Keenan Auto Body is lean, green and not-at-all mean; for two years in a row the 12-location chain throughout the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware Tri-State region has been honored as among the Top 150 Philadelphia Workplaces.
“We separate ourselves from the other MSOs by our size and our culture – our culture is second to none,” says marketing director Craig J. Camacho. “It’s a fun place to work. It’s a transparent atmosphere.”
The highly trained staff of 166, especially the technicians, is empowered to think for themselves and make decisions. “Their hands aren’t tied,” Camacho explains. “They know that they can be the best they can be at their own doing.”
Along with ongoing opportunities for company-paid I-CAR and OEM educational courses, promotions are frequently made from within. Bonus plans are in place for estimators and blueprinters, plus incentives are available for high-achieving customer service representatives and other personnel. The employees also enjoy taking part in Keenan’s numerous charitable events on behalf of the respective communities.
Other personal workplace fulfillment packages come via access to state-of-the-art equipment and the company’s continuing innovative approaches to lean production techniques.
“You can get more done in a shorter amount of time,” Camacho says. “It increases productivity. The techs know each other from shop to shop, and they say, ‘You know, this works.’ The staff is very open-minded and they have embraced positive change.”
A fertile in-house recruiting endeavor is rooted by CROP, the Keenan’s-created Collision Repair Opportunity Program, which builds relationships with high schools and vocational colleges. “Soft skills” such as being on time and having a good attitude are crucial traits for the applicants. “If you like to come in late, this probably isn’t a good fit for you,” according to Camacho. “Our culture is not about being late – it’s about being early.”
Upon acceptance into CROP, a student receives a nine-month unpaid internship for learning body and paint skills and $1,500 worth of tools. Successful graduates keep the tools and gain full-time employment.
Forward-thinking industry consultants were brought in to assist in engineering a proprietary in-house 12-step set of lean procedures that pay close attention to all the key performance indicators (KPIs). Each element of the repair process, ranging from administrative services, intake, release and housekeeping is consistently evaluated and improved with input from the staff. Employee buy in is assured by constant communication throughout the operation.
Individual parts carts, directional lines painted on the floor, precise tool storage spots and waterborne paint capability are just a few of the lean features exclusively designed to ensure smooth and efficient repairs while protecting the environment.
“Lean makes things simplistic-seeming, and that’s the beauty of it,” says Camacho. Strategically placed signage reinforces the message. “You see these posters throughout the shops and everyone follows them. It’s a constant reminder.”
A radical transformation
Shop-audit meetings with all the managers are conducted at a different location each month to monitor adherence and encourage the development of new lean ideas.
“That’s part of our transparency,” Camacho reports. “There’s no favoritism – the guys are brutally honest with each other.” An audit involves inspecting every aspect of the hosting shop, with an annual award going to the best operation. The list is all-inclusive. Are the employees well dressed and polite? What is your first inside and out impression of the facility? Are the restrooms clean and stocked with adequate paper products? Is there a sufficient amount of current magazines and beverages in the waiting room? Did someone leave parts inside a customer’s car?
“This is the wave of the future,” says Camacho, referring to lean’s initial introduction and its never-ending enhancements. Multiple staff meetings set the tone for what was to come: “We’re going to have a radical transformation and we want to do it without any work disruption.”
A single facility served as the 12-step debut site, “and once we perfected it we duplicated it in all our shops,” Camacho recounts, with the program culminating in the April grand opening of Keenan’s 12th facility. The 24,000-square-foot structure, which previously housed a boating manufacturing firm, was totally gutted and outfitted with yet another innovative design.
“We are no strangers to opening new locations, but this one will be unique with the addition of the Body Shop Revolution system,” says Camacho, citing “the ability to fully dry a freshly painted vehicle in three minutes, which will help lower cycle time and will give us another competitive edge in our marketplace.”
Based in the UK and established in 2010, Bodyshop Revolution’s U.S. expansion launched in 2014; the turnkey array of offerings highlights applied thinking, design and workflow layout, automated technology and methodical implementation.
A “shotgun approach” to social media sites and taking flight with the Philadelphia Eagles are among the marketing initiatives. Eagles fans are known for their notorious and enthusiastic dedication to the team, and the company advertises heavily on Philly’s sports-talk radio station.
Ad buys are done in house without using an outside agency, and the package includes numerous game-day spots throughout the Eagles coverage, with Keenan’s carrying the designation as the broadcaster’s Official Repair Center.
Founded in 1952 by Joseph T. Keenan and acquired by his son Donald J. Keenan in 1979, Don ran the business as a single location until bringing President and COO Michael W. LeVasseur on board in 1993 to open a second shop.
The company has long been known for being involved with industry organizations – management personnel serve in a variety of association leadership positions and LeVasseur is an ABRN columnist – and recognitions include winning the prestigious Dale Delmege Award. Previously known as the Achievement in Collision Repair Excellence (ACE) Award, it honors legendary collision repair advocate Dale Delmege, who died in February.
Community involvement is standard operating procedure for the entire staff. Charitable contributions and active participation in civic events are commonplace, such as placing wrecked cars in front of schools to discourage distracted driving and hosting catered extrication classes for area fire departments. “We’ve had as many as 60 to 70 firefighters at a given event,” says Camacho, pointing out that the company’s name recognition and reputation for excellence combine to attract impressed patrons.
A constant work in progress
Keenan’s received significant accolades in 2009 when it went all in with green by erecting a new waterborne-equipped shop in Middletown, Del., which also boasted the largest solar power system in the entire state. About half of the 16,000-square-foot facility’s energy needs are supplied by the sun.
“One of the many benefits of building a collision shop from the ground up is the ability to set it up to accommodate new eco-friendly opportunities,” according to LeVasseur. “This was not only the right thing to do for the environment, but it was also a solid business decision.”
Both greenfield construction and upgrades to already-erected collision centers are included in Keenan’s continuing lean and green expansion efforts. “When we move into a new area, we don’t buy the business, we buy the building,” says Camacho. “We look at the structure and make sure it matches our own” potential needs. Each of the completed outlets “has the same look and branding when you walk inside.”
Extensive research is conducted within a marketing sphere under consideration. “We run all the demographics,” he notes. “What is the typical ‘spend’ for collision work that families pay?” Bedroom communities are the best prospects. Population growth, income levels, crime rates and competing shops are among the factors addressed in the reviews, along with the promising presence of anchor stores such as CVS and Home Depot.
In addition, insurance carriers will make a request for Keenan’s to investigate entering into a particular neighborhood.
The company’s 14 direct repair program (DRP) affiliations account for about 80 percent of sales. Cooperation and communication between the insurance provider, shop and customer is critical for maintaining solid relationships amid negotiating the transactions. “We’ve fired DRPs” that failed to deliver the proper attributes, Camacho reports.
“We walk the line, always doing what is right for the customer and their vehicle while still being on the insurance company’s programs,” he adds. “It’s a two-way street. The insurance companies all have their own sets of criteria, and we’re able to work with those that we have now.”
The shop has a robust focus on meeting the desired DRP KPIs. “We call it ‘Whac-A-Mole,’” Camacho says, as in the game of roving pop-up targets. Individual issues of importance to a given insurer are addressed as part of the lean philosophy.
“If the ‘pain’ of that insurance company is cycle time, then we knock that down” and move onto the next area of concern. “It’s a constant work in progress.” Obtaining proper payment remains an issue as well. “We are on a crusade to get paid for certain operations that we’re not paid for now.”
The overriding mission, though, is making sure that all the work is safely accomplished. “Our credo is that we do what’s right for the customer and the car,” says Camacho. “We repair every car so that a family of five could drive it across the country – that’s how we sleep at night.”
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