Dec. 14, 2020—A group of former Service King leaders today are launching a new shop, Texas Collision Centers, in Plano, Texas.
Headed by co-owners Dan Michaelis, a longtime Service King executive, and Jared Lennox, another former executive at the MSO and son of its founder, Eddie Lennox, the Texas Collision Centers leadership team is rounded out by vice president of finance and administration Mike Devendorf, and vice president of business development Shyllo Michaelis.
Speaking to FenderBender, Shyllo Michaelis said she and the others at Texas Collision Centers are thankful for their time at Service King and that it set them up to make a go of it on their own.
"We're just so fortunate to have been groomed by one of the most intelligent, successful founders in the industry, Eddie Lennox," said Michaelis, pointing out that Lennox let leaders have autonomy and make mistakes within the company, which allowed them to learn and grow. "He gave each of us a seat at the table."
The four people behind Texas Collision Centers, she said, bring a combined 67 years of experience in the collision repair industry. Michaelis also said she worked on the insurance side for 15 years.
The newly opened Texas Collision Centers shop is 23,000 square feet and fronts Highway 75, a main drag in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which Michaelis said has a car count of 300,000 per day. The shop is a completely renovated former Infinity dealership, with the makeover aiming for a modern aesthetic with clean lines.
With work on the shop happening during the pandemic, Michaelis said the space didn't need to be retrofitted to be COVID-friendly—instead it was purpose-built with three waiting areas that promote social distancing, and restrooms equipped with touchless fixtures.
Michaelis said she and her husband (she's married to Dan Michaelis) leaned on experience investing in homes, renovating, and flipping them, in order to act as general contractors in the shop's build. She said that means they know everything about the building and used cash saved on the renovation to fill it with top-of-the-line collision repair equipment.
Quick to note that the plural "Centers" in the shop's name was "very important and intentional," Michaelis said the business plan calls for four to six locations three years down the line. Also with the shop's name in mind, she said she doesn't rule out expansion beyond the Lone Star State, though, "We feel like there's so many opportunities here in Texas that it's definitely where we plan to focus today."
