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Embracing the future guides collision center to 42 years of success |
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Thursday, 05 April 2007 |
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Owner Demo Kouzounis, 68, can think of no other way to spend his week than waking at 4:30 a.m. to prepare for work at the auto center
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The modern collision industry is another world compared to the one that greeted Demo Kouzounis when he opened the doors of his automotive center in 1964.
“Maybe 5 worlds,” the 68-year old clarified. But today, nearly 43 years later Demo’s Automotive Center repairs cars at the same location in Houston, Texas and Kouzounis still wakes daily at 4:30 a.m. to prepare for work.
Living the American dream
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Over the years, the center has expanded to five buildings on more than three acres. The family-run business employs two sons and two daughters.
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A native of Greece, Kouzounis can recount with vivid clarity the day he took a ship to America. The same is true of the afternoon just weeks later when he arrived in Houston.
“January 1, 1946, the day they got a ballpark where the train station used to be,” he said without missing a beat. In 1961 he married his wife Elayne, and they raised four children who would all eventually participate in the family business.
Through it all Kouzounis has embraced his move to this country.
“I never want to look back, you can’t do anything about the past. I want to live in the future,” Kouzounis said.
Perhaps it is that same commitment to the future that has contributed to the longevity of the center. The shop is both factory trained and factory certified. Demo’s subscribes to OE level information through almost every car manufacturer as well as to aftermarket and industry data. They also subscribe to several online tutorials to help with ASE training.
“I believe in education,” Kouzounis said. “I send the guys to training and keep up with the information. I have ICAR in the body shop. You got to train. You got to keep up with it or you get lost in the shade. I’m a strong believer in that.”
The family line
Kouzounis has four grown children. Daughters Katherine and Margo handle accounting while son Demo Jr. manages the collision department and son Costa serves as general manager and heads up the mechanical side.
“My dad told us from day one, ‘at home I’m your dad, at work I’m your boss,’” Demo Jr. said. “We don’t have any problems whatsoever. I guess it’s better because you have that closer relationship.”
Technical training
An emphasis on strict training criteria has allowed Demo’s to prosper. It is a requirement that all technicians are ASE certified, and the shop offers the training materials and subscribes to several online tutorials to aid in this. Several technicians including Costa have maintained master level ASE training at the highest level
Also, techs rotate through the onsite computer system that offers online training for GM or the TSS program, among others. Of all the training programs they employ, Costa recommends the ACDelco program because it encompasses almost every aspect of the vehicle from bumper to bumper, he said.
“If you have someone that is properly trained, it just results in better repair to bring the car back to pre-accident condition,” Costa said.
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