Snap Shop: Shelton Collision Repair
1. Creating Curb Appeal
Brad Shelton has a passion for collision repair. He doesn’t, however, love the look of most body shops.
That explains why the owner of Shelton Collision Repair near Wichita, Kan., invested heavily in an architect five years ago, when his collision repair business took over an existing building in Derby, Kan.
Shelton, who dedicated 5 percent of his overall rebuilding budget to securing an architect, was left with a sleek facility with lots of glass, aluminum accents, and vibrant red coloration.
“My goal all along was to not make it look like a body shop—with the typical peaked roof and a sign in the upper eave,” Shelton explains. “I tried just going to a builder [initially] and saying, ‘this is what I want,’ and they don’t really understand. The architect did everything—I’d highly recommend that anybody that’s building new construction like that go through an architect.”
2. Multi-Purpose Canopy
Shelton, entering his 20th year as the owner of SCR, also had no interest in utilizing a typical estimating bay at his new facility. That helps explain the canopy for which his shop is well known. The covered area is multi-purpose, and you’ll often find vehicles staged there in preparation for delivery.
“We felt like it added a bit of appeal, because you can get out of the rain, or out of the brutal sun of summertime,” Shelton says of the canopy.
3. Shop Floor Efficiency
Insurance adjusters, vendors, and customers all seem to reach the same conclusion when they tour SCR: the facility’s shop floor features exemplary cleanliness and order. And that didn’t happen overnight; Shelton took great care to make sure his employees’ equipment is always in its proper place.
A while back, Shelton invested in several Innovative Tools rolling parts carts equipped with wire baskets. Now, SCR’s procedures dictate that parts are stacked atop the carts, and that each repair job has a rolling cart associated with it. All the necessary clips, fasteners and the like are right there on the cart, so technicians don’t require excessive, time-wasting movements to repair vehicles.
4. Investment In Aluminum Welding
In 2015, Shelton spent nearly $9,000 on a Pro Spot MIG welder that can be used for aluminum repair. That welder’s amenities include five separate heads.
“Aluminum is here, and I feel like it’s here to stay,” he says “When I was buying, I bought [with the intent] to get us well into the future.”
LOCATION: Derby, Kan. SIZE: 12,500 square feet STAFF: 17
AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT: 125 ANNUAL REVENUE: $2.5 million
