Finding success under the Big Sky of collision repair

Jan. 1, 2020
Big Sky Collision
Bill and Debbie Park find a passion in the collision repair business as they build a shop from scratch—while caring for their six young children.
SnapshopShop: BIg Sky CollisionLocations: Tucson, Ariz. and Benson, Ariz.Size: 8,350 sq. ft. (Tucson) and 3,000 (Benson). A 27,000 sq. ft. facility is also currently under construction.Monthly Repairs (Average): 115Gross Annual Revenue: $2.6 million in 2001
Employees: 16
Equipment: Two drive-on racks, a frame measuring system, a lift and a heated downdraft spraybooth.StartedBusiness: 1995Although Bill Park painted every car he could get his hands on when he was in high school, he never intended on making a career out of it. “When I was in high school, everyone said I’d own a body shop—but I said there was no way,” Park says. “I was painting everyone’s car in sight, but I was just doing it for fun. I painted my first car at 14 years old.”But several years later, after earning a bachelor’s degree in molecular science and a master’s in business administration, Park and his wife, Debbie, opened their own collision repair business, Big Sky Collision in Tucson, Ariz. Interestingly, Debbie isn’t from an automotive background, either. She has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and master’s degrees in both toxicology and business administration. Together, they built their shop from scratch by combining Bill’s love for cars, both of their business sense, drive for success and hard work and their family-oriented values. When they started their business in 1995, it was in a 14-ft. by 100-ft. building with the vehicle repairs being done in a small strip. “We were buying and selling vehicles, fixing them up and trying to survive,” he says. “There was no storage. It was very cramped, but we did about $1 million in sales out of that place.” Slowly but surely, they began to grow their business. Adjacent to the building they were renting, there was a 2,500-sq. ft. place that Park and his wife took over about a year later and combined the two. Their current facility is 7,500 sq. ft. of production area and 850 sq. ft. of office space. A 27,000-sq. ft. collision repair facility is currently under construction for the shop to move into. Park says he expects it to be completed by the last quarter of 2003. Park also has a second location—a 3,000-sq. ft. facility—in Benson, Ariz., about 45 miles southeast of Tucson. So how did a husband and wife team with backgrounds in science and business decide to get into the collision repair business? Granted, Bill Park used to paint cars as a teen-ager, but that was just for fun. When asked how it all came about, Park recalls the story. “When I got my MBA, my wife and I sat down and asked ourselves, ‘What’s next?’” he says. “I said I’d send my resume out and see what I can come up with. She sent out hers and got tons of responses, but I didn’t get any responses. I thought, ‘This is bad. I can’t even get a job.’”But after scouring the classified ads, Park applied for a management position to run the shop that a new car dealership was opening up. Park thought he’d be a shoe-in because of his technical and financial background. “But I didn’t even get a phone call,” he says. It was then he decided to start his own shop.“I told my wife, ‘This is it! I’m going to take their business away from them,’” Park says. “We’re not quite there yet, but we’re working on it.”Big Sky Collision produced $2.6 million in gross annual revenue in 2001 and has a volume of about 115 vehicles per month. There are three techs in detail, three in the paint shop and six on the body side. The administrative staff is comprised of a receptionist, estimator, an account/production manager (Bill Park) and a human resources/accounting manager (Debbie Park). Big Sky has two drive-on racks, a frame measuring system, a lift and a heated downdraft spraybooth.In between growing the business, running the shops and participating in charity events (see “Repair shops donate cars, services to help those in need, ABRN, News, December 2002), the Parks somehow also find time to grow their family. Debbie and Bill Park have six children—two sets of boy and girl twins (a set of 4-year-olds and a set of 20-month-old twins), a 3-year-old boy and a 6-month-old boy.“It’s a bit overwhelming at times,” Debbie admits. “When we started out, though, I don’t think we imagined [having] six. Someone always has a runny nose, and when I’m getting him or her ready for bed, I can’t remember whose teeth I’ve brushed. But it’s fun, and we never break their spirit.” Both Bill and Debbie Park apply this same principle to Big Sky. Just like having a big family may be challenging, so is running a business successfully. But if you love what you do, you will thrive, they say. “You have to have a passion for what you are doing,” Debbie says, adding, “and Bill does.” He has that same kind of passion for making sure his customers are taken care of.

About the Author

Tina Grady

Tina was associate editor and then senior associate editor of ABRN from 2001-2004 after serving as an associate editor for a group of agricultural business and biotechnology trade publications in Northeast Ohio. While there, she wrote about the people, businesses, and trends shaping those industries, many times traveling to research her articles. Before entering the business-publishing industry, she was a reporter for the daily newspaper, covering Columbus, Ohio, and the surrounding regions. She has also reported for a suburban Cleveland daily newspaper and for several weekly newspapers in Northeast Ohio. A graduate of Kent State University, Tina holds a bachelor of science degree in journalism and mass communication and a bachelor of arts degree in theater studies. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Society of Business Press Editors.

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