K-ceps Auto Body, a two-location collision repair business in Central Ohio, was recently recognized by Collision Advice as “Spartan of the Year” for its commitment to safe and proper repairs.
The award is given annually to the top-performing member of the Spartan 300 Legacy Group led by Mike Anderson, president of Collision Advice.
The winner is selected based on dedication to OEM certifications, repair procedures and parts usage, as well as Customer Service Index (CSI) scores.
Adam Speck said the company “had always known about Mike Anderson and his impact on our industry,” so they jumped on the invitation to join the Spartan 300 group when Anderson launched it in 2022.
“We were at the first meeting,” he said. “It was during COVID. The first meeting was in Atlanta and there was nobody in the hotel except for us.”
Brothers Adam and Chris Speck are partners at K-ceps Auto Body, which was founded as a single-man shop in 1993 by their father. Today, K-ceps has locations in Granville and Johnstown, OH.
Since joining, K-ceps has learned to implement the 5S organizational method, which uses five key steps — sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain — to create a clean, organized workspace that increases efficiency and reduces waste.
“Our shop looks like a hospital, which is pretty cool,” Speck said.
K-ceps learned how to do “meticulous disassembly” of a vehicle so all necessary parts and operations are captured in the repair plan, rather than finding out a part is missing or there is unidentified damage later in the process.
The two shops also implemented Anderson’s method of mirror matching parts — “you flip the [old] part around and upside down and make sure it matches the new part you just got,” Speck said.
K-ceps Auto Body learned it was this year’s Spartan of the Year at a national symposium for Spartan 300 group members held in Minneapolis in April.
Speck said it was a shock. “We didn't think that this was our year, but Mike believes in us.”
K-ceps Auto Body proudly displays a banner declaring it Spartan of the Year.
Anderson has helped K-ceps Auto Body make a lot of changes. “He came into our facility and completely changed everything, turned everything upside down,” Speck said. “We didn't give too much pushback, and we trusted the process and went along with the flow, and we’re glad we did.”
Since joining the Spartans group, K-ceps has been recognized three consecutive years for only using OEM parts in all of its repairs.
The company has a long list of OEM certifications, including premium brands like Bentley, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Jaguar Land Rover and Lamborghini; EV brands like Rivian, Lucid and Tesla; and mass market brands like Subaru and General Motors. It is currently working on Maserati and Ferrari certification.
Speck said K-ceps focuses on OEM certifications because automakers — particularly premium ones — see the service customers receive as an extension of the brand. A bad collision repair experience can turn off a customer from buying from that automaker again.
“We saw the value in investing in such programs with vehicle manufacturers that actually want you to do the right thing for their clients,” Speck said. “Just seeing that there is somebody that wants you to do good and you're on the other side of the fence vs. the DRP world, it was very rewarding and motivating to say the least.”
