Building a business - and a life

 

Seventeen years ago, when he opened his shop in Auburn, a small city in rural Placer County in the Sierra foothills north of Sacramento, "a lot of people up here totally disregarded us," related TJ, an Afro-American. "It was different here back then, everything here was run by 'good old buddies.' It's changed now, and we get a lot of respect in this town."

The respect that TJ and Emma get is for what they've contributed to the close knit community. Aside from being an employer, they award annual scholarships to high school students and participate in organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and Gold Country Rotary, to which TJ has belonged for 15 years.

TJ jokes that he started by buying some jack stands and a case of oil at Price Club, "and that put us in business. When we started, I called on AAA and others insurers, but we had no reputation and they wouldn't give us any collision jobs. So I got them to give us flood cars to clean up." The business grew from there. "Hey, man, this is America. If you're fair, honest, respectful and work hard, you can make it. This business has been a blessing to us."

Son runs towing operation

 

TJ Enterprises, a member of the California Autobody Association, repairs 50 cars or more a month in a modern, 15,000 square foot facility that employs 13 people and will gross close to $1.75 million this year, a far cry from the $12,000 they made in 1984. TJ and Emma's son, TJ Jr., runs the towing operation while Rick Smith, 46, who unlike TJ has been fixing cars since he was 16, manages the shop.

 

"This industry has a large labor problem today because very few shops run apprentice programs," said Smith, who in mid-career left the shop floor and went back to college to study automotive management. "TJ does bring a lot of apprentices through here, which is good. We start them as detailers, and move them along. For example, Jeff Collins has only been working here four months and is already being trained in estimating, along with customer service."

 

Smith, who has had experience in other shops in the Sacramento area, says that TJ Enterprises' success is due largely to the support that TJ and Emma give to the techs - technicians like Rodney Ondricek and Don Uhouse, senior damage analysis and repair techs with over 25 years combined experience - that encourages them to work together as a team.

Smith says that he tries not to use aftermarket parts or reconditioned bumpers, and will instead order new parts even if it means just breaking even. "We can't always make it work, but we always try," he said. He does have to fax most estimates now to LKQ Corporation to see if recycled parts are available. "That can be tough on our cycle time."

Sprays Lesonol® from Akzo Nobel

 

The paint shop is run by Dale Burske who supervises two other painters and a helper. Their production rolls through an AFC booth and mixing room and a downdraft Spraybake booth. The paint? Akzo Nobel's Lesonol.

"Lesonol is a simple, basic paint line," said Burske. "There's one primer, one clear, and very few additives. It's simple, it lays down nice, and the color match is great. I've sprayed a lot of other paints, and I'm telling you that the Lesonol is maybe the best I've ever used. That's partly because it's very simple to use. There are not a whole lot of different ways to make mistakes." Burske particularly likes the new Lesonol air dry clear. "You really can get away without heat."

Where does TJ see the bumps today in collision repair? "There's a lot more paperwork with the DRP programs. Emma will tell you that. But DRPs can be good - they let us get the job done faster because we're not always waiting on an appraiser. They give us a network for used parts. We just fax them the estimate, instead of calling around."

Times have changed in other ways, too. "It used to be, you could call on the phone and get an OK for a supplement. Now they send out an appraiser on almost everything, and that holds us up. Some of the independents (appraisers) are young and not well trained," he noted.