Along with assuming a heightened role in operating the family business with an ongoing philosophy of lean continuous improvement, Henegar – known universally as Junior to differentiate the 28-year-old from his dad, owner Richard W. Henegar Sr. – suddenly finds himself in demand as a public speaker spreading an inspirational one-person-can-make-a-difference anti-bullying message to crowds of students at school assemblies.
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Yet even with all the hubbub, Quality Auto continues to attract rave reviews from customers thrilled with the shop’s service and workmanship. It annually grosses $1.2 million.
Junior’s dizzying foray into the limelight arose when he heard of a local gay man whose car had been severely vandalized, including death threats and anti-gay slurs scratched into the paint. As a straight, married former standout high school athlete who had taken heat from his peers for a wide circle of friends and interests (he also sang in the school choir), it was a no-brainer decision to repair the victim’s vehicle for free.
Junior had previously conducted a no-charge refurbishing of a truck belonging to a soldier serving in Afghanistan, and stepping up in the vandalism incident was simply the right thing to do, he said. The good deed also garnered local media coverage.
“We’ve experienced a continuous flow of steady business, and a lot of our customers have said that they saw me on Ellen,” Junior reports, modestly maintaining that the uptick could also be driven by deer hits and a rough Roanoke winter.
In addition, the area’s cable television provider has been airing a Quality Auto commercial at no charge. In a surprise move, DeGeneres recorded the spot for free; it also stars Pink the famous singer, three Olympic gymnasts and actor Patrick Dempsey.
Junior even established a 501(3)(c) non-profit foundation. He describes leveraging “my 15 minutes of fame” to create the Charitable Actions Revolution (CAR) under the umbrella of the Warm Hands Warm Heart organization. For more information, visit http://charitableactionrevolution.weebly.com.
“The Ellen show was just the beginning, the motivation for my next idea, and it began to come to fruition on my flight home from taping the Ellen show,” Junior recounts. After viewing “The Bully Project” movie on the plane, “my wheels continued to turn” with the idea of annually selecting a deserving individual and providing that person with a no-charge vehicle overhaul.
When he travels to schools Junior augments a power point presentation with “trying to show the students and adults that one person can make a difference” by standing up for those who are unpopular or less fortunate.
“There’s been a lot of publicity for the shop because of my extracurricular activities,” says Junior, “but that’s not why I do it. It’s exciting and stressful, but I feel like it’s my purpose.”
While his wife and parents are supportive of his endeavors, “the shop is the priority right now, so it’s been quite a juggle.”
The quest for continuous operational improvements is an ongoing point of focus along with a more immediate need to bring on additional employees to accomplish the increased level of work to be done at the 18-bay, 13,300 square-foot facility.
Qualified candidates are in short supply within the Roanoke market, according to Junior. “The good people are staying where they are,” he notes. “We try to recruit from out-of-town, but even those techs are hard to find.”
The Henegars, however, have found some success by working with the local school system to attract promising students onto the premises. “We try to bring in and teach the younger generation,” says Junior.
Providing a positive work environment is a key attribute at the company. “It’s been successful, and attitudes and morale have been high,” he says, noting also that decent pay and benefits result in the employees “taking pride in their shop.” Ongoing Gold Class I-CAR training and vendor-led educational sessions are additional attractions.
Glowing testimonials
The shop maintains a dozen direct repair program (DRP) relationships that account for 90 percent of its business. A strong word-of-mouth reputation and online social media presence bring marketing attention as well. “We mainly let our work, customer service and actions throughout the community gain us positive referrals,” says Junior.
Glowing testimonials are commonplace, such as this one submitted by B. Devillis: “Using Quality Auto turned an annoying, frustrating situation into a positive experience because of their outstanding customer service, excellent auto body work and, most of all, for making the whole process effortless for me.”
“It’s the Golden Rule,” explains Junior, who
A complete website is particularly beneficial for reaching vehicle owners who have been in a crash or enthusiasts seeking custom enhancements. “I can’t say enough good things about our website. It’s paid for itself 10-fold – especially with younger people.”
A direct-chat feature has proven to be a big plus for communicating with potential clients. “It comes right to my desk. It’s open during business hours and whenever else I want it to be,” says Junior.
Leaning toward lean
“I’ve been trained in lean and am a firm believer in it,” Junior continues, citing the family’s goal of adopting a more complete array of high-efficiency programs within a few years. “We try to follow the Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement. Currently, we do a complete teardown on every car before putting it into production, and we’ll take the extra time to partially disassemble a drivable vehicle to find any hidden damage.”
Like other shop managers, Junior laments the various operational constraints that place a damper on a more active pursuit of alternative production methods. “With all our time spent working in the business – and no time for working on it – there really hasn’t been time” to achieve the company’s desired results out on the shop floor.
Born into the business
The company was founded in as a sole proprietorship in 1986 by Junior’s father, Richard W. Henegar Sr., “in a shop not much bigger than our current front office.” As a youngster Junior “was born into it” as he washed and sanded vehicles, later leaving town to join the Navy. “In 2007, the same year Dad expanded from 3,500 square-feet to 13,300 square-feet when all the DRPs came beating down our doors (with more customers), I came home to help him with the transition and I’ve been here ever since.”
He goes on to describe how “when my father made the big move I knew he’d need help. When it came retirement time, I didn’t want to see his legacy get bought out or close up, so I knew I had to step up. I’m here for my father; I’m his 401(k). Plus, in what other job do you get to bring your dogs to work every day?”
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