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When Bay Cities Collision was established in 1965, owner Gregg Moore was just a kid. Moore helped the original owner start the business while he was still in high school, learning the trade hands-on while working in the small three-man shop. In those days, according to Moore, "you drove the tow truck, wrote the estimate, repaired the car, painted the car, washed the car, did the paperwork, delivered the car and took the money to the bank."
Well, times have certainly changed in the auto repair business as well as for Moore. After working as a journeyman in several other shops, the opportunity arose in 1997 for Moore to return to his roots and take over Bay Cities Collision, now renamed Bay Cities Collision Center.
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Left to Right) Mechanical, body and paint shops at Bay Cities Collision.
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To purchase Bay Cities Collision, Moore partnered with Scott Hewitt, whose background is in the mechanical end of the industry. Hewitt, a mechanic by trade, first managed a mechanical shop, then a group of auto parts stores, and in 1990 ended up managing the mechanical division of Bay Cities Collision Center, of which he is now CFO.
State-of-the-art facility
One of the two buildings is a storefront entrance with a reception center. In the back, two mechanics do all of the body shop's mechanical work as well as outside jobs, including laser alignment, oil changes, tire service, complete engine rebuilding and transmission work.
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| Gregg Moore, Barbara Moore and Scott Hewitt (L to R) in front of the administration building. |
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Pictured (L to R) Scott Hewitt, Barbara Moore and Gregg Moore
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At a glance
Bay Cities Collision Center
1028 Carolan Avenue
Burlingame, California 94010
(650) 696-9200
www.baycitiescollision.com
Owners: Gregg Moore, President and CEO (now deceased)
Scott Hewitt, CFO
Barbara Moore, Controller
Established: 1967
Annual Sales: $4.2 million
Size: 30,000 sq ft, plus large lot
Employees: 2 painters, 3 preppers, 2 polish and detailers, 3 staff ad men, 1 outside
sales,
7 body men, 2 mechanics, 3 estimators, 1 controller
Paint Department: 2 Accudraft down draft, 1 Accumix, 8 prep stations
Paint: PPG and AutoColor
Frame Racks: 2 Chief Genesis #3, 2 Black Hawk multi pull
Alignment Racks: Hunter |
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Upon taking over the business, the partners revamped the facility. They purchased two new paint booths from Accudraft, upgraded the computer system, gave the mechanical division its own building and a second building housed the collision and paint departments. Together, they made the business grow.
The 20,000 sq.ft. building houses the paint and body shop with the two Accudraft paint booths and two Chief Genesis frame machines, separated by a curtained wall. The buildings are coupled together with fiber optics which connect the telephones, intercoms and all the computers. The building is fire protected and alarmed with a motion detection system to protect equipment and customer vehicles.
Comfortable surroundings
Since the staff spends a lot of time at work, every effort is made to create a comfortable atmosphere. All the booths are equipped with fresh air - outside breathing systems for the employees. And the shop is kept exceptionally clean.
When customers come to the shop, they are greeted in a pleasant customer service area by the receptionist, who gathers information and assigns the job to one of the three estimators. Since the facility participates in several DRPs, each estimator is the primary writer for a particular plan, but all are cross-trained and can write estimates for any of the major insurance companies with whom they deal.
"Our relationships work well because we repair vehicles for all the DRP companies at an honest and fair price" says Moore.
Bay Cities Collision Center avoids the chaotic "in on Monday, out on Friday" cycle. Organiza-tion and planning allow an even flow of work each day, with as many cars delivered on Monday or Tues-day as on Friday. Moore states that "stress reduces the quality of the product and causes accidents to happen. We do everything we can to reduce that stress, even to the extent that we will take an extra day to make sure the car can be inspected and double checked so the customer is completely satisfied. Quality control is extremely important in our organization."
A great staff
Moore's wife, Barbara, came to work for Bay Cities soon after the partnership began, bringing office administration and accounting experience. She believes in mixing a little fun in the work day, but taking care of the customer first. "We strive for complete customer satisfaction from the moment the client calls or walks in the office," she commented.
Two other key people are John Barger and Johnny Benitez. Barger, with 22 years in the business, is the shop foreman who oversees the daily dispatch, quality control and supplemental estimating. According to Moore, "He's 'the man' when I am gone. And whatever you ask him to do, he does with a smile."
Paint shop manager Johnny Benitez has 15 years in the business and efficiently manages the painters, preppers and detailers.
Moore explains that "employees are an extension of the family if you run a decent business. You know all their problems and try to help them with life. We believe you should never look down at people who look up at you. We try to be just one big family."
The company motto is "this is the second happiest place on earth, and everyone knows that Disneyland is the first!"
Value of education
The partners believe that continuing education is a major component of their success. "Today's advanced technology has greatly changed the structure, materials and parts used in automobiles," said Moore. "Because of this, repair technicians need to know the newest techniques for repairs and be skilled at implementing them." The company trains and certifies technicians in the following areas: AAA Approved Auto Service Training; I-CAR Gold Certified; Chief Genesis Factory Training; DuPont AOQ; MACs Air Conditioning CFD12; ASA Management; and ASE Certification.
The partners believe in growing their own technicians as much as possible. Preppers, for example, start out in the paint shop as apprentices. Two of the current journeymen were apprentices and came up through the ranks. Moore offers that "we always try to promote from within. Some of the guys have worked here for anywhere from 11 to 30 years, starting out as kids. I work hard at keeping them here so they can retire from here. When we have good technicians we want them to stay, so we meet their needs."
Web site
The Bay Cities Collision Center web site (www.baycitiescollision.com) serves as an excellent marketing tool. Hewitt created the web site, which is regularly updated. The site includes information about the company, including staff bios and pictures and examples of work. Among other data, it provides a list of services offered, equipment owned, highlights of the facility, and training and certification that the company has.
Moore notes that "customers are interested in it. Many have commented on how useful it was to them. I can give a client a business card and tell them to check out the site. They have very positive comments about the site and have no problem leaving their vehicles with our facility."
Importance of Family
Family is very important to both Moore and Hewitt. Moore and wife Barbara have two grown daughters, who have learned independence from their parents and are off on their own career tracks - one teaches art and English and the other is finishing college and planning a career in fashion design.
Hewitt is married to Michelle, who is occupied raising their three young children. They also have two older children who are attending college.
Community activities include the Burlingame Chamber of Commerce and participation in youth soccer and basketball.
The final word
"We are a two-family owned and operated business and one owner is at the shop every single day overseeing the operation. We support quality, integrity and craftsmanship in all the repairs. We have a zero-defects tolerance for the work that goes out. That is what keeps people coming back. We check and double check each vehicle. We want our customers 100% satisfied when they leave," said Moore.
"I treat my people like I always wished someone would have treated me - and it always works."
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