Lefler’s Collision and Glass Centers named a 2014 ABRN Top Shop

Nov. 24, 2014
Lefler’s Collision and Glass Centers in Evansville, Ind., has been named a 2014 ABRN Top Shop, and stands out with its legacy of industry leadership and community service.
At A Glance Lefler's Collision and Glass Centers Shop name 1325 Maxwell Ave., Evansville, Ind. Location 4, plus multiple glass repair sites Number of shops 92 Number of bays $1,147 Average repair ticket 222 Average vehicles per week $13.2 Annual revenue www.leflers.com Website
The Lefler's team

When ABRN named Mayfield Collision Centers its 2014 Top Shops winner, two things happened. Mayfield posted the good news on its Facebook page. Soon after, last year's Top Shops winner Lefler's Collision and Glass posted its congratulations. Readers and customers familiar with the Evansville, Ind. shop weren't surprised at the thoughtful move. Lefler's has made a reputation for itself as one of the "good guys" in the industry -- a shop that strives to uphold strong values in quality repairs and caring for its community.

Founded in 1952 by Leroy Lefler and named Leroy's Paint and Fender Repair, the shops was incorporated in 1976 as Lefler Body Shop Inc. by son James. His son Jimmy grew up working in every position--detailing, parts, repair, paint and management. In 2006, he purchased the remaining stock in the shop to become its sole owner. From, there he began assembling his own team and putting in place the operation he wanted.

Today, Lefler's Collision and Glass Centers features four locations with 67 employees working in two cities. Its glass business includes Glass Doctor sites in Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky, along with a local glass shop.  The collision part of the business repairs an average of 222 vehicles a week, generating more than $13 million in annual revenue. Lefler's has been named a Top Shop every year it has entered the contest, finishing at the top of the industry twice.    

The business has gained much of its notoriety from homegrown operational solutions such as its Claims Processing Unit (CPU). The CPU is manned by employees who process all the paperwork involved with a repair, allowing customer service reps devote their energy to other customer concerns.

The business also employs a full range of lean processes that have effectively cut cycle times by three days and significantly reduced any re-dos. Not content with that achievement, Lefler's location managers continually hone and update these processes to create more efficiency. In the past two years, Lefler hired a Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to handle the business's day-to-day activities to give himself the time to focus on the "big ideas" that will transform his operation.  

As noteworthy as these accomplishments may be, Lefler's is arguably even better known for the extraordinary efforts it takes to reach out to its community--both locally and around the world. Jimmy Lefler and COO Ed Dietz regularly speak to groups--including local companies, schools and civic organizations--on vehicle safety, maintenance and other automotive topics.

Lefler also takes part in the annual “100 Men Who Cook” is a community fundraising event that benefits a different local charity each year.  This year he and 99 other local celebrity personalities and businessmen raised $104,000 in a single night for the Albion Fellows Bacon Center, which helps abused and battered families.

Techs Rodney Blandford and Nathan Shelton work on a bumper.

Detailer Shawn Mays finishes a car at Lefler's Westside location.

The shop continues to offer a number educational outreach seminars, including Meeting Crashers, a corporate speaking seminar, and a Teen Driving Crash Course where the shop partners with the local sheriff’s office, a trauma center and an insurance rep. Young drivers learn what to expect on the road and begin a dialogue with their parents on driving.  

The business's most popular seminar is its Ladies Night Out event, voted best consumer education program by the Car Care Council Women’s Board in 2013. This seminar is held 2-3 times per year and regularly attracts over 150 women who learn about vehicle safety, what to do in the event of an accident and the importance of vehicle maintenance. 

In December, as part of the non-profit organization Uncharted International, Lefler and several employees will travel to the country of Myanmar to take part in Project Restore. They will help renovate  a that provides medical care and life skill training for children rescued from human trafficking around the world and returned to their homeland. This will be Lefler's ninth trip to the region.

Even with this busy schedule, Lefler and his business found time this year to institute a number of changes to help ensure the shop remains an industry leader. They invested over $500,000.00 in new paint booths, aluminum welders, aluminum work stations, computer scanners, upgraded compression spot welders, two post lifts and training.

As part of ongoing environmental efforts, they added plastic repairs, expanded their recycling program, converted all stores to waterborne paint systems and replaced their two oldest paint booths with high efficient models.   

Over the past year, Lefler and Dietz worked with Axalta to develop a new continuing education curriculum for the insurance industry. The two traveled to Chicago and Orlando to iron out the wrinkles and have since provided classes to many local agents.

The shop also unveiled a program it believes will take its customer service to the next level. Lefler's Valet Service will allow customers to have their damaged vehicle picked up and delivered to the shop while a customer service representative drops off the rental vehicle, along with all the necessary paperwork and contracts. When the work is complete, Lefler's returns the repaired vehicle and picks up the rental, eliminating many of the inconveniences customers face when juggling work, life and a repair.

Lefler says the program is the result of a challenge consultant Mike Anderson gave him and other owners to find a new way to convince customers to give them their business. He notes that this will be the first valet service of this type in the industry.

As for the future, son Josh Lefler graduated college with a degree in Business Administration and has joined the staff. His presence marks the fourth generation of the family to work in the business. Jimmy Lefler says having his son there means the shop can continue as a family business for some time, which should mean more attention-grabbing innovations down the road.

It should also make the future competition for Top Shops more interesting as well.

Scorebox:

Name: Lefler Collision and Glass Centers

Address: 1325 Maxwell Ave. Evansville, IN 47711

Locations: 4, plus multiple glass repair sites

Bays: 92

Average repair cost: $1,147

Average vehicles per week: 222

Annual revenue: $13.2 million

Website: www.leflers.com

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