SHOP: Wizard Werks Auto Repair & Body Shop LOCATION: Chicago OWNER: Karim Qader
SIZE: 24,500 square feet STAFF: 23 AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT: 75 (collision repair) ANNUAL REVENUE: $5 million
1. SHOP BRANDING: Wizard Werks European Auto Repair & Body Shop in Chicago derives its name from owner Karim Qader’s old CB radio handle from his time as an electronic technician. Qader also notes that Wizard Werks’ bold, black, red and yellow logo—which features the colors of the German flag—symbolizes that the shop largely specializes in European makes, like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi.
2. CUSTOMER LOUNGE: Wizard Werks more than doubled in size when it moved to its current location on Chicago’s West Division Street in the fall of 2016. With that move came an upgraded lounge area, where Qader aims to treat customers with the same level of customer service they would expect from luxury dealerships. The majority of the lounge’s high-end, European-style furnishings are from Modani Furniture, a manufacturer with a branch in Chicago.
3. PAINT DEPARTMENT: When Qader was in the process of designing his new, 24,500-square-foot facility, he purchased several new pieces of equipment. Perhaps the most eye-catching recent addition at Wizard Werks is its USI ITALIA spray booth, with a double-deck prep station—which features a turbine motor as opposed to a regular belt motor, making it ideal for waterborne paint, Qader says.
4. EMPHASIS ON RECYCLING: It’s another point of pride at Wizard Werks to be eco-friendly. As a result, the staff recycles everything it reasonably can, like old paint or thinner. That’s all part of Qader’s grand plan to have a supremely clean facility, which he says employees appreciate
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