Park Place BodyWerks thrives on a steady diet of high-end vehicles

First of all, your eyesight is fine and so is our proofreading. The name of this top shop is Park Place BodyWerks – with an e. The name alone should indicate that something unusual is going on at this business.

ABRN Staff

Jan. 1, 2020

5 min read

Park Place BodyWerks ABRN Top Shop collision repair auto body repair First of all, your eyesight is fine and so is our proofreading. The name of this top shop is Park Place BodyWerks – with an e. The name alone should indicate that something unusual is going on at this business. As if the quirky spelling of "works" isn't enough, consider the fact that it's paired with the far more formal Park Place moniker. Park Place is the second most expensive piece of real estate in the board game Monopoly and carries with it the promise of luxury.

In fact, Dallas-based Park Place BodyWerks does concentrate on high-end automobiles but, as its name indicates, with a twist. This is a shop with a cleverly conceived dual identity, one that promises very traditional, value-based services with some new-age tech savvy.

This identity grew out of some pretty modest beginnings. The shop was simply part of a Mercedes-Benz dealership Park Place ownership purchased in 1987. Eric McKenzie, director of shop operations, says the spelling of werks is a nod to the shop's German heritage. At that time, the shop was located above the dealership. The shop moved to its current location in 1992 and ran about $200,000 a month in sales.

The shop grew quickly as Park Place expanded to 10 dealerships in Dallas/Fort Worth and Mission Viejo, Calif. Park Place now represents brands including Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maserati, Lexus, Porsche, Volvo and smart. The shop expanded to three buildings and eventually began running an average of just over $1 million a month in sales to their current average of $1.7 million each month. Recently, monthly sales surpassed $2 million.

Park Place handles this work, striving to meet its motto of being "Experts in Excellence," with a combination of traditional and new. It invests heavily in equipment and training. Technicians have constant access to information via wireless connections in the shops – allowing them to work from their stalls or out in the shop lot (a good thing since the shop employs more than 60 techs, has 154 work bays and 87,000 sq. ft. of space).

Park Place utilizes seven computers with direct links to eight vehicle manufacturers' technical repair information. It also uses Mercedes and Lexus vehicle diagnostic computers. Additionally, Park Place is a certified repair facility for Mercedes-Benz, Rolls Royce, Bentley and Volvo and for the rare Nissan GT-R. Further, the shop is a certified aluminum repair facility.

Staff members take lead roles in national training and service efforts. Shop director Eric McKenzie is a member of the Certified Mercedes Collision Repair Advisory Board as well as a member of the shop's paint vendor's National Performance Group advisory board. Park Place's parts director is a member of the Mercedes Benz fixed operations marketing advisory board.

Park Place draws in future "excellence experts" with the personal approach. It annually hosts educators from Universal Technical Institute (UTI) for an event that brings local high school, body and mechanical technical students and their parents to introduce them to the shop and promote the benefits of UTI and its relationship with Park Place.

The shop adopts both personal and high-tech methods to market its services – to help ensure a place for its future experts. Traditional and cutting-edge tools are put to work in both the real world and the virtual one.

On the more traditional, personal side, Park Place focuses on the tens of thousands of luxury car owners in its client database as well as new clients who purchase new or pre-owned vehicles from one of the nine area dealerships.

The Porsche dealership annually holds an event for clients called Porsche Fest. It hands out collision kit brochures, exhibits a full-color display of a step-by-step repair process and even displays a Porsche set up on a frame bench.

Putting a spin on its luxury reputation, Park Place draws in a less traditional customer set with some punchy paint work. The shop has completed dozens of custom paint jobs, including chameleon colors on smart cars, which are displayed at local events and featured in Park Place's electronic newsletters.

On the electronic side, the Park Place Web site is designed to create a virtual experience that reflects the luxury environment of Park Place's facilities. Visitors can take a virtual tour of the shop, "walking" through the client lounge and exploring the body shop. While at the virtual body shop, visitors will find an accident report form that they can view, download and print. Also available is a digital body shop brochure that outlines the various steps of Park Place's self-described repair process.

When Park Place isn't attracting business or performing repairs it plays a large part in local charitable efforts. The shop is a major sponsor for the Cattle Baron's Ball, the largest one-day fundraiser in the country benefitting The American Cancer Society; title sponsor and host of Casino Night for The Dallas Stars Foundation, benefiting several local children's charities; title sponsor of Children's Trust Event benefitting the Children's Medical Center; and a major sponsor of the Collin County Children's Advocacy Center. McKenzie says shop employees are personally involved with a number of community services, such as Habitat for Humanity.

Virtual marketing, custom chameleon paints, eight high-end vehicle brands, support for a host of charities – Park Place BodyWerks isn't your typical luxury shop, but that's exactly their point. You don't become a top shop by delivering only what's expected.