Burl Richards started working alongside his father at the young age of six. During school, he worked weekends and summers buffing cars, eventually learning to paint cars. After high school, Richards joined the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at nearby Shepard AFB. Whenever he had leave, he would bring his friends cars home and paint them.
“Automotive refinishing definitely got into my blood from an early age,” said Richards. “After I finished my four years of military service, I went to work in the industry, working in several shops, doing everything from body work to painting to managing. During that time, I had an experience that stuck with me from then on. I had a body tech that chose to be creative in the way he repaired a bumper, not using a recommended procedure. The customer was furious with the result. At that point, I decided that when I owned my own shop, everyone would follow the same procedures--the correct procedures.”
In 1997 Richards opened Burl’s Collision Center in Henderson, TX. Now housed on 18 acres of land, Richards has experienced continued growth, adding mechanical repair, glass replacement, industrial coating, heavy-duty truck repair, and even a custom paint shop. With over 40,000 square feet combined, Richard’s operations, which includes Red River Collision Center in Louisiana, generate over $10 million in annual revenue.
VeriFacts Automotive Partnership “Changed the Culture in My Shop” Richards realized that every collision center is not the same, and he decided to differentiate himself by making his shop the best trained and equipped shop in east Texas. To help him achieve that, he chose to partner with VeriFacts Automotive for the training, coaching and evaluation services they offer. VeriFacts Automotive helped his team prepare for and achieve certification from eight of the major OEMs. Achieving VeriFacts VQ Medallion status addressed two objectives: differentiating his facility from other repair centers and ensuring that all his technicians follow the same processes and procedures recommended by the OEMs for the proper and safest repairs for their customers. “Partnering with VeriFacts Automotive was one of the best things I ever did for my business,” said Richards. “Our customers safety is top of mind and ensuring we are using the proper procedures to bring their vehicle back to pre-accident condition is our number one focus. But one additional benefit that I saw was that it changed the attitude and the culture within my shop. A VeriFacts Automotive coach visits the shop each month unannounced, measuring and coaching our repairs. None of my technicians want our repair score to drop, so they work together to ensure it stays high. It’s a source of pride for them.” Burl’s Collision is proud of their OEM and industry certifications, which include Tesla, American Honda ProFirst, Ford, GM Collision Repair Network, Mopar, Nissan, Hyundai, ASE, ICAR Gold Certification and VeriFacts VQ Medallion.COVID-19 Pandemic Requires Adapting, And Provides an Opportunity to Review Current Practices Fortunately, Burl’s Collision Center has stayed busy so far during the recent crisis and has been able to keep everyone working. Burl’s has implemented all the precautions and procedures necessary to keep his staff and his customers safe, disinfecting everything from the vehicles, to the workstations, the surfaces and even all door handles throughout the facility. One preventative measure that Richards took to help keep his workers safe and servicing customers was implementing a split shift to prevent the chance of one person infecting the entire crew of 50 employees. The first shift crew leaves, and the facility is sanitized before the second shift arrives. “The two-shift arrangement was challenging at first,” said Richards. “Because the two shifts never interacted face-to-face, good communication was very important, and it was a real learning experience for us. The team adapted and as a result it made us better. I may entertain keeping the two-shift arrangement after the crisis is over, as some team members prefer it.” Richards advises others in the industry to use the pandemic crisis as an opportunity to improve their business. “When this subsides, every owner needs to look back at what they did right and what they could have done differently during the crisis, and what worked well that they may want to continue to do.” said Richards. “It’s an opportunity to review our business practices. Before going back to how you did things pre-pandemic, evaluate and see if your current practices may be the more efficient way. And lastly, we will all be better prepared in the event something like this ever happens again.”
About VeriFacts Automotive VeriFacts Automotive, headquartered in Newport Beach, CA, provides the highest level of collision repair business coaching, evaluation and verification services, delivering OEM certifications and working with insurance carriers to ensure collision repair facilities are prepared to deliver safe and reliable repairs. Today, VeriFacts has partnerships with the majority of leading multi-shop collision repair organizations, independent repair facilities and top vehicle manufacturers and is recognized by top insurance carriers, among others. VeriFacts employs more than 75 team members across North America. For more information, visit www.VeriFactsAuto.com.
VeriFacts Automotive Partnership “Changed the Culture in My Shop” Richards realized that every collision center is not the same, and he decided to differentiate himself by making his shop the best trained and equipped shop in east Texas. To help him achieve that, he chose to partner with VeriFacts Automotive for the training, coaching and evaluation services they offer. VeriFacts Automotive helped his team prepare for and achieve certification from eight of the major OEMs. Achieving VeriFacts VQ Medallion status addressed two objectives: differentiating his facility from other repair centers and ensuring that all his technicians follow the same processes and procedures recommended by the OEMs for the proper and safest repairs for their customers. “Partnering with VeriFacts Automotive was one of the best things I ever did for my business,” said Richards. “Our customers safety is top of mind and ensuring we are using the proper procedures to bring their vehicle back to pre-accident condition is our number one focus. But one additional benefit that I saw was that it changed the attitude and the culture within my shop. A VeriFacts Automotive coach visits the shop each month unannounced, measuring and coaching our repairs. None of my technicians want our repair score to drop, so they work together to ensure it stays high. It’s a source of pride for them.” Burl’s Collision is proud of their OEM and industry certifications, which include Tesla, American Honda ProFirst, Ford, GM Collision Repair Network, Mopar, Nissan, Hyundai, ASE, ICAR Gold Certification and VeriFacts VQ Medallion.COVID-19 Pandemic Requires Adapting, And Provides an Opportunity to Review Current Practices Fortunately, Burl’s Collision Center has stayed busy so far during the recent crisis and has been able to keep everyone working. Burl’s has implemented all the precautions and procedures necessary to keep his staff and his customers safe, disinfecting everything from the vehicles, to the workstations, the surfaces and even all door handles throughout the facility. One preventative measure that Richards took to help keep his workers safe and servicing customers was implementing a split shift to prevent the chance of one person infecting the entire crew of 50 employees. The first shift crew leaves, and the facility is sanitized before the second shift arrives. “The two-shift arrangement was challenging at first,” said Richards. “Because the two shifts never interacted face-to-face, good communication was very important, and it was a real learning experience for us. The team adapted and as a result it made us better. I may entertain keeping the two-shift arrangement after the crisis is over, as some team members prefer it.” Richards advises others in the industry to use the pandemic crisis as an opportunity to improve their business. “When this subsides, every owner needs to look back at what they did right and what they could have done differently during the crisis, and what worked well that they may want to continue to do.” said Richards. “It’s an opportunity to review our business practices. Before going back to how you did things pre-pandemic, evaluate and see if your current practices may be the more efficient way. And lastly, we will all be better prepared in the event something like this ever happens again.”
About VeriFacts Automotive VeriFacts Automotive, headquartered in Newport Beach, CA, provides the highest level of collision repair business coaching, evaluation and verification services, delivering OEM certifications and working with insurance carriers to ensure collision repair facilities are prepared to deliver safe and reliable repairs. Today, VeriFacts has partnerships with the majority of leading multi-shop collision repair organizations, independent repair facilities and top vehicle manufacturers and is recognized by top insurance carriers, among others. VeriFacts employs more than 75 team members across North America. For more information, visit www.VeriFactsAuto.com.
