What began as one stall rented from a dairy farm has now expanded into several large buildings which total 22,000 square feet and encompass 1.5 acre, an impressive amount of space in the bustling city of Wilmington. Edward J. Henry & Sons Auto Body has 17 employees, all except one of whom are I-Car Platinum certified. They also participate in a co-op program with local high schools, and there are 2 co-op students currently working at the shop. The shop is ASE certified and currently awaiting their last employee to obtain the I-Car Gold Platinum certification in order for the shop to achieve I-Car Gold status.
Edward J. Henry & Sons Auto Body is careful to meet and surpass all insurance requirements, and they participate in four direct repair programs. The shop utilizes a Mitchell estimating system, a Chief EZ Liner, and standard lifts and MIG welders. They use a CWN paint booth, and the shop paints with Sherwin-Williams Waterborne AWX paints which meet Delaware’s VOC content requirements. For example, Delaware requires primer to be contain no more than 2.1 lbs/gal, clearcoats to contain no more than 2.1 lbs/gal, and basecoats must contain no more than 3.5 lbs/gal. According to environmental data sheets, Sherwin-Williams’ primer contains 0.51 lb/gal, their clearcoat contains 0.63 lb/gal, and the basecoat lists at 0.88 lb/gal. Besides using waterborne paint, the shop also shows concern for the environment by recycling approximately 95% of their productionwaste even though it costs small businesses in Delaware to do so. Owner Edward J. Henry III states it is worth the cost because they produce a lot of waste, as do virtually all shops. The shop provided funding for a student at the Salesianum School, a private, all-boys Catholic school, from 1972 until 2010, but they were unable to do so in 2011 due to economical pressures.
Edward J. Henry & Sons Auto Body continues to be a family-oriented shop. According to Edward J. Henry III, they are “still a mom and pop corner store.” To ensure quality, Ed personally inspects all repaired vehicles before they are returned to the owners. He is proud that the shop now serves fourth-generation customers as this demonstrates his customers’ satisfaction and the fact that he has maintained the same shop values as his father and grandfather exhibited before him.
Edward J. Henry and Sons Auto Body Specialists
2300 West 4th Street
Wilmington, DE 19805
(302) 658-4324
