Features

Automotive business plans
move to Woodlawn Road

[FEB. 11, 2002]  The most colorful buildings in town are about to come down, and J&S Auto Centre will soon have a new home on the corner of Woodlawn and Palmer.

Jim Horn, who owns J&S Auto with his wife, Shelley, said he expected to close on the Woodlawn Road property and begin demolition soon. "Permits, permits, permits," he said in explaining one element that makes the process take a little longer.

The Horns have already succeeded in getting the property rezoned from residential to commercial.

"We're shooting for a June 1 grand opening," Horn said. Realistically, though, he knows it may take a month or month and a half longer to complete construction and the move.

[Photos by Bob Frank]

The Horns plan to erect a 4,000-square-foot building to house their automotive store and Bombardier all-terrain vehicle dealership. The building will include a showroom for the ATVs. There will be two overhead doors for vehicles on Palmer and an entrance each on Woodlawn and Palmer. It will be a "nice-looking, unique building," Horn said.

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Most of the 31,000-square-foot property will be purchased from the Buelter estate. In addition, there is a 9-by-110-foot strip at the rear that comes from a neighbor's property.

Horn said the reason for moving is that J&S Auto Centre has outgrown its current home on Logan Street. The Horns began the business 13 years ago at 101 N. Logan. Seven years later they moved across the street to 103 S. Logan. That move also was motivated by the need for more space.

[Lynn Spellman]

Auto repair firm readies new home

[DEC. 26, 2002]  Erv Guyett, owner of Collision Concepts, takes a professional, analytical approach to running his business. It appears to be paying off. In four years his auto repair firm has almost tripled its gross sales and now is building more space.

The new home for Collision Concepts, located two lots east of Lee's Home Furnishings, at the intersection of Woodlawn Road and Macon Street, is expected to open by the end of March 2003. With 13,500 square feet, it is more than three times as large as the current space, behind Graue Chevrolet-Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac-Cadillac at 1907 N. Kickapoo. That location has 4,200 square feet, including office space.

[Photos by Lynn Spellman]
[New site for Collision Concepts]

The business was formerly Graue's body shop. Since January 1998, when Guyett and Dick Taylor of Dick Taylor Automotive Service in Springfield bought it, annual gross sales have grown from $400,000 to just under $1.1 million. And they have grown without adding personnel, because there is just no room for more workers.

Guyett said his firm produces $7 per square foot per month over the national average but pays for that in number of times vehicles must be moved. The ideal is no more than four moves during the repair process, but he averages at least five. He observed that 18 vehicles were once parked in the limited space "like a can of sardines."

In 1998-9 Guy Taylor, Dick Taylor's former production manager, served as general manager in Lincoln, reporting to Guyett in Springfield. In January 2000 Guyett bought out his partner and personally took over the local operation, changing to the current name. By early 2001 the business grew out of both production area and office space. Construction on the new facility started in fall 2002.

Guyett said he chose the west-side site because his business is location-driven. He is seeking a high-traffic area and curb appeal, something the location behind Graue's lacks since it has no curb view at all. Guyett wants visiting his office to be like driving to the doctor. By that he means a professional-looking business where customers are comfortable and which they feel they can trust with their second-most-expensive possession.

Work areas will all have metal halide lighting, the form of artificial light closest to natural sunlight. This will improve quality control by letting workers see the vehicle as it will be seen on the street. At the Kickapoo Street location Guyett has it in the spray booth only.

He ran a comparison study of production results with and without metal halide lighting. This is typical of Guyett's analytical approach to his business. "We can't expect to grow unless we know how, why, when," he noted.

[Inside the 1907 N. Kickapoo business]

The new facility offers a climate-controlled estimating bay, also with metal halide lighting. Guyett said the extremes of Illinois weather mean that customers sometimes swelter and sometimes freeze if estimating is done outside.

The auto repair business carries a large administrative load, requiring one administrative position for every two production technicians, according to Guyett. "It is 95 percent insurance-driven," he said, and much of the paperwork depends on requirements of the various insurance companies. In addition, parts distribution and daily communication take their share of administrative time.

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In the current arrangement, Guyett, repair process manager Matt Heubner and a receptionist share the small office space. Right now the receptionist post is vacant, but Guyett expects to fill it and a detail technician's before moving to the new facility. Two more hires are possible by the end of 2003. One would be a person with parts and production responsibilities to act as liaison between the office and shop.

Current employees include body repair technicians Bill Baughman and Bobby Quisenberry, refinish technicians Michael Armitage and Jason Williams and detail technician Chris Schnorr. All hold ICAR (Inter-Industry Commission on Automotive Collision Repairs) gold class status, as does the business. To achieve this rating each person must have taken 80 percent of the total ICAR instruction offerings for that position and the business must have 80 percent of its employees meeting this standard.

Collision Concepts is also an Automotive Service Excellence blue ribbon holder, which means that 95 percent of technicians have passed a four-year renewable exam for their position. Baughman is an ASE master technician, holding certification in all six possible areas.

Collision Concepts is a concessionaire for Enterprise Rent-a-Car. In Illinois, unlike some states, the driver at fault in an accident must provide transportation while the other person's vehicle is being repaired. Therefore, Guyett encourages auto insurance rental car coverage. He said rental expense is the third largest component of insurance cost, after vehicle repair and bodily injury. So insurance companies are interested in speed of repairs.

To schedule work Collision Concepts uses the CR Auto Scheduler Plus from Collision Resources and in fact was a test firm for the program. It looks at the last 15 similar repairs to determine how long the job will take, then generates three possible beginning dates and corresponding finish times. Guyett said the program allows his business to bring in no more than it can handle. Still, he is wary of over-promising on delivery and does not guarantee delivery time. Hidden damage is a big unknown, he explained.

[Erv Guyett, owner of Collision Concepts]

"This is a funny business," commented Guyett. "We can't create sales." Collision Concepts gets business through word of mouth, insurance agents and even police referrals. About 40 percent of the 85 repair orders per month are General Motors vehicles. This figure reflects growth from the original connection with Graue, and Guyett is looking for further expansion including more high-end foreign cars.

The Collision Concepts mission statement emphasizes customer service: "The primary standard of quality will be measured through the eyes of our customer and their satisfaction level." The firm employs a third-party company to survey all customers after the repair is complete. Guyett is proud of his 99.2 percent customer satisfaction rating.

Collision Concepts makes all ICAR-approved repairs. Services include free estimates, lifetime written warranty on all work, paintless dent repair, glass installation, courtesy cars and ride service, rental cars on site, available financing and computerized damage estimating. Business hours are 8-5 Monday-Friday. The new address will be 1005 Macon; the phone is (217) 735-2100; and the website is collisionconceptsinc.com.

[Lynn Spellman]

Announcements

The Chamber Report

[JAN. 24, 2003]  Bobbi Abbott, executive director of the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce, is a recent graduate of the Institute for Organization Management at the University of Arizona in Tucson. A professional development program of the United States Chamber of Commerce, the institute is the premier continuing education program for chamber and association professionals.

The Institute for Organization Management has trained chamber and association leaders for more than 80 years. According to Abbott, "This program offers innovative, challenging and leading-edge continuing education for chamber of commerce and association executives from across the country. We learn skills to address the challenges of increased competition, greater member demands and tighter resources as we lead our organizations and communities."

The curriculum consists of four one-week sessions, focusing on a numerous competencies, including leadership, budgeting, membership, management, legal issues, ethics, policy development, partnerships, strategic planning, advocacy and communications. The University of Arizona is one of five sites to host the institute each year to over 2,000 executives.

As a graduate of the four-year program, Abbott received accreditation in organization management and points toward professional certification. She has served as director of the local chamber of commerce since Jan. 1, 1998.

[Press release]

Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce

Bobbi Abbott, Executive Director

303 S. Kickapoo St.

Lincoln, IL 62656

(217) 735-2385

chamber@lincolnillinois.com
www.lincolnillinois.com

Honors & Awards

Rhonda Jones named as ALMH Employee of the Year

[JAN. 14, 2003]  Rhonda Jones, a nurse with the Medical/Surgical Department at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, was recently named as the ALMH 2002 Employee of the Year.

Jones was nominated by her fellow employees, who stated, "Rhonda is a dedicated, hard worker who puts her patients first, treating them as she would want to be treated, and is always doing the extra things to make them comfortable, like washing and fixing their hair or tending to foot care."

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Rhonda was born and raised in Mount Pulaski but now lives in Chestnut with her husband of 23 years, John, and their children Daneil, 19, Damin, 12, and Devin, age 5. In her spare time Rhonda enjoys fishing, gardening and spending time with her children.

An outstanding ALMH employee is recognized each month, and the ALMH Employee of the Year is selected from among the monthly honorees. In the past year, ALMH Employees of the Month have included Kim Frizzell, radiology; Brenda Grider, medical-surgical; Harlyne Callahan, emergency; Roxanna Gleason, lab; Katrinka Buchen, housekeeping; Alice Hegland, medical-surgical; April Gehlbach, materials management; Helene Bales, medical records; Kenneth Gill, plant operations; Barbara Logan, operating room and same-day care; and Sheila McCoy, rehabilitation.

[ALMH news release]

Main Street Corner News

Main Street Lincoln

Cindy McLaughlin, Program Manager

303 S. Kickapoo

Lincoln, IL 62656

Phone: (217) 732-2929

Fax: (217) 735-9205

E-mail: manager@mainstreetlincoln.com