In February 2002, Saunders opened a brand new 12,500 sq.ft. high-tech facility, sitting on over two acres, so there's plenty of room for expansion.

Saunders opened Agua Fria in 1983, a very small shop about two blocks north of its current location in Avondale, Arizona. Having been involved in auto body work his whole life, Saunders fulfilled his dream of owning his own shop - beginning with a small 5'x5' office and one paint bay. Saunders built his business on trust. Everyone in Avondale knows Sam Saunders. He's been married to wife, Dixie, for 14 years, and they're active in the community. "I'm loyal to my customers, and they've been loyal to me," said Saunders.

There is a full detail shop and covered prep area along with two brand-new drive- through Nova Verta Refinish booths in which PPG's Nexa Autocolor paints are used exclusively.

 

Summit Software increases productivity

To coordinate his entire operation, Saunders uses a body shop management system from Summit Software. Use of the Summit COPS management/system has increased production by 30%, says Saunders.

In addition to software automation, the shop has also improved its cycle time by going to a "fast track" system. The "B- tech" tears down the car, bags everything, writes a complete estimate and orders parts on one supplement. When all the pieces are in place, the "A-tech" then puts the car back together.

 

Cycle time for a $1500 job is 3 to 4 days.

 

The day-to-day operation of Agua Fria rests in the capable hands of body shop manager Mike Pattakos who has been in management most of his life. He ran his own business for almost ten years, then worked for a body shop as an estimator. Pattakos kind of "backed into the body shop business" but states, "A good manager in one field can be good in another. Basically, a good manager will let employees have a say in managing their own responsibilities. After all, they are professionals."

Pattakos has full control of the shop management. He and Saunders have a great relationship built on respect and trust. Pattakos cannot speak highly enough of his "boss" - "this is the only place I've worked where everyone knows the owner. Sam is a golfer, so he knows a lot of people in town that way. He is very down to earth. If he has to, he'll still pound fenders and do what he has to do for the business - everything from PR to working on a car. His number one goal is satisfying the customer. He will always go the extra mile to satisfy the customer. It is a matter of pride."

 

Agua Fria does a lot of dealer work, handling collision business for eight major auto dealerships in the West Valley. Office Manager Anna Lorenzano functions as a liaison with those dealerships, calling on them regularly and facilitating work for their customers in the body shop.

 

The communities of Buckeye, Avondale and Goodyear are growing quickly in the West Valley, and so is competition among body shops. According to Pattakos, "Competition has actually helped the business. Last year, we did $2.2 million in sales, are on track to do $2.7 million this year and expect to be over $3 million in revenues in 2004. 30-40% of business at Agua Fria is repeat customers.

 

Support from PPG

 

Single Source is the representative and distributor for PPG Nexa Autocolor, supplying all the wet and dry materials to Agua Fria, which has been using Nexa for about two years. The shop recently received an award from the PPG Roundtable for increasing sales by over a million dollars while using Nexa paint.

PPG helped design Agua Fria's state-of-the-art facility. The company has a long-term contract with PPG, and is expecting approval shortly to be part of the CertifiedFirst network. Ac-cording to Pat-takos, "PPG's CertifiedFirst program reinforces to customers that we make first quality repairs. We appreciate the way PPG stands behind the shop. PPG's lifetime warranty on paint dovetails with our own limited lifetime warranty."

The administrative staff of Agua Fria consists of five office workers, two estimators, general manager Pattakos, assistant manager Justin Fritz, and owner Saunders. The production side of the shop consists of five body technicians and one body technician apprentice, two expert paint technicians and two paint technician apprentices, a parts manager, a production manager and two expert detailers.

Agua Fria Body Shop is an I-CAR Gold Class Repair facility. Agua Fria is a member of the Arizona Collision Craftsman Association and the Better Business Bureau.

Advertises on theater screens

Even though Saunders knows everyone in town, he believes advertising is still important for gaining and maintaining customers. The shop advertises at the local cinema, in the local newspaper and on AM radio.

According to Pattakos, "the company's goal is to become a shop doing $375,000 to $400,000 per month. And while we want to expand the shop, we do not aspire to open up a chain of repair shops. We want to have one 'kick butt' shop, with the heart of the business in one place."