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Thomas Christopher, owner of Precision Coach in Muldrow, Oklahoma, has a shop that is rural in geographical location, but far from rural with its use of modern technology.
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| The Precision Coach facility at Muldrow, Oklahoma |
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| Typical working stall at Precision Coach is ready for action. |
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Body tech Thomas Pettit evaluates vehicle before beginning repairs.
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| Ben Pearson twin-post lift accommodates large-sized vehicles. |
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At a glance
Precision Coach, Inc.
Highway 64 B North
Muldrow, Oklahoma 74948
918-427-6179
Owner: Thomas Christopher
Established: 1987
Annual Sales: $350,000+
Size: 9,000 square feet
Employees: 1 body tech,
1 painter, 1 helper, 1 office manager
Paint Department: Blowtherm prep, DeVilbiss paint booth
Paint: Sikkens
Frame Rack: 20' Equal-Liner
Kansas Jack Floor Pull System
Kansas Jack Lazer
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Christopher received his autobody education at Okmulgee Votech (a division of Oklahoma State University) and began working in body shops after graduation. He tried some other endeavors, but, as with many others in the industry, found his way back to collision repair.
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| Thomas Christopher and C.J., his 17-pound feline ambassador. |
After working in a shop in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Christopher was motivated to go into business for himself in 1987. His first shop was across the border in Muldrow, Oklahoma, in a 38'x42' block building. He knocked out the walls and, bingo, he had a body shop. The building had a leaky roof, so he could only work in the back half of the shop when it rained. He did a lot of restoration work when the shop first opened; fun and interesting, though not necessarily lucrative, it did help to build up a customer base.
In 1991, he ex-panded the building to add a paint booth. By 2001, Precision Coach had too much business for the building, so Christopher doubled the size of the facility to 9,000 sq.ft.
Up until about three months ago, Precision Coach was having its best year ever. Then business started slowing down and now there is too much building for the business, necessitating a cut back from five employees to three.
The front office is run by Christopher's daughter, Amee Bridges, who
joined the team last summer. Although she didn't realize how much there
was to learn, especially the CCC estimating system, she has adapted to
her new job admirably. And she and her dad really enjoy working
together.
But Christopher is philosophical about the situation - riding out the slow period right now. Even the DRP relationships he has are not providing the business they did at one time. He understands that this is a down cycle and business will get better, just as it has in the past. He notes that he is not the only shop owner suffering a cutback in business. Body shops are only repairing cars that are brought in by the wreckers. Consumers aren't fixing their cars if they perceive the damage as cosmetic and the vehicle can be driven. He has gone through periods like this before, so he knows that eventually the economy will work itself out and business will boom again.
C.J. the cat also hangs out in the front office, serving a valuable function as well. Christopher says that when female customers come to the shop for the first time, they feel more at ease when they see the 17-pound cat lounging on the counter. As with most cats, and perhaps body shop owners themselves, C.J. is a little quirky. If he is lying in one of the chairs and someone comes into the office, he won't look at them. If he's outside and somebody unfamiliar is in the office, he won't come in. But having a shop cat lends a certain warmth to a place that may not be perceived at first blush to be female-friendly.
Modern technology in the shop
The body shop is about 4,000 sq.ft. with six working stalls and a 23-foot drive bay down the middle. Four of the stalls have in-ground floor lifts that rise four feet. There is a two-post lift in one stall and frame rack in the other. Kansas Jack Lazer is the measuring system.
Since the shop is about 15 miles away from the nearest wheel alignment store, wheel alignments are done in the shop. Shops dedicated only to wheel alignments tend to compensate for a symptom and go ahead and realign the front end, rather than pointing out the problem or fixing it. Keeping the function in-house assures quality control of every detail of the repair. Christopher points out that "when a vehicle is on the frame rack, you can actually hang the alignment system on the vehicle and monitor it as techs are doing the pulling. With a pick-up truck, you can pull it until the axle has the correct readings on it."
Body tech Thomas Pettit, also a Okmulgee Votech graduate, came to work at Precision Coach in 1995. Christopher praises hm as being "a very good employee - thorough and dependable - a dream employee, in fact. Thomas is here every day, doing his job with no complaints. I would be lost without him."
Sikkens from Akzo Nobel for paint
Sikkens is the paint of choice at Precision Coach. Akzo Nobel has been very supportive in terms of training. Christopher and his painter have been to Fort Worth, Texas, several times for education about the Sikkens products and their correct usage.
The paint shop has a Blowtherm prep station and DeVilbiss recirculating paint booth. The unique aspect of this 32-foot booth is that it is eight feet longer than a standard paint booth.
This facilitates a large 4-door pick-up truck or a 120" stretch limousine and there is still room to walk comfortably around the vehicle.
Education and training are very important to Christopher. Precision Coach is an I-CAR Gold Class shop. Employees take classes as close as nearby Van Buren or as far away as Tulsa - 100 miles west. "With the complexities of today's automobiles, keeping up with the technology is critical to the shop's success," he points out.
OK and AR need to work together
Christopher is a member of the Lion's Club and Muldrow Chamber of Commerce. This area of Oklahoma borders on western Arkansas. Muldrow, a town of about 3,800 residents, is about ten miles from Fort Smith in Arkansas. Despite its proximity, there is very little business coming to Precision Coach from Arkansas because Oklahoma adjusters must be licensed by the state and Arkansas adjusters are unable to service their cases across the border. However, it is the current goal of the Chamber to get Arkansas and Oklahoma working more closely together to the benefit of the commerce of both communities.
In addition to the local organizations, Christopher is a member of most of the major industry associations - ASA, CIC, SCRS and NABC. He is also on the board of the CARS coop.
Christopher is married to wife Sherry, who teaches junior high school science in Fort Smith, Arkansas. They live in Roland, Oklahoma, which is about halfway between Muldrow and Fort Smith.
In summary, Christopher explains that he knows pretty much everyone in his small town and gets most of his business through word of mouth. "I don't really do any advertising. We always put business-card-sized ads in the high school football program and participate in special event ads such as those congratulating a graduating class, but that is really more in the realm of public relations. Our long standing in the community and quality work are my best advertisements."
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