With more than 20 direct repair program (DRP) affiliations, the high-production operation fixes 40 to 60 vehicles a week while maintaining high- quality standards. Situated on a sprawling setting encompassing seven structures of relatively modest size on a 32-acre site, the company also has a professional auto racing enterprise located nearby.
"The various functions are spread out in separate buildings – it's kind of like an assembly line," says production manager Gary Gardella Jr. "We do have to move the cars pretty often," he says, adding that "we've never gotten around to measuring the square footage" of the assorted structures.
Currently under construction is a self-funded, 8,000-square-foot facility with a layout similar to a car dealership's service center with large bay doors at each end. The design mimics that of Steffs Aluminum Fabrication, a renowned custom racing business owned by a family friend.
"The new shop is my dad's baby, he's working his tail off," says Gardella Jr., 32, referring to his 57-year-old dad.
"County Line Auto Body is a family-run business in every sense of the phrase," Gardella Jr. says. "Gary Sr., our father, is heavily involved in the business, and right now he is more of a floater around the entire shop, getting involved where needed. Rich Gardella, my brother, is an estimator who works in the office managing the staff. His wife, Erin Gardella, works in the office taking care of bookkeeping, scheduling and training new employees. My mom, Rita Gardella, is the mediator so we can make it through dinner," he says, mindful of the challenges that arise when relatives are in business together.
"Obviously, everyone knows that it can be tough working with family members day in and day out while also having to see each other for family gatherings," he says. "For the most part, we all do a very good job of keeping work at work. Of course, there are times when it can get a little hairy and look like a reality TV show episode."
Gardella Sr. started the business in 1982 as a two-bay shop, "and he expanded like crazy in the late 1980s and early '90s while we were still in school." Gardella Sr. had worked at his father's A to Z Auto Body on Staten Island, N.Y., for many years before opening his own shop in New Jersey.
"Over the years we have purchased a few of the surrounding properties and converted the homes into a mechanic shop, teardown shop, a parts department and an office," Gardella Jr. says. Twelve bays are currently utilized throughout the property. The new structure will be dedicated to specific body work as the "old shop" is converted to a paintwork-only facility. A conversion to waterborne finishes is part of the plans, which include adopting a wider array of lean production techniques suited to the in-one-end-and-out-the-other design of the new building.
Dealing with DRPs
From the beginning, Gardella Sr. concentrated on obtaining jobs through insurance carriers, eschewing advertising and marketing to the general public. His mantra was: "The harder you work and the faster you get the cars through, the more work you get from the DRPs."
"His goals were to produce quality workmanship and meet the standards for the DRPs and customers. This focus has been very successful for us, and that is why our shop has 20-plus DRPs," Gardella Jr. says.
"Recently we have stepped up and changed this. We have put a small marketing budget together to start advertising and promoting the business," he says. "Over the course of the year we will see if the strategies we are putting in place will drive in more foot traffic to our estimators."
Dealing with so many DRPs entails paying rapt attention to documenting every aspect of a repair. Photographs are routinely snapped of each procedure as the business adheres to the guidelines set forth by the insurance companies. If a fit, form or function issue arises with an aftermarket part, for example, the processes are all recorded as alternative components are explored.
"We always go out of our way to make sure every repair step is documented, including photos." Constant communication is a top priority "as it helps to establish and maintain smooth operations in regard to the DRPs," Gardella Jr. says.
DRPs account for about 80 percent of the business; the other 20 percent consists of fleet work and repeat customers opting for owner-pay repairs. "Our goal for 2012 is to change these percentages a bit through some new marketing strategies," he says, reflecting on the possibility that a sizable amount of potential patrons may be well within reach.
"I'm not sure if this is a challenge or a benefit, but our area really counts on commuters. We are between Philadelphia and New York City; one hour north is NYC and one hour south is Philly."
Advertising in local newspapers and magazines is on tap, and the company is also going to pursue an enhanced Internet presence.
"Since the business was established we relied on word of mouth. Now we plan to use our social media outlets to gain new customers. The only type of advertising we did was with sponsoring local sports teams and being involved in local fundraisers. This is one avenue of the business we definitely plan on changing within the next few months. We are also coming out with an iPhone app that possibly may reinvent how customers get their cars fixed," he says.
"This is all new for us with this business, but for years we worked and built our social media with regard to our racing program," Gardella Jr. says, "so we somewhat have an idea on how to get started and make a solid attempt. Our social media has been very successful within the racing world."
Establishing a formula
The Gardella Racing operation is mainly run by Gardella Jr. and his wife, Megan, with help from other family members.
Competing on the Formula Drift circuit, the team currently campaigns a 2011 Chevy Camaro branded by Mobil 1. The series consists of seven events a year, starting in Long Beach, Calif., and traveling nationwide hitting Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, Nevada and Washington.
"We have also competed overseas in Abu Dhabi and Dubai at the Formula 1 circuit, Yas Marina. What makes the series so interesting is that there really is only one class on the professional circuit that includes all of the different car manufactures; you can see a 2011 Ford Mustang with 800 horsepower competing against a 1990 Nissan 240 with only 400 horsepower," Gardella Jr. says.
"Yes, it does take a lot of money to compete competitively in racing, and we have been very successful over the years to have many great partners that have helped support us financially. Some of these companies were General Motors, Red Bull, Ecko Unlimited, Manley, Mobil 1, K&N, AEM, Maxxis Tire, Nitto Tire and many more."
There is little cross marketing with the collision repair aspect of the company.
"That was never the intention with my racing program," he says. "Our auto body business has always been a full DRP shop, and we have never gotten into doing the custom side of the collision work. Even though some shops have seen success in custom work, we have never seen the advantages in doing body kits and custom paint. The racing business has not driven much traffic to our doors besides inquiries about custom work."
There is an impact, however, related to the effort involved with managing both the racing program and the collision repair operations.
"We can start off with the time element, which seems to be the most difficult. I learned early on that in order to do it all, you need to surround yourself with really talented people. At our race shop we do everything in-house, from our fabricating to paint. So, fortunately, when we are building cars, I do not need to leave the body shop for an extended amount of time," Gardella Jr. says.
"As far as the body shop goes, I just spend as much time as I can at the shop and when I am gone my father, Gary Sr., covers for me, or one of our shop managers steps up and takes over the controls. Since I was consistently away for weekends at time with racing, about eight years ago we hired a foreman who is my right-hand man when I am away, Jay Crisson. He has demonstrated the ability to handle the demands of running this large facility to the standards that we expect."
An enthusiastic staff
Gardella Jr. offers praise for the family's ability to recruit a highly effective workforce. "We are very happy with our current crew. It has been a rocky road to get our staff to what we would like to consider an all-star team, but it was well worth riding out the turbulence; when you work around good people everyday it makes you look forward to going into work," he says.
"Most of the time we get potential employees to come in for an interview because the current shop they are working at does not have the overtime that we are able to supply. Usually during the course of the year we may only have a two-week span where we may not be able to swing overtime. Our guys really enjoy having this option available and do work hard for us at all times."
Their enthusiasm carries onward in ensuring that customers come away satisfied with the experience.
"We work hard at customer service," Gardella Jr. says. "Especially important is getting customers out in a timely manner. It really bothers me when I walk into our office and I hear that a customer has been waiting for a while, which is why we constantly reflect on the repair process and make improvements."
Taking into account the seven buildings that encompass the operation, lean procedures – or a variation of the strategies – are adopted wherever possible.
"A little over three years ago we started a teardown shop, and this has had a positive impact on our business. At first it was a difficult changeover, but once things got flowing, it seemed to change the business forever," Gardella Jr. says. "I would never go back to the old way we ran the shop. We also follow lean procedures in our paint department from start to finish, although we may throw in a few upgrades along the way. We do a lot of production for our size."
AT A GLANCE
County Line Auto Body
Name of shop
Howell, N.J.
Location
Gary Gardella Sr.,
Gary Gardella Jr.,
Rich Gardella
Owners
1
Number of shops
31
Years in business
32
Number of employees
20+
Number of DRPs
$2,150
Average repair order
4 days
Average cycle time
DuPont
Paint supplier
Chief, Car-O-Liner
Frame machines used
CCC, Audatex, Mitchell
Estimating systems used
http://www.countylineautonj.com/
Internet site
