Pride in quality, adherence to repair efficiencies drives sales growth at Colorado shops

This focus on efficiencies is greatly enhanced through the shops’ affiliation with a major collision repair organization. “The CARSTAR processes have allowed me to grow my business,” says Gary, generating income in a manner that “I wouldn’t be able to do as an independent business. The networking opportunities have allowed me to be a part of a larger operation while still retaining independent ownership.”

In business for 37-plus years, Gary began to realize real success 26 years ago upon joining the CARSTAR ranks.

“By the late 1980s I had taken over the building next door and added another 1,500 square feet, and was quickly realizing I could fix cars – but I was lacking in the ‘business’ side of things,” he recounts. “In late 1991 a man named Lirel Holt walked into my store, and that became a pivotal moment of my professional career.”

Holt, CARSTAR’s founder, “talked to me about the benefits of joining a relatively new concept of bringing stores together for networking and common systems, processes and training to better the industry. I knew that could help me run my business, and I joined in March 1992. I still speak with Lirel on occasion today and consider him my first true mentor. From that time forward I worked to improve my office systems and the company began to grow quickly.”

CARSTAR’s Margaret Ray, who is retired but still offers consulting advice, has been another important influence. “She taught me about the value of running the business by the numbers and about making business decisions based on real numbers. As Margaret would say, ‘Numbers are your friend!’”

Ed Gapsch, who has retired from owning a CARSTAR store in St. Louis, was another source of support and wisdom, having connected with Gary at the chain’s Financial Focus Group meetings. “Ed and I became very good friends over the years, and he taught me many things about running a successful business.”

Gary says his shops are “customer-focused, but insurance-friendly.” “My staff knows my philosophy that our top priority is to service our customers at a high level, so we have to maintain positive insurance relationships as working with the insurers is part of the path to customer satisfaction.”

He notes that “we have all the same challenges in working in the insurance environment today that other stores have, but we work hard at open communication mixed with knowledge and documentation. As a whole we pride ourselves on our reputation as a shop that any insurance representative can walk into and be treated respectfully while knowing that we represent our customers fairly while balancing insurance company or policyholder guidelines.”

Cooperating with suppliers is another priority. “We have worked with many of our vendors for many years, so our service expectations of them – and them of us – create smoother interactions. Having good systems in place to provide accurate orders with good information has helped strengthen our parts relationships over the years as well. We have utilized Finishmaster for over 25 years to supply our paint and materials, so our relationship there is very strong.”

Finishmaster’s line of environmentally safe cleaning products is part of an overall pollution-reduction program designed to benefit employees and customers alike. Waterborne paints have been applied for many years, six Total Automotive Sanding Systems from 3M are on duty at both shops, and all paper and metals waste is diligently recycled.

“Our employees genuinely care about our customer safety and satisfaction. We work hard to follow proper repair procedures and provide high quality customer service,” says Gary.

“The first thing I look for is character” when interviewing a potential new hire, who has to display the quality of being a team player and “be willing to accept the culture that we’ve built. If they have that, we’ll improve their skills through training and give them room to grow.”

An ambitious schedule

It was Gary’s late father Wes who initially inspired him to enter the repair business. Wes was an auto racer who frequently tended to his competitive vehicles throughout Gary’s childhood. “By the time I was 14 I was doing bodywork and painting cars. I began racing cars and continued with my passion for cars until I landed my first job in a small body shop when I was 16 years old.”

Here he set about to “learn the trade” and “began to understand the ‘retail’ side of the industry,” studying estimates and repair orders to better grasp the reasoning behind cycle times and how “repair versus replace” decisions are made.

“I worked at that shop until I was 21, and made the decision to try it on my own.”

In 1981 he leased a 2,750 sq-ft. shop and in short order hired his brother-in-law Wayne Houston as his first employee, who went on to work with him for 35 years until retiring last year. Over the next decade Gary took over the neighboring building, expanding to 4,700 sq-ft. while bringing on 11 more employees and establishing productive relationships with insurance providers.

“I did the ‘traditional’ 12- to 14-hour days for many years as I grew and added staffing.” His two sons followed a similar path; one now works in Gary’s parts department and the other owns a paintless dent repair operation, providing services to Alpine, Jordan Road and other area shops.

By 1999 annual sales had climbed to $1.7 million, marking a pattern of consistent growth that resulted in a relocation in 2000 to a 13,500 sq-ft facility along with continuing staffing increases.

As annual sales at Alpine, Gary’s original shop, rose to $4 million, “In 2007 I decided to open another location and purchased an existing 16,500 sq-ft shop that had large growth potential. That store has grown from a 10-employee operation to a 28-person operation and is doing well. I currently work between stores focusing on HR and administrative responsibilities while overseeing daily operations from the top level,” he reports.

“While the recession of 2007-2008 was a difficult time to grow a new store, we worked hard to implement all of the CARSTAR systems and business began to grow. First-year sales exceeded $1.5 million, and by 2015 sales at that location had climbed to over $4 million,” he says.

In 2016 an additional 5,000 sq-ft was purchased to expand the Alpine shop, which helped the company exceed $5 million in annual sales in 2016 and 2017. “The past three years have continued to show growth while stabilizing due to capacity,” says Gary.

“Having been in business for over 37 years, I am fortunate to have a very supportive wife, Stacy, who helps me keep life balanced. She’s my best friend and my rock – and my business partner,” specializing in marketing the company and coordinating an ambitious schedule of charity events that the business presents to aid in the fight against cystic fibrosis.

During the summer of 2018 the shop raised $28,000 on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, including $15,000 in donations obtained through a single golf outing.