Importance of repeat customers.

"We don't want our customer going to Wal-Mart and buying a rechargeable battery," Fuchs said. "We make sure they always have the right stuff, and they come back. Fifty percent of our sales are repeat customers."

Those repeat customers can be assured that over time there will be improvements and updates to the products as well.

"The technology has brought us, in ten years, to the top," said Fuchs. "Right now we are on the fifth edition of the dent puller, and we're on our third and fourth series of spot welders and our second series of mig wire-feed welders."

George Buhr Jr., of Buhr's Auto Body and Frame in Missouri bought his first dent puller from ARC nearly 10 years ago, and he still uses that same machine in his small shop. Four years ago, he bought a spot welder and recently replaced the machine in July. He purchased the latest upgrade, the 1250 Hybrid System, a resistance spot welder and dent puller.

"Mike over there has given us really good service ever since we bought the first dent puller," Buhr said. "That's why we stayed with him, for the service more than anything."

Going the extra mile

Fuchs is determined to go the extra mile for his customers. His motto is that you cannot sell just one product to a body shop; you have to be able to sell them many products. This way, when they need something, they know who to call, he said. For example, if technicians are working on aluminum or boron steel, they call him, and he advises on what they need to use to work with those materials.

Even when the clock's hands tick towards closing time, the job is never done. When Fuchs and his wife leave work for the day, all office calls are transferred to his cell phone.

"There are many times when I have to fly out of bed to answer the phone," he said. "It is our life. When you do what we do, you can't get it half done."

A self-described workaholic, Fuchs considers his job his hobby, and said he always enjoys tinkering with things. With a background in electrical maintenance, he took a leap of faith when he left his steady job of 20 years to start working at ARC Manufacturing in 1995, just months after it was founded.

"I came here because I wanted to learn things," Fuchs said. "I had no security when I came here. There were times when I thought; 'we're going to shut the doors on Friday.' But we've always believed in the product."

Like father, like daughter

When Susan's father founded the company, he was a chemical engineer with a keen business sense, an inventive mind and a few patents under his belt. He started the company with his two daughters in mind, both registered nurses at the time. He wanted to forge a path for them away from the stress of a hospital.

The switch from the halls of medicine to the inner world of auto body repair was a welcome change for Susan.

"It was very interesting and the products were just fascinating," she said. "Right from the beginning it was something that we knew was unique."

In 1998, Susan and her husband bought remainder of the company shares held by her sister and brother-in-law, and they took over ownership. At that time, their daughter, Sheets, began to work more hours for the company in accounting.

Now 29, Sheets has worked for ARC in various areas since the age of 18. During that time, she completed a bachelor's degree in finance and management, worked at a large company, took steps to start her own business, and earned a masters degree.

In the end, the road of life has led her back to the family business, where she, as a third-generation employee, assumes an important role in the financial side of operations.

"I would choose this any day," Sheets said. "I am a part of all the decisions. I'm used to having knowledge of everything that's going on in the company and being able to make those decisions. When you go to a large business, you are just one person. You don't know who's making the decisions."

And with an 8-year-old daughter who enjoys the business and loves to come and hang out in the office, Sheets has a legacy which she may pass on to her own child one day.