Shop Profile: Pike’s CARSTAR Collision Center

Feb. 6, 2014
Staying power at Pike’s CARSTAR Collision Center in Madison, Ohio, comes through family ties and community service.
A family focused work atmosphere, ongoing participation in numerous community activities and a sincere commitment to providing top customer service have combined to provide a peak level of performance at Pike’s CARSTAR Collision Center in Madison, Ohio.

As one of the first shops in the nation to become a CARSTAR franchisee, and the chain’s inaugural entry into the Buckeye State, Pike’s celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013 amid an array of honors saluting the integrity and business acumen of owners Doug and Tamara Pike.

In addition to accolades from the franchise’s corporate headquarters, Pike’s was proclaimed Business of the Year by the influential Madison/Perry Area Chamber of Commerce.

“I was overwhelmed,” says Tamara Pike, expressing her surprise and delight as the couple’s community involvement and charitable contributions were chronicled in a prominent newspaper profile by Dave Deluca of the Ashtabula Star Beacon.

“It was quite an honor,” Tamara exclaims. “We may have to devote an entire wall space to all of the plaques and awards. There were so many,” she continues. “They included recognition from the Lake County commissioners, the Ohio Senate, Madison Schools, Madison Township, the Village of North Perry and many others.”

“We don’t do these things for recognition,” adds Doug Pike. “We’re just people doing our bit to help people.”

Doug and Tamara Pike

“If you could say only one thing about Doug,” according to CARSTAR spokeswoman Debby Robinson, “it would be that he is always honest and up front.”

Says Doug in response: “We put people back in their cars with their families. Nothing is more important than that.”

This focus on family ties is found throughout all aspects of the business. It was there from the beginning three decades ago and remains a key factor to this day.

“The support of my wife and daughters is what has made our business successful for the past 30 years,” Doug points out. “I am blessed to have them by my side.”

Tamara serves as office administrator, handling marketing, human resources, accounting and bookkeeping along with other management tasks. “With only a high school diploma, she has attended industry training and business seminars alongside of me,” he reports, noting that the constant pursuit of education has been a critical component in building the business and maintaining profitability in a tough marketplace.

With 12 employees and 36 bays, Pike’s posted $1.5 million in gross revenues last year.

Doug and Tamara’s three daughters – Alaina, Danielle and Rachel – all work at the business in various capacities.

“There is nothing more precious to me than family, and I am honored to have mine working with me,” says Doug. “Each of us has our job and does it well. We have always gotten along and had fun together, and doing this in a work atmosphere has been as enjoyable and rewarding as at home.”

These warm and fuzzy feelings are apparently felt by the non-family staffers as well, given that the five technicians have tenures topping out at 27, 15 and 12 years of service.

“We retain great personnel by treating them respectfully and honestly,” Doug says, stressing that individual professional fulfillment remains an important element of the business model.

“We offer to pay for all I-CAR and ASE training to maintain our Gold status,” he reports. “Our employees are our biggest asset. Without their knowledge, skill and commitment we are out of business.”

Operational efficiencies are also enhanced by a sense of top-to-bottom trust that exists throughout the enterprise, a situation that allows Doug and Tamara to keep abreast of all the latest industry educational offerings.

“During our time away from the office, whether it’s personal or for business – such as conferences, training, meetings, etc. – we have always been able to count on our staff members,” says Doug, who likewise anticipates a smooth switchover to waterborne paint as the goal for conversion is set to soon arrive.

Mainstreaming benchmarks As you might expect, having a cordial and professional work environment easily extends to delivering competent repairs, a happy clientele and word-of-mouth referrals. “Customers and their satisfaction are our No. 1 priority,” Doug says. “Our customer service representatives and estimators treat our customers with the utmost respect and understanding. We track our CSI and review and retrain as necessary.”

Dating back to 1989, the company has annually averaged a customer service index rating of 4.8 on a scale of 5.

Pike’s participates in 25 direct repair program (DRP) affiliations, which accounts for 47 percent of sales. Selected mechanical repairs, alignments and towing augment non-insurance-paid bodywork, and relations with insurance carriers are routinely monitored to ensure peak satisfaction.

“We continually review with them our performance with their company and work with them to mainstream their benchmarks, always treating them with the utmost respect,” says Doug, adding that “our biggest challenge in running a profitable business is keeping up with the ongoing changes and demands of the insurance industry. We are committed to using the best quality parts and service available.”

Located in the heart of the Lake Erie snowbelt east of Cleveland amid a spectacularly bucolic scenic setting, “just getting more cars to the door” remains a marketing challenge in a rural region hosting a limited pool of vehicles.

Madison carries with it an interesting history. Once an important port rivaling Cleveland in size, bog iron was forged along Arcola Creek and big schooners were constructed of timbers on the beach at the north end of Dock Road. In time, however, the industry and workers moved on and the land reverted to wilderness. Later came farming, enriched by a high water table and sandy soils perfect for producing grapes and nursery stock. The Mother Earth News was previously headquartered in the village; the community currently consists of generously sized properties and former lakeside cottages now populated year-long by residents who commute to jobs held elsewhere.

“Snow and deer hits have a great impact on sales, making summer our slowest time,” Doug explains, alluding to the marketing importance of maintaining such close ties to the community’s hometown activities.

Sponsoring teams in the local youth and adult leagues, Doug and Tamara frequently donate time, money and energy to causes such as the Madison Food Bank, Make-A-Wish, the American Legion’s Veterans Day Dinner, the Madison High School Band, the  Old Fashioned Days street festival, reverse raffles, charitable auctions and other worthy events.

An ambitious name-recognition marketing effort features billboard, print and radio advertisements.

One bite at a time A graduate of the Auburn Career Center auto body program, Doug worked as a combination repairer/painter for eight years at various collision centers while nurturing the goal of someday owning his own shop.

“My father, David Pike, was my first and greatest mentor,” Doug recounts. “He taught my four brothers and I the importance of integrity and gave us the strength and confidence to pursue anything we wanted in life. My admiration for him is at the highest level.”

And while always knowing he wanted to run his own facility, Doug found himself with the opportunity to do so in 1983 when his employer was going out of business. He purchased the equipment and supplies, becoming a business owner with no business education.

At the beginning, to get the operation on its feet, Doug and Tamara worked crazy hours. Doug would be in the office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. When they closed for the day he would work in the back until Midnight. Tamara would get up and go in at 3 a.m. to do the accounting and personnel work, coming home at 8 a.m. Doug would have their oldest daughter ready for school eating breakfast, and then he would leave for work.

“All we were sure of when we started the business was that it would not interfere with family,” says Doug, “and that we would always operate above board and with the thought that we would treat people the way we wanted to be treated.”

And together Doug and Tamara continued to seek out the proper training via a series of seminars and educational programs, culminating in a 3M ARMS management class taught by Lirel Holt, who at that time was beginning to establish the CARSTAR network of independently owned shops. Doug and Tamara soon came aboard the fledgling franchise.

“My admiration for this man is only second to my father,” says Doug of Holt’s lasting influence. “He was helpful in teaching me to look at my business from the outside, and he also taught me to keep it simple: ‘One bite at a time.’ He also gave my wife and I an opportunity to do something we never would have imagined doing before we met him.”

Subscribe to ABRN and receive articles like this every month…absolutely free. Click here

Sponsored Recommendations

Best Body Shop and the 360-Degree-Concept

Spanesi ‘360-Degree-Concept’ Enables Kansas Body Shop to Complete High-Quality Repairs

ADAS Applications: What They Are & What They Do

Learn how ADAS utilizes sensors such as radar, sonar, lidar and cameras to perceive the world around the vehicle, and either provide critical information to the driver or take...

Banking on Bigger Profits with a Heavy-Duty Truck Paint Booth

The addition of a heavy-duty paint booth for oversized trucks & vehicles can open the door to new or expanded service opportunities.

Boosting Your Shop's Bottom Line with an Extended Height Paint Booths

Discover how the investment in an extended-height paint booth is a game-changer for most collision shops with this Free Guide.