Len's Auto Body is built on the old world system of apprenticeship. Each metal man and painter enters the shop as an apprentice to a journeyman. The apprentice performs tasks equivalent to helpers at other shops, but after four years working under the journeyman, the apprentice will have acquired the skills to become a journeyman himself and is expected to pass on his knowledge to new apprentices. "It's a European style apprentice program," states Anne, Len's wife and business partner. "The difference between us and the consolidators is that they will never have an apprentice program. They don't have people to run it and they won't pay for it. That training shows in our quality. Len teaches his men the same way he was taught as a boy."

 

As a boy, Len worked in his father's body shop in Australia. Although originally from the Netherlands, Len's father immigrated to Australia and took his skills as a master craftsman with him. Following high school graduation, Len moved to Los Angeles to work in his uncle's shop. He moved on to work for Tom Holmes shop in Pasadena, before Holmes built it into one of the largest chains in the Los Angeles area. He also worked at Bistagne Brothers in Glendale, which is the oldest active California Autobody Association (CAA) shop in the state.

Len's Autobody has been expanding since the year it opened, acquiring many of the adjacent buildings in a gritty Oceanside industrial park. These buildings were never linked together efficiently, so in February 2001 the Verheyens bought land with frontage on a new freeway less than a mile away. Construction began in early 2002 and the new shop opened August 5. It includes a spacious reception area, an attractive break room, an Enterprise car rental office, and metal and paint shops designed for "fast tracking" vehicles through repair.

 

Planning expert not needed

 

After acquiring the land, Len hired a body shop planning specialist "from back East; He spent a week out here making drawings," said Len. "I stared at them for a day and threw them away." He then designed the shop himself. The shop is notable for its excellent natural lighting, good ventilation with superior dust control, and a floor plan that avoids the need to jockey cars around. The cars drive into the metal shop and frame repair areas, then move through the automatic door separating metal and paint shops and into the curtained prep areas. "If we didn't have that (expensive) automatic door, the guys would leave it open and dust would blow into the paint shop," Len explained. Dust control is further enhanced with a Euro-vac system that runs throughout the production area.

The two downdraft spray booths are both drive-though so the painted vehicles can be driven directly into detailing. "We do relatively few complete paint jobs," noted Len, "so cars aren't in the booth for a long time, but there's always another one right behind. "We move the cars in and out quickly, but always do the work right," said Len.

Visibility increases drive-by work

 

The 31,000 square foot facility is clearly visible from the new freeway. Insurance work is 90% of the shop's business, but the freeway visibility has added to the drive-by business. "We did five (drive-bys) last week. That's more than double what we did at the old location," said Len. The shop has sales of $350,000 - $400,000 a month, with the average repair ticket being $2000 per vehicle. The monthly volume is about half capacity for the new shop. Anne, who was once employed as a lobbyist in Australia, handles insurer relationships and notes that their strong DRP contracts with USAA, State Farm, AAA, Farmers and Mercury should help the shop achieve its full capacity quickly, "so we can pay for this place." She says their business grew steadily from its beginning in '85 until Oceanside, home of a major U.S. Marine Base, Camp Pendleton, became "a wasteland" during the Gulf War and business dropped by 40%. It came back in the mid 90's and then grew dramatically in the late '90's. Military personnel, active and retired, still account for about 35% of the business.

 

Two sons, different as night and day

The Verheyens spend most waking hours at the shop, but have found time to raise two sons, Dean, 20, a college student, and Jay, 17, who attends a private high school. "They're very different," says Anne. "Dean loves literature and is going to study in England. Jay loves desert endurance racing on quads. He's set up his company, Verheyen Racing, to build quads and has his 'office' and work area upstairs (next to the elevator-accessed parts department)."

If they're not at the shop or out in the desert watching their son race, will you find Len and Anne at some industry association meeting? "We run hot and cold on that stuff," said Anne. "I used to be the CAA Chapter president, but associations are like roller coasters. Sometimes it's exciting and interesting, but the meetings can get old when nothing is changing. CAA, for example, is doing a lot of important work in Sacramento right now and we're supporting that."

 

Both Len and Anne give much of the credit for the shop's success to their employees, led by General Manager Larry Butler, head painter Vicente Castillo, bodyman George Valetta, and estimators Sue-Lynn Cover and John Renslow. As for their personal roles in the shop, Anne handles the front office, while Len prefers to keep his hands on the metal on the shop floor. Anne sums it up best in saying, "I get them in and Len gets them out."