Shop Profile: CARSTAR Jeremiah’s Collision and Painting

“I’m probably the youngest shop owner in Oklahoma City, and maybe the entire state,” says Graham, who at age 33 owns CARSTAR Jeremiah’s Collision and Painting along with his wife Elizabeth.

Graham got his start in the industry during the summer following his high school graduation. At the time he was waiting on tables while holding down two restaurant jobs. “I was out in my driveway when a lady was moving in three houses down. She came and asked if I could help unload a couple of heavy pieces, which turned into me unloading the entire truck. While I was unloading, her dad was watching me,” he recounts. The father overseeing the move-in turned out to be Hugh Dooley, who with his wife Della owned a local Maaco franchise.

“After I was finished, he started asking me if I liked cars and if I was interested in a career. I said, ‘What’s a career? I’m only 18.’ I kind of blew it off at the time. A few weeks later his daughter stopped by and asked if I had talked to her dad more about working for him. She said he was impressed with me, so I finally went to talk to him and he offered me a job.”

Coming on board as a customer service representative, over the next 15 years Graham moved up to estimating and then became a managing partner under Hugh and Della’s tutelage. “I got into it, I was interested in it, and I wanted to keep going. I wanted to learn more and be better.”

Hugh and Della were both astute business operators (“they were doing it while I was still in diapers”) who were eager to mentor him along the way and pick up the tab for his ever-advancing I-CAR training. “They saw something in me and gave me the confidence to move forward on my own.”

Upon Hugh’s death, Della decided to retire; Graham purchased the Maaco shop’s assets and established his own business, conducting a major remodel and overhaul of the facility in the process. “My mother worked with me for the first few months to help me get up and running, but once she got everything in line she didn’t have to come in anymore,” he says.

“We were independent for about a week,” Graham notes, becoming a CARSTAR franchisee in 2012. In short order Jeremiah’s clinched the corporation’s company-wide Rookie of the Year and Marketer of the Year honors.

Constructive debates
Graham has combined his people-skills and never-ending quest for education to reap an annual gross of $1.5 million at the 12-bay shop with 11 employees.

“I wanted to be smarter than the insurance adjuster,” he reports, noting that an insurance company executive once told him that “you’re going to do fine in his business because everybody likes you.”

Graham believes that his ability to relate to those around him is an “innate” quality that aids in steering the success of the enterprise. “I genuinely care about what’s going on with people,” especially when a customer is undergoing the stress of being in a car crash. “I’m an ‘it-is-what-it-is’ kind of guy. I roll with the punches and I take it as it comes.”

This affable manner melds with extensive industry knowledge to achieve productive negotiations with insurance providers, according to Graham. “I definitely believe I catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” he explains. “I have educated myself so we can have ‘constructive debates.’ I can explain it to them in a way that they understand.”

A comfortable atmosphere
The shop’s five direct repair program (DRP) affiliations amount to about 20 percent of the revenues, with four fleet accounts netting another 15 percent. “I would like to have companies with large fleets think of me. It can also turn into more business when their employees see how well we take care of people. A lot of times they will bring their personal cars to me.”

Graham continues to seek additional commercial vehicle clients and DRP relationships among smaller insurers. “I don’t want to become reliant on just the larger companies. I would rather be more diverse with the DRPs I’m working with.”

Offering assistance to insurance representatives is an important element. “We provide a comfortable atmosphere for them. We have work areas for them to sit down and take care of their business and we offer them drinks,” says Graham.

“I sometimes have reps stop by when they don’t even have a car in my shop just to sit down and catch up on paperwork. We let them use our WiFi and printers. We also set things up in the shop to make it easy for them. We have a designated area for them to inspect vehicles,” he adds. “We just try to be as friendly and helpful as possible.”

A similar approach is taken with vendors. “We work very well together. My policy is ‘treat us fair; do the right thing for us and we’ll do business with you.’ When it comes to purchasing, I would rather pay for the right part instead of saving money on the wrong part.”

Graham is currently en route to becoming an I-CAR instructor, and Jeremiah’s frequently hosts on-site training sessions that jobbers support via sponsorships or paying for the students’ meals.

Manufacturers are also invited to present in-house classes and conduct certification procedures.

Regarding the staff, “When it comes to training, it’s not as much of a requirement as it is them wanting to learn more,” he says.

“I always remind my guys that things are always changing and that we must stay current. If they come up to me about something they want to learn more about I’ll do everything I can to get them more resource material or find out what it would take to get them extra training. Our plan this year is to go for more OE certifications. I pay for their training and for their time while they’re in training.”

Graham does point out that “one of my challenges right now is finding and developing good people. We have some great people in our shop right now, but it’s always a challenge when you’re looking for new people to find someone with integrity that you can trust.”

Charting productivity
Each morning at the shop begins with a meeting among the staff to discuss the day’s tasks. Jeremiah’s is in the process of implementing a 5S workplace organization system originally developed in Japan that applies the principles of Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize and Sustain.

Production boards are used to chart the progress of body work and painting, and parts carts are used throughout the shop floor.

“When it comes to other services, we offer paintless dent repair,” Graham reports. “That has been pretty popular, and it’s a great way to upsell while a customer already has their car in our shop. We sometimes do it as a courtesy as well,” he says.

“We also have a mechanical guy here. We’ve done some brake jobs and oil changes, but nothing major. Mechanical is not something that we advertise, but if a customer needs something done while their car is here we will try and accommodate that request.”

Some 65 percent to 70 percent of the clientele consists of either referrals or repeat customers, “so we really market to them with great service. We try to wow them during the time that their car is here.” Patrons are provided with photos depicting the repair process.

“One customer of ours had set a special ringtone on his phone for our text messages. What happened was that every time his phone would go off with that ringtone, everyone in his office would gather to see the progress on his car,” Graham reports. “I see that as a great marketing message, the way our customer service reputation can spread.”

The shop is heavily involved in charitable and civic events that include sponsoring an elementary school reading program for low-income students and contributing to other community causes. Graham has joined the National Auto Body Council (NABC) and is gearing up to participate in the Recycled Rides program.

“I am part of CARSTAR’s EDGE Performance Group, which is a great asset for a young owner like myself,” he observes, emphasizing his dedication to operating a smooth and productive operation. “As the owner, my role is to pitch in everywhere, from estimating, to running production, to scrubbing the toilets if needed. I’m not an off-site owner. I’m very involved.”

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