Mayfield Collision Centers is 2014 ABRN Top Shops Contest winner

Nov. 24, 2014
Mayfield Collision Centers in South Euclid, Ohio, is the winner of the 2014 ABRN Top Shops Contest.

Edwin Land, the co-founder of Polaroid, once said that businesses don't need new ideas. They need to “stop having old ones.”

That notion flies in the face of so much of today's businesses world where operators are bent on either finding the next million (or billion) dollar idea or riding whatever hot trend industry insiders point to. Implementing new thinking is, of course, a necessary part of every business's success. Land's point was that discarding old notions also provides significant benefits.

In some cases, that means working from a fresh sheet of paper.

This approach sums up nicely the success behind the 2014 Top Shops winner, Mayfield Collision Centers. Sitting just south of Lake Erie, with two locations in the Cleveland suburbs of Bedford Heights and South Euclid, the 25-year-old business generates over $9.1 million in annual revenue utilizing a combination of cutting-edge technical services and a continuous focus on pleasing customers and employees.

While most successful shops use this formula, Mayfield stands out because it dispensed with the business trajectory of a traditional collision repairer by putting the latter part of this blueprint at the forefront. From its beginnings in 1989, Mayfield focused first on people, then built the rest of its operation -- notably, the repairs themselves -- on this concept.  

Decades later, this strategy has proven itself a game winner. Mayfield continues to sustain remarkable growth and garner both local and national accolades. In just the past year, Mayfield increased revenue, added employees, was recognized by NorthCoast 99 (a profession human resources organization) as one of Ohio's 99 best workplaces, helped lead a Coyote Vision group, assisted at a number of vocational/technical schools, was active in multiple local Chambers of Commerce and looked forward to opening a new facility for certified aluminum repairs on luxury vehicles.  

They've got their sights set on a bright future, with a few interesting twists.

Team Bedford Heights Team South Euclid

Fresh beginnings
Mayfield owner Tom Griffin shares a common history with many Top Shops winners in that his entry in the collision industry was somewhat accidental. "When I was 13, my stepfather took me to a gas station and said 'you're going to work here pumping gas,'" Griffin explains.

At nineteen, after graduating from Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, Tenn., Griffin returned to the industry as a service writer. Over the course of the next 15 years, Griffin served in a range of service and management roles for new vehicle dealers until eventually being named the assistant general manager of a progressively run Honda dealership.

Mayfield: At A Glance Mayfield Collision Centers Shop name 4182 Mayfield Road,South Euclid, Ohio Address 2 Number of shops 28, including detail bays and prep areas Total bays $9.1 million Annual revenue 105 Average vehicles per week $1,680 Average repair ticket www.mayfieldcollisioncenter.com Website

Wanting to own his own dealer business, he invested in an independent dealership (that included mechanical and collision service departments) in the late 1980's with plans to take advantage of the growing trend of automobile leasing. "I remember working at a Honda dealership when the average new car price first surpassed $10,000," Griffin notes. "I figured that few people would be able to buy new vehicles."

Unfortunately, his timing couldn't have been worse. During that same period, many new vehicle dealers dove into leasing as new car sales slumped due to rising prices and a sputtering economy. With that part of his business flagging, Griffin looked into building his mechanical and radiator repairs, but there also he faced immense difficulties. The sudden rise in the number of national repair outlets and independent franchises significantly depleted the available repair market.

Griffin's remaining option was building his dealership's collision repair department, which was doing well but needed to improve measurably if his business was to have any chance of surviving.  Since his experience was in customer service and not the repairs themselves, Griffin leveraged those skills to build his business (which became Mayfield Collision Center).  Specifically, he took advantage of his knowledge of factors such as CSI and his experience with Honda's near-legendary customer-centric business model to appeal to customers.

In this instance, his timing couldn't have been better.  "At one time, most shop owners had been technicians," Griffin explains. "Those skills don't necessarily translate into being an effective manager or owner."

Technical knowledge, Griffin says, was (and is) no longer a "market differentiator." Many shops provide excellent repairs. What makes a collision repair business successful is its ability to please customers, whether they be motorists or insurers.

Using this business approach, Griffin put himself at some risk since he didn't possess the skill set to fully oversee the shop's technical work, and therefore had to place significant trust in those who performed it. Griffin says this factor ultimately didn't matter since leaders in any operation must trust one another. "The folks managing the repairs have to count on me bringing in the work," he says.

Further, Griffin made a point of hiring capable, trustworthy employees who would fully "buy in" to his business's approach and consistently demonstrate respect towards customers and other employees. The advantage of this setup was the empowerment given to employees to make decisions on their own that they feel best serves the customer. This helped ensure customers were happy and reinforced the importance of employee commitment to the business's success.

It's worked out so well Griffin today touts how his shop can run even without his presence. "A while back, I was out for months recovering from surgery," he says. "The business didn't miss a beat. That's how great these folks are."

Employee excellence
Mayfield faces the same challenges as any shop maintaining such a workforce, whether through new quality hires or retaining long-time employees. Griffin handles the first issue by hiring almost exclusively through referrals, whether they come from current employees or other stakeholders, such as insurers. The shop also places considerable importance on attitude and takes on new employees as they become available, instead of waiting until a position opens.

Once hired, Griffin says employees can go wherever their abilities take them. Adam Kapis started out as Bedford heights parts manager in 2012 and is now the location's production manager. Bedford Heights Location Manager Mike Kapis began his career in the shop's car wash area.  Last year, in fact, Mayfield promoted 40 percent of its top performers.

Mayfield sees to it that its staff has the training and tools to keep up this level of work. In the past two years, the shop spent $57,000 on tools and small equipment. Last year, the shop spent an average of $712 per employee on training, with top performers receiving an average of $1,790. This year, the shop invested $38,000 on training and development, becoming I-CAR Gold Class certified at both locations.

Griffin says one his shop's tenets is that its Employee Satisfaction Index (ESI) is equal importance to its CSI. The business continually looks for more ways to ensure employees are satisfied with their employment.

Those who make extraordinary efforts also have the opportunity to be recognized by other workers as part of Mayfield's Shout Out program. Once nominated, employees receive gift certificates worth $25-$50. Recent recipients include three employees (two of whom were managers) who stayed over following 10 hour shifts to repair a ceiling in the aluminum repair center. Detailer Michelle Perren requested extra work hours on a Friday evening to clean the carpets at the Bedford Heights facility.

Griffin says employees don't take these step looking to gain recognition or prizes but do so because they want to contribute. He points to a potential future recipient who was praised in a customer's letter for helping her find a way to afford repairs following a job loss.

"I wasn't even aware this happened," says Griffin. "He did everything in his power to help a customer because that's what he does every day."

Customer connections
Mayfield takes similar efforts to empower all customers so they can make repair decisions for themselves.

Griffin says far from attempting to up sell services, his business prefers to arm customers with knowledge, allowing them to feel comfortable when choosing services. For example, estimators will note work, such as scratch repairs, that can be done but is upfront with costs and never tries to push sales. The shop's goal is to make Mayfield "easy to do business with."

The same low key philosophy applies to Mayfield's marketing efforts, particularly its online programs. The shop's website (www.mayfieldcollisioncenter.com) is simply but effectively designed to give customers easy access to information they want. This includes company information, along with videos, shop news and reviews garnered through Yelp and the site's own feedback center. The site's Autowatch feature allows customers to log in and view their vehicle being repaired.

Mayfield refuses to purchase online ads, preferring instead to grow Web traffic through site content and social media campaigns.

"We don’t want to be the spam that ends up in someone’s email," says Marketing Manager Cheryl Senko. "We believe consumers are smart enough to tell paid search results from organic ones."

Senko notes that Autowatch has been particularly effective in increasing traffic due to its popularity. She says the steady traffic drives up the shop's search engine optimization (SEO) results. It's also helped differentiate Mayfield from competitors. 

In a single 30-day period, these combined measures produced 1617 site visits by 693 visitors viewing 3094 pages.

Social media campaigns on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter further highlight shop news and drive traffic to the shop site, while engaging customers and employees. Senko says these efforts also have proven effective in building relationships with Mayfield stakeholders, especially nearby dealers who send the shop a significant portion of its business.

Mayfield also reaches out to its local community with a host of charitable efforts.  The business participates in 3M's Hire Our Heroes program, refurbished a Bedford Heights Police K-9 Cruiser and conducted a safe-driving golf-cart obstacle course in conjunction with local police to illustrate the dangers of distracted driving.

They remain the only local collision repair shop selected to  participate in GuitarMania, a public art project that has raised $2 million for United Way's of Greater Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s education programs. Mayfield places clearcoat on these artistic creations, most of which sit in downtown Cleveland near the Hall of Fame, to ensure they last. This past year, employees created two unique guitars for South Euclid and Bedford Heights to honor police and fire workers.

Mayfield's aluminum repair facility

Future plans
When Mayfield completes its aluminum repair facility, the shop will become only the second in Ohio to be certified for aluminum repairs on Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles. Mayfield's investment in the facility has been substantial. Griffin says renovating the facility has cost $250,000 with another $250,000 spent on tools and equipment. He doesn't expect to recoup those costs any time soon from aluminum work, especially since the pool of applicable models in the area is relatively small.

Other revenue sources will instead cover the investment. Griffin says dealers selling these models also sell more popular vehicles such as BMWs. Being able to service all those vehicles will keep Mayfield an attractive option for referrals from those dealers. "It keeps us easy to do business with," says Griffin.

Aluminum repairs also maintains the shop's popularity with DRPs looking to send work to a repairer that already has earned their trust. The facility looks to play a key role in sustaining Mayfield's continued growth.

Griffin has taken another a significant additional step in securing the business's future. He's started a rigorous six-month strategic business planning course through the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE). The course is designed to help owners take their business to its next development stage.

Griffin says this education is important for two reasons. One, he believes in taking advantage of every opportunity to become a better owner, manager and trainer. Even with more than 40 years of experience, Griffin says there's always room to improve.

Second, the education will aid him as he transitions the business into its next stage -- when he steps aside. Griffin isn't going to walk away from his business tomorrow but says he's "nearing the goal line." His daughters don't want to pursue a career in the industry, so eventually someone else will have to take the shop's reins. He isn't looking for a big payday from a potential buyer. Rather, Griffin is preparing the business to continue taking care of the people who have cared for it for so long.

"There are 56 people -- families -- counting on this business, " says Griffin. "Some commute from an hour away and pass a number of other shops to work here."

The plan is to keep them and the shop's customers coming for a long time. Based on Mayfield's track record, look for that plan to be as exceptional as it is successful.

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