James Tyler "Jim" Huard is a collision industry veteran whose career spans over four decades of leadership, innovation, and operational excellence. Starting at just 15 years old sweeping floors in his father’s shop in Whittier, California, Jim’s early exposure to the industry shaped a relentless work ethic and a passion for transforming businesses from the ground up.

His father’s shop was part of the nation’s first-ever DRP with Allstate in 1978, and Jim played a key role in modernizing the operation with one of the earliest computerized systems—a formative experience that set the tone for a career centered around growth, change management, and high performance.

After relocating to Portland at age 26, Jim quickly rose through the ranks, helping two independent shops grow dramatically earning partnership and scaling one location from $270K to over $800K in monthly revenue before a successful sale to Kadel’s Auto Body. He stayed on post-sale and helped expand Kadel’s operations, citing its founder Toby Wiltse as a pivotal mentor.

Jim later brought his turnaround expertise to Caliber Collision, where he spent nine years as a regional GM and “turnaround specialist,” reorganizing underperforming shops across San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles. During his time at Caliber, he played a key role in its expansion from 75 to over 500 locations—one of the most dynamic periods of his career.

In 2012, Jim joined Erick Bickett at Fix Auto ACAB as VP of operations, where he led operations and growth efforts for the Bickett-owned MSO. His performance earned him an equity stake and ownership role. He also played a broader role in supporting the national growth of Fix Auto USA, helping develop tools like the Fix Auto Dashboard and shaping the operational infrastructure used by dozens of locations.

After the successful sale of ACAB and Fix Auto, Jim and his wife Kelly—a seasoned finance professional—set out to build a new kind of MSO in the Phoenix metro area. In 2021, they founded Painters Collision Centers, beginning with a shop in Queen Creek and expanding to Chandler, Apache Junction, and a dedicated ADAS facility.

With Kelly overseeing finance and administration and Jim leading operations and culture, the Huard’s scaled Painters to over 100 employees and $15M+ in revenue within three years. Each acquisition became cash-flow positive within 30 days, and their customer-first, performance-driven model made Painters one of the highest-performing MSOs in the region. In January 2024, they completed a successful sale to Classic Collision, with advisory support from Focus Advisors.

Throughout his career, Jim has led with intention—whether building out strategic marketing plans, mentoring rising leaders, or guiding major operational turnarounds. His belief in people, process, and accountability has helped hundreds of collision centers improve performance, increase profitability, and build lasting cultures.

“I can proudly say that I’ve played a key role in positively shaping hundreds of collision centers over my career. Though it’s extremely gratifying to build successful businesses like Painters, I’m just as passionate about developing people and making this industry better.” – Jim Huard

Jim remains active in the industry and is exploring future entrepreneurial opportunities alongside Kelly, with a continued focus on innovation, team development, and raising the bar for customer experience in automotive repair.

December 2013 Issue

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