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What happens when you have a degree in molecular biology, your wife has a degree in biochemistry with a graduate degree in toxicology, and you both have MBAs? How about pursuing your passion and opening a collision repair shop? That is exactly what Bill and Debbie Park have done, the result being Big Sky Collision & Classics in Tucson, Arizona.
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| The two shops total 11,350 sq. ft. |
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| Big Sky collision includes open air work areas. |
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At a glance
Big Sky Collisions & Classics, Inc.
3530 S. Dodge Boulevard
Tucson, Arizona 85713
(520) 514-0450
Second location in Benson, Arizona
Owners: Bill and Debbie Park
Established: 1995
Annual Sales: $2.6 million
Size: Tucson: 8,350 sq.ft.
Benson: 3,000 sq.ft.
Employees: Tucson: 3 in paint department, 6 in metal shop, 2 detailers, 2 in parts department, 1 Quality Control, 1 general manager,
1 estimator, 1 maintenance, 4 administrative; Benson: 1 painter, 1 metal person, 1 general manager
Paint Department: 1 downdraft, 1 mix room, no preps
Paint: Sikkens® from Akzo Nobel
Frame Rack: 2 drive ons, Car-O-Liner measurement
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Bill Park painted his first car when he was 14 years old and discovered he had a knack for it. In the late '80s, he went to the University of Arizona where he earned a degree in molecular biology. While attending college, Park worked on vehicles to pay his way. After graduation, he headed for Canada where he worked as a painter in a collision repair shop.
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Park
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About a year later, he returned to Arizona, attending the University of Phoenix and earning his MBA. To fund his education, he rented a little shop which he used to fix up damaged cars that he would purchase and later resell. He specialized in custom street rod work, graphics and sheet metal work.
After earning his degrees, and unable to get painting cars out of his system, Park decided to open an auto body shop in 1995. The first building was a 1400 sq.ft. stretch attached to a 2500 sq.ft. building, which he took over a year later. Here he could exercise his creative side by working on street rods instead of working in a lab. He soon discovered that insurance work was lucrative and, in 1997, became serious in pursuing more collision repair work. Park hired his first employee and Big Sky has been growing ever since.
Also in 1997, an opportunity presented itself which was too good to pass up. The Parks purchased an existing shop in Benson, Arizona, about 40 miles from Tucson. While it does not do a lot of volume, it gives Big Sky a wider presence in the area and allows load leveling with the Tucson facility.
August 1999 brought about the purchase of a 5000 sq.ft. building on an acre and a half of land. This third shop was refurbished in about five months and the doors opened in January 2002.
Before opening the new location, sales in 1999 for the original location and Benson had grown to $960,000. By continuing to aggressively pursue DRPs at the new location, sales for 2002 were $2.6 million, with the shops on track to gross $2.8 million in 2003.
Repairing the car well is a "given"
"Our focus here is 100% on service," explains Park. "Repairing the car is something we do well, but ultimately that is a given. That is expected. So our focus is on the training side for our technicians. We drive that in the Tucson area. On the customer service side, we offer extended service not offered anywhere else - Saturday hours, evening drop-off, someone on site 24 hours.
"We have seven loaner vehicles that we provide to underinsured customers and we offer pick up and delivery service as well. When customers come in the door, it is our policy to give everyone an enormous amount of attention. Our focus is on doing quality repairs and educating customers verbally about the repair process, not concentrating solely on the exact written document. Our goal is to get them interactively involved in the repair process."
Park continues, "We operate on three principles here. I empower anybody here to make as big a decision as they feel they can make. I ask them three questions: Is it right for the customer? Is it right for the company? And what are the consequences? If they can answer all those questions, I will back them100%. That has been a really good set of rules for us all to live by. It has worked out well. I've had team leaders go the extra mile for the customer simply out of commitment to customer service."
The team approach works
"We run in teams here," explains Park. "Our paint dept is a three-man team. The metal department is comprised of one four-man team and, within that four-man team, there is one A-tech. Two additional A-techs make 6 people in that department. Detail has two people. There is one quality control manager, who also handles some production management as well. Two people in the parts department and four administrative personnel complete the staff."
Debbie Park has worked in the business since the beginning, although she initially continued to hold other jobs until things were stable enough to bring her into the company full-time as the CFO and Human Resource Director. She does all this while managing six kids, ages 5 and under.
Other key people contributing to Big Sky's success are sales and marketing director, T.J. Agardy; account manager Jennifer Razo; quality control manager Jim Colburn, and team leader for sales estimating, Robert Dimmick.
Neil Scott works the overnight shift and has the responsibility to completely maintain everything in the facility. Scott power washes and maintains equipment, cleans paint booths, and keeps the facility spotless. He is also a technician, which makes him the "go-to"guy when anything out-of-the ordinary needs to be done.
Akzo Nobel "20 group" participant
Another element of Big Sky's success, is Park's participation in the Akzo Nobel Acoat '20 group' program. The performance group meets twice a year, with shop owners from all over the country getting together to compare notes about industry issues. The program's other offerings include management seminars, on-site assistance from Akzo's staff business development managers; and marketing assistance such as in-shop courses that Acoat shops can offer insurance agents in their area that enable agents to get the continuing education credits required by many states.
"Akzo Nobel has been with us since 1999. They have exceptional service, with a strong willingness to help a business move forward, grow and mature," affirms Park.
Giving back to the community
"We also sponsor The Big Sky Collision Benevolence Program modeled after Akzo Nobel's efforts. Each year we rebuild and give away a car to someone in the community who is in need. Last year we partnered with "The New Beginnings Group" and a local hair salon which hires women from the group. "The New Beginnings Group" screened the individuals and chose a single working mother with two children. This year's car will be given away in October through the Tucson Optimists Club."
In addition to community activities, Park is Vice President of the Arizona Collision Craftsman Association and participates in Collision Industry Conference.
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