When Chris and Melissa Durski took ownership of 70 West Body Shop in Eagle River, WI, in 2021, they knew the right equipment would play a vital role in shaping their shop’s future. The Durskis purchased the shop from Chris’s father, who had owned it since 1999. What was one of their first purchases? A Blowtherm USA spray booth and mix room — a decision that has proven to be a game changer for the family-run facility.
“I probably saved myself a whole technician by just buying this booth,” said Chris Durski. “It saves us two to three days of work on a full truck refinish, just from eliminating the need to buff everything.”
70 West Body Shop
Eagle River, WI
715-479-9444
www.70westbodyshop.com
Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: Seven
In Business Since: 1999
Number of Locations: One
Production Space: 5,500 square feet
For the Durskis, Blowtherm USA wasn’t just an equipment choice — it was a long-term investment in efficiency, quality and sustainability for their business.
When the Blowtherm booth was installed, the results were immediate.
“We actually enjoy painting now,” said Durski. “There’s no airflow fluctuation, no mini-tornadoes of dirt, and no dieback issues. It’s just steady, consistent air movement — the quality difference is night and day.”
Durski, who has worked in shops using a variety of booth brands, said Blowtherm outperforms them all. “Other booths I’ve used had constant breakdowns and uneven pressurization,” he said. “You’d spend hours cleaning and still have dirt in the finish.”
Now, those worries are gone. “It’s so clean and controlled, we can match the OEM finish perfectly — even the factory orange peel. That’s something a flat, show-car finish just can’t replicate.”
Jeff McFarland, manager and refinish tech, uses an exclusive Blowtherm parts hanger.
Although the shop currently sprays solvent-based products from PPG, Durski appreciates the Blowtherm booth is waterborne ready.
“If the time comes that we’re required to switch, we won’t have to spend another $20,000 to retrofit,” he said. “This booth is already set up for it.”
With previous experience using Blowtherm booths at other shops and tech schools, Durski was confident in his decision. “I knew it was the best fit for what we were trying to do. I’ve sprayed in eight different booth styles — nothing else compares.”
One of the standout features of the Blowtherm booth is its simplicity.
“It’s basically like AI,” Durski said. “You hit a button, and it does everything for you. There’s not much of a learning curve at all.”
Maintenance has also been minimal. “The only thing I’ve done so far is change the filters,” he said. “It took me 30 minutes to replace the floor filters and an hour for the rest. That used to be an all-day job with other booths.”
Durski said that alone saves significant time and keeps productivity high. “With other booths, just changing the filters meant scrubbing the whole booth again. With this one, you just swap them out and you’re done.”
As a small shop, 70 West Body Shop is already feeling the pressure of the industry-wide technician shortage. That’s another reason the Blowtherm booth has been so valuable.
“I knew I’d need to do more with fewer employees,” he said. “This booth helps us maintain our workload with less staff and still deliver better quality — faster.”
70 West Body Shop’s signature tree-carved paint gun statue and LED sign is a community icon.
The built-in bake cycle helps them get vehicles out the door faster, too. “We can cure and deliver much quicker, without sacrificing finish quality. That’s huge for cycle time.”
Although they were eager to install the Blowtherm World with Mixing Station equipment early on, outside contractor construction issues with their building delayed installation by more than two years. The Durskis credit Blowtherm and their local sales representative for overcoming those hurdles.
“We had issues with the building specs not matching the detailed booth specs required,” said Durski. “The roof trusses weren’t aligned, the grates in the floor weren’t right — the concrete had to be busted out three times.”
The Blowtherm USA rep stepped in to work directly with the building contractors to ensure the booth would be installed properly. “They came back multiple times, stayed in constant communication and fought to get it done,” said Durski. “Without them, we wouldn’t have a booth right now.”
For other small, independent shop owners considering an equipment upgrade, Durski offers strong encouragement.
“Don’t be intimidated by the investment. We were at first, but this booth has changed everything for us.”
Between the superior finish, reduced buffing time, easier maintenance service, Durski said Blowtherm USA has exceeded every expectation.
“I’m 110% satisfied,” Durski said. “The Blowtherm team was phenomenal, and the booth just works. I’ve talked to guys who’ve had their Blowtherm booths for 20 or 30 years with zero issues. That says it all.”
Blowtherm USA & Training Center
855-463-9872 or 262-269-6265
www.blowtherm-usa.com
sales@blowtherm-usa.com
To read more auto body shop profiles from the October 2025 Shop and Product Showcase, click here.
