn’t pretty. Among other things, it turns out the big buckets of powdered sugar that we kept right by the industrial oven?

Yeah, that was highly flammable.

It was a mad dash in the following weeks to right those wrongs before the re-inspection—and to avoid the thousands of dollars in fines.

Perhaps surprisingly, though, what I also still remember is how grateful, ultimately, my boss was for that visit. She was alarmed by the results of that inspection—both in terms of where her business had slipped, but also of her own ignorance regarding certain practices.

In the end, the visit actually made her business far better and safer.

So, that’s all a long-winded explanation for exactly why you should read associate editor Kelly’s Beaton’s story, “OSHA Preparation 101,” on page 63. There are always components of running a business that might seem unimportant (in comparison to more pressing issues) and there’s always the feeling of, “It won’t happen to me.” But, if you let it, those little aspects can actually make a huge difference in your business.

The point of preparing for OSHA, keeping meticulous documentation or ensuring your techs fill out accurate time cards isn’t to avoid an audit—it’s to run a sound business, one that values the safety of its employees and the details involved with business ownership.

ANNA ZECK EDITORIAL DIRECTOR a z e c k @10 m i s s i o n s .c o m

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 17

SELF-SCANNING DIAGNOSTIC SCAN TOOLS HAVE ARRIVED!!

LET ROXIE TAKE THE WHEEL

If cars today are smart enough to drive themselves, is it crazy to believe a scan tool can scan the car itself?

We didn’t think so either.

Roxie automatically scans all makes, models and modules and emails a pre/post scan report. Roxie speaks loudly as she calls out each module being scanned.

QUICK FIX NEWS

|

IDEAS

|

PEOPLE

|

TRENDS

Primed to Produce The staff at Referral Collision near Minneapolis recently began utilizing a new 16,000-square foot production facility with 16 total bays.

ANALYSIS VIEWPOINT LIGHT HITS SNAP SHOP

30

JESSIENA L AKE

SN A P SHOP

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 19

THE PERFECT FIT IS DESIGNED IN.

TRUST THE ORIGINAL. GENUINE NISSAN PARTS.

– FACTORY SPECS – PRECISE FIT – EASY INSTALLATION

COMPETITIVE PRICING*

Use TraxPod™ and CollisionLink® to receive competitive pricing* on new Genuine Nissan Parts. Nobody stocks more Genuine Nissan Parts than your local Nissan Dealer.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION New Genuine Nissan Parts can help improve customer satisfaction and may help avoid costly comebacks for poor performance and improper fit and finish.

PartsAdvantage.NissanUSA.com *Discount off MSRP for eligible popular part categories only. MSRP excludes all applicable taxes. Dealer sets actual price. See participating Dealer for details. Exclusions apply. Subject to part availability. Dealers not required to support all tools. Contact your Dealer for available parts ordering options that best meet your needs. Always wear your seat belt and please don't drink and drive. The Nissan names, logos and slogans are trademarks owned by or licensed to Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and/or its North American subsidiaries. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners. ©2019 Nissan North America, Inc. All rights reserved.

20 fenderbender.com | July 2019

QUICK FIX

ANALYSIS

THE ALUMINUM REPAIR LEARNING CURVE Longer repair times suggest there remains a learning curve regarding aluminum repairs for body shops

BY MELISSA STEINKEN

COURTESY FORD MOTOR COMPANY

The aluminum-bodied Ford F-150 debuted

in 2015 and, with it, came an industry prediction that, while the cost of becoming aluminum repair–certified was steep, shops would see an increase in the number of aluminum repairs performed.

Despite the growth in aluminum materials and an initial increased cost of getting aluminum certified for repair facilities, Ford’s switch to an aluminum body in the

F-150 pickup hasn’t resulted in higher repair costs. That information is supported by 2019 analysis conducted by the Highway Data Loss Institute (HLDI).

HLDI analysts compared average loss payment per claim, or claim severity, under collision insurance, which covers damage to an at-fault driver's vehicle, for the aluminum-bodied 2015–2016 F-150 and the high-strength steel–bodied 2014 model.

The aluminum-bodied F-150 experienced a reduction of about 7 percent in terms of collision claim severity, says Matt Moore, senior vice president for the HLDI. This means the direct cost of repairs were lower for the aluminum-bodied truck compared to older steel versions.

“At the same time, we’re seeing an increase in collision claim frequency,” he says.

“Taken together there is no difference in July 2019 | fenderbender.com 21

QUICK FIX

ANALYSIS

MAKE EVERY JOB A JOB WELL DONE.

overall losses when comparing the 2015– 2016 model years and the 2014 model year and other large pickups.”

For the 2016 aluminum-bodied F-150, severity rose 4 percent over the 2014 model, while other automakers’ 2016 models had claim severities 12–21 percent above their 2014 model year results.

FenderBender dived into the history behind the aluminum-bodied Ford F-150 and what its aluminum materials mean for the collision repair industry today.

A Deeper Look at Severity

In 2015, the total aluminum consumption for light vehicles in North America that year rose by 28 percent compared to 2012, according to the 2015 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content Study, conducted by Ducker Worldwide.

The 2017 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content Study predicted the average aluminum pounds per vehicle will increase to 466 by 2020. Meanwhile, the average passenger car figures to contain 362 pounds of aluminum by next year, and the average light truck will contain 523 pounds of aluminum.

IIHS conducted a crash test of the aluminum-bodied car when it first came out.

The test revealed that damage to an aluminum-bodied F-150 from a low-speed crash turned out to be more expensive to fix than damage to an older, steel F-150 put through the crash.

But, in the four years since the aluminum-bodied F-150 was introduced, insurance costs have not increased and that’s likely due to Ford holding down the price of aluminum replacement parts and simplifying repairs, according to IIHS. Meanwhile, Ford has raised the prices of steel parts for older models.

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Matt Burkley, collision center director for the Bob Tomes Auto Group near Dallas, says that while he has seen aluminum-bodied F-150 vehicles remain rather expensive to repair, repairing the vehicles doesn’t take significantly longer than repairing steel models.

Back in 2016, the Tomes Auto Group, based in McKinney, Texas, was the first in its area to become aluminum repair– certified. Today, Burkley says roughly 30 percent of his shop’s business comes from aluminum-bodied trucks.

For such a truck that sustains hail

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damage, for example, Burkley says the repair—including paints, labor, materials—is $16,000. Conversely, with a truck made of high-strength steel, similar repairs cost around $11,500.

Burkley’s repair facility charges a higher rate to repair and replace panels. Then, regardless of aluminum or steel materials, there’s an additional charge for consumable products like panel bonds and seam sealers. He says their facility receives an aluminum rate on those products, while most nearby competitors aren’t.

Aluminum vehicles typically sustain a greater amount of damage, Burkley says.

The Texas shop’s technicians see frequent frame-sectioning that occurs when aluminum-bodied trucks are rear-ended. As a result, what came in looking like a $1,000 bumper job turns into a rear frame-section repair that’s nearly $7,000, he says.

On steel trucks, because they’re more rigid, Burkley says they don’t see as much hidden or secondary damage.

“The aluminum trucks get damaged more,” he says, “but it’s not as easy to see, because the material lets the damage travel.”

Easing Repair Difficulty

In 2015, Ford anticipated a potential for increased repair costs related to aluminum and took several steps to mitigate that issue.

For example, the automaker designed its aluminum trucks using a modular design to help ease repairs. And, Ford allowed shops to purchase aluminum tools at reduced costs.

There’s no guarantee that another manufacturer would achieve the same results when introducing an aluminum-body model, Moore says.

“The longer repair times suggest there’s a learning curve for aluminum repairs that could be a concern for a repair shop operator,” he says.

Loss information on the aluminumbodied truck is accumulating slowly, which indicates that repairs are taking longer. This could lead to higher costs not directly related to the cost of repairs, like the cost of car rentals. Additionally, owners might be without their vehicles for longer periods of time.

Burkley says he doesn’t notice a longer repair time for his aluminum vehicles, but his body shop is equipped with four aluminum vehicle bays and the dealership is never short on aluminum parts.

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July 2019 | fenderbender.com 23

QUICK FIX

VIEWPOINT

Facebook’s new advertising and appointment management features make marketing easier

Jennifer Filzen Owner Rock Star Marketing

BY MELISSA STEINKEN

Last year was the first in which viewership on the Internet, through social media channels like Facebook, surpassed viewership on television, notes Jennifer Filzen, the owner of Rock Star Marketing.

In the past, small business owners have struggled to afford advertising on platforms like radio or television, she says. Typically, small business owners have a budget with just enough wiggle room for one or two advertisements on those platforms. Fortunately, nowadays, companies like Facebook and Google offer features like ad building.

Recently, Facebook launched two new features that could aid business owners like those that operate body shops: an automated ad builder and an appointment manager.

In Facebook’s ad builder, small businesses can answer questions about what kind of company they are and their goals for the campaign. Then, based on their answers and information gathered from the Facebook page, Facebook will recommend who they should target, the budget they should set, and offer different versions of the ad.

And, now a business can also set appointments and manage those through Facebook and Instagram.

Essentially, for body shops that have enough employees to devote one to marketing—or, for body shops that want to tackle marketing on their own and cut out a fee to pay an outside marketing consultant—Facebook is creating more options for owners to take it into their own hands.

Below, Filzen shares what she feels are the true benefits of Facebook’s new marketing features.

Yes; for example, right now, I’m working with a few select clients on a guinea pig project. Most businesses that I’ve seen have worked with Facebook Ads since 2014 but run into the problem that it wouldn’t give them a return on investment. They used to be very clunky and worked better if people were selling a product directly.

if they were trying to sell something through direct marketing. And, the Facebook ad manager during that period was not easy to use. They do have an advertising blueprint that will help you put together an ad or carousels, but if you’re not creative, like a designer, you were kind of out of luck in the past.

It was just a different skill set that business owners needed to use the platform. And some didn’t have it.

Why are the new Facebook ads promising for small business owners?

What do shops need to know when it comes to working with the new features?

The new Facebook ads are very promising for small business owners because it will help them take control of advertising for brand awareness.

Companies saw a greater return

I can see these features going far, especially the appointment manager.

When you think about it, a lot of these shops are already contacting customers through social media or text messages.

Do shops typically go to marketing consultants for help with advertisements?

24 fenderbender.com | July 2019

What do shops need to know when using Facebook’s new features, specifically?

Shops will have to keep a close eye on their Facebook accounts and monitor it to see when new messages pop up every day. The new feature allows businesses to schedule appointments through Google Calendar.

I think that this feature is better suited for small businesses besides collision repair shops because it might require more manpower to monitor the app than the shop can provide.

If shops are not seeing a link to access the new appointments feature, they can access it in two ways. One way is to click on the Appointments tab in the top, white navigation bar. The other way is to click on the Settings tab in the white navigation bar at the top. Then look to the left navigation bar and look for the Appointments Settings tab. The business will be able to set its availability, message settings and services.

Are other companies offering similar features?

Google My Business is doing something similar. They’re doing their best to make ad building easier with the help of adwords. The trend of enabling business owners to create their own social media ads is definitely there right now.

One thing these companies are offering is a way for the ad to include video or, at the very least, images. It’s been proven that customers are more likely to click on an ad when it is accompanied by an image. The number one thing people click on is videos and the number two thing is photos.

COURTESY JENNIFER FILZEN

FACEBOOK FEATURES COULD AID SMALL BUSINESSES

So, this new feature will help keep track of appointments all in one place and offer customers an easier way to get a hold of the shop.

But, it will be important for shop owners to make sure they designate someone to monitoring the responses.

Can you imagine a customer making an appointment through Facebook and your shop isn’t aware of it? Maybe you’re more used to people calling you. Shops really need to monitor those appointments or else they could potentially lose out on a lot of market share.

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LIGHT HITS

REPORT: MANY UBER, LYFT VEHICLES HAVE OPEN RECALLS

“

Uber and Lyft have taken only minor steps to ensure that problems are addressed, “leaving the onus primarily on drivers,” according to the report.

TESLA INTRODUCES 80 PERCENT CHARGE LIMIT Tesla has introduced a new 80 percent limit to the top state of charge (SOC) at busy supercharger stations in order to reduce wait times, but the automaker now clarifies that there are more ways to override the new charge limitation.

The automaker indicated that it will affect 17 percent of all of its Supercharger stations in the U.S. The feature is rather controversial because, even though most people don’t need to charge to 100 percent, it can be a necessity in some occasions.

Tesla said owners can change the max charge to more than 80 percent via the charge screen or the mobile app. Owners would simply have to slide the charge limit line on the screen to the right.

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TESLA

A review of the safety records of nearly 94,000 vehicles in New York City and Seattle has found that Uber and Lyft do little to address unfixed or open recalls, according to a report by Forbes. Some vehicles in the evaluation were found to have “glaring issues that pose serious risks," according to the report. These include Takata air bags that could hurt the driver or front-seat passengers, and unfixed defects involving the potential for vehicles to catch fire or for engines to lose power entirely.

For example, one 2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS was found to have eight unaddressed safety recalls that range from a potential seat-belt detachment to possible engine failure. The analysis also found that slightly more than 16 percent of ridehailing vehicles had one or more open safety recalls; 25 vehicles had at least five or more unfixed recalls.

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News

For your daily collision repair news visit

fenderbender.com/lighthits

MAACO PLANS STRATEGIC SOUTHEAST EXPANSION Maaco recently announced its strategic regional growth initiative, targeting more than 20 key markets in the southeast portion of the U.S. As part of the franchising resale initiative, Maaco is focused on expanding its regional footprint in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee with qualified multi-unit investors who are motivated to pursue aggressive growth goals in their territories and diversify their portfolios.

This calculated approach includes the opportunity to reopen existing Maaco centers in major markets across the south, including Atlanta.

MICH. FIRM WINS CASE VS. AUTO-OWNERS INSURANCE In a five-day trial in Genesee County, Mich., in May, the Mike Morse Law Firm successfully argued against Auto-Owners

Insurance Company on behalf of client Amber Briolat, resulting in an $8.3 million jury verdict—one of the largest trial wins in the Southfield-based law firm's 29-year history.

The case arose out of an Aug. 12, 2014, crash in which the defendant drove into the middle of an intersection causing a collision that totaled both vehicles involved.

Auto-Owners forced the case to trial, arguing liability on behalf of the defendant.

Ultimately, through motion practice, the court determined the defendant was at fault.

HONDA UPDATES POST-SCAN, CALIBRATION POSITION STATEMENT Honda in May issued a position statement on post-collision diagnostic scan and calibration requirements for both Honda and Acura vehicles.

Honda said all vehicles involved in a collision must have the following minimum diagnostic scans, inspections, or calibrations

done to avoid improper repair. The automaker's position statement largely read: A preliminary diagnostic scan [is needed] during the repair estimation phase to determine what diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) may be present. ...

A post-repair diagnostic scan to confirm that no DTCs remain. Any repair that requires disconnection of electrical components in order to perform the repair will require a post-repair diagnostic scan to confirm if the component is reconnected properly. Damage that requires the replacement of body parts will always require a post-repair diagnostic scan.

Some safety and driver assistive systems will require inspections, calibration, and/or aiming after repairs.

American Honda’s position is that the only way to accurately determine the post-collision status of all Honda and Acura vehicles’ electronic control systems is with the factoryauthorized diagnostic software, i-HDS.

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 29

QUICK FIX

SNAP SHOP

REFERRAL COLLISION

BY MELISSA STEINKEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSIENA LAKE LOCATION:

Shakopee, Minn.

OWNER/OPERATORS:

Jesse and Cathy Ruhmann SIZE:

24,000 square feet STAFF:

11 employees (2 owners, 2 painters, 1 shop manager, 1 marketing director, 1 office assistant manager, 1 parts manager, 1 detailer, 1 technician and 1 heavy duty technician)

1

AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT:

95

ANNUAL REVENUE:

$1.6 million

3

30 fenderbender.com | July 2019

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1. CUSTOMER CARE CENTER Jesse and Cathy Ruhmann met each other working at a large MSO in the collision repair industry, got married and opened their own shop in 2015 in Shakopee, Minn. The original building comprised a customer service area and a shop floor in a total of 5,000 square feet. About a year after opening the original office, the shop ran out of space and acquired more space in the same building complex, bringing it to a total of 8,000 square feet.

The owners rapidly outgrew their first location, they say.

Now, the original location is solely a customer service facility in which customers come to get estimates, vehicles get washed, and vehicles get prescanned before being routed to the production center.

2

2. PRODUCTION CENTER

4

In 2019, the shop owners announced the opening of a second facility that will become the primary production area. That 16,000-square-foot building is located down the same block from the original location.

“It’s very traumatic for some people to go through accidents and part of the reason we separated the customer service and production is because we don’t want customers to drive into the parking lot and see a lot full of damaged cars,” Cathy Ruhmann says.

The production facility has 14 standard bays and two heavy-duty truck bays.

3. COMMUNITY CONNECTION Jesse Ruhmann has been a firefighter in Bloomington, Minn., for 13 years. As a firefighter in the community, he has been able to network

and bring in more work for the shop, including repairs on heavy-duty trucks like his team’s fire trucks. The new production facility can accommodate large tractor/ trailers and fire trucks.

And, Ruhmann made more customer connections when he met people through the fire department’s events and families of his co-workers at the station, ultimately getting them on board to come to the shop if there were issues.

The shop’s 11 employees have deep roots in the community, as well. While Referral Collision opened four years ago in 2015, Jesse Ruhmann and his wife found all their staff through wordof-mouth recommendations.

4. DETAIL CONCENTRATED In the customer service area, there's an extra perk for parents.

Cathy Ruhmann provides parents and their kids with a “kid care bag” that includes crayons, a coloring book, a rubber ducky, and a blank piece of paper with stickers that children can build their own street rods on. She will also turn on the television in the waiting room to a kidfriendly Netflix show in order to allow the parents a moment to breathe and discuss their vehicle’s issues.

On the shop floor, manager Greg Downer places emphasis on quality control checks in the repair process. Each vehicle is passed along to the technician with a packet of information on that specific make and model’s repair process and a checklist for each step of the repair.

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 31

GAME CHANGER

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COLUMNS

THE BIG IDEA KEVIN RAINS

Kill the Drama Tips for becoming a challenger

MICHAEL HOEWELER

Has this ever happened to you: A team

member asks you for 20 minutes and then spends the entire time complaining about another team member, rehashing all the ways they are not doing their job and making everyone else’s job harder.

What do you do?

A couple of months ago, I wrote about the drama triangle and the great costs that can come to us because we—as owners, leaders, and managers in our shops—allow it. I want to pick up that theme again but this time from a different point of view on the triangle.

There are three main roles in any drama: the persecutor, the victim, and the hero. To overcome drama requires first that we re-define these roles and act accordingly. The victim must start to see themselves as creators and in charge of their own destinies not at the mercy of circumstance or needing heroes to rescue them. The hero role needs to be redefined as a coach. A coach stands with the victim and helps them see themselves in the new light of being a creator.

But what about the persecutor? Is there a positive corollary to being a persecutor? Here’s what David Emerald, the author of The Power of TED (The Empowerment Dynamic), says about this important shift: “Challenger is the positive antidote to the Persecutor. Whether a person, condition or situation, Challengers call forth learning and growth. When a person, they are often called truth-tellers because they are clear about their values and what they stand for. Some Challengers come into our lives uninvited and unwelcomed. Others—especially those who also embrace TED—can be conscious and constructive Challengers who come from a learning intent as they challenge others to grow.”

In the example that opened this column, the person coming to me sees himself as a victim and wants me to be the hero. The hero response would be to rush back to the office, ask a couple of other people if this is true and then lay into the guy for not doing his job. Heroes

take care of things! And that would provide some temporary relief for sure. But it also sets up a pattern. What happens the next time that team member faces a challenge? And the time after that? And after that? Being a hero gets exhausting!

There is a much harder solution that actually takes longer but has a more lasting effect on the overall culture of the shop. You, as the boss, need to take on the role of challenger and encourage the one who came to you to do the hard work of talking directly to the person he is complaining about. That’s empowering him to solve the issue directly. That’s helping the one who perceives himself as a victim to be a creator. That’s moving him from feeling powerless to having a constructive next step.

This is intended to highlight the biggest differences between a persecutor and a challenger. Persecutors blame and shame others. Challengers provoke learning. Persecutors unload burdens on those around them. Challengers empower others to grow. Persecutors punish. Challengers inspire.

If you find yourself being asked to be the hero for a perceived victim, how might you try on this different role of the challenger? Here are a few ideas I recently learned from a mentor and friend of mine who is an expert challenger (his name is Brian Tome, in case you want to look him up): 1. Start with a foundational question like, “You know I want you to grow and become the best person you can

be, right?” or, “I can’t make this team all that it needs to be by myself. Are you willing to help me with something here?” Getting agreement and alignment on something core and foundational sets up the conversation to go a positive direction when you make a bigger ask or issue the challenge.

2. Keep the challenge short and actionable. This is not the time for a sermon! Challenges need to be stated in a few sentences and be something that the other person can actually do. In the opening example, it was simply, “What would you want if the roles were reversed? You’d likely want him to come to you first and talk about it, right? I’m going to ask you to do just that. I need you to talk to him first one-on-one before I even get involved.”

3. Remember, it’s typically not what you say, it’s how you say it. Your tone is important. You can issue a challenge with the same words but if your tone is harsh and demeaning, it will come across as shaming or blaming. This can actually take some practice. If you know you’re going to challenge someone and have time to prepare, do it! You might even consider asking a friend or mentor or spouse to role play it with you if the stakes are really high.

There’s an old proverb that says, “The wounds of a friend are better than the kisses of an enemy.” Why is that? In a word: learning! Flattery, whether from a friend or an enemy, doesn’t help us grow. Being the kind of person that can say hard and challenging things to others in a way that is helpful and provokes learning is a rare gift in this world. I challenge you to be one of them.

KEVIN RAINS Kevin Rains is the owner of Rains CARSTAR Group with locations in Cincinnati, Ohio, West Chester, Ohio and Lexington, Ky. He is also an industry consultant and founder of Body Shop 2.0.

E M A I L : kev i n r a i n s @ g m a i l .c o m A R C H I V E : f e n d e r b e n d e r.c o m /r a i n s

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 33

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Accomplished industry veterans explain how to improve challenging KPIs and improve your bottom line B Y K E L LY B E AT O N AND MELISSA STEINKEN 34 fenderbender.com | July 2019

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Of the respondents to the 2019 FenderBender Industry Survey, many still indicate that specific KPIs are a struggle.

28%

In the eyes of his co-workers, Craig Amundson is Raymond Auto Body’s man behind the curtain.

“We consider him our Wizard of Oz, because he’s kind of a know-all guy,” says shop co-owner Jason Slomkowski.

Amundson serves as the St. Paul, Minn., shop’s chief financial officer, but spends much of his day blueprinting cars. And he’s a big reason why the shop rakes in $12 million in annual revenue, and gets $300 per technician per hour—roughly $100 higher than most shops.

“When [technicians] get the car, it’s balls to the walls,” Amundson says, “and let’s go.”

Amundson is just one of the innovators in the industry these days that has unlocked keys to great KPIs like technician productivity. And crafty employees like him are invaluable to their shops … because nothing slows a facility down quite like poor shop metrics such as technician productivity, or cycle time—with which, according to data from the 2019 FenderBender Industry Survey, plenty of facilities struggle.

Amundson will be the first to tell you that his suggestions for producing top KPIs aren’t all that elaborate. And, like other shop operators FenderBender spoke to for this story, he insists other shops could easily adopt his strategies and benefit.

The magazine spoke with authorities on typical shop challenges like capture rate, repair-versus-replace, and administrative costs.

Whether their facility was big or small, all those successful shop operators were in agreement in one area: If you study your shop stats consistently, you can improve almost any performance metric before long.

“I do that, religiously,” says Amundson, of monitoring KPIs. Here’s a look at how to improve KPIs that commonly trip up many shops.

Overall Gross Profit <40 percent

57%

Overall Gross Profit on Materials Sales <40 percent

43%

Touch TIme average 3 hours or less per day

39%

Gross Profit on Parts Sales <30 percent

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 35

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CAPTURE RATE CURES No one likes letting a potential customer slip through their grasp. Ed Dietz is certainly no exception.

That’s why Dietz, the chief operations officer for Lefler Collision & Glass Repair Center, takes great care to make sure his employer’s capture rate is a staff focal point.

“When a customer walks in the door, they’re looking for trust and direction,” says Dietz, who helps oversee Lefler’s four facilities in the Evansville, Ind., area.

Most in the collision repair industry consider 60 percent to be a solid benchmark with regard to capture rate. Lefler currently boasts a capture rate near 70 percent. Capture rate, of course, refers to the amount of cars dropped off versus the amount of vehicles that are repaired by a shop.

It takes several key steps to capture customers that effectively. Dietz, a 20-year veteran of the industry, recently shared Lefler’s capture rate keys with FenderBender.

two (per week) to them, then you’re never going to get caught up. You’ve got to stay on top of those.”

Utilize customer service reps.

The shop leaders in Evansville want their one or two customer service reps at each location to be able to answer clients’ questions about issues like rental car providers. That’s why the staff at Lefler locations often goes through role-playing scenarios—to practice, and to be coached on any recent mistakes.

“That gives people peace of mind, so they’re comfortable with the repair process,” Dietz says.

“And getting ahold of customers right away is critical. All my CSRs are working off multiple monitors, and it highlights if they’ve got incoming information. Once that pops up, we would like to be touching that customer within 30 minutes, [to develop] rapport right away.”

Be reachable after hours.

WE MAY NOT GET [THEIR BUSINESS] THAT DAY, BUT, OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, FOLLOW-UP CALLS ARE VERY EFFECTIVE. ED DIETZ C H I E F O P E R AT I O N S O F F I C E R LEFLER COLLISION & GLASS R E PAIR CE NTE R

Monitor shop stats often.

Slightly more than one-fourth of the respondents to the 2019 FenderBender KPI Survey said they don’t routinely track KPIs (with several noting that they simply don’t have the time to). At Lefler shops, however, Dietz and the front office use their shop management system to efficiently keep tabs on performance metrics on a daily basis.

“Capture rate affects the front staff,” he explains, “but we’re also looking at supplement percentages, and all kinds of financials. If you just dedicated a day or 36 fenderbender.com | July 2019

One way in which Lefler connects with customers is through its website mobile estimating feature. Dietz feels such technology is imperative these days, with so many customers pressed for time due to intense work schedules. While customers can only provide limited information via mobile estimating features (often providing rather inconclusive photos), Dietz appreciates the fact that such technology allows Lefler the chance to get started with the claims process.

“You’re able to initiate the claim,” he explains. “Dedicated employees get those alerts, saying, ‘Hey, you’ve got an estimate.’

And we may shoot [customers] a text or an email, from our phone, saying ‘We’ve got your information, and we’ll be in touch in the morning.’”

Follow up on missed chances.

Often, potential customers arrive at body shops and get an estimate before getting a chance to speak with their insurance provider. And, in other situations, vehicle owners insist on getting multiple estimates. In both of those scenarios, Dietz has employees reach back out to those potential clients over the next couple days.

“We’ll contact them again, and say, ‘We know you were in for the estimate; did you have any other concerns, or is

LEFLER COLLISION & GLASS REPAIR CENTER OWNER:

JIMMY LEFLER LOCATION:

EVANSVILLE, IND. AREA (4 LOCATIONS) SIZE:

29,000 SQUARE FEET (LARGEST LOCATION) STAFF:

37 SHOP EMPLOYEES, 27 ADMINISTRATIVE AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT:

325

ANNUAL REVENUE:

$12 MILLION COMBINED

there anything we can help you with?”

Dietz notes. “We may not get [their business] that day, but, over the next few days, those follow-up calls are very effective.”

Educate customers.

If your shop simply writes estimates and lets customers walk out the door, with a lengthy amount of time to make their decision on which shop to use, you’re likely to lose a lot of business, Dietz says. It’s that belief that motivates him to have his staff promptly educate customers on the repair process involved with today’s technologically-advanced vehicles. Being forthcoming with customers inspires confidence, he adds.

“Customers are looking for trust, empathy, and direction,” Dietz reiterates.

“When you’re the one to share knowledge that your competitors aren’t, then you’ve got a huge leg up.”

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CYCLE TIME SOLUTIONS FEDOR AUTO BODY WORK INC. OWNER:

ALLEN FEDOR LOCATION:

NORWALK, CONN. SIZE:

6,500 SQUARE FEET STAFF:

20

AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT:

70

ANNUAL REVENUE:

$2.4 MILLION

off on Monday and trying to get it out on Friday, and riding that crazy rollercoaster. Don’t just have everything dropped off on Monday and have nothing to fix Thursday and Friday; that’s bad.”

Get employee engagement.

Every other week Fedor Auto Body Works, which boasts a 94 percent CSI score, has a 15-minute staff meeting in which employees are updated on the shop’s current KPI report. The staff is also given goals for the future.

“It’s just reminding people of the direction we want to run,” Fedor explains.

“If you don’t have meetings where people are reminded that, ‘This is what we want to achieve,’ then everybody gets on their own tangent and starts working their own way.”

Pay attention to parts delays.

Multiple times per year, Fedor Auto Body Works’ staff has to brace for impact, standing in the face of an onslaught of non-driveable vehicles.

“One month you get a bunch of trainwrecks,” manager Chris Fedor says. “It’s a rollercoaster, and you have to ride it.”

Despite the fact the Norwalk, Conn., shop gets plenty of heavy hits, it nevertheless posts a solid cycle time of 3.6 days on average—no small feat considering that, in the FenderBender Industry Survey, 86 percent of respondents claimed a key-tokey cycle time of five days or greater. Fedor’s general body shop philosophy is key for producing such efficiency: make sure everyone is well-aware of all procedures.

“If you have everybody generally on the same page,” Fedor says, “your KPIs will see a huge effect.”

While cycle time is a KPI that most shops routinely keep tabs on, it’s also one they struggle with the most; findings from the Industry Survey indicated that more than one-third of respondents (36 percent) have shop cycle times of 8 days or worse. With that in mind, Fedor, who oversees a shop with an annual revenue of $2.4 million, offers the following suggestions for improving one’s shop cycle time:

86%

of survey respondents claim a key-to-key cycle time of five days or greater

Periodically check equipment.

If equipment breaks down, it can cripple a shop’s cycle time. That’s why the staff at Fedor Auto Body Works takes great care to consistently check the functionality of equipment.

A veteran technician who has been at the shop since 1990 oversees those quality-control measures. The technician tours the shop floor and makes a quality check at least once per month. Then, he brings his findings regarding equipment to the attention of shop leaders.

Schedule for consistency.

At his Connecticut shop, Fedor tries to schedule repairs so technicians have a fairly consistent workflow throughout the week. He does that in an effort to avoid the Friday rushes that many shops encounter.

“You want to make sure,” Fedor says, “that you’re not just dropping everything

A common obstacle to great cycle times: unreliable parts deliveries. Fedor’s solution when parts delays arise is to notify customers, schedule technicians’ work around the delay as much as possible, and to choose expedited shipping options if available. He also uses digital price-matching tools like OEC’s CollisionLink.

“Doing the price-matching has been one of the biggest effects on my KPIs [like] cycle time,” Fedor says. “You get the right part the first time. You’re not sending back a headlight because it doesn’t have an LED option.”

Put tools at techs’ fingertips.

Fedor tries to set his technicians up for success by ensuring that they have necessary repair tools, like resistance spot welders, in their bays before they start repairs. He has also become a big believer in printing out OEM repair procedures for repair work on today’s technologically advanced vehicles.

“Say I know a quarter panel is being changed,” Fedor says. “What are the procedures for it? Do I have to order a specific glue? Order it and get it in before the technician even gets the quarter panel off the car.

“It takes a little more effort on the office staff to get a technician what they need to do the job right. … If you focus on quality, the rest of it falls in line.”

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 37

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REPAIR VS. REPLACE Richard Daku and his brother, Robert Daku, co-own Daku’s Auto Body Shop in Catasauqua, Pa. Richard Daku has been in the business since his youth, and now is a third-generation owner of the shop.

When he was 11 years old, his dad handed Richard a broom and offered to pay him 50 cents to sweep the body shop floor.

He’s been at the shop ever since.

For Richard and his brother, getting the rest of their staff to understand the importance of tracking repair-versusreplace items is a big deal, he says. The shop repairs about 125–150 cars per month and has a nine-day key-to-key cycle time.

Daku has often run into a scenario where he writes an estimate, writes down that a part needs to be repaired and then, during the teardown process, it will get turned into a replace.

The repair-versus-replace issue is often difficult for shops to monitor if they have advanced driver-assistance systems limiting repairability of items.

Below, Daku notes some of the keys to keep in mind when tracking repairversus-replace.

55%

of survey respondents indicate that no less than 70 percent of their parts usage consists of OEM parts

Monitor cash flow.

A body shop will make more money on labor than they do on parts, Daku notes.

This is in part due to the different labor rates in each state and the increasing parts prices.

“If you sell a whole lot of parts and have less labor then that hurts your bottom line,” he explains.

To accurately track these numbers and how they’re impacting the shop’s profit, Daku says the brothers use ProfitNet. Each week, they’ll look at a printed report and keep a general rule of thumb in mind: keep parts versus labor 10 percent apart, with parts being 10 percent below your labor.

The shop now notices more replaced parts in the repairs. The industry tends 38 fenderbender.com | July 2019

DAKU’S AUTO BODY SHOP OWNER:

RICHARD AND ROBERT DAKU LOCATION:

CATASAUQUA, PA. SIZE:

12,000 SQUARE FEET STAFF:

16 SHOP EMPLOYEES, 6 ADMINISTRATIVE AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT:

125-150

ANNUAL REVENUE:

ALMOST $4 MILLION

to see more steel metal panels replaced, for example. And, this number is shown in the shop’s percentage of sales.

Educate your team.

“Us owners are going to see the numbers changing on a day-to-day basis,” Daku says. “We’re going to see that car all of a sudden and think about why the hood is getting replaced when we wrote repair.”

In Daku’s shop, his team usually sees more repairable items during the summer months, when the shop needs more labor hours to keep employees busy. During winter months, the shop staff tries to get jobs out more quickly to accommodate the extra work.

Of course training a staff always helps finetune such shop processes. Consider: Of the shops that noted in the FenderBender Industry Survey that they attend training annually, 43 percent worked at facilities with yearly sales volumes of no less than $2.5 million.

Daku recommends owners also meet with their shop managers or foremen at least once per week. Those meetings provide a way for operators to share the numbers they’re seeing and show how they found them on the KPI reports.

Focus on one KPI at the meetings each time, he suggests.

Converse with other shops.

Daku has been involved in an Axalta Business Council for almost 20 years, he says.

He highly recommends that other operators attend such meetings, because the shops will usually share their financial reports in a manner that’s educational.

Daku’s 20 Group facilitator, Mike Anderson, president of CollisionAdvice, then provides a current benchmark that the shops can strive to hit. Industry average benchmarks are posted as well as the 20 Group’s average numbers, so each member can compare their own to other shops.

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ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS SANTOSTEFANO AUTO BODY OWNER:

SABRINA AND ADRIANA SANTOSTEFANO LOCATION:

MIDDLETOWN, CONN. SIZE:

3,000 SQUARE FEET STAFF:

3 SHOP EMPLOYEES, 5 ADMINISTRATIVE Administrative costs are increasing in the industry and the amount of sales that estimators can handle today are declining, due to the amount of time required to research OEM repair procedures (which, according to the 2019 FenderBender Industry Survey, 93 percent of responding shops have access to).

Today, most shops are at or around 10–13 percent with regard to profit spending on sales and general administrative (SGA), while the industry occasionally sees smaller shops with families willing to work more to keep the cost lower. According to Investopedia, general and administrative expenses of a company include all the costs not directly tied to making a product or performing a service. It includes the costs to sell and deliver the product and the cost to manage the business.

General administrative is a KPI that Santostefano sisters Sabrina and Adrianna, co-owners of Santostefano Auto Body in Middletown, Conn., have meticulously tracked. The shop, which has been family-owned since 1973, produces approximately $700,000 in annual revenue out of a 3,000-square-foot shop. The shop, which boasts a 4.9-star rating on Facebook, operates successfully without any DRPs. The Santostefano sisters started running their grandfather’s shop five years ago and quickly fell in love with the customer-interaction element of the business. In 2019, both sisters remain close to the front area of the shop to handle administrative processes and greet customers. They learned that the way to handle administrative duties meticulously was to divide the tasks between each other. For five years, they’ve dealt mainly with office management.

The first year they started in the collision

AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT:

IT’S MY TIME THAT WE’RE [OFTEN] TAKING UP TO DO AN INSURANCE COMPANY’S ESTIMATE...

AND MY TIME IS NOT FREE. SABRINA SANTOSTEFANO CO-OWNER SANTOSTE FANO AUTO BODY

71%

of survey respondents say their shop has at least one DRP (32 percent say their shop has at least four DRPs)

repair industry, the sisters had to spend every estimate walking the customer around the vehicle, in an effort to build rapport and show they had the requisite repair knowledge.

“An administrative fee is something that shop owners are trying to implement now,” Sabrina Santostefano says, in regard to the time it takes for the shop staff to write an estimate that an insurance adjuster did not do.

Charge the correct fees.

The administrative fee is a cost that shops are starting to charge insurance companies as a way to gain some cost back from spending time writing an estimate for the insurance company.

“If [the insurance company] refuses to send someone then we charge for it,”Sabrina Santostefano says.

40

ANNUAL REVENUE:

$700,000

To track this KPI, Santostefano says the sisters print out a paper copy of the estimates written each week and go through the stack to mark off the percentage of jobs that were booked for sales and the percentage of jobs not booked.

Sales General Administrative is important to track, she says, because an estimate might take 15 minutes of the estimator’s time for a light hit but could take closer to an hour for larger collisions. That time is time the estimator isn’t working on other tasks in the shop.

“It’s my time that we’re taking up to do an insurance company’s estimate in this scenario and my time is not free,” Santostefano says.

Realistically, a shop should aim to book about 80 percent of its sales, she says.

Use tools readily available.

The Santostefano sisters say the best way to keep track of repair jobs and other general administrative costs is through CCC ONE. This software will even update the shop staff when numbers are approaching the “red zone.”

“A management system usually costs more each month and is a great investment for a bigger shop,” Sabrina Santostefano says. “We’re smaller, but growing.”

Santostefano Auto Body, comprised of six bays and six employees, typically schedules about five jobs per week and tries to get those back out the door on Friday.

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 39

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TECHNICIAN PRODUCTIVITY Like many effective shop leaders, Craig Amundson checks his workplace’s KPIs every pay period, and then makes adjustments accordingly, should he notice any drains on efficiency.

That diligence has paid off at Raymond Auto Body, which boasts an annual revenue of $12 million. And, stellar technician production is the engine that drives the shop, where each tech produces more than $600,000 per year.

The keys to that stellar technician production include the following:

24%

The amount of shops that, according to the 2019 FenderBender Industry Survey, don’t track technician productivity

Employ a Porter.

The staff at Raymond Auto Body used to waste tons of time roaming the parking lot, trying to find vehicles ready for repairs. Eventually shop co-owner Jason Slomkowski decided to hire a porter and devote them to keeping tabs on vehicles.

The porters also frequently bring parts to technicians.

“That little process saves us tons of time,” Slomkowski says. “We realized our technicians were walking around, spending too much time moving cars. Just make a tweak and, all of a sudden, it makes your technicians more efficient, because they’re not having to roam around.”

Give techs two bays.

According to the 2019 FenderBender Industry Survey, 21 percent of respondents said their shop’s technician productivity percentage was less than 100 percent.

And, of the shops that claimed a technician productivity percentage of 110 or better, 62 percent worked at shops with a yearly sales volume north of $2.5 million.

In in an effort to be as productive as possible, the leaders at Raymond Auto Body make sure each technician has multiple bays at their disposal. That way, the employees can continuously stay at work, even if unforeseen issues arise like parts delays.

“In the event that they’re waiting for a 40 fenderbender.com | July 2019

blueprinter,” Slomkowski says of technicians, “they have another bay where they should be working on something else.”

Have techs do teardowns.

In order to avoid shop floor oversights, Amundson prefers to have each technician tear vehicles down. At the shop, which has a 97.6 CSI score, technicians put all broken parts on a rolling cart and, when new parts eventually arrive, they can usually quickly match them and verify that the right parts were ordered.

“There’s nothing better than a technician checking a part in,” Amundson says, “because they know exactly what they’re looking for.”

Have quality control sheets.

A body shop usually runs smoothly when communication between departments is effortless. That’s the thinking behind the quality-control sheets that Slomkowski passes around his shop. The sheets are passed around after each employee takes care of their step in the repair process. Because Slomkowski—whose shop is certified by the likes of MercedesBenz, Porsche, and Tesla—knows that, if

his staff forgets to fix a chip in a blend panel, it’ll invariably be the first thing a customer notices.

“By having a sign-off system like that, it creates accountability,” Slomkowski says.

“People have to understand that what they do affects the next person in line.”

Stage vehicles.

The repair plan has the biggest impact on Raymond Auto Body’s stellar technician productivity. Ultimately, the shop’s leaders don’t want to waste technicians’ time.

So, they make sure vehicles are “bodystall ready,” Amundson says.

“What I would tell anybody is, don’t get that car in the stall until your [technicians] are really ready to work on it,” Amundson says.

“If an insurance company says ‘We think you might need to pull it, and fix that quarter panel.’ Well, I pull it first, before the technician gets the car.

“The industry yells about not having enough technicians, but if you make your technicians just 10 percent more efficient, then you don’t need another technician in your shop, and you’re going to have less of a need.”

RAYMOND AUTO BODY OWNER:

SLOMKOWSKI FAMILY LOCATION:

ST. PAUL, MINN. SIZE:

34,000 SQUARE FEET STAFF:

53

AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT:

310

ANNUAL REVENUE:

$12 MILLION

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KPI TRACKER PROFILE HOW DOES YOUR SHOP COMPARE? In the 2019 FenderBender Industry Survey, 40 percent of shops indicated their revenue was $2.5 million or more. Here are multiple benchmarks to weigh your shop against, based on where most of those shops fell in each of the following KPI categories:

TOUCH TIME: 4-5 hours

SNAP SHOT: THE TYPICAL SHOP

CSI SCORE: Above 90%

The 2019 FenderBender Industry Survey drew responses from 372 shop operators. The statistics below shed some light on today’s “typical shop”:

CLOSING RATIO: 80–89% BUSINESS TYPE

66%

were independent, single location

SHOP SIZE

29%

5,000–9,999 square feet

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

47%

11+ employees

ANNUAL REVENUE

66%

$1 million+

% OF SALES FROM DRPs

28%

30-59 percent

AVERAGE REPAIR ORDER: $3,000–$3,999

OVERALL GROSS PROFIT MARGIN: 40–49%

NET PROFIT MARGIN: 6–10%

HOW SHOPS ARE EQUIPPED AMONG BODY SHOPS THAT ROUTINELY TRACK KPIs:

USE ELECTRONIC PARTS PROCUREMENT SOFTWARE

84%

HAVE A 3-D MEASURING SYSTEM

HAVE PLASTIC WELDING EQUIPMENT

HAVE ADVANCED DRYING EQUIPMENT

75%

73%

69%

USE CSI SOFTWARE

SPRAY ONLY WATERBORNE PAINT

SPRAY SOLVENTBASED PAINT

57%

56%

32%

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 41

REAL INFORMATION FROM REAL SHOP OPERATORS Learn the top strategies from nearly 30 of the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most accomplished leaders on topics ranging from technology to employee retention. See how your shop could benefit from real world expertise.

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2 2 4 - S PA N E S I (224-772-6374)

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STRATEGY LEARN

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GROW

|

WORK SMARTER

Onward and Upward Jason Battistelli overcame his New Hampshire shop's modest beginnings by networking with other shop owners, among other key steps.

IDEA SHOP L AW CASE STUDY EDUCATION+TRAINING

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CASE S T UDY

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 45

46 fenderbender.com | July 2019

STR ATEGY

IDEA SHOP

Anatomy of a Cohesive Brand

A communications expert shares how to connect personally with clients through your brand People don’t care about what you do; they care about what problem you solve.

Ryan Foland, founder of InfluenceTree, says it might be a harsh reality for some to think that people don’t care about what you do. But, ultimately, people are largely self-centered, he says.

In order to lay the groundwork for a cohesive brand, Foland feels it begins with each shop operator’s personal narrative. He says that owners might not think they have a personal brand but, in reality, they’re simply not participating in its narrative.

At the end of the day, Foland encourages business owners to put themselves first in the narrative and mix in the personal with the business message.

Foland is also the creator of the “3-1-3 theory” which, in an effort to convey a clear message, condenses a message from three sentences into one, and then narrows it further—into just three words.

Below, Foland shares his advice on how shop operators can get to a place that meshes what they want to be known for and what people already know about their brands.

AS TOLD TO MELISSA STEINKEN

Put yourself first.

We encourage putting your personal self into the business. Show the customers what goes on behind the scenes. Do you do charity work? Do you own pets? Do you have children in the local schools? To begin starting a cohesive brand, you need to begin by making the name of the brand personal. There have been many body shops to go out of business over the years and when the business goes out or the name of the collision repair shop changes, then the owner loses the brand equity.

Add a story that makes you more human.

The next step would be to find a story from your life experience and share it with customers. This has to be a story, however, that makes you look more approachable and human.

For example, it could be as simple as adding that you might be hungry but you’re too lazy to get up and walk to the fridge. If you remain stoic and allbusiness, there is less of a chance that customers will want to do business with you.

Look at your collision repair shop as a people shop. If your car is broken, then you are broken.

Talk to the person.

During the on-boarding of a new client,

you can make mistakes that can be detrimental to your brand. Don’t talk to the cerebral cortex part of his or her brain, inundating them with numbers and mechanics.

Make that first interaction a personal one. Ask the customer, “Talk to me about your driving style,” or, “How often do you use the car?” These questions can validate the customer’s feelings.

Add your own story to the website’s bio.

Telling stories helps to expand memorable moments in your life. You can add the years you’ve been in business and your credentials but that will look like every other shop website bio out there.

You need to add in a story that shares the memorable moments of the start of the business. Think about why you got into the business and any challenges you overcame on the way to where it is today.

If you’re having trouble brainstorming a memory, have another person interview you. Have someone else ask you the deep questions that tell about your childhood, your parents and school. What was something great and what was a tragic moment? Dig into your past, record it and then include it on the website.

Remember to tease out stories that have an emotional connection and include love, loss, insight or inspiration.

Say your brand in three sentences.

The concept behind this method is to be able to concisely share with someone else what your brand is. You should be able to say what your brand is in three words.

In the first three sentences, you need to determine the problem that you solve, your solution to that problem and your target audience. If you were to start approaching your business brand as not something that you do but a problem that you solve, people will be more intrigued.

Say you’re talking to a friend of a friend and they ask what you do. You say, “It’s funny because it’s not what I do that’s important but the problem I solved.” Then ask if they think not having a car for a period of time is a problem. Can they get to work?

Do they have more than one car in the household? If not having a car is a problem, you can tell them that this is something you fix. Then go into details about how you fix cars if they get into an accident.

Essentially for the three sentences, it is, for these people, for this problem, here is what I do. By combining the three sentences, you can narrow your brand into one sentence.

Say your brand in three words.

Now, use a metaphor or analogy to connect two different ideas. You want your brand to be distinguishable and easily memorable for customers. Literally, in a flash of a second, you want people to associate a word with your brand. For instance, if you said, “Golden Arches,” you would think McDonald’s.

Some examples for the auto industry include the Superman of brakes, or the In-N-Out for Toyota vehicles. If you pride yourself on delivering fast work, then you can say that you’re the Flash of collision repair.

The brand is not a tagline, but building trust.

At the end of the day, you want the customer to feel that they can trust you and your brand. Your brand is not just a tagline on a website or painted on the side of a car. No, it’s the trust you build with your audience and the personal connections you make with them.

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 47

STR ATEGY

LAW

OSHA Preparation 101

How to ensure your shop is following all relevant OSHA regulations B Y K E L LY B E AT O N

the consequences can be significant.

Not only could poor processes eventually cost collision repair facilities customers, but they could also cost them sizeable fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. These days, if a shop has unsafe working conditions, it can result in a four-figure fine in a hurry. Plus, providing employees with a safe working environment isn’t just the right thing to do, many in the industry would agree that it can help with employee retention.

The severity of an OSHA fine, though, “depends on whether or not it was identified as being known and willfully ignored, or if it was just part of a program that was not completely effective,” says Wade Scheel, the director of governmental affairs at Stericycle Environmental Solutions, an international company that helps various businesses dispose of hazardous waste.

“If it reaches the kind of level where an employee was injured substantially,” Scheel adds, “then that could lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties.”

OSHA increased its fines across the board in 2016, and the organization is 48 fenderbender.com | July 2019

watching body shops as close as ever these days, with inspections that search facilities for myriad safety concerns, such as splices in extension cords, or overexposure to isocyanates found in paints or silica dust.

And OSHA fines—which, more often than not, run from $1,500–$4,000 these days, depending on the size of the shop's staff—can be levied at any time. An OSHA inspector may make an unannounced visit, or, a recently fired shop employee may log a complaint with state officials, for instance.

But, while keeping up-to-date with OSHA regulations may seem daunting, it can be done. In that spirit, FenderBender spoke with three experts with nearly 60 years of combined experience in studying OSHA regulations, seeking their advice for body shop owners.

Invest in training.

Whether it be through health and safety consultants, or industry organizations like I-CAR, investing in training can help shops avoid OSHA violations like those involving hazard communication, respirators, or poor labeling of chemical containers.

And, according to Joe Kenny, the president of Safety Regulation Strategies, such training typically only costs shops $2,000 per year. And that’s probably a worthwhile investment, considering OSHA’s employee right-to-know stipulations require shop owners to thoroughly explain to their staffs all potential workplace hazards that they might be exposed to.

Have safety meetings.

Colette Bruce, the owner of Team Safety LLC, suggests shop owners hold monthly safety meetings for their staff. The meetings can make learning about safety regulations as tolerable as possible for body shop staffs, serving as a time in which lunch can be served, and instructional videos can be shown.

“It’s good team-building time, and that’s when they find out that maybe there’s equipment that’s damaged, because they talk about it,” Bruce says of safety meetings, which are required in some states.

“It costs so much when an employee is injured and out of work; I call them ‘lost production days,’ because that employer, via their insurance, is still paying that employee, and they’re not getting production

GETTY IMAGES

Whether body shop owners make an error of omission, or an error of commission,

wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, and it’s going to cost you $30,000 in fines,’” Kenny says, “And you’d better get that fixed, because they’re going to be back in 30 days. So, if you’re someone who’s active in your [industry] associations, you’re going to hear about a change in regulations.”

Have organized record-keeping.

out of them. So, just being prepared is really going to reduce that stress if OSHA walks in the door.”

Sign up for alerts.

Via OSHA’s website, osha.gov, shop owners can sign up to be notified when there’s a new, or altered, workplace safety regulation.

Unfortunately, considering the somewhat fluid nature of OSHA regulations, shop owners might receive frequent notifications along those lines.

“It’s a big world out there for the regulations,” Stericycle’s Scheel says. “So, there might be quite a few alerts coming through. But that’s the best way to stay alert to [OSHA regulation] changes.”

Attend industry meetings.

Industry organizations like 20 Groups usually offer periodic presentations from health and safety inspectors. And, state repair groups like, for example, the Automotive Body and Painting Association of Hawaii, consistently keep members abreast of any changes in safety regulations, through newsletters, Kenny notes.

“If OSHA goes into a 15- to 30-person business, they’re going to be like, ‘This is

Industry experts tend to agree that it’s imperative for shop owners to maintain detailed OSHA logs, recording any injuries that occur in their shops. It’s equally valuable to keep track of when your shop took measures to train employees on workplace safety, test facility air quality, or secured personal protective equipment (PPEs) required for certain work tasks.

“That’s going to be one of the first things that OSHA asks for, is [a shop’s] OSHA log,” Scheel says.

Experts also agree that’s unwise for owners to delegate their OSHA-related record-keeping; after all, OSHA inspectors typically ask to speak with shop owners, plus, the employee turnover that most body shops experience would make it risky to entrust most employees with recording all OSHA-log information.

Walk your shop floor.

Getting in the habit of scanning a shop floor for potential safety violations can save an owner from getting saddled with a hefty fine.

Bruce suggests having shop owners “walk through their shop weekly, and check for electrical cords. In terms of prevention, that’s huge.”

It also helps to get employee engagement in safety processes, and have them consistently check their work areas for safety concerns like damaged extension cords.

Seek consultation.

While some states offer free OSHA consultations, Scheel has become convinced that shop owners would be well advised to bring in a health and safety consultant once or twice per year. After all, OSHA regulations are wide-ranging and change periodically, and body shop managers usually have too much on their docket to adequately stay abreast of changes in regulations.

Health and safety consultants, which are prevalent in most metropolitan areas, can help shop owners “assess where their safety needs are going to be, and what they

would need to do to comply. Because it’s going to be really challenging, for the average body shop owner, to figure this out without some help.”

5 FREQUENT OSHA VIOLATIONS WO R K P L AC E S A F E T Y E X P E R T S B R E A K D OW N T H E B I G G E S T FO C U S E S O F MODERN OSHA INSPECTIONS L ABELING. As of June 2016, containers like pump-spray bottles need to feature warning labels that clearly note the product’s name, its manufacturer, and the potential hazards it presents.

ELECTRICAL . According to Colette Bruce, the owner of Team Safety LLC, most modern OSHA inspections will include a check of electrical concerns like possible splices in extension cords, or having a ground prong missing. And such violations are frequent, she says.

HA Z ARD COMMUNICATION. A major point of emphasis during safety inspections in recent years has been keeping employees informed of hazards like the isocyanate compounds commonly found in paint. Joe Kenny, the president of Safety Regulation Strategies, says such violations are a top focus for regulators.

RESPIR ATORS. Many shop owners, Kenny says, don’t realize that employees have to be cleared by a medical professional prior to wearing a respirator, in addition to receiving proper training. Shop owners need to have a written program, noting that they’re in compliance with all respirator requirements, and employees need to answer an OSHA questionnaire that helps gauge employees’ health.

LIF T INSPECTIONS. Not only do vehicle lifts need to be inspected periodically, but that needs to be clearly noted on the post of the lift, Kenny explains. Inspectors should apply a sticker to the lift that notes the date of the most recent inspection that the equipment received.

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 49

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50 fenderbender.com | July 2019

COLUMNS

PROCESS DRIVEN R YA N C R O P P E R

Tour Industry Events Wisely A look at how to pinpoint which collision repair industry events will benefit your shop My trips to industry events tend to fea-

ture one constant: layovers—lots of them.

I traveled to Las Vegas for an expo recently; I left my home in Alaska at noon and got there at 10 p.m. Typically, for me, I plan to spend an entire day, each way, traveling to collision repair conferences.

It’s rough.

But you know what? Ultimately, all those travel headaches are worth it, because the end result is those industry events help me improve as a business leader.

Collision repair gatherings offer valuable opportunities to hear insight from industry leaders and other shop owners. If all I did was stay here at home and just try to keep my thumb on my local market, I’d be pretty unaware, and jaded, as to what goes on nationally.

And my goal is to know what’s going on, so my shops are at the forefront of what goes on nationally.

I’ve been to just about every industry event at least once—FenderBender Management Conference, MSO Symposiums, NACE, SEMA, you name it. Here’s my main suggestions for deciding on which industry events to attend:

FUE VANG

Look at the event’s agenda.

I try to look and make sure it’s in line with what I’m focusing on in my shops, or if the topics that are going to be touched on involve things I’ve already tried at my shops. But even if they are, the event still might be valuable to me, because maybe I need to tweak a thing or two on my end.

So, I really dive into looking at the conference schedule, to make sure it’s in line with goals I have for my business.

Talk to peers who have attended certain events previously.

Some industry events, of course, are extremely expensive to attend. When you factor in hotel costs, and the entrance fee, for example, it can add up quick.

Most of these events’ websites feature testimonials, and you could even reach out to the people that have provided those and get their insight on the event. I’d suggest talking to someone who has already been to those conferences or expos, and get their feedback.

But most industry events are worth your time. That’s mainly because these events indicate what’s coming down the pipeline in our industry in other parts of the U.S. and Canada. That’s one of the most important parts because, what happens in other parts of your country often set the stage for what’s coming your way.

Think of it like this: If an insurance company tries something in Florida and it works, and they like the results, then it’s likely to end up going nationwide.

Similarly, when noteworthy things are happening with scanning or calibrations in New York or California, they’re bound to spread to shops everywhere.

Ultimately, before deciding which industry events to attend, you need to ask yourself what kind of time you have.

And, how much time does your business require of you for day-to-day operations?

Are you putting a hurt on your shop by not being there? Financially, if your business is struggling, my opinion is you probably need to focus on putting your nose to the grindstone, in your shop, before you can afford to travel to industry events. You could probably rationalize attending a conference or two if your business is struggling, but it needs to be pretty limited.

I hate to see this, but it happens: A shop owner’s business is struggling, yet they’re still off attending every industry event, and are part of every committee out there.

Those shop owners are trying to solve the world’s problems, when they should mainly be focused on their own, at home.

RYA N C R O P P E R is the owner of Able Body Shop, with three locations in Anchorage, Alaska, and Total Truck Accessory Center.

E M A I L : r c r o p p e r @ ab l e b o d y s h o p .c o m

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 51

STR ATEGY

CASE STUDY

How Jason Battistelli bought a failing collision repair shop and turned it around to make a profit

BY MELISSA STEINKEN P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y A LY S S A D U N C A N

Envisioning Success In 2008, Jason Battistelli bought a body shop that was clinging to life. But he saw promise, based on the facility's solid collection of equipment.

52 fenderbender.com | July 2019

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 53

STR ATEGY

CASE STUDY

MIRROR IMAGE AUTOMOTIVE

I

LOCATION:

GREENLAND, N.H. OWNER:

JASON BATTISTELLI SIZE:

6,000 SQUARE FEET STAFF:

6

In 2008, the shop was a one-man operation with Jason Battistelli at the helm.

He was brought up in the industry by his father and, after attending college, realized he wanted to be an entrepreneur.

That year, Battistelli opened the doors to Mirror Image Automotive in Greenland, N.H. He purchased a pre-existing body shop and the equipment from two previous owners who struggled. The shop only produced $62,000 per year in revenue.

Their shop was a “sinking ship” and was only surviving because the owners bought the equipment and property outright for cash, so they had a lower overhead.

The shop didn’t do any retail collision repair work, despite having the equipment to do so. The owner only did dent repairs, scratches and dings, as well as dealership work.

Despite those potential red flags, Battistelli felt comfortable taking on ownership. For one, it was the best option. But in addition, he had a plan for how to jumpstart sales.

It was a year of risk-taking for Battistelli.

A risk, by definition, is a situation involving exposure to danger. And, business risks often involve financial or marketing investments that might result in the loss of a business’ reputation.

Battistelli took the risk of buying an operation that was failing under previous ownership and grew the business from one person into a team of six. The shop’s finances are strong, too, producing $1.2 million in annual revenue.

The Backstory

Battistelli’s father owned an auto body shop in the 1980s. The younger Battistelli grew up in and around his father’s business. After college, he decided to follow in his family’s footsteps and take on a “turnkey” operation.

When he took over his own facility in 2008, the shop did a lot of dealership work and fixed bumpers for very low prices, Battistelli says. The prices were so low, in fact, that the shop simply wasn’t profitable.

The Problem

Battistelli knew the business wasn’t doing well. It was obvious from the first time he looked at the books; in 2007, the shop produced $61,000 in annual sales with average tickets of $175-$600, with the odd $4,000-$5,000 job thrown in the mix.

His options were slim, though, he says, 54 fenderbender.com | July 2019

because at the age of 25 he didn’t have enough capital to build a body shop from the ground up.

First, Battistelli found the business listing on Craigslist. He met the owner in person and then started working on his own business plan.

Then, from 2007 to 2008, Battistelli spent time with SCORE, a free organization in which small business owners mentor others, to put together a financing plan.

Unfortunately, the market crashed around that time and he was turned down by each and every bank.

Battistelli still gained helpful advice on making sales projections. Created in Microsoft Excel, he based it off cash flow reports of the current business, and his marketing strategy to grow the business.

He had a column for startup expenses, one showing the capital on had, and

AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT:

50

ANNUAL REVENUE:

$1.2 MILLION

columns for each month of the year. He based some projections off the previous owner’s P&L. Battistelli says, despite the low revenue, he saw the business as an opportunity.

“I looked at this as an opportunity to pick up all the equipment I needed, in place, turn key, with at least a drizzle of work coming through the door,” he says.

“To purchase all the equipment separately, lease the space, and have zero business would have been much more costly.”

The Solution

So, Battistelli brokered a deal: He purchased the shop, including all the assets and equipment, for $100,000 and put down a $13,000 down payment with a balloon payment due in five years. He also received a loan from his then-girlfriend (now wife).

state of flux over the years, going from business owner to business owner, he didn’t want the customer to get lost in the shuffle.

He set up the website so that it will direct customers to leave a review on Google. Today, 20 percent of the time, customers will follow that direction and leave a review.

The shop staff will also send their customers an option to take a survey and provide feedback two weeks to one month after the customer’s car was repaired. The survey is sent through the CustomerLobby. com site, he says.

Battistelli took over as the one to track the customer reviews. He receives emails from the CustomerLobby.com site on a monthly basis and then will organize them into an advertising folder on his desk.

Continuing to Climb Jason Battistelli (above, and at right) has spurred growth in his business by focusing on growing his staff and shop floor, and by offering stellar service.

Beyond the financial aspects, though, he also built in a plan to mitigate the risk of taking on a less-than-favorable business: 1) NETWORK WITH OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS.

He also joined Business Networking International (BNI), which is an organization in which local small business owners meet every week offer advice and refer business to each other. Battistelli paid $400 in a yearly fee and was able to recoup $4,000 of business within his first week of attending a BNI meeting.

2) BUDGET FOR EQUIPMENT UPGRADES.

The shop is 6,000 square feet. Battistelli decided to carefully make a budget for the equipment he needed in his shop. And, by budgeting his purchases over the years, he

The Aftermath

was able to closely monitor the money coming in and avoid overspending.

He allocated roughly 10 percent of the shop’s gross sales toward investing in new technology and equipment. This has increased as business picked up over the years, he says. Now, it’s closer to one-third of the shop’s profit put toward equipment, technology and tools.

3) INCREASE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS.

“Back in the early 2000s, going and putting your shop on Google sites was like word-ofmouth on steroids,” Battistelli says.

In today’s industry, it’s more common than not for shops to be on a Google business page or Yelp.

Battistelli focused on staying a smaller shop that provided excellent customer service. With the shop being in a constant

Battistelli was able to grow his business by 50 percent for the first few years and then by 80 percent soon thereafter, he says.

“I felt like it was my only choice,” Battistelli says. “I know I overpaid but it paid off very well in the end.”

Currently Battistelli says he’s looking into doing more mechanical repair work and licensed car sales work. He’s now going to move forward with more automotive applications.

The shop also subletted diagnostic work to mechanical repair shops in the same town and those mechanical businesses changed locations, moving further away from Battistelli’s facility.

Since the shop produces a healthy profit, Battistelli recently added a 1,100-squarefoot mechanical bay, he says. Now, there are no more delays in repairs from having to drive the car back and forth, and the shop receives an additional income from mechanical repairs.

The Takeaway

Battistelli realized that he needed to also work with consultants over the years. By asking for advice from his father and consultants in the industry, he also learned that it was better to not focus so much on DRPs but to focus on the strong customer base that the shop has built-up over the last two decades.

“We’ve grown the collision business to a comfortable level over the years,” he says, “and, if we went to big DRPs, we’d fall into the same pit that our competitors have of relying on how they want the car repaired.”

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 55

STR ATEGY

EDUCATION+TRAINING

Hidden Costs of OEM Certifications Find where your shop might be losing money in OEM certifications in order to turn a profit

BY MELISSA STEINKEN

A typical body shop will schedule vehicles for a week and assign jobs to technicians, maybe taking into account if a technician calls in sick one day or has available vacation time.

Yet, what is the cost of sending those same technicians, the ones making the money, to training to get OEM certified?

As noted by Glen Sunder, owner of Peters Body Shop in St. Cloud, Minn., the cost of OEM training is significant.

The cost for getting OEM certified could be as low as buying a tool for $25,000 and up to $200,000 after factoring in training and all associated investments. Sunder’s shop currently has seven manutfacturer certifications, and generates approximately $6 million in revenue each year.

Bill Eveland, owner of Eveland Bros. Collision Repair Inc. in Shawnee Mission, Kan., says his certifications have cost his shop as much as $10,000 just for yearly annual renewal fees.

Yet, Eveland makes north of $8 million in annual revenue and his shop has six OEM certifications.

Despite unseen costs associated with gaining OEM certifications, Sunder and Eveland have thriving shops that have been in business since the 1990s or earlier.

Only 54 percent of shops surveyed in the 2019 FenderBender Industry Survey said they had earned I-CAR Gold Class recognition.

What's more, 53 percent of shops said they had zero OEM certifications for their shops.

If shop owners are not careful in their investments in OEM certifications, they could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars that they never planned to invest and in other areas lose weeks of production from their top technicians.

Sunder and Eveland recently shared with FenderBender what they feel are the top “unseen costs” involved with OEM training.

56 fenderbender.com | July 2019

UNSEEN COST NO. 1:

Changing renewal fees

Sunder says his shop pays $6,000 in an annual renewal fee for Assured Performance Network and has done so for nearly five years; his shop currently has certifications with seven manufacturers. Eveland, meanwhile, has invested $4,000–$10,000 in similar annual renewal fees.

Usually OEM certification programs have a yearly fee for the shop to remain in the program. That fee is deducted before the owner even sends technicians out to training and spends on the additional costs for travel, lodging and time spent away from the shop. Sunder says his shop has a yearly fee associated with its Honda certification, and pays Assured Performance a yearly fee for its other OEM certifications. Eveland says he’s had OEMs initially have policies in which the certification training needs to be updated every four years and then the OE will change it out-of-the-blue to

STAFF GRAPHIC

Time and money. At the end of the day, what is work besides time spent and money made?

as $15,000 for one week. But, it’s a relatively easy process to pick the classes. Typically manufacturers send shops a list of class schedules and the time slots available. Typically, just 15–20 technicians attend each class. The schedule for classes varies

by OEM. Eveland recommends getting the schedule and picking dates early so you can pick the date that disrupts the shop’s schedule the least.

Sunder says his technicians might be gone for a week or just a couple days. To send two technicians to a Chief measuring training class, it recently cost $1,350. To send three technicians to I-CAR welding training, it cost him $3,190. And, he also notes that some of the programs require painters to be certified, too.

“It’s important to know what’s coming and we just track these monthly costs in our financials,” he says. “Now, ICAR is even rolling out a new subscription payment option in which a shop can pay in full for a year or pay monthly.”

UNSEEN COST NO. 3:

every two years. That alone doubles his initial anticipated cost.

Not only is there a dollar amount to join OEM certification programs, Sunder says the verification process might seem to be short but can take up as much as two months time. During that stretch, someone comes out from the training program and assesses the shop to make sure the space, tools and equipment meet requirements for the shop to become certified.

Eveland says shop operators need to remember that these costs are worth it but there might not be an option to pay monthly. Instead, large costs will need to be paid up front.

UNSEEN COST NO. 2:

Loss of production

“Losing production while technicians are gone is very significant to the business,” Eveland notes.

He says sending a technician to training can cost the shop as much

Time researching programs

Sunder recommends researching OEM training opportunities before going through any “full-blown requirements.”

For instance, Sunder is considering (as of April 2019) joining the General Motors certification program.

Yet, he is still weighing the decision because his shop has four Pro Spot welders and the GM program requires an upgraded welder, the Pro Spot i4s inverter resistance welder, he says. That welder upgrade would cost $25,000 alone. In addition to the welder, the GM program requires the shop to use Mitchell cloud estimating software. Sunder’s shop uses CCC ONE estimating software.

“Become knowledgeable about the programs,” he says, “and [make sure] your shop has enough cars from the manufacturer in the market, before spending on the certification.”

Eveland advises operators to look into becoming I-CAR certified because I-CAR has partnered with some

OEMs to do training and can streamline the process.

For shops looking for less expensive options for training, Sunder says I-CAR does offer some virtual training classes.

UNSEEN COST NO. 4:

Time spent gaining certification

Getting certified on each program does not happen overnight.

Sunder’s shop has seven OEM certifications, including Honda, Chrysler, Hyundai, Nissan, Kia, Acura and Ford. Peters Body Shop gained its first certification in the Honda program five years ago.

Eveland’s shop has six OEM certifications, including luxury brands like Mercedes, Jaguar/Land Rover, Honda/ Acura, Infiniti/Nissan, Porsche and Tesla. Eveland Bros. is also an authorized aluminum repair facility. Technicians have also attended factory training for Lexus, BMW and Mini.

Eveland and his team went offsite to go through their first OEM training.

Not only does the shop lose time repairing vehicles to get certified, Eveland says that owners need to factor in the time spent traveling to each training destination and during that time, there is no option for anyone in the industry to call a temp agency and hire a temporary technician.

“And, you have to schedule around vacations,” Eveland says. “My staff have those for about two to three weeks of the year. Then, factor in the two weeks they’re gone each year for training, [and] that’s five weeks of total production loss time.”

Sunder says he will adjust scheduling vehicles to work around the time that his technicians are out of the shop.

If two technicians are out for a two-day training, then he’ll schedule vehicles around those two days so that the customer doesn’t bring in the vehicle until the technicians are back or that the vehicle completion date is updated to a later time so the shop does not get in trouble missing a deadline.

To make up work missed, sometimes the technicians will simply have to work an extra hour or two the following days, Sunder says.

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 57

n i a G o Train t

E C N E L L E C EX PLETE, S

NT

TO COM RIBUTES

THAT CO

58 fenderbender.com | July 2019

PAIRS

RE QUALITY D N A E AF

COLUMNS

IN THE TRENCHES STEVE MORRIS

The Key to Efficient Repairs Prewrite your repair plans

NICK SPAETH

We’ve discussed some of the details of

a solid blueprint SOP and how you may be able to implement a blueprint process at your shop. Now it’s time to review some detailed steps of the process.

When a vehicle is dropped off and the check-in process is completed, you’ll need to have a process for notifying your blueprinter that there is a new job in the queue. This notification can be electronic, if your management system has this capability, or it can be as simple as moving copies of pertinent paperwork to a dedicated file holder at the blueprinter workstation. With the manual method, you can include a copy of the client questionnaire and your in-process quality control document.

Once the paperwork is in the blueprinter queue and the notification has been made, the first thing the blueprinter will need to do is review the questionnaire.

This questionnaire will help the blueprinter understand the facts of loss and any client concerns. The blueprinter will need to review the repair order file to make sure that all systems and processes you have for your drop-off SOP have been followed. Then the in-process quality control (IPQC) document should be signed by the blueprinter acknowledging that he or she has accepted the job from the front office.

Prior to bringing the vehicle in for teardown, the blueprinter will need to go to the vehicle to write a comprehensive preliminary estimate and map the vehicle for teardown.

Prewriting the repair plan enables the blueprinter to understand the scope of the damage. Not every vehicle will need to go through a full teardown process but could actually move to body immediately after authorization of an estimate amount. Having a well designed fast-track system for light hits is a good ancillary system that you can deploy.

You can develop a triage process and decision tree that the blueprinter can follow for damage such as key scratches, minor body damage to one or two panels, where 95 percent of the damage is completely visible.

The vehicles that qualify to pass up blueprint and go straight to body can be de-trimmed in body and moved to paint quickly. Parts that might be needed after de-trimming can be communicated to the blueprinter for supplementing to the pre-written estimate.

Prewriting the repair plan enables the blueprinter to make judgements about potentially performing an alignment or alignment check prior to doing a teardown. If there's an impact to a wheel or tire you’ll want to address potential alignment and suspension issues very early in your teardown process, rather than wait to the end of the repair to perform an alignment where you are susceptible to discovering bent wheels or damaged suspension components that will delay the delivery of the vehicle.

Prewriting the repair plan allows the blueprinter to address potential prior damage or previous repair issues early on. We have an obligation to customers to inform them of any financial impact that occurs as a result of prior damage being present. If your front office personnel have already discussed prior damage issues with the customer, that should be documented on your questionnaire.

If they haven’t had that conversation, it would be detrimental to you to complete a teardown and have an insurance company tell the customer that they are going to be responsible for charges above and beyond their deductible. Surprising a customer in this fashion won’t reflect well on you.

Prewriting the repair plan gives the blueprinter the opportunity to triage potential total loss vehicles. There is nothing more frustrating and inefficient than putting a vehicle into blueprint, doing a thorough teardown that may take several hours, only to discover that the vehicle is an economic total loss or a borderline total loss. I’ve seen this happen way too many times when vehicles are not prewritten, and every time it happens, it is a complete waste of time and a real money loser for the shop.

Most insurance companies have well established guidelines and thresholds they use for calculating vehicle values and total loss triggers. Many insurance companies also have a threshold on what they will pay for a teardown in the event a vehicle is a total loss. Learn what these formulas are for the companies you deal with. If the blueprinter and the teardown tech each spend four hours on a teardown and the insurance company wants to pay two or three hours, you’re in the hole for five man-hours of wasted and unreimbursed time.

Prewriting the repair plan creates a road map of the research the blueprinter will need to complete relative to OEM repair procedures, inspections required after a collision, and other necessary processes. Without a strong sense of what the repairs are going to look like on a vehicle, the blueprinter will struggle to figure it all out while the vehicle is being torn down.

In my next column I'll describe in detail a systematic approach for your blueprinter to use for researching, gathering and documenting all of the information your techs will need to complete the repairs properly and profitably.

S T E V E M O R R I S is the director of operations for Pride Collision Centers, a seven-location MSO located in Southern California. He is an Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) and ASE-certified master technician.

E M A I L : s t ev e m @ p r i d e au t o b o d y.c o m A R C H I V E : f e n d e r b e n d e r.c o m /m o r r i s

July 2019 | fenderbender.com 59

SHOP TALK

“THE BRANDING WE’VE USED FOR MUSIC IS SIMILAR BUCKY COVINGTON, CO-OWNER COVINGTON'S COLLISION CENTERS PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY YOUNG

Marketing that Sings Country musician Bucky Covington creates marketing campaigns that resonate with customers in Tennesse.

60 fenderbender.com | July 2019

TO WHAT WE USE FOR COLLISION REPAIR CENTERS.” July 2019 | fenderbender.com 61

SHOP TALK

BUCKY COVINGTON

Loud and Proud Bucky Covington has used his experience in the entertainment industry to help his body shops produce attentiongrabbing TV ads.

Bucky Covington has gotten a taste of Hollywood life. He appeared on the fifth season of American Idol. And soon, he’ll appear on the big screen with established actors like Laurence Fishburne, in the movie Brother’s Keeper.

Yet, despite his brushes with fame, Covington spends most days toiling in Tennessee body shops. In fact, for the better part of a decade now, the country singer has co-owned two facilities in northern Tennessee, along with his twin brother, Rocky.

“I can go to any state and there’s people that know who I am,” says Covington, 41, who has had seven singles reach the top 75 of Billboard magazine’s Hot Country songs chart.

“But I don’t know if that’s any different than living in a small town and owning a business, because everybody knows who you are [in that situation], as well. And, if you start doing shady things and not being a good person, your business will suffer—same thing in the music business.”

Through his music, Covington tends to bare his soul. Similarly, his main business philosophy is to be unfailingly honest with customers. That fact has helped his collision repair centers in Gallatin, Tenn., and nearby Westmoreland gain traction, as evidenced by the Gallatin shop’s 4.8-star rating on Google.

Whether it’s during the roughly 30 hours per week that Covington is at his shops in Tennessee, or if it’s through the local TV ads he writes and produces for the shops, he tries to be forthcoming with customers.

“Through my years of music, I’ve always tried to be honest and up front,” he says. “And I believe now, with the collision centers, I think when people drop their cars off under the Covington name, it’s about being open and honest.”

Body shops have been in the Covington family for almost 70 years, since the twins’ grandfather, Buck, started at a repair facility in North Carolina. And, Covington hopes his unique approach to marketing can set his two Tennessee facilities up for success for years to come.

A S T O L D T O K E L LY B E AT O N 62 fenderbender.com | July 2019

COVINGTON’S COLLISION CENTER LOCATION:

WESTMORELAND, TENN., AND GALLATIN, TENN. CO-OWNERS:

BUCKY AND ROCKY COVINGTON SIZE:

5,000 SQUARE FEET (WESTMORELAND); 4,600 SQUARE FEET (GALLATIN) STAFF:

9 (COMBINED) AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT:

70 (COMBINED)

ANNUAL REVENUE:

$800,000 (COMBINED)

Cost Conscious Bucky Covington adheres to a budget with regard to marketing. But, when it comes to staffing, he spends what's necessary to keep employees happy.

I arrive at the shop at 7:30 a.m. each day, and I’m usually here until 5:30

p.m. I devote about six hours each day to the financial side of the business.

On top of that, we set aside about six hours per week for marketing; but really, marketing in collision repair is kind of like marketing in music—it’s a constant, and when the idea hits you, you act on it.

Whether we’re selling music or collision repair jobs, it’s still a branding thing. The marketing process is simi-

lar for both industries; it’s a name with a face, and a sound that goes out all over. So, what we did is start making commercials and getting the word out.

And, we’ve been using the branding we’ve done for all the years in music and kind of turned it around for the collision repair center. And it really did help out, a lot.

We take ownership of our shops’ TV ads.

I write and produce all my own music.

I write the commercials. The last commercial we put out has a slogan, “We do that,” and I wrote that. I’ve got a music video “Drinking Side of Country”—Kellie Pickler was in that video, and so was Shooter Jennings, Waylon Jennings’ son. Doing those types of things, you definitely start learning how to write out a visual for people to go, “Oh, OK” and get on board with it.

These days, for shop TV ads, you’ve got to learn to keep costs down. If you look at

the entertainment business, the money just isn’t what it used to be. I mean, back in the day, we were throwing $20,000– $50,000 in a music video. In the video for “Drinking Side of Country,” I think we had about $15,000 in that video, and that was a cut rate. Now we’re making body shop TV ads, and you can do good ones for around $10,000—we just did July 2019 | fenderbender.com 63

SHOP TALK

BUCKY COVINGTON

one and I think we might have $7,000 in it, altogether.

In general, we watch our finances closely. A lot of people can buy a col-

lision repair center, or any business for that matter. And some people, the first thing they’ll do is go to a bank.

But we’ve tried to stay away from that.

We’ve tried to stay away from payments on frame machines and paint booths and things like that. I do believe if you go in like that, you could very easily find yourself in a pinch, just like buying a house improperly.

As far as staffing goes, though, we take care of our employees. We pay

our employees, and take care of them.

That way, they become an asset and not a liability. We have a great staff that’s a family and a team—and that’s the only way to run a successful business. That said, it’s not like you just throw money at people and they be-

64 fenderbender.com | July 2019

come awesome; I’ve done that before and I’ve lost six ways from Sunday.

But when you’ve got a trustworthy staff member, keep ‘em around. Put money in their pockets and let them know they’re appreciated.

When we added a shop a few years ago, we did lots of research first. We did re-

search on nearby locations—how many collision centers were in the area, and what’s the word on those collision repair centers? Do they have a good name, or a bad name? And, being in a rural area, we wanted to keep our second shop small.

Because it’s like in music: you don’t want to play in an arena if you can’t fill it. Basically, you want to fill the building up and have ‘em waiting outside.

We adhere to the schedule we gave a customer at the time of drop off. We

try to be open and honest with customers. If we say a repair will be ready within three days, it needs to be back

in the customer’s hand in three days.

We thrive off of customer service and honesty. People like dealing with us. I always say to keep your customers informed. They’re already going without their car, so you don’t want them feeling like they need to call the shop three or four times to get updates.

We call the customer the day before the vehicle is done, so they can make

arrangements to pick up the vehicle.

And we make it a point to call customers with several updates prior to that. I find it more personable to call them, unless they specify that they’d prefer email or texts. I’ve found that, if you have to deliver bad news to customers about a repair, that news will be received a lot better if you just go ahead and call the customer and let them know, versus have them running you down. Of course, if your repairs are on schedule, you don’t have to call them often.

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UPDATE

D&M AUTO BODY

Keys for Keeping Customers One New Jersey shop used a recent rebuild to boost sales and ensure that it retains as many clients as possible

Certified Success Dave Rush's New Jersey shop has attained eight OEM certifications, which he feels helps customers view his shop positively.

B Y K E L LY B E AT O N

Maintain your facility’s appearance.

One key to earning repeat customers: keeping up with the Joneses. If your competitors possess glossy store fronts or attention-grabbing signage, you need to keep pace. Rush essentially accomplished that through a recent addition to his shop.

In 2014, the facility nearly doubled in size, swelling to 13,500 square feet, an addition that provided far more room for parts storage, a detail area, and a more ideal parking configuration.

“We’ve grown $500,000 per year in sales since then,” Rush says. “We were doing about $3.5 million per year out of our building, and we couldn’t do any more; we were booked two months out.

66 fenderbender.com | July 2019

Now we can grow because we have room to grow.”

Utilize a marketing company.

Of the 140 vehicles D&M works on per month, Rush estimates 60 percent belong to repeat customers. The owner credits much of that to the work of Phoenix Marketing Solutions, which helps make sure consumers remember D&M even long after they visited the facility.

Many of D&M’s customers, according to Rush “have already been here once.

We have such a good, loyal customer base because we’re marketing them every six months. Our customers get a letter every six months telling them we love them

still, and, if they have any problems, come back. … I think that really develops a loyalty from our customers.”

Market yourself through certifications.

In recent months, Rush has taken steps to get his shop certified by eight different vehicle brands. By paying to be certified—and investing in the requisite tools, equipment, and employee training—Rush is confident customers will view his shop in a positive light.

“Tesla is doing well for us,” he says.

And “I look at [certifications] as marketing. Hopefully, manufacturers get better at controlling their vehicle owners, directing them to their certified collision facilities.”

Get advice from your 20 Group.

Over his last 35 years in the industry, nothing has helped Rush more than his affiliations with 20 Groups, he says. Currently he’s part of an Axalta 20 Group, and he appreciates how such meetings of the mind help him stay on top of current customer trends, for example.

“I’ve always, my whole career, had a 20 Group to exchange ideas with, and keep my finger on what’s going on in the industry,” Rush says. “You bounce stuff off of each other. It takes a couple years of being in the group to get the trust of everybody, because you’re talking about your numbers, your finances, everything.”

But, Rush adds, “20 Groups are like AA for body shop owners; they’re awesome, and you learn a lot.”

MARK JOWARSKI

Every December, Dave Rush sends out 6,000 Christmas cards. For the most part, those mailings are inspired by the body shop owner’s desire to retain customers for years to come.

Rush, the president of D&M Auto Body in Rockaway, N.J., never wants to lose a customer to a large consolidator. So, he’s doing his part to make sure customers know that their business is appreciated.

“I do not want to sell [to consolidators]. Hopefully, by retaining my existing customers as best I can, I can retain work,” he says. “Hopefully, I’ve done such a good job at protecting my customers, and retaining my customers, that they want to come back here.

“Hopefully, if a consolidator does open up in my area, we’ll be able to minimize the loss of sales.”

Earlier in his career, Rush’s shop was actually affiliated with CARSTAR, as he spoke with FenderBender about in a 2013 article (fenderbender.com/rush).

But Rush wasn’t comfortable taking frequent instructions from a large company’s upper management, so, in 2006, he broke free from his CARSTAR contract. While Rush’s business took a step back initially 13 years ago, it’s growing now; D&M brought in $3 million in annual revenue in 2006 and, by 2018, reeled in nearly $6 million.

And it’s largely due to that concerted effort to retain customers, Rush says. The keys to building customer loyalty are many, he notes—ranging from free T-shirts with every repair, to sending holiday cards to every customer from the past eight years.

FenderBender recently caught up with Rush—whose shop has a 95.4 percent CSI score and three DRP relationships—and gleaned his extensive suggestions for customer retention.

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COLUMNS

OUTSIDE THE LINES JASON BOGGS

Perception Versus Reality The truth about your shop’s culture

er than reality. I guess it depends on whose perception you are referring to.

When it comes to the culture of a business, however, the perception of the staff is often the reality.

Our shop has had three brief (two years or less) stints on DRP programs in 49 years. Never did one of those three DRPs represent even 10 percent of our workflow. I’ve worked here for 21 years and we’ve only installed three aftermarket parts. I have had many “sit-downs” with insurance appraisers to thoroughly explain a new line item we were charging for.

Knowing that information, would you describe our shop culture as a proinsurance or pro-vehicle owner shop?

I’m going to assume most of you chose pro-vehicle owner, right?

Several years ago, we had a meeting when one of our techs mentioned that we cater too much to the insurance companies. I quickly brushed it off and kept on running the meeting.

In the back of my head, I even laughed at the comment. How could someone who works here possibly think that? After a minute or two, I asked the entire staff to raise their hands if they thought we worked for insurance companies more than vehicle owners.

I was amazed when the entire staff raised their hands! To steal a line from the movie Christmas Vacation, I would have been less surprised if I woke up the next morning with my head sewn to the carpet.

Over the next few days I shared that moment with some of my friends in the industry. They all had the same exact reaction: instant, and loud, laughter. None of them could believe that our staff thought we were a business that focused on what the insurance companies wanted.

So, now I ask you: What is the culture at our company? I Google searched the definition of “company 68 fenderbender.com | July 2019

culture,” and here is the one I liked best, found on aperianglobal.com: “ It comprises the environment in which we work, the standards to which we are held, the relationships we have with our colleagues, the processes in which we communicate, and the unspoken beliefs we share with our staff members.”

If you asked me what I thought our culture was like before that meeting, I would have told you it was great. That meeting taught me a good lesson. The culture is not what the owner/leader thinks or hopes it is. The true culture is what the rest of the staff thinks it is.

And that’s where the statement that perception is greater than reality becomes powerful. For our entire history, our shop has been focused on serving the needs of the vehicle owner.

We never let the insurance companies dictate how to repair the vehicle. Even though that was our reality, the perception from our staff was still that we focused primarily on the needs of the insurance companies.

Today our shop culture is much different. The biggest thing I changed is our internal communication. I spend more time than ever getting to know our team on a personal level. As I have gotten to know them more and find out what’s important to them, they, in turn, find out what’s important to me. I’ve heard the statement, “They won’t care how much you know until they know

how much you care” so many times, yet I failed to put it into practice in the early part of my career. The more time I spent caring for our team, the more we grew together as a company.

Instead of a tech not caring what we got paid for, a common symptom of an hourly shop, the culture now is a place where the details of each person’s job matter to others—and that has been a result of people realizing that someone cares for them.

If you have a significant other in your life, think about something that the other person cares about deeply and that you now care about as well. It could be one of their family members, or perhaps a hobby they have. My wife loves gardening and knows the name of every flower we see. Before I met her, I could tell you the names of less than five flowers. Nowadays, we take a walk and I point out all kinds of flowers to her. That wouldn’t have happened if she didn’t care about me.

It goes the same with our staff. If we want to create our dream culture, then we need to make the people who are going to create that culture not just feel important, but also actually be important to us. Get to know them. Take an interest in what they do with their time when not working. Before you know it, they will start to do the same with you.

And, you will watch the dream culture of your company go from your own perception to reality.

JASON BOGGS is the owner of Boggs Auto Collision Rebuilders in Woodbury, N.J. He has attended the Disney Institute and Discover Leadership, and has studied lean manufacturing processes.

E M A I L : j a s o n @b o g g s au t o .c o m A R C H I V E : f e n d e r b e n d e r.c o m / b o g g s

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July 2019 | fenderbender.com 69

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PAINTER’S PLAYBOOK

2019

EDITION

AN INSIDE LOOK

FINDING YOUR PASSION

Bill Steele’s body shop is one of the best in the business

The Motivated Painter has more than a job— he has a vocation

P A G E 12

PAGE 14

SHOP TALK: PETE ‘HOT DOG’ FINLAN

Tips and tricks from one of the industry’s top painters PAGE 26

THE PAINTERS OF TOMORROW

As cars have evolved, so have the people behind the paint gun— meet some of the most dynamic and inspiring painters working today PA G E 1 6

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

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©2019 PA I PPG N T EIndustries, R ’ S P LInc. AY All B Orights O K reserved.

2 0 1 9 www.ppgrefinish.com The PPG Logo is a registered trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

INTRO

THE PAINTER’S PLAYBOOK offers a glance at the contemporary refinish world as seen through the eyes of some of its most colorful and celebrated characters. The automotive world continues to move at breakneck speed, and the collision repair and refinish industries are adapting in new and, in some cases, profound ways in order to keep up with the growing demand of today’s vehicular complexities.

From training and resources to products and services, the Painter’s Playbook is here to show what the paint industry truly has to offer.

The need for valuable and skilled tradespeople is only growing and

PA I N T E R ’ S P L AY B O O K 2 01 9

WELCOME TO THE PAINTE R’S PL AY BO O K some of the painters featured here are on the front lines of that movement, encouraging young people— men and women alike—to follow their curiosity into a career that is as challenging as it is fun, as demanding as it is rewarding, equal parts detailed and open to interpretation (provided you have the right gear, color, flake and gusto!).

Sponsored by PPG Industries Inc. and SATA/Dan-Am company, the Painter’s Playbook is intended to act as a guide for aspiring and current painters, and to serve as a resource for what’s available to those who like paint, enjoy working on cars and desire to learn a little more.

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Contents 2019 EDITION

10

SPONSORED CONTENT:

THE BENEFIT OF SUPERIOR TOOLS

For over 30 years, SATA/Dan Am Co. has supplied painters with top gear

SHOP VIEW

Since 1993, Bill Steele and his team have led the way in custom refinish

16

THE NEXT GENERATION

PA I N T E R ’ S P L AY B O O K 2 01 9

12

Meet four of the top female painters poised to take on the industry

26

SHOP TALK: PETE FINLAN

Pete “Hot Dog” Finlan can (and will) paint anything

14 PROFILE FEATURE: THE MOTIVATED PAINTER

28

SPONSORED CONTENT:

OVER 100 YEARS OF GUARANTEED QUALITY

Gabe Merino is intent on providing opportunity for younger painters

The best refinish tools and services are PPG

06

08

30

The latest in paint equipment, tools and certification

Discover some simple strategies to paint lean and paint clean

Learn from Ron “Flea” Fleenor, SATA’s regional western manager

TRENDS+ANALYSIS

REFINISH TIPS & TRICKS

PRO TIPS

5

T R E N D S +A N A LY S I S

PA I N T E R ’ S P L AY B O O K 2 01 9 6

T H E L AT E S T I N PA I N T In a whirlwind industry, the only constant is change IT’S NO SECRET THE COLLISION REPAIR INDUSTRY IS IN A PERIOD OF CHANGE. And that applies to the paint department, as well. Think back to the practices of a few decades ago, and it’s almost hard to believe just how much has changed.

In recent years, increased safety practices, lean principles, a focus on efficiency, improved paint booths, and the advent of waterborne paint have all revolutionized the way that painters—and collision repair shops, at large—work.

All of those changes, however, have had positive impacts. Shops are able to push through more work, eliminate bottlenecks, and, most importantly, guarantee the safety of their employees.

From tools and equipment to certifications, there are a number of trends making their way to the paint booth about which every painter should know and consider.

Shop Certification

utilizes a wide range of online resources including technical and product training as well as professional development courses, videos, process documents and more, all designed to provide round-the-clock access to information to improve the performance of your shop or skill set.

Learn more at us.ppgrefinish.com/Training/Certification.

Shop Tools Tools such as SATA’s RPS Multipurpose Cups and the SATAjet X 5500 increase paint shop efficiency by making the best use of a painter’s time—by painting, of course.

RPS cups save time, paint and cleaning materials and feature a unique venting system for a regular air flow rate, easing color match and media spread. Bendable, clean, safe and refillable, the multipurpose cups have revolutionized efficiency in the paint shop by eliminating redundancies such as spills, poor mixing and onetime-use utilizations.

The SATAjet X 5500, on the other hand, catalyzes the efficacy of the RPS cups by enabling each painter to customize sprayout according to their needs. The 5500 features “I” and “O”-type nozzles in both HVLP and RP, and due to a groundbreaking design of the fluid tip and air cap, an air distribution insert is no longer required.

The X-nozzles reduce paint waste, spray quietly, and allow painters to grow their skill sets while laying down the cleanest, purest coats imaginable.

PA I N T E R ’ S P L AY B O O K 2 01 9

Certifications from organizations such as PPG not only assure your shop and clients that the person wielding the spray gun is qualified to do so, but offers the guarantee that the painter is up to date on current application techniques and safety procedures. Achieving PPG Master Certified Technician status doesn’t occur overnight, but its five-step program offers a comprehensive, skills-based curriculum to ensure long-term mastery. Qualified painters can graduate to the next level every two years, meaning an eight-year journey is necessary to achieve top status while keeping up with OEM’s rapidly changing, warranties, procedures, textures and technologies.

With almost two dozen PPG training centers across North America, painters of every stripe and skill set will find something to learn at a variety of courses specializing in brand (such as Aquabase® Plus, Deltron®, Envirobase® High Performance, the Vibrance Collection® and more) or category (such as collision refinish, commercial coatings, custom painting and more). The PPG Online Academy is also available; known as the knowledge resource for every facet of the refinish business, the PPG Online Academy

Shop Safety As the rise of contemporary waterborne systems continues to affect the nature of collision center repairs and paint shops, it bears mentioning. Waterborne systems have proven themselves very effective in many ways, particularly safety—less odor and improved air quality are just a few of the advantages waterborne systems offer. PPG waterborne technology also brings excellent color matching and performance. In fact, the majority of collision repair centers in the United States that have converted to waterborne are located in National Rule areas, ungoverned by stricter VOC compliance regulations.

Waterborne typically generates up to 75 percent less hazardous waste than the typical solvent basecoat while also reducing the volume of sprayable base necessary; most PPG waterborne customers enjoy about 25 percent less sprayable base and up to 90 percent less reducer, drastically reducing product and increasing savings.

PPG waterborne systems increase shop efficiency and contribute to a better working environment in other ways. Toners mix with just a shake, eliminating the need for mechanical mixing, which helps to minimize energy consumption and reduce noise levels.

7

REFINISH

STREAMLINE YOUR WORK Not all projects are created equal, but all will benefit from the following prep, paint and maintenance strategies

8

Not all projects require sanding, but for those that do, the best finished product often depends on thorough sanding at the outset. Beginning with lower-grade sanding paper such as 250- or 300-grit is a fine way to start. Many painters shift the direction of sanding with each subsequent pass, avoiding straight horizontal or vertical strokes. A striated approach will enable you to more fully and evenly cover the entire area to be painted, and as you work upwards to finer grits, you’ll need to know the base is level and has been sanded accordingly.

Hand-sanding with a flexible foam or rubber block may ease projects with heavy contours. After sanding is complete, a few quick blasts with compressed air in one direction will shake loose any remaining dirt or grit from the project. Last, use a grease remover or waterborne cleaner to pick up all remaining material.

Anti-static wipes will also help reduce dust as much as possible.

Booth Prep & Maintenance Most paint booths are well ventilated, highly advanced spaces in which professional painters can focus on the task at hand and get to work quickly and efficiently.

Nonetheless, painters should regularly check exhaust system filters and replace anything in poor condition.

The same is true for lighting; since you can’t paint what you can’t see, ensure maximum visibility by replacing dim or burnt-out lights immediately. Shadows in the booth can wreak havoc on the paint job, especially with darker colors and tones.

Establishing regular booth cleaning and maintenance habits will go a long way toward easing future paint jobs. A clean booth will protect the cost of its investment, prolong its life and make paint prep and cleanup a pleasure and not a pain. Regular sweeping, washing the booth and keeping it free of floating particles and will help protect the paintable surfaces of your projects as well.

Win with Waterborne The increasing use of waterborne paints bears mentioning. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Ensure that your compressor and drier are providing clean, dry air—use a temperature and humidity gauge to check for less than 10 percent humidity in the line.

Ensure good air flow in the booth, and make sure your booth is clean. Waterborne basecoats require sufficient air flow to dry properly. Check air flow by holding an anemometer 1 inch above the vehicle surface—75 CFM is a good target. Check air flow in the booth in all four corners, as well as above the vehicle roof line and along the sides of the rocker panels.

Basecoat viscosity greatly influences application and final appearance. Check periodically to ensure consistent performance—PPG recommends 23–28 seconds using a No. 4 DIN viscosity cup. Too thick? Add thinner. In high temp and high humidity, adjust viscosity to the lower range (23–24 seconds). This provides thinner coats and will dehydrate faster.

COURTESY PPG, SATA

PA I N T E R ’ S P L AY B O O K 2 01 9

Pre-paint Prep

Painting

Be safe. Always wear proper eye protection, an anti-static paint suit and quality gloves when handling paint materials. An air-supplied mask or hood respirator is paramount when in the booth.

Mix and prep enough paint. Don’t let a good project go to waste because you were short on paint. The best paint management software systems for the mixing room have minimum mix quantities built right in for every vehicle and repair that comes your way.

Speed things up. Establish an air-dry spot repair process in your shop for minor dings and scratches. Your customers

will appreciate it, and this is a great alternative to paintless dent repair.

Use technology. The new UV-cure primers are great for spot repairs—check out the OneChoice® UV primer system with easy aerosol application, ready to sand in two minutes. And on the color-matching front, the latest spectrophotometers bring color formulas right to your fingertips in an instant, communicating directly with your paint room software.

Build it up right. Proper film build is the key to clearcoat durability. Too low, and you can get premature film failure, dieback and poor appearance. Too high can lead to solvent pop and potential adhesion failure. Aim for a final clearcoat film build of 2–2.5 mils. Knowing the film build is critical if you plan to buff afterward—plan ahead!

Spray Gun Strategy There are more options than ever for your primary paint tool, so ensure you have the one that works for you. The best gun will fit your hand, be simple to prep, spray, and clean, and provide similar results with regular technique.

Some guns are specifically designed for primers and basecoats, others for clearcoats and flake. Budget permitting, a combination of all three is ideal. A dedicated clearcoat gun is always a good idea as it sprays the final (and prettiest) coat.

Hold the spray gun perpendicular to the project surface and try to maintain that distance for the whole project.

Spray in deliberate, controlled strokes, keeping your wrist and elbow straight, moving your arm from the shoulder over the panel or project. Spray over the end of the entire panel to ensure a regular coat—don’t tilt your wrist outward to get the last little bit. You’ll get uneven results at the edges.

Clean your spray gun thoroughly.

Many manufacturers provide a simple brush to clean the gun and cup inside and out. Flush the gun with the recommended material afterward—water-based guns should be flushed first with tap water and then the recommended cleaner.

Never clean the spray gun air cap or nozzle with a hard pen point, knife or any other metal object that may damage it. Soft-surface nozzle cleaners are available.

PA I N T E R ’ S P L AY B O O K 2 01 9

Now, the fun part! Here are some strategies to raise your game:

9

PA I N T E R ’ S P L AY B O O K 2 01 9

SPONSORED CONTENT

10

THE BEST TOOLS YIELD THE BEST R E S U LT S FOR OVER 30 YEARS, SATA/DAN AM CO. HAS SUPPLIED PAINTERS AND SHOPS WITH TOP GEAR, TOOLS AND SERVICE IN THE UNITED STATES, Dan-Am Company is the exclusive independent distributor for SATA products.

Dan-Am also has many of their own items for perfect use with the SATA items creating a complete system for the collision repair, custom paint, woodworking, manufacturing and industrial markets.

The SATA paint guns are famous worldwide as high quality and excellent for even film-build, high transfer efficiency, great metallic control, and durability. The newest topcoat

model, the SATAjet X 5500, has taken all of that to an even higher level. The SATAjet X 5500 offers even finer, more even atomization of material, softer feel when spraying, quieter “whispering” technology, and a great durable finish.

All that, coupled with two choices of nozzles from “O” or “I” shaped fans to allow the gun to suit the painter’s style.

“Due to the new design of fluid tip and air cap, the air distribution insert is no longer required,” says

Tony Larimer, SATA Dan-Am Co. Director of Sales and Marketing.

“We have reduced the noise level of this whispering nozzle during application, giving painters the feeling of a softer, more comfortable coating process. The X nozzles considerably reduce paint waste!”

Beyond the newest topcoat guns, SATA also delivers the finest in air quality filtration in either the 200 or 400 series from 70 to 129 CFM capabilities and filters down to 0.01 microns—10 times finer than

SPONSORED CONTENT

to keep painters healthy, happy, and above all, safe.

Dan-Am Air smooth-walled aluminum piping is also available. Using DAA in conjunction with SATA filters allows the perfect combination for adequate volume as well as a clean air supply to your tools, whether in a paint shop or anywhere you want compressed air. It can be perfectly tailored to fit your shop needs.

The SATA primer guns are the best possible for atomizing high-solids urethane, epoxy, UV, or waterborne

PA I N T E R ’ S P L AY B O O K 2 01 9

competitors. This gives you breathing air quality for safety and for the cleanest contaminant-free paint jobs. The SATA air vision 5000 is a NIOSH approved breathing system. It is in the Air Supplied Loose Fitting Hood category, which eliminates the need for fit-testing. It completely protects the painter’s lungs, eyes, skin and hair, offering complete bodily coverage for maximum safety and peace of mind.

It cools the air, and offers extreme visibility to the job at hand. It is quiet, comfortable, and delivers clean air

primer and sealer materials. The fine atomization and low overspray lead to perfect surface results that are easy to achieve. The SATAjet 100 B in HVLP or RP will deliver fine atomization, making primer look as smooth as topcoat. This eliminates many steps in the sanding process and cuts material use and waste dramatically. There is even a specific gun, the SATAjet 100 BP designed for sprayable body filler, but works also for many spray-on bed liners and for spraying large flake, too.

The SATAminijet 4400 B is another great tool. Small in size, but large in production, the Minijet 4400 B is comfortable in the hand, durable, and utilizes any size SATA cups. Easy to clean with superior media atomization, this gun can handle the tiniest of repairs, up to painting panels such as fenders, bumper covers, and any motorcycle parts. It sprays everything from sealer to basecoat and clearcoat, single-stage, solvent or waterborne materials, and is even a great gun for spot repairs with primer. Save on materials, time and clean up with this small workhorse.

SATA RPS multipurpose cups are the best on the market. With a true vented system, they guarantee a perfect constant flow for constant color match and film build.

“It guarantees an even color match and film build throughout the paint job,” says Larimer.

“What that means for a shop is that, if a painter is mixing material, he or she might only need two ounces. They can mix just what they need, get the same results and you don’t have the extra material that will go to waste.

“You mix 100 percent of what you need, and 100 percent will come out of the spray gun.”

SATA also offers many guns in automatic, robotic, fluid pressure and air-assisted airless for any needs.

SATA is a company since 1907, and Dan-Am has been importing it since 1981 into the USA.

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SHOP VIEW

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STEELE AUTO BODY INC.

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BILL STEELE owns Steele Auto Body Inc., located in a western suburb of Pittsburgh named Oakdale. In 1990, he bought the current facility from his mother; it was formerly the home of his father’s trucking company. He established the collision center in 1993, steadily growing the business and eventually breaching $1 million in annual revenue after several years.

Steele is known for his meticulous attention to detail, no matter how minute or massive. Over time, he was able to foster consistent growth through a razor-sharp commitment to customer relations, effective management and quality repairs. Steele brings a disciplined approach to his employee management as well, training everyone in the shop to repair vehicles to his standards and then holding them to those standards, ensuring a quality repair every time. When he first started out, customers would occasionally ask him to shave a few bucks off their estimates. Steele stood his ground, confident in his work.

“I wanted the cars to look good,” Steele says. “I didn’t want to try to short cut things. I wanted to do things the right way.”

He says that customers know his commitment to quality and are willing to travel to receive his great work.

He is always the last one to look at the finished car before calling the customer to pick it up.

In 2004, Steele expanded his shop and opened Steele Kustoms, a shop renowned for its award-winning and high-quality work.

Here’s an inside look at Steele Auto Body Inc., straight from the man himself.

01 That building hides two more behind it: the main shop floor and smaller body structure. I’m constantly moving on the floor in each of them.

LOCATION:

Oakdale, Pa. FOUNDED:

1993

OWNER:

Bill Steele SIZE:

13,000 square feet STAFF:

8

AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT:

70

ANNUAL REVENUE:

$1.6 million

03 On the production floor, we can usually get 11 vehicles on the main floor and paint shop, another four on the frame machine floor, and seven on the custom collision repair side. There’s usually six or seven rental cars sitting around every day because we go through them so fast.

We feature concierge service through Hertz.

02

04

COURTESY BILL STEELE

That’s the whole Steele Auto Body team. We’re a tight-knit group who works hard and enjoys what we do.

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That’s me, and those motorcycle bodies have just finished paint work and are getting ready to be delivered. I value my work and the awards in the background reflect that; three of them are for the Easyrider Bike of the Year; I’ve won the award three times (2007, 2009 and 2014). I won Hot Rod of the year in 2009. All the bikes were built from scratch.

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PROFILE

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GABRIEL MERINO, MENTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE The Motivated Painter has lessons— and insight—to share WHEN GABRIEL MERINO began his career, he didn’t even know what a piece of sandpaper was.

“Career” is too strong a word, even—Merino started at Bud’s Collision (Oakville, Ontario) in 2006 as a high school student through a cooperative program offered by his school.

“I didn’t like to study,” he says, “but I liked the idea of working on cars. I did everything at the shop, I enjoyed it, one thing led to another, and I started painting.”

“Everything” truly means everything—like many automotive employees, Merino started his journey with a mop and a bucket, a wooden broom and a plastic pan. You know the type.

Now, however, things are different. On a sunny morning in late April 2019, it’s “just another day in the life of a production painter—go, go, go,” he says. “I go, go, go at work and then am 100 percent at home.”

Gabriel Merino is the Motivated Painter. Through his work at Bud’s Collision, Merino has committed himself to improving the cars and community of those around him.

Merino’s laser focus on the paint and refinish industry (along with his affable personality, willingness to listen and learn, and slew of Motivated Painters YouTube videos and website) have made him a bright fixture in the paint industry, one who’s willing to mentor and encourage those around him.

Be the Difference

COURTESY GREG MCKAY

The SATAjet 5000 B RP The SATAjet 5000 B RP spray gun is as versatile as it is comfortable. Designed by Porsche Design Studio to fit perfectly into the palm of the hand, it offers painters the ability to set pressure and distance as required by the paint to be applied, the climatic conditions and the work method to achieve perfect finishes.

Merino understands that it’s possible to love your job and to love painting; there are many who do it because they have to, but he finds real joy in the process.

“It’s a very rewarding career,” he says, “especially if you find a great shop that will take care of you.”

He believes that putting good energy out into the world comes back to you tenfold.

“Caring and having a sense of pride with the work you do is very important. You have to do the best job possible,” he says. “You take care of that car in front of you—you say, ‘Hey, that’s somebody’s car, they need it and it’s important to them’—and I get to work on it. It was in an accident; I get to restore it.

“It’s a privilege to be able to do so.”

More Than a Job—a Vocation Looking ahead to 2020 and beyond, Merino hopes to continue to add value to painters through his videos, products and services. He’s not always certain painters get the recognition and care they deserve.

“I think for the most part, painters in general are not getting taken care of properly,” he says.

“Companies are so worried about distribution channels, they’re not worried about the end users—the people holding the gun,” he says. “I created a paint suit that I wanted to wear, for example. I hate every paint suit and this is better. I created a brand and a movement that I care about, and that can help people achieve more in their painting careers.”

Merino believes that the key to overcoming something as simple as a bad day is to change your perspective on the work you’re doing.

“Our worlds become huge and our minds become focused on our own little problems, but helping others around us— things begin to change.”

What started with a mop and a bucket has become something so much more. In service to others—and some mad paint skills and resources as the Motivated Painter—Merino has found his purpose. In this industry, maybe the best refinishing job is the one that occurs inside.

Other features and benefits include:

• Easy-to-adjust control elements

• Optimized nozzle concept for highest possible versatility concerning inlet pressure and spray distance

• Safely positioned trigger sleeve for easy, safe and quick insertion of the paint needle

• Ergonomically shaped gun handle

• Identical compact-size gun handle for non-digital and digital spray guns

• Corrosion-resistant pearlodized™ surface for easy cleaning

• Optimized half-turn spray fan control

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“I hope that I can encourage people and make a difference in their lives in a positive way,” he says.

“When people write to me and say they learned something or that they were going to give up before seeing my videos, it fuels me. It encourages me. If I can help people, that’s a good day for me.”

Merino’s story starts roughly 3,600 miles—give or take— south of the shop on the western coast of South America.

Merino is originally from Ecuador, and his parents emigrated to Canada when he was 12 years old.

Merino works hard to perfect his craft specifically so he can keep traveling and expanding his boundaries. He’s never satisfied.

“I haven’t painted a car that I’m happy with in 13 years!” he says, with a laugh.

For Merino, the perfect paint job doesn’t exist. A perfect paint job, after all, implies there’s nothing else to learn and aspire to.

In the shop, the SATA TrueSun handheld lamp is his goto SATA product—you can’t fix what you can’t see. He also enjoys the precision of the SATAjet 5000 B RP, which he believes is the first gun he ever used. Now, he likes to diversify depending on the paint, the vehicle, and the repair.

He also uses PPG Envirobase High Performance waterborne basecoat; it’s easy to mix, easy to apply and is able to match any color imaginable.

Diversification is key to Merino’s outlook, and something he believes has helped him become the painter he is today.

“As someone who likes to learn and keep learning, I think the biggest thing is not comparing yourself to anyone in this industry—especially with social media,” he says. “There are many painters who do good work but they feel they’re not good enough; they see so many ‘perfect paint jobs’ online and those don’t really exist. Painters should run their own race and try to be better than they were before. Be better than yesterday.

“It’s the same thing in life.”

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PAVE THE WAY FOUR PAINTE RS CHANGING THE FACE OF THE INDUSTRY

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AS GO THE CARS, so go the paintersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with more variety, sophistication and style than ever before, the next wave of aspiring painters and current professionals is young, hip and unafraid to put on the gloves and get to work.

Some own their own shops.

Some own their own brands and affiliations. All are on social media, interacting with and promoting one another. As the industry continues to change, so, too, do its demographics. With a looming talent shor tage, it's vital to encourage a wider base of young people and women to enter the industry and promote the oppor tunities that collision repair can provide.

Within these pages are the stories of some of the most inspiring, hard-working and talented female painters in the field today, from Canada and California to the hear tland of the Midwest and Florida coast.

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PAV E T H E WAY: C O N N I E M A N J AV I N O S

GROWING THE TRADE

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For Connie Manjavinos, the industry is about empowerment, opportunity and growth ONE DAY AFTER WORK, Connie Manjavinos was on her way home when a neighbor asked her if she had been baking. Head to foot, she was covered in white powder, dusted on her elbows and smeared across her face.

“No,” she said, “this is Bondo!”

She had forgotten to dust herself off before leaving the shop. Today, Manjavinos still recalls how her neighbor’s whole demeanor changed when he realized she was in collision repair and paint. It’s that ah-ha moment Manjavinos wants to spread among the paint and repair industry.

After stumbling upon the industry as a young woman, she abandoned her dream of becoming a police officer and took up the spray gun.

“The passion for paint was there and just exploded once I found it,” she says.

That passion has treated Manjavinos well. Now, more than a decade into her painting career, Manjavinos is doing everything she can to encourage young women to do the same.

She started to post before/after work on Instagram around 2014, and over time found more and more women doing the same.

“It was a rabbit hole,” she says, “that led down more rabbit holes.

I thought I was the only girl.” She created a page and a hashtag, and the rest is history.

“I wanted to shed light on these girls,” she remembers.

Girls Behind the Gun Searching Instagram for #GirlsBehindTheGun is an eye-opening experience. At 19,000 posts and counting, updated every day, and contributed to by as diverse a set of women imaginable, Manjavinos’ initial foray into empowering women in the industry has reached critical mass, exploding into something much larger. Photos of women in all stages of the paint process are everywhere—some with masks on, some in the paint booth, some posting videos of multi colored flake applications and before/after projects from their shops. What they all have in common, however, is a look in the eye, a jaunty challenge to the camera that says, “I am not alone, and neither are you.”

“This is a [great] trade to know,” Manjavinos says, “one that too few women don’t realize is a viable option for a fantastic career.”

Manjavinos understands that such a historically male-dominated industry tends to scare away aspiring women who simply don’t realize the opportunities available—or are too hesitant—when they decide to put

on the jumpsuit and enter the paint booth. There are talented women out there with real skills in hand-eye coordination, adept with a paint brush or pen, who don’t know they can make real money and find rewarding careers in automotive.

“The best thing with GBTG is from parents,” she says.

She describes a recent thank-you note from a mother who says her daughter took to auto body in high school, loved it, and wanted to go to a vocational school against her parent’s wishes, who wanted her to become a nurse.

“The young woman showed her mom Girls Behind the Gun and all the successful women who went through rabbit holes just like I did. It’s all women, page after page—she just wanted to thank me and now they’re supporting her decision. That is the reason we continue to do this.”

Today, Manjavinos works at Kiddy’s Classics Automotive Restoration in Jensen Beach, FL. The owner of Kiddy’s Classics had emailed Manjavinos, not realizing she was the woman responsible for Girls Behind the Gun. Manjavinos had intended to visit 10 shops in Florida

COURTESY CONNIE MANJAVINOS

18

looking for a job, and that just happened to be the first.

She’s been there ever since.

Involving the Industry

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Since taking up the gun, Manjavinos has been all over the country promoting the industry, encouraging young women to follow their passions and acting as a conduit through which all paint (and painters) flow.

She’s worked on promotional videos for SATA, working with other paint celebrities such as Miguel Perez (Refinish Kulture) and Jeremy Winters (Boothtalk).

“Everyone I work with at SATA is like family,” she says in a recent video.

Manjavinos also partners with airbrush artist Josh Bourassa for Project Zero, a charity event for foster children which combines hands-on activities (such as painting and airbrushing) in a venue for prospective parents to interact with children.

“It hits home for me,” Manjavinos says.

In her youth, Manjavinos spent some time as a foster child as well, so she understands the import of events such as Project Zero, where the same part of her that wanted to become a police officer finds an outlet.

“It’s amazing to be one-on-one with the kids...Sometimes they tell you their struggles and others don’t even know why they’re there, but kids get adopted there. It’s OK to be loved and I want to be a part of that—it does wonders for the soul.”

At the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Manjavinos cohosts the Babes in Trades dinner. The dinner found women from Canada to Australia sharing their stories, and the first Babes in Trades dinner had over 20 attendants.

“Think what it could be!” she says.

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Letting the Work Speak for Itself For young women who aspire to paint, Manjavinos’ main advice is to go slow, take it easy, and learn from those around you.

“Don’t act like you know it all,” she says.

“Step back and go along for the ride; see what you’re good at, what you’re not good at. All parties need to widen their perspectives. It’s a hard industry, but you chose this because you like it and with practice you’ll be good at it. It takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. Put yourself out there and get a mentor if you can. Accept failure and keep looking ahead.”

Manjavinos is still learning. At 27 years old, she’s only scratched the surface of what the industry is and can be, and the goal of Girls Behind the Gun is to empower people in a positive way.

At 20,000 followers and growing, she’s off to a pretty good start.

To learn more about the women in automotive refinish, check out @GirlsBehindTheGun on Instagram.

PAV E T H E WAY: E R I N D E T C H O N

LE T YOUR PA S SION BE YOUR GUIDE Erin Detchon doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t blink when asked about her career and opportunities as a technician

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ERIN DETCHON IS a talented young woman recruited by PPG as part of its ongoing efforts to cultivate the industry and to always try to bring fresh talent into the fold, fostering hands-on skills, management responsibilities and opening the vibrant and rewarding doors of a career in automotive paint to as many young men and women as possible.

She is also a part of the PPG mentoring program. In February 2019, PPG announced that the PPG Foundation completed grants totaling $715,000 to 11 universities considered premier institutions in engineering, polymer science,

COURTESY ERIN DETCHON, PPG

20

chemical engineering, materials science and synthetic organic chemistry. The grants support a vast array of programs and initiatives, including fellowships for graduate students, symposia, conference travel, scholarships, mentorship programs and other initiatives.

PPG and the PPG Foundation are committed to providing color and brightness to PPG communities around the world. Together, they invested more than $9 million in 2018 supporting hundreds of communities across 28 countries, helping to bolster the workforce in fields relating to coating and manufacturing.

How long have you been with PPG?

What keeps you up at night?

A year and a half. I went to my local vo-tech school, Medina County Career Center (Medina, Ohio) to learn the trade, competed in SkillsUSA for automotive refinish, worked as a combo technician in a collision repair center, then pursued a career with PPG. The best part was having an instructor that was as enthusiastic about the industry and cared about the success of his students. His attitude and support inspired me to learn more and build a career doing what I love.

The lack of new technicians coming into the industry.

There’s a very real movement happening among educating, hiring, and retaining female technicians, painters, and other hands-on careers within the automotive industry.

What is your current role?

What excites you about this industry?

The automotive industry is constantly changing and that challenges you to continue learning throughout your career. This summer, for example, I will be focusing on learning more about the commercial and industrial sides of our industry.

One challenge for me will be learning about the wide array of our commercial and industrial products and being confident in recommending the correct products based on every customer’s needs.

There are women who are unsure about becoming a technician and I believe this movement will/has given them the confidence to take a chance. Most shop owners and technicians are very supportive of women in the industry and are willing to provide the learning tools they need to succeed.

What do people need to know about this industry?

It doesn’t matter who you are, make sure you have a passion for what you do and be willing to learn.

What industry associations and resources would you recommend for aspiring technicians in automotive refinish?

The PPG training website offers great resources on standard operating procedures from initial cleaning to basecoat blending and clear coating. PPG also offers a number of training classes across the country, including a new refinish preparation specialist class specifically designed to train the next generation of technicians. I-CAR also offers a variety of educational and training opportunities to technicians of all levels. And for the students new to automotive refinish, I recommend looking into SkillsUSA—it offers students educational and mentorship opportunities, scholarship opportunities, and they assist with career placement. It’s a great organization.

PA I N T E R ’ S P L AY B O O K 2 01 9

I am a sales trainee. My responsibilities are split between working in our training center helping with classes for refinish technicians and working with our territory managers in collision repair centers. During classes, I do a variety of tasks including teaching in the classroom, prepping panels, mixing paint and instructing the hands-on portion in the paint booth.

What excites you about that?

21

What’s your favorite story from this industry?

My last day working in the shop, my manager pulled me aside and admitted to me that he was nervous the first day we met. He was unsure about a young woman being able to do the job. After working with me, he said that now he trusts me to do anything and that his perspective on young women in the industry had changed. He hired another young woman for that position after I went to PPG and things are great.

What have you seen that sticks with you?

The opportunities available for people that have the drive to do more.

And what’s next?

I am going to continue learning and work towards becoming a territory manager for PPG. Our goal as territory managers is to help our customers grow their businesses and stay up to date on the newest products, procedures and technology, as well as building relationships with potential customers.

PAV E T H E WAY: T H E R E S A C O N T R E R A S

T H E AC C I D E N TA L PA I N T E R

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From trial and error to pro painter, Theresa Contreras proves her adaptability

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THERESA CONTRERAS never meant to become a painter.

One afternoon at her family’s shop, the pinstriper never showed for a ticket due the next day. Most people would call the boss, try to find another pinstriper, call in another from the team—not Contreras.

“I’m just going to do it myself,” she thought. “I’ve watched them do it a million times. I know the materials—I’ll figure it out.”

She decided she wasn’t leaving until the job was done and taught herself by trial and error.

“I’d do it, wipe it off, do it again, wipe it off,” she says.

Hours later, the rest of the staff was pleasantly surprised.

“I didn’t think I wouldn’t do it!” she says.

Her background in graphic design certainly helped, but the fortitude to see it through is what really made the difference. It was a visionary moment in Contreras’ life and career.

Today, Contreras is the lead designer and custom painter at LGECTS Motorsports, her family’s shop in San Dimas, Calif. What began as an auto body shop has evolved into a highly specialized custom and refinish West Coast hub.

“We do a lot more specialty auto body repair that the local shops don’t do, but we also do a lot of custom builds for the SEMA show and automotive industry manufacturers with our own custom designs.”

Growing up, Contreras was drawn to the industry. When she was 16 years old, her parents took her to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas with its nonstop spectacle of the expo floor coupled with over 100,000 attendants and seemingly as many vendors.

“That was really a game changer,” she says. “I’d see vehicles at the shop but to go there and see them on display was really something. I thought, ‘Yeah, I want to do this someday.’

“There’s a different aura of how excited everyone is about what’s happening at SEMA. It’s about trends. SEMA looks to the future and not the past.”

The future is exactly what Contreras has set her sights on. She’s passionate about the growth of women in the industry and wants to foster more transparency and hands-on opportunities to grow that demographic within collision repair and paint.

“People often say it’s a dirty job, it’s a blue-collar skill,” she says. “Really, it’s a fun, cool creative thing. People are taking notice. Woodworking, painting, welding—it’s all coming back. It can be creative and sexy and cool. Our goal is to make sure women understand that there’s nothing to be intimidated by—neither the work place nor the tools.”

T H ERE SA’ S TO O L S

PPG Paint Systems “We use PPG Envirobase High Performance waterborne paint system, and I really like the Vibrance Collection for special effects. All of the custom colors that they have are really nice. Color is my thing.

Having a color bank at my fingertips literally make the possibilities endless.

Get to know the amount you need to spray and how much you will use to minimize waste and save money. Remember that stirring and straining the color is an important part of the process. Familiarize yourself with the toners so you know how that toner will affect your formula.

When mixing, if you don’t know where to start, PPG reference formulas are a great guide. If mixing custom, you can modify from there to further understand the process.

“I enjoy mixing custom colors. If I’m doing a full vehicle build, I mix all the colors with Envirobase. I like having the mixing bank because I can custommake my own color, record the formula, and have it perfectly color-matched every time.

“I also use 1 Shot® paint, which is now owned by PPG. What I love about that product is what I said—I was able to teach myself with it because I understood its properties. Once the paint was on, I used mineral spirits to wipe it off without harming the vehicle. It enabled my trial-and-error process of learning until I was successful.”

She cites one of her proudest projects as an all-female Ford Mustang build conducted in 2012 by the SEMA Women’s Network (SWN). It was the first all-female build to ever be displayed at SEMA, and she was able to connect with other women in the industry and keep fostering that growth from the top down.

Along with Jessi Combs, Contreras helped foster the Real Deal Revolution, a project devoted to revolutionizing the perception of skilled trades and womens’ roles in them. Through RDR, Combs and Contreras host workshops, events and rendezvous, all intended to expose the trade, grow shop skills and brainstorm for future events. According to the RDR website (realdealrevolution.org), “Real Deal is a dynamic collaborative of legit automotive and industrial women who crave to empower and educate others” regarding the positive influences associated with design, speed and being hands-on—everything that occurs in a paint shop.

Theresa cites social media as a major tool for promoting women in industry and for making connections across the country.

“It’s an open and inviting community. We want to help further other women in the industry. It’s hard to get good at anything—any job, any career, any project. Nothing is easy—go through the hard stuff to learn the skills.”

Since her first foray as a pinstriper, Contreras has done just that.

“We get people involved,” Contreras says. “She’ll do welding and I’ll do pinstriping or airbrushing and we’ll conduct a hands-on workshop. We take that intimidation factor away and get people excited. You hear women and even kids—we recently worked with about a dozen Girl Scouts—their excitement about doing something like that is palpable. I derive so much out of what I do; When you build and create something, there’s a different sense of pride and workmanship.”

To see more of Theresa’s work and the Real Deal Revolution, check out @RealDealRevolution on Instagram.

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COURTESY THERESA CONTRERAS

The Real Deal Revolution

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PAV E T H E WAY: S H E L B Y H A N E Y

Shelby Haney chose the trades over college and never looked back “I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL they need to go to college,” says Shelby Haney, speaking to speaking to FenderBender on a rainy Tuesday morning in April.

“I disagree. There are plenty more paths available. If not here, I’d definitely be in a shop working and painting and crafting with my hands.”

Haney isn’t the only woman in paint and refinish who feels this way, but she is one of the youngest. At 19 years old, Haney has been with D&S Color Supply (south of Cleveland) for

over one year, working both in the office and the field as an outside sales assistant.

“My dad was very excited,” Haney says.

“He wasn’t into auto body— he’s more of a woodworker—but he thought it was great. Mom was a bit nervous—she thought I was crazy! But I decided to take the plunge. I knew in my heart it’s what I wanted to do.”

If there are more young professionals out there like Shelby Haney, the future of this industry is very bright indeed.

COURTESY SHELBY HANEY

PA I N T E R ’ S P L AY B O O K 2 01 9 24

T H E PAT H L E S S T R AV E L E D

Haney didn’t instantly gravitate toward paint. She chose to go into the trades instead of college utilizing her school’s career center. She started in cosmetology.

“It’s kind of a funny story,” she says.

“I grew up in nearby Medina. At the career center, I picked cosmetology at first. After just one week, I knew I had to get out—I couldn’t stand my coworkers!”

After speaking with her counselor once more, she found the automotive industry. As an artistic person— she practices oil painting and sketching—her eyes were opened to just how many artistic outlets there are in automotive. She soon realized she had made the right choice.

“I knew in my heart that’s what I wanted to do,” she says.

Haney is a part of a small team of other sales assistants in automotive refinish and industrial at D&S. She enjoys assisting customers, conducting meetings, and coordinating material and supplies between vendors and clients. She also enjoys a fair share of reporting and product research.

“It’s a big learning experience,” she says.

A Jane of all Trades Before her time at D&S, she worked at Schaed’s Auto Body (now a Gerber shop) for almost two years, where she apprenticed in the shop doing paint and prep as well as some estimating and office work. Then she found D&S, and though she enjoyed the paint work for its artistic angle, she was surprised to learn the office suited her better.

“It worked out really well that I could use what I had learned in school to help my career at D&S and get me to where I am now,” she says.

Haney enjoys seeing and visiting her customers, walking into shops around the state and seeing how their paint products are being used. Haney manages a small territory

of her own and is learning what it takes to be a career territory manager.

“For now, I’m picking the pieces I like, seeing what I don’t, and am becoming my own person,” she says. “I’m young and it’s crazy that D&S gave me this great opportunity so young; they see past what many employers say: ‘We won’t even talk to you unless you have a college degree.’ I was very lucky and fortunate.”

Haney is wise beyond her years, and her exposure to a historically male-dominated industry has helped her find her voice in it as well. She volunteers at the same career center that led her to D&S and always asks about how many women are enrolled, and how she can help open their eyes, too. She wants to share her experience.

“When it comes to technicians, I see a lot of shop owners giving young people opportunities,” she says. “It’s hard for owners to find young talent; it seems a lot of people try to go the college route and just get desk jobs when there are so many different trade positions, and not just in auto body.”

Haney sees the barriers to employing women in the trades as coming down a bit. She understands the value that women have to offer this industry in the 21st century.

“Shop owners are more interested in hiring women because they have a special touch with customers, different organizational skills, and attract more women customers.

It’s not so intimidating, and the shop entrance will feel more comfortable for everyone,” she says.

Looking ahead, Haney is thrilled about her decision to pursue paint.

“I’m working toward my own territory and doing more internally,” she says. “We have big things coming—I can’t go into too much detail!—but we’re working with PPG and 3M and looking ahead to more.

“You gotta do what you’re passionate about. That’s what’s important.”

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From Cosmetology to Mixology

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S H O P TA L K

Pete “Hot Dog” Finlan can (and will) paint anything WHEN FENDERBENDER FINALLY got a hold of Pete “Hot Dog” Finlan, he was relieved to take the call.

“Oh, I’m just pinstriping for 15 hours today, so I can take a break,” he says.

It’s good to be busy. It’s seemingly all Finlan has ever been—he’s painted for over 30 years. He was born in South Carolina but his family switched coasts when he was just one year old, and that’s where he’s been ever since. Known as one of the best custom painters in the world, Finlan owns and operates Hot Dog Customs, a paint shop north of San Diego, south of Los Angeles, east of the Pacific and west of everything else. He spent two years at Hot Rods & Customs, where he painted a car that won the vaunted Ridler award, and eight years with West Coast Customs, where he painted over 40 of the vehicles featured on the TV show Monster Garage, from 2002–2010.

AS TOLD TO JORDAN WIKLUND

Finlan’s Fixins “All I use is PPG and SATA. I bounce around on the guns but all the guns are the RP variety. I can spray with any gun.

It’s weird—you hear painters talking about 1.2mm or 1.4mm air caps, and man, whatever it comes with, I can spray with. The SATA guns are awesome, and I’ve used PPG for years.”

COURTESY PETE FINLAN

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HANGIN’ WITH HOT DOG

Art class in high school was boring. The teacher had an airbrush, though, and I immediately loved it. I started painting surfboards and that transitioned to cars and bikes; I was a professional skateboarder and could care less about surfing. Once per week, there was a note on the door that said, “Waves are good, be back tomorrow.” Surfers wanted everything for free, and I said, “I’m out of here.”

Everything I work on is hand-drawn, hand-cut, and handpainted. I don’t know anything else. That’s part of having your own business. My favorite time being the painter was when I was at a shop; I did what I did and went home. Now I have to juggle all the balls in the air. I love painting but don’t always like the business part of it. But without the business I wouldn’t have the opportunity.

For painters aspiring to achieve more than they ever thought possible here’s some easy advice: 1. Practice. Whatever you’re trying to learn, practice. I still practice after 39 years. The variety of training classes from PPG is astounding and will help you get where you want to be. You can never practice enough.

2. Keep up to date. No matter whether you’re a painter in custom or collision, it is important to keep up to date with the latest products and application techniques.

Take advantage of certifications available to you. A shop with certified painters is a shop that can boost throughput and increase profit for its highly qualified (and certified!) work.

3. Be bold. Don’t be afraid to try something, whatever you do. The best designs and discoveries often emerge from letting your imagination be your guide. Whatever you learn through trial and error will translate on all your shop’s customers’ cars, no matter the make, model or nature of the collision.

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Hard work yields results. I’ve been fortunate to work all over the country and even the world. I painted a Hummer in Iraq during the second war there—no other painter can say that. One of the projects I’m most proud of was showcased during the 2017 SEMA convention in Las Vegas.

There, I painted a roaring 1930 Ford Tudor model A sedan nicknamed “Bully.” Top to bottom, the entire car was covered in green neon paint and flake, aswirl with orange highlights and trim and offset by gleaming chrome wheel covers, aggressive side pipes and a 540 ci. aluminum Hemi 871 Blower engine erupting from the engine bay, a silver dragon leaping from the neon forest.

That was 3,000 hours of paint, no fenders and no hood.

There was no carpet in it; the floor was painted. The seats were painted. The roof was painted. A few years later, I painted a ’32 Ford pickup for the same customer. The only direction was, “Make it better than Bully.”

I think all painting excites me all the time. I’m fortunate to be in a position where people bring me projects and say, “make it cool.” I still enjoy every new project and challenge, from motorcycle helmets to surfboards, cars and trucks and more—on my website (hotdogcustoms. com), look for the Star Wars stormtrooper helmet. It’s a weird thing—people say, “I didn’t know you painted that!” or, “I could tell you painted that,” and both are compliments. You don’t want to do the same thing over and over.

The most common question I still get is “Why ‘Hot Dog’?” It’s super simple—I like hot dogs! A stripe of red and a stripe of yellow. Every Wednesday, we do Wiener Wednesday, and even the wiener cart is custom painted.

We have one of those hot dog rollers, and we’ll go through 50 hot dogs in an hour. Also, my first shop was called Paint by Pete, which became boring real fast. It was also nondescript—I’d get calls to paint kitchens, to paint garage doors. “Hot dog” is also a showoff term in skiing and surfing and I thought that goes right along with it. Just by the name of the shop, customers would say, “Hey, is Hot Dog here?”

To see more of Hot Dog’s finest, check out @HotDogKustoms on Instagram.

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Your Partner in Automotive Refinish Coatings

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For more than 100 years, PPG automotive refinish has an unparalleled record of stout durability, top performance and unbeatable appearance.

As the worldwide leader in transportation and industrial coatings, PPG offers the innovation, experience and stability your business needs, no matter the scope or scale.

PPG offers its customers unmatched training and support resources and is dedicated to the highest ideals of service and quality in the refinish industry.

The Best Coating Technology Available Every problem has a solution, and every solution involves PPG. PPG offers a full range of automotive collision, commercial transportation and light industrial manufacturing solutions for wherever the road may take you. PPG’s extensive portfolio of coating products is designed for ultra specific operational requirements, allowing your company to fine-tune its offerings according to your needs while enjoying top production and cost benchmarks with unbeatable compatibility and quality.

PPG also continues to invest in research and emerging technologies to bolster quality, reduce paint cycle time and lower costs, all with an eye toward global sustainability

and fostering responsible environmental practices.

Exceptional Finishes The longest hauls are rarely measured in miles—they’re measured in years. Exceptional finishes from PPG are guaranteed to last, assuring top quality in all refinish products.

Qualifying shops can attain extra peace of mind with the PPG Lifetime Limited Paint Performance Guarantee, which assures that all refinish products feature state-of-the-art technology and will perform to optimum standards as long as your customer owns their vehicle.

The Science of Color It’s a colorful world out there, and PPG is committed to matching everything from Amazonian tree frog green to luminescent jellyfish purple and anything that falls in between. From investing in breakthrough research and innovations in groundbreaking hardware and software to capturing color information globally, PPG continually advances the art of refinishing.

PPG is a strategic partner of transportation OEMs and pigment suppliers and has a trusted voice in the ongoing conversation about the newest colors and finishes.

The comprehensive PPG color database counts more than 27,000 new entries per year to a library of more than 3.5 million prime, variant and specialty color formulas. To navigate that library, PPG offers a comprehensive toolbox for fast access to the right formula for matching each color, and its color retrieval options are second to none. PPG embraces the latest technology

to offer mobile access on smart devices as well as computerized touchscreen mixing and retrieval in addition to a full-featured paint management software system and best-in-class spectrophotometer.

A robust toolbox featuring color selectors, tint guides, color-focused training, and toll-free color library hotline means you’ll have everything you need to create spot-on color every time.

Train with the Best PPG takes care of its own, offering the best hands-on training available.

Aided by 30 professional trainers averaging over 30 years of industry experience each, PPG offers a complete curriculum to maximize efficiency and revenue within the paint department.

The Technician Certification program blends classroom instruction with hands-on learning offered at PPG Business Development Centers across North America. PPG offers a wide range of training classes for aspiring and veteran painters alike.

Some specialty classes offered include the prepper class for new technicians, and color theory, tri-coats and specialty finish classes for more advanced technicians. Technicians are recertified every two years and supported by a wide range of institutions such as vocational schools, I-CAR support classes, and online product learning.

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Technicians trained per year

1,200+

U.S. and Canadian distributors 29

115+

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company delivering it all

AS LONG AS THERE ARE VEHICLES TO PAINT, PPG WILL BE THERE TO HELP YOU PAINT THEM.

PRO TIPS

PAINT LIKE A PRO

PA I N T E R ’ S P L AY B O O K 2 01 9

SATA western regional manager Ron “Flea” Fleenor knows a thing or two about paint “I LEARN SOMETHING EVERY DAY,” Ron “Flea” Fleenor says.

“I try to stay in my own lane and do my own thing. And I love teaching how to do this kind of stuff,” he says. “I’ve been doing it since 1975; you constantly try and evolve your career. You try and learn something every day to do your job better and faster. I’ve been super lucky to be able to work with companies that let me try stuff and then go ahead and teach it. I’ve hung out with some of the best in the industry and it’s great to bounce ideas without letting egos get in the way. Everyone feeds off each other; that’s how we can really move forward in this business.”

01 When spraying base, finding the right tip size and correct air pressure is key. SATA has a chart that makes it all quite clear for novice and veteran painters alike. For spraying base, Flea recommends a 75% overlap or so during each pass for a seamless start to the project. A space clear of all debris—even on the floor—makes for a confident start to any endeavor.

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02 When sanding (as with any refinish process), wear proper eye and respiratory protection at all times.

Sand in a clear, clean space with good lighting and ventilation. When working on a larger section such as a hood (seen here), make sure you can move around it easily, that you can reach every corner and crevice, and double-check that your gear won’t get in your way. Sand in a deliberate yet careful manner, moving in crisp, equal strokes across any imperfections or areas of focus. Even among common jobs, “you’d be crazy not to wear the safety gear at all times,” Flea says.

03 “Sealing is sealing,” Flea says, but that doesn’t mean all sealant applications are created equal. Flea is adamant that good overlaps make a good seal. As with sanding, deliberate movement in a regular speed is key—anything that allows you to control the gun and not let the gun control you. A 75% overlap from pass to pass should be enough to ensure a regular coating.

THE FUTURE AT SATA STARTS WITH AN

The revolutionary

SATAjet X 5500

PA I N T E R ’ S P L AY B O O K 2 01 9

The Dream Team: Newly designed with synchronized air flow geometry inside the spray gun and nozzle set, ensuring perfect material distribution, optimized atomization and precise spray fan shapes. All of this combined with material savings and a much softer application with a reduced noise level.

Two distinct available spray fan patterns per nozzle size allows for either enhanced application control or increased application speed, as well as the adaptation of the nozzle set to different temperature and air humidity levels.

I-nozzle

O-nozzle RP

Nozzle size

1.1 I

1.2 I

1.3 I

1.4 I

–

1.1 O

1.2 O

1.3 O

1.4 O

–

RP version is approved for SCAQMD. Pending EPA approval.

Standard with one each RPS multipurpose cup 0.6 l / 0.9 l, with swivel joint Part No.

1061548 1061556 1061564 1061572

–

1061580 1061598 1061605 1061613

–

DIGITAL cpl. with one each RPS multipurpose cup 0.6 l / 0.9 l, with swivel joint Part No.

1061639 1061655 1061704 1061738

–

1061770 1061796 1061811 1061837

–

HVLP Nozzle size

1.1 I

1.2 I

1.3 I

1.4 I

1.5 I

1.1 O

1.2 O

1.3 O

1.4 O

1.5 O

Standard with one each RPS multipurpose cup 0.6 l / 0.9 l, with swivel joint Part No.

1061895 1061902 1061887 1061910 1061928 1061936 1061944 1061952 1061960 1061978

DIGITAL cpl. with one each RPS multipurpose cup 0.6 l / 0.9 l, with swivel joint Part No.

SATAjet X 5500 explanation video www.sata.com/x5500io SATA Nozzle Selector APP www.sata.com/nozzlefinder

1062009 1061986 1062017 1062041 1062059 1062083 1062091 1062132 1062140 1062174

The exclusive independent distributor of SATA products in the US and Puerto Rico

Phone: 800-533-8016 www.satausa.com E-mail: satajet@satausa.com

SATA, SATAjet and/or other SATA products referenced herein are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SATA GmbH & Co. KG in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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SOME SEE ONLY PAINT. WE SEE A REFLECTION OF WHO WE ARE. Every vehicle finish mirrors what we value most as a company—our commitment to delivering the industry’s most advanced coatings that meet the demands of an ever-changing marketplace.

And a passion for partnering with our customers to help them succeed at every level of their business. Our values have been guiding us for more than 115 years running, so our dedication is always there for the world to see.

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The PPG Logo is a registered trademark and We protect and beautify the world is a trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.